Sept. 18 Safe Return news center update

Greetings, colleagues!
Happy Fall! And so another week of hybrid learning is us behind us! Congratulations one and all! Thank you for keeping the promises we make to each other in our Community Pledge.

A short update for you all today:
Despite our great progress, the news is bittersweet. We have had to make many difficult decisions as a result of the pandemic, and this week brought another: with much regret we are postponing the December 2020 Commencement Ceremony to next May. The deans and senior administration team agree that this is the only responsible course at this time. All spring 2020 graduates, fall 2020 graduates and spring 2021 graduates are invited to the Spring Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021, at the Amsoil Arena in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. It’s frustrating indeed to be forced into this delay. But we look forward to coming together in person next spring for a celebration to remember!

Mask mania

Our friends in the Saints Shop report that there’s been an overwhelming response to our specially designed facemasks – in fact, they’re sold out! More have been ordered and will be back in stock soon.

Friendly reminder to keep those rooms clean

For those who may be using open rooms impromptu for meetings, a reminder to please clean the space before and after you meet. We appear to be doing well with classrooms, but I’m hearing reports that people are popping into rooms for quick meetings without cleaning before or after. Thank you for your cooperation!

Impressive rankings news

We’ve been honored in a new U.S. News and World Report national ranking that measures student success. St. Scholastica is no. 135 out of 389 schools in the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility among National Universities. There are many – I would say too many – rankings out there today, and we should never put too much stock in any of them. That said, U.S. News is the most widely recognized and credible authority. And social mobility is a welcome outcome of our mission. Ellen Johnson, vice president for enrollment management, put it well: “Throughout our history, St. Scholastica has always worked to ensure that the life-changing power of higher education is within reach, regardless of a student’s economic background. This remains a core part of our mission today… We continually seek to level the playing field by taking steps like guaranteeing a student can graduate in four years, and instituting test-optional admissions.”

Exercise the franchise

I’m proud of our Student Government Association being a National Voter Registration Day partner. SGA members are tabling in the Student Union and Benedictine Commons through Tuesday to help us register to vote. The times you can stop by are:

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Friday, Sept. 18
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21
• 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 22

Looking great in SSBT

We hosted a delightful gathering on Thursday to show off our beautiful new ALLETE Board Room (Tower 3145). I was happy to see former St. Scholastica President Bruce Stender and his wife Kaye, as well as leaders of ALLETE, among other dignitaries and friends of the College. We are grateful for this state-of-the-art learning space! See pictures attached of the Stender Family and Al Hodnik from ALLETE who joined us. It’s becoming obvious all around us that the fall color season is underway. This is something we can all get outside and appreciate safely this weekend – I hope you have a great one!
Stay well, stay safe.
Barbara