Communications from the President

March 3, 2022 Sow Your Goodness This week we marked the beginning of Lent with multiple Ash Wednesday services. In a letter to the community, President Conboy reflects on the words of Pope Francis, who asks that we slow down, care for others, and focus our prayers on peace in Ukraine. February 3, 2022 The Art of Circular Giving As we leap into February, a major winter storm is sugar-coating our beautiful campus with a layer of fresh snow. Although the theme of this message may seem like it could belong to Christmas, it’s in this snowy season—this month, February—President Conboy finds herself thinking about the meaning of gifts. January 11, 2022 Extending My Mind in Surprising Ways If you are anything like President Katie Conboy, you probably made some new year’s resolutions, and at least some of them might have been about “productivity.” One recent morning, she went out for a long walk and learned some lessons that turned her resolutions inside out. December 2, 2021 Comfort and Joy: Delighting in the return of holiday traditions In her monthly letter to the community, President Conboy relishes a return to holiday traditions, both on campus and within her family. "Indeed, these special seasonal gatherings allow those of us here at Saint Mary’s to dwell in the spirit, to find respite from the busy tempo of our lives." November 8, 2021 Upon Reflection Inauguration events brought to mind the "ancestors" of the Office of the President for President Katie Conboy, and Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC, was present to her throughout the week. September 3, 2021 Branch Out and Stay Rooted "This idea had occurred to me one evening as I contemplated the stately trees that line The Avenue and the many other majestic trees on campus that make this place a kind of sanctuary. What can a tree teach us?" President Katie Conboy muses in her September letter to the College the ways in which trees can serve as a metaphor for our Saint Mary's experience. August 10, 2021 Celebrating Resilience Together One ending is always the beginning of something new, whether it’s the end of a college education or the end of a global pandemic. August 10, 2021 Upon Reflection In the Summer 2021 edition of Courier, President Conboy reflects on women taking flight. August 3, 2021 The Dog Days of Summer In her August letter, President Conboy dives into the origin of "the dog days of summer." June 1, 2021 What a Difference a Year Makes In her June letter, President Conboy reflects on her first year at Saint Mary's, its challenges and difficult decisions, but looks forward to the fall with an invigorated spirit of purpose. April 26, 2021 In Solidarity This week completes a particularly difficult Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In this letter to students, faculty, and staff, President Conboy reflects on its meaning, and on how we can continue to move forward in support of survivors of sexual violence. April 21, 2021 Our Work for Justice Continues As a college community, what can we do in the face of human suffering, anguish, and demands for change? President Katie Conboy and Executive Director Redgina Hill ask for continued work toward racial justice in a letter to students, faculty, and staff. April 19, 2021 Spring Has Sprung In a message to the Saint Mary's community, President Katie Conboy talks of spring and poetry, as we move through this season of hope and see the completion of the academic year just ahead. March 19, 2021 In From the Margins of History In an op-ed in Wednesday’s Observer, Katie Conboy reflects on the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the way in which their stories are told—and not told. President Conboy calls on the tri-campus community to demarginalize their impact on our shared history. March 17, 2021 Buildings Purchased from Sisters of the Holy Cross President Katie Conboy announced that Saint Mary’s College has completed the purchase of three buildings from the Sisters of the Holy Cross: Bertrand Hall, Bertrand Annex, and Lourdes Hall. The papers were signed at a small ceremony on March 10 by President Conboy and Sister Veronique Weidower ’70, CSC, president of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.