The year in review at CSB and SJU
December 19, 2011
A search for a new president has begun, a long-running project reached a milestone and a campus said no to plastic water bottle sales but yes to new student housing.
Welcome to the campus highlights of 2011, courtesy of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.
The Rev. Robert Koopmann, OSB, decided in May he would not seek a second three-year term as president of SJU. One of the highlights of Koopmann's tenure was the announcement in September of the completion of The Saint John's Bible, the only handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago.
Sustainability played a role in two of the major stories at CSB. The sale of plastic water bottles was discontinued on campus in August - the first Minnesota college to do so at the time. In October, ground was broken for the Centennial Commons student housing, which is being built to meet sustainability standards.
Here's a list of some of the top CSB and SJU stories of 2011. Listed first are highlights for both institutions, followed by two separate lists for CSB and SJU. All items are in chronological order.
CSB and SJU Year-End Highlights
March 28-30 - Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Walter and Leonore Annenberg Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, was the fourth annual scholar-in-residence at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at SJU. Jamieson is a nationally recognized authority on political communication and political campaigns. She also gave a lecture, moderated a student debate, spoke to classes and visited with faculty and staff. Jamieson is a 1964 graduate of St. Benedict's High School in St. Joseph, Minn. She gave the 2003 commencement address at CSB and received an honorary doctorate. More information
March 31-April 2 - Twenty-one students from CSB and SJU presented their undergraduate research at the 25th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y. The students presented their research in chemistry, economics, elementary education, international entrepreneurship, mathematics, nutrition, philosophy, political science and psychology. Nearly 3,350 undergraduate students representing 365 colleges from across the country presented their research at NCUR, which is held annually to promote undergraduate research and creative activity in all fields of study. More information
April 13, 14 - The documentary Pragati Nepal - produced by students from CSB and SJU - made its premiere at both schools. The film investigated the plight and marginalization of women in Nepal because of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and domestic abuse. It was the fourth documentary in as many years produced by Extending the Link, a non-profit, student-run venture through CSB and SJU and the Donald J. McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship. Previous student-produced documentaries were on fair-trade coffee in Guatemala, micro-lending in Chile and child-headed households in Uganda. More information
April 29 - The choir from St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London joined three CSB and SJU choral ensembles and the Amadeus Chamber Symphony in concert at the Saint John's Abbey and University Church. St Martin-in-the-Fields' appearance at Saint John's was its first stop on their first U.S. tour. The concert came on the same day as the "Royal Wedding" of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London. St Martin-in-the-Fields Church is the royal parish church. More information
May 18 - Both CSB and SJU were named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. CSB received additional recognition by being named to the Honor Roll with Distinction. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of students participating in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. The Honor Roll with Distinction was given to applicants that display strong levels of institutional commitment, provide a compelling case for partnerships that produce a measurable impact in the community, and have a Federal Work-Study community service percentage of 15 percent or above. During the 2009-10 academic year, 982 CSB students contributed an estimated 15,000 hours of service and 583 SJU students contributed an estimated 8,000 hours of service. More information
Sept. 8 - The Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship at CSB and SJU presented its inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year awards to outstanding graduates. The CSB Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Judith Sitarz, owner, president and CEO of Painting Perfections, Ltd. The SJU Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Bill Jeatran, CEO of RJF, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company, and Tim Fleming, president of RJF. The CSB/SJU Social Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Denise DeVaan, president and CEO of DeVaan & Associates, Inc. More information
Nov. 17 - For the second consecutive year, CSB and SJU were ranked No. 1 nationally among baccalaureate institutions with students who participate in mid-length study abroad programs, according to Open Doors 2011, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The two schools had 367 students study abroad in mid-length programs during the 2009-10 school year, according to the most recent data released by IIE. CSB and SJU also ranked No. 4 nationally among baccalaureate institutions for total number of study abroad students, with 573 students who studied abroad in 2009-10; and ranked No. 13 among baccalaureate institutions with 270 international students for the 2010-11 school year. More information
CSB Year-End Highlights
Aug. 22 - CSB became the first college in Minnesota and - at the time - one of nine in the United States to implement a water bottle policy which eliminated the sale and purchase of plain, plastic bottled water on campus, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The policy included the elimination of all bottled water from vending machines, and sales were discontinued in the bookstore, dining venues and athletic events. As an alternative, 39 hydration stations (touch-free units mounted to the wall that dispense tap water) have been installed throughout the campus, with at least one in each building. CSB also broadened its sustainability practices by going "trayless" in the Gorecki Dining and Conference Center. More information Aug. 31, Sept. 28 - CSB secured three grants totaling $842,132 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the chemistry department at CSB and SJU. Two grants were announced Aug. 31. They were a $600,000 grant from the NSF's Scholarship for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to fund chemistry scholarships for groups historically underrepresented in science. It is the largest grant ever received by CSB from the NSF. The second award was a $199,632 grant from the NSF's Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics program to support the chemistry department's curriculum revision and purchase of equipment. More information A third grant was announced Sept. 28 for $42,500, which will be used to support chemistry undergraduate research during the summer of 2012. More information
Nov. 7 - The CSB athletic department had a pretty good day as both its volleyball and soccer teams were selected for their respective NCAA Division III national tournaments. The volleyball team received an at-large berth for the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship. However, the Blazers lost to the College of St. Scholastica 3-2 in its tournament opener at Moorhead, Minn. The Blazers, who were competing in their 13th national tournament, finished the season 18-13 overall. The soccer team, which won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff championship and the league's automatic berth into the national playoffs, beat Carroll (Wis.) University on penalty kicks 5-4 after playing to a 0-0 tie, and Loras College 2-1 before falling to Washington University in St. Louis, 2-1 in the Sweet Sixteen round. The Blazers, who finished the season 13-7-3 overall, advanced to the NCAA National Tournament for the sixth time. Nov. 17 - For the third year in a row, CSB was one of the top higher education institutions to receive donations from Give to the Max Day, an event designed to increase giving to Minnesota-based nonprofits. A total of 569 donors gave $78,569.23 to CSB. It garnered CSB the No. 3 ranking in the Minnesota colleges and universities category. Gifts for CSB ranged from $10 to $5,000. In addition, CSB received a $5,000 bonus cash prize for finishing third. More information |
SJU Year-End HighlightsMay 13 - The SJU golf team finished tied for third out of 40 teams at the 2011 NCAA Division III Championship at Greensboro, N.C. The Johnnies finished the four-day tournament with a team total of 1,180 strokes (28-over-par). SJU has finished in the top eight of the national tournament in 10 of its 12 appearances, including five top five finishes. Sophomore Dennis Granath (Bandhagen, Sweden/Farsta Gymnasium) ended the tournament with an even-par finish of 288 to tie for seventh individually and earned PING All-America first-team honors. More information May 25 - The Rev. Robert Koopmann, OSB, announced in a letter to the Saint John's and Saint Benedict communities that he decided "not to consider" a second three-year term as president of SJU. His current term ends at the completion of the 2011-12 academic year. Koopmann, a 1968 graduate of SJU, became the 12th president of the school on July 1, 2009, and was inaugurated on Oct. 1, 2009. Koopmann has been a professor of music at CSB and SJU since 1975, and served as fine arts division head from 2006-09. "By making this announcement now, there will be sufficient time for a successful presidential search and a smooth transition," Koopmann said. More information
June 24 - The McKeown Center at SJU was awarded LEED® Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. It is the first LEED certified building on the SJU campus. The McKeown Center is the community center for Flynntown, the lower campus of SJU. It achieved LEED certification for design based on a number of sustainable strategies and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. The center was designed by Lee Tollefson of the Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson Lindeke architectural firm of St. Paul, Minn., and opened in 2009. More information Sept. 15 - Saint John's Abbey and University announced the historic completion of The Saint John's Bible, the only handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago. The seventh and final volume, Letters and Revelation, was completed earlier this year. "Today we celebrate the culmination of a 15-year commitment to revive a monastic tradition in the modern world and create a work of art that will ignite the spiritual imagination of the world," said Abbot John Klassen, OSB, Saint John's Abbey. Saint John's will continue to display folios from The Saint John's Bible on its campus in Collegeville. In years to come, The Saint John's Bible will be bound, displayed and used at Saint John's. More information
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May 13 - CSB junior Kathryn Hauff (Fargo, N.D.) finished in 37th place individually during the NCAA Division III national golf tournament at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Hauff shot rounds of 81-89-85 to finish with a three-day total of 255 (the fourth round of competition was cancelled due to bad weather). Hauff was competing in her second consecutive national tournament - she finished 47th individually in 2010. Hauff was also selected to the second team National Golf Coaches Association Division III All-America squad. More information
Oct. 7 - Ground was broken for the construction of Centennial Commons, a 124-bed housing complex for upperclass CSB students, which will open for fall 2012 classes. It is named in honor of CSB's upcoming centennial in 2013. The $8 million project, located at the corner of College Avenue and Calloway Street across from the main campus, will consist of four eight-unit townhome style buildings and one community center building. There will be 31 four-bedroom two-story units with two full baths, laundry facilities, full kitchen with dining space, living room, storage space and shared front porches. The community center will provide multi-purpose rooms for programming and student gatherings as well as a kitchen, fitness room, a computer lab, small-group study rooms and an office for the residential life staff. 
June 20 - Cody Fischer, a 2007 graduate of SJU with a degree in economics, was selected as a recipient of a Fulbright French Government Teaching Assistantship for the 2011-12 academic year. He is working as an English teaching assistant at the Lycee Aristide Maillol in Perpignan, France. Perpignan is located in southwestern France, near the Mediterranean Sea and the border of Spain. The Fulbright French Government Teaching Assistantship program targets underprivileged populations in priority areas throughout France. The assistantships are administered by both the Centre International d'Etudes Pédagogiques and the Franco-American Fulbright Commission. 
Oct. 23 - Saint John's Abbey and University Church celebrated its 50th anniversary of its dedication. The Westminster Cathedral Choir from London performed a concert as part of the celebration. The concert marked the inaugural year of the Institute for Sacred Music at Saint John's. The purpose of institute is to preserve the heritage of sacred music and foster its further development for use in liturgy and concert, building on Saint John's Catholic and Benedictine musical traditions in an ecumenical spirit. The church was designed by Hungarian architect and former member of the Bauhaus, Marcel Breuer. Construction of the church lasted from May 19, 1958, to Aug. 24, 1961.