January 1, 2013 2013 Outstanding Young Alumna Award Announced The Outstanding Young Alumna Award honors an alumna of Saint Mary’s College who exhibits leadership not only in her personal and professional accomplishments, but also in her involvement with the Alumnae Association or the College directly. A candidate for this award would have graduated from this Catholic liberal arts women’s college within the last 15 years. The 2013 recipient is Kristen Matha ’03 of Indianapolis. January 1, 2013 Komisarek to Become Inaugural Lacrosse Head Coach November 7, 2012 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary’s College Department of Athletics has announced that Amy Komisarek will serve as the College’s first varsity lacrosse head coach. January 1, 2013 2012 Christian Culture Lecture (on Vatican II) Announced Saint Mary’s College and the Department of Humanistic Studies proudly announce the 2012 Christian Culture Lecture speaker is nationally acclaimed writer James Carroll. His talk, titled “The Reforming Dimension of Christianity in Western Culture: Vatican II and Beyond,” will take place on Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. in O'Laughlin Auditorium. January 1, 2013 Saint Mary's College Receives $6.2 Million Gift* Saint Mary's College gratefully announces a gift of $4.7 million (UPDATE: The bequest was $6.2 million, when estate was settled.) from the trust of Marjorie A. Neuhoff ’61 . It is the largest bequest in the 167-year history of this Catholic, women’s college. The gift will be used to establish endowments for a chair in nursing, a need-based scholarship, and the Summer Science Research Communities, all in Ms. Neuhoff’s name. The news comes on the heels of the March 26 announcement of the largest single private gift ever to the College—$9 million from philanthropists MaryAnn and Clayton Mathile, parents of alumna Jennifer Mathile Prikkel ’95. That gift, matched by a $1 million gift from Mrs. Prikkel, will fund an extensive renovation of Science Hall. January 1, 2013 College Hosts Its Second U.S. State Department International Women’s... Saint Mary’s College is proud to announce it is hosting its second Global Women Leaders Institute, a U.S. Department of State Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI). This year’s SUSI includes 19 undergraduate women from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Jordan. The women arrived on campus on June 22 and are in the U.S. through July 26. This four-week academic residency program at the College, followed by a week of educational travel, is part of a broader State Department initiative to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad and help develop future world leaders. January 1, 2013 Women’s Choir Spring Break Tour to End with Homecoming Concert The Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir will spend this year’s spring break touring various states, returning to campus for a Homecoming Concert on March 22. The choir will spend March 8-15 traveling to cities in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida singing at churches and schools. The Women’s Choir is a select 41-voice ensemble that regularly commissions and performs new works for women’s voices. January 1, 2013 Junior Receives ND Nano Research Fellowship in Memory of Ziqi Zhang �... The University of Notre Dame Center for Nano Science and Technology recently awarded Saint Mary’s College student Rachael Bridgman ’14 of Dayton, Ohio the 2013 NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NURF) dedicated to the memory of Ziqi Zhang ’15. Zhang, a sophomore, passed away in a tragic accident in October. Zhang had participated in last summer’s NURF program and was enrolled in the Dual Degree Program in Engineering at Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. January 1, 2013 Son of Henrietta Lacks to Speak, Answer Questions Saint Mary’s College is proud to welcome David "Sonny" Lacks, son of Henrietta Lacks to the College for a speaking engagement and question-and-answer session on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Carroll Auditorium, Madeleva Hall. Lacks will talk about the book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and how the revelation of his mother's contributions to medicine affected the family. January 1, 2013 Down the Avenue Raises $200K for Scholarship and Volunteer Efforts The fourth Down the Avenue gala at Saint Mary’s College, raised more than $200,000 for the volunteer related purposes at the school. Three-hundred-and-ninety invited business and community leaders, alumnae, and friends attended the event on Wednesday, June 15. Down the Avenue—which was also held in 2002, 2005 and 2007—honors volunteer leadership in the Michiana community; establishes an endowed scholarship for active student volunteers; and raises money to support the programs of the College’s Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE), which facilitates the College’s volunteer efforts in the community. The event is called Down the Avenue in reference to “The Avenue”, which is the street that runs through campus.