November 20, 2024 Philanthropy Drives Excellence Through Saint Mary’s Endowed Chairs Endowed chairs are a measure of prestige and achievement in academia. For a college the size of Saint Mary’s, to have six is quite noteworthy. Established and maintained through significant philanthropic gifts, an endowed professorship is an academic position that is considered one of the highest honors a faculty member can receive. At Saint Mary’s, endowed chair positions recognize and support faculty members whose teaching excellence and commitment to students exemplify education at its best. The endowment of a position helps to underwrite the annual salary and benefits of the chairholder, fund scholarly research, support special programs, and provide unique opportunities for students. November 20, 2024 In the Spotlight: Kristin Kuter Kristin Kuter is an associate professor in the Department of Math and Computer Science and on faculty in the Master of Science in Data Science program. She recently began a new role this year as the director for the Dual Degree in Engineering Program. Professor Kuter came to Saint Mary’s in 2009, and recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Zimbabwe. She is humble, pushes her students to succeed, and hopes to travel more. November 20, 2024 Decades of Dedication Nearly every evening of every fall, as the sun begins to set, more than five dozen Saint Mary’s students make their way to a practice field across the road. They arrive with clarinets, tubas, and piccolos; saxophones, cymbals, and trumpets. They’re part of the Notre Dame Band of the Fighting Irish, and for 54 years, their involvement has played a crucial role in the organization’s success. November 20, 2024 Compassion in Crisis In 2022, Mary Jo Dunne entered this world under circumstances no parent dreams of. At just 26 weeks pregnant, Mary Jo’s mom, Katie Boyce Dunne ’05, was admitted to Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital after her water broke. Katie found herself in a hospital room, filled with uncertainty. “I thought I would have to deliver right away,” she recalled, “but the doctors assured me that every day I could keep her in the womb was a victory.” November 11, 2024 Supporting First-Generation Students at Saint Mary’s College Navigating college can be a unique journey for first-generation students, who often have to pioneer their path in higher education. At Saint Mary’s College, first-generation students find more than just an academic institution—they discover a supportive community dedicated to helping them thrive. Through comprehensive programs like the Kessler Scholars, Belles Connect, and personalized career and academic advising, Saint Mary’s is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that academically and professionally empowers first-generation students. October 31, 2024 Neglecting the Right Things In reflecting on the book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, President Conboy finds his perspective on our relationship with time to be both challenging and refreshing. His reminder to accept our finite time resonates deeply as she asks us to consider what we would hope to see in the rear-view mirrors of our own lives. October 29, 2024 Alumna’s Life Inspires Scholarship When alumna Susie Karas Horstman ’86 died of cancer in 2018, her husband Greg Horstman and friend Caroline Belin Murn ’86 yearned to honor her life. Susie, they knew, was just too vibrant a person to let her memory fade over time. October 24, 2024 A Passion for Others: Helping a New Generation of Student Nurses In 2003, when Shary Moran Price ’77 and her husband Matt Price had an opportunity to start a new business close to their home in Dayton, Ohio, they launched a travel nurse staffing company they named Advantage RN. Recently, this decision led to the expansion of the Shary Moran Price ’77 Endowed Nursing Scholarship to provide even more resources for talented nursing students at Saint Mary's. October 24, 2024 New Partnership Between Saint Mary’s and Beacon Health System Saint Mary’s College and Beacon Health System have enjoyed a long-standing collaboration in nursing clinical education. This week, a new partnership between the two institutions begins, but instead of SMC nursing students traveling to a hospital or clinic for hands-on training, this time Beacon’s care team comes to Saint Mary’s campus.