Avenue News
SUSI Shaping the Next Generation of Global Leaders
This summer Saint Mary’s will host 22 women from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia for five weeks as part of the Study of the US Institute’s (SUSI) Madeleine K. Albright Young Women Leaders Program sponsored by the US Department of State. The SUSI program, held at a select group of US universities, is part of broader State Department efforts to promote a better understanding of the United States abroad, particularly among future world leaders. The program supports undergraduate women from around the world as they improve leadership skills, learn about the United States, and build lasting connections with their American peers and Saint Mary’s student participants. Anticipated opportunities include service projects with local nonprofits, trips to Chicago and Washington D.C., and enjoying the hospitality of local host families. Madison Suseland ’23 and Chinaza Ezechikamnayo ’26 are two of four Saint Mary’s student program coordinators participating in the experience. Suseland says she is “most looking forward to the opportunity to meet women from around the world and share the experience of cultivating intercultural communities while building valuable leadership skills and having some fun along the way!” Ezechikamnayo added that she “intends to use the skill sets which I will acquire from this program and Saint Mary’s College…to partner with the Abia State Government and create more platforms for the intellectual development of girls in my hometown, Umuahia, Nigeria.”
Engaging Women Conference Connects Program Attendees With Resources and Learning
A capacity crowd of 200 entrepreneurs and professionals connected on campus for a day of learning and career building. Programming for the College’s eighth annual Engaging Women Conference, held May 25, focused on the theme “Audacity to Believe” and approached professional development holistically: topics ranged from how to source funding for a start-up venture and networking, to setting effective boundaries and prioritizing physical health. Women leaders at colleges and universities in the region kicked off the day’s wide-ranging conversation with a presidential leadership panel, featuring Saint Mary’s own president, Katie Conboy, along with Susan Elrod, chancellor of Indiana University South Bend, and Tia Robinson-Cooper, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College’s South Bend-Elkhart campus. The conference serves to support the College mission to promote women’s economic empowerment at every stage in life.
The Center for the Study of Spirituality
Saint Mary’s established the Center for Spirituality in 1984, an initiative where instruction and study of Christian spirituality was intentional, academic, and offered in a way that students could use its guidance to make sense of the world. In June, the College updated the Center’s name to the Center for the Study of Spirituality (CFSS), which, according to Julianne Wallace, D.Min, vice president for Mission, “better reflects the contemporary understanding of spirituality grounded in academic exploration.” The Center for the Study for Spirituality will continue its diverse program offerings, including the Madeleva Lecture and Ex Libris Author Lecture series. The Center is also exploring new opportunities including hosting summer spirituality seminars, a new iteration of the New Voices symposium and partnerships with key collaborators and institutions in the field of spirituality. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, Ph.D. will continue to serve as the CFSS director.
Saint Mary’s Professor to Teach in Zimbabwe
Dr. Kristin Kuter, associate professor in mathematics and computer science, has received a Fulbright Scholar fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year. She is among 800 U.S. citizens who will teach or conduct research abroad through the prestigious program. Through their work, Fulbright scholars establish long-term relationships between people, institutions, and nations. Alumni of the program include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and many other fields across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. For her fellowship, Kuter will travel to Zimbabwe to teach at the Harare Institute of Technology, focusing on data science, specifically mathematical statistics.
