In recognition of collaborative community

As often happens with the passing of consequential world leaders, President Jimmy Carter’s death at the end of 2024 sparked a closer look at his legacy, which stretched far beyond his four years in the White House. A 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, President Carter’s global humanitarian work is well-known and continues to create a positive impact today. Read on for an account by St. Scholastica alum Matthew Hoeschen ’04 (MBA ’24) of a meaningful intersection between the work of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and the College’s work in the community.

Reflecting on our 2004 Carter Partnership Award

On Jan. 9th, the nation honored President Carter with a state funeral at the National Cathedral, and on my drive into work, I was flooded with memories of when President and Mrs. Carter awarded The College of St. Scholastica and the Grant Community School Collaborative (now the Duluth Community School Collaborative) the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Partnership Award. It was the first Carter Partnership Award given to an organization outside of Georgia.

I enrolled at St. Scholastica in the fall of 2000 and started working as a student coordinator in the Just Living Center (now Center for Just Living). Jay Newcomb, the St. Scholastica service-learning coordinator, worked with MN Campus Compact (now known as the Seed Coalition) and Grant Elementary families to begin a partnership between St. Scholastica, Grant Elementary School, and other non-profit organizations to reduce crime in the neighborhood, increase learning and provide services to students and families so they can thrive.

The partnership between St. Scholastica and the Collaborative was nominated for the Carter Partnership Award. In February 2004, Jay Newcomb, Kathy Bogen (Executive Director of the Collaborative), Larry Goodwin, Susana D. (a Collaborative employee), and I were invited to the award banquet hosted at St. Thomas. We didn’t think we had a chance of winning the award because there were larger partnerships between many metro colleges and their local communities that were well established.

A stunning win for St. Scholastica

The banquet hall was packed, and when President Carter announced St. Scholastica and the Grant School Collaborative as the winners, we were stunned. I was so stunned that I didn’t get up from my chair to accept the award. President Goodwin’s wife, at the time, sitting beside me, grabbed my hand and ran me up to the stage. The Secret Service let Jay, Susana, and Kathy on stage but put their hands up to stop me. She told the Secret Service that I was part of the winning group and they needed to let me on stage, and they did! After we returned to our seats, President Goodwin was on his phone telling Bob Aschenmacher, the College’s communication director, that he needed to send out a press release ASAP. He invited us to the St. Paul Hotel after the award banquet, and we celebrated!

After Jay’s retirement and the elimination of his position at the College, Jay, Kathy, and I, along with many others, including Rachel (Westbury) Thapa ’07, current DCSC employee, worked to expand the Collaborative. The Duluth Community School Collaborative now serves students and families at Myers-Wilkins Elementary, Lincoln Park Middle School, and Denfeld High School.

What struck me most about that night was President Carter’s speech. You can hear a small snippet of the speech in the link above. In that same speech, he called on all of us to get to know our neighbors better, to live in community with each other, and strive to make the world a better place. He was a decent man, and I am honored that he and Mrs. Carter recognized the great work of the College and the Duluth community.