Creativity Is In Our DNA

Dear Saint Mary’s Friends,

We just turned the calendar page, and April—National Poetry Month—is behind us. But last week, I was delighted to read an article in America: The Jesuit Review, titled “The famous poet nuns who filled the pages of America magazine.” The article focuses on several Catholic sisters—including our own Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC—who were outstanding poets and creative writers, and who published widely in both Catholic and secular journals from the 1930s through the 1950s. Indeed, Sister Madeleva is quoted about her own writerly ambitions: “I would publish under my religious name. I would submit my work first to secular rather than to Catholic magazines. I had heard so much about Catholics being unable to receive recognition because they were Catholics. I resolved not to permit mediocrity in my writing to be attributed to my religion. As a Catholic and a sister I would write well enough for acceptance by the secular press, or I would not write at all.”

Not only did Sister Madeleva and other Catholic sisters write well enough to be featured in some of the top literary magazines, they also made the teaching of writing a hallmark of Catholic women’s colleges. Indeed the author of the article points out that in 1955-56, The Atlantic magazine hosted a literary competition, and nearly half of the prize-winning entries in poetry, fiction, and essays came from students at Catholic colleges. Of those Catholic colleges, only one was not a women’s college where students were taught primarily by sisters. The editor of America in 1956 expressed his astonishment at this: “If there is any vigorous creative activity taking place on our Catholic campuses, it is all taking place at our smaller liberal arts colleges for girls.”

I am not astonished. It has been clear to me for a very long time that smaller liberal arts colleges punch above their weight in terms of outcomes for their students. I’ve seen first-hand how women’s colleges are places that create outsized empowerment, regardless of what particular discipline a student chooses to study. And I’ve experienced—both as a student and as an educator—how Catholic colleges kindle spiritual inspiration and a zeal for truth. 

At Saint Mary’s, April and May are the months when we see many culminating projects that demonstrate “vigorous creative activity” of different kinds. We publish our campus literary magazines Chimes and The Avenue. Seniors prepare and present their Senior Comps. Some students attend professional conferences, where they exhibit posters and present papers. We have a day without classes and host a full-day academic symposium, where students and faculty discuss their research across the arts and sciences and where other creative activities—such as the dance performance finals and the spring choral concert— take place. This is also the time of year when spring athletes throw everything into their final competitions and when students bring creative effort to fundraising causes they care deeply about, like the SMC Dance Marathon that benefits Riley Hospital for Children.

This spring, we’ve had several amazing stories that highlight the innovation, ingenuity, creativity,  and perseverance of our students. Led by senior Hannah Shoemake, several marketing students made a pitch to the administration to create a student-run coffee shop in a dormant space in Spes Unica Hall. With a loan from the College, the students opened Off the Avenue Café. They worked to source coffee from sustainable growers, and focused particularly on coffee from Zalmari Estate, a women-owned and managed farm in Costa Rica. In addition, the students sell pastries from Ragamuffin, a woman-owned business in South Bend. The café is a happening place!

Individual students at SMC have also earned important acclaim for projects they are passionate about. For example, last month senior Libbey Detcher was one of only 175 students nationwide to be named to the All In 2023 Student Voting Honor Roll, which recognizes college students “who are advancing nonpartisan student voter registration, education, and turnout efforts, as well as ensuring equitable access to the polls.” And first-year student Sofia Dolan entered the McCloskey New Venture Competition, hosted by the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame. Through the Center, she was able to prototype her idea for Bike Basics—a set of personal safety tools that slide easily under a bicycle seat. After competing with 141 other entries and presenting as a semi-finalist to a panel of 20 judges, Dolan won the $10,000 prize for Best Undergraduate Venture. Congratulations, Sofia!

These are just a few examples of how vigorous creative activity remains alive and well at Saint Mary’s College. Our poet-president Sister Madeleva might not have imagined small business development, social action for voter rights, and entrepreneurial innovation as the outcomes of a Saint Mary’s education—or maybe she would have! Every time I walk into the enormous, elegant Le Mans Hall, I think about the Sisters of the Holy Cross who had the foresight to build that incredible structure in 1924. I remind myself that I follow a long line of big thinkers. We all do. Big thinking is in the DNA of Saint Mary’s College and should be the legacy of every Saint Mary’s graduate.

Warm regards,

Katie Conboy, Ph.D.
President

May 1, 2023