On Saturday, March 28, more than 90 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) participated in the College’s annual Ring Day ceremony.

Internationally worn by SMWC graduates, the Ring is visible evidence of the strong traditions of academic excellence and the strong sense of community, which are the roots of SMWC. The Ring, designed in 1922 by students Margaret Williams Mead ’22 and Dorothy Helm Geisel ’23, was first given in 1922 to seniors.

The oak leaves are symbolic of the knowledge gained at SMWC, the six acorns are symbolic of the founders of SMWC, and the insignia carved in black onyx serves as a reminder that those who wear the gold and onyx are educated women guided by “virtus cum scientia.”

» Read More

On Monday, March 30, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) presented “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which which included a screening and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation was part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it was co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee.

For the film, Mike Shiley, with no media or military experience:
•    Made a fake ABC News press pass at Kinko's,
•    Rented a bullet-proof vest,
•    Flew to Iraq on frequent flier miles,
•    Traveled unarmed through Iraq for two months reporting what the media ignores,
•    Embedded with the US military,
•    Joined a tank combat unit on the Syrian border, and
•    Awarded a civilian combat medal.

These experiences allowed Shiley to produce “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” a balanced documentary film that uncovers incredible new stories from the fresh and honest perspective of an average American. The film has screened at 15 film festivals and was awarded Best Documentary four times.

More information about Shiley's appearance at SMWC can be found in news stories produced by the Tribune-Star and WTWO.

Tribune-Star: Filmmaker shows both sides of Iraq war at The Woods

WTWO: Film Maker Screens Movie in The Valley

On Friday, March 27, the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) Bookstore will have its grand re-opening. Festivities will take place from noon to 5 p.m., and will include book-signings, an art exhibit and a ribbon cutting. Light refreshments will be served throughout the day, and those in attendance can enter a drawing to win a digital camera. The event is free and open to the public.

At 1 p.m., Paul Salstrom, Ph.D., associate professor of history at SMWC, will sign copies of his book “From Pioneering to Persevering: Family Farming in Indiana to 1880.” 

In the book, Salstrom describes how Thomas Jefferson envisioned an America based on family farming. Indiana’s southern-born pioneers turned his vision into a reality, but the “easy-entry farming” of the early 1800s came to an end well before that century ended. Salstrom carries the Hoosier family-farm story only as far as 1880, but he also mentions that it wasn't actually until World War II, when the full mechanization of corn-harvesting finally caught on, that Indiana’s tradition of family farming started to become a relic. In the book, Salstrom questions if Indiana and America are ready yet to realize that defending the family farm is the choice of a whole society.

At 2 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Also at 2 p.m., Chris (C. S.) Marks, Ph.D., professor of equine studies at SMWC, will sign copies of her books “Elfhunter,” “Fire-heart” and “Ravenshade.”

“Elfhunter,” which was re-released in September 2007, is the first of the tales of Alterra, the World that Is. The story follows the lives two Wood-elves, Gaelen and Nelwyn, who are sworn to protect all the Elves of their woodland home and destroy Elfhunter villain, Gorgon. In their journeys, the two meet other interesting characters and are faced with trials of courage, betrayal, and the hefty task of saving Alterra, “the World that Is.” “Fire-heart” and “Ravenshade,” the second and third books in the series, provide the dramatic conclusion of this highly original fantasy story.

The grand re-opening, will also feature a display of artwork by Pat Jancosek, assistant professor of art at SMWC. Jancosek holds a master of fine arts degree in design theory from the University of Kansas, a master of arts degree in painting and printmaking from Purdue University and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

Her research is centered on visual communication and problem solving, visual cognition and visual information processing. Her teaching integrates cutting edge information into the areas of visual communication, graphic design, studio art and digital media.

In November 2008, SMWC, in partnership with the Follett Higher Education Group, announced that the campus bookstore would be totally remodeled to enhance the shopping experience for faculty, students, alumnae/i, and the community.

The renovation, a culmination of many months of planning, was designed to enhance the shopping experience for the entire Saint Mary-of-the-Woods community. The renovation includes:

• Shopping efficiency that provides greater shopping ease, increased merchandise space, improved clothing displays and gift items, and an overall ambiance that invites both students and faculty to browse. Aisles and end caps are clearly visible upon entering the store.
• More than 1,100 square feet dedicated to trade and textbooks and more than 2,000 square feet featuring clothing, gifts, supplies, and greater convenience offerings such as health and beauty aids. In total, the bookstore covers more than 4,800 square feet of space.
• A new, richer and more cohesive look that incorporates the school colors into the store’s palate. The color scheme is warm and inviting, and it is coordinated to provide a pleasant retail ambiance. The fixtures feature an oiled cherry finish.
• Customer seating in a new trade book department that encourages leisure reading and customer browsing.
• A relocation of the clothing and gift departments to the store’s entrance for increased customer visibility.
• A relocation of the checkout counter to one side of the store’s entrance to create more noticeable merchandise displays.
• The integration of campus life photos, capturing campus scenes, to enhance the store’s ambiance and tie the store into the community.
• Modernized fixtures and accessories to incorporate Follett’s “signature look.” In addition, the departments are sized to meet the current needs of students.
• A new flexible merchandise plan that meets changing merchandising needs and traffic flow.

The bookstore is located on the SMWC campus in the basement of Hulman Hall. For more information, contact Becky Knezevich, SMWC Bookstore Manager, at 812-535-5228. More information about the bookstore is also available online at http://smwc.bkstr.com.

Special to the Tribune-Star

Terre Haute may lie near Indiana's western border, but business, education and government leaders want state lawmakers to know that the city that bills itself as the “Crossroads of America” is also the “Crossroads of Higher Education.”

Students, faculty and staff from the community's four colleges and universities - Indiana State University, Ivy Tech State College-Wabash Valley, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College - will descend on the state capitol today for Vigo County Higher Education Day at the Statehouse.

The institutions have a combined enrollment of more than 20,700 students and employ nearly 3,700 people, with a collective payroll of $146.8 million.

Read more...

On Tuesday, March 24, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will welcome Bill Pelke, an Indiana native who is president and cofounder of the Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, a non-profit organization that is led by murder victim family members who oppose the death penalty. Pelke will speak in the Conference Room of O’Shaughnessy Dining Hall from 12:05 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.

Pelke recently authored a book entitled “Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing,” which details the May 14, 1985, murder of his grandmother Ruth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. Paula Cooper, who was deemed to be the ringleader, was sentenced to die in the electric chair by the state of Indiana. She was fifteen-years-old at the time of the murder.

Pelke originally supported the sentence of death for Cooper, but went through a spiritual transformation in 1986 after praying for love and compassion for Paula Cooper and her family. He became involved in an international crusade on Paula's behalf, and in 1989, after more than 2 million people from Italy signed petitions and Pope John Paul II’s request for mercy, Paula was taken off of death row and her sentence commuted to sixty years.

» Read More

Sharon Ammen, Ph.D., associate professor of theatre at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), is featured in a new documentary, “Three Vaudeville Women.” 

At the dawn of the 20th Century, Vaudeville was king! May Irwin, Marie Dressler and Eva Tanguay were three of the biggest names in this early form of variety entertainment. This documentary explores their lives and their importance in ushering in the New Woman to American society. Ammen is featured as the reigning scholar on May Irwin. She also acts in the film as the voice of Eva Tanguay.

Kathleen Golden, Ph.D., with the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, coordinated the research and production of the documentary. The SMWC Music and Theatre Department plans to present “Three Vaudeville Women” on campus in fall 2009.

» Read More

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), a Catholic women’s college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., has created a new scholarship to make private college education more affordable for Vigo County Catholic students.

“SMWC’s foundress, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, was a woman well ahead of her time who impacted countless lives. She was an entrepreneurial leader who was passionate about educating women and preparing them to become leaders,” said SMWC President David G. Behrs, Ph.D. “In these challenging economic times, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College wants to ensure that a quality, private college education is still within reach for today’s Catholic student leaders, so we have created the Vigo County Catholic Student Scholarships.”

The new Vigo County Catholic Student Scholarships are valued at $11,000 a year, which is nearly 50 percent off the cost of tuition! The scholarship will be applied towards the cost of attendance for students who are admitted and enroll in the campus-based program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Awards are automatically renewable for up to 4 years, but students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to meet renewal criteria.

» Read More

Those interested in learning more about the Woods External Degree program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) are invited to attend SMWC’s Open House event on Wednesday, March. 25. The event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Presidents’ Room of the Mary and Andrew Rooney Library at SMWC.

The Open House event will include an introduction to SMWC’s Woods External Degree Program (WED), an overview of credit options, and career planning and financial aid information. Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to explore available majors and meet faculty members, and those who bring their transcripts can receive an unofficial credit evaluation.

» Read More

Greetings, all!  This is Troy Brownfield, Director of the Honors Program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.  Welcome to the brand-new blog for the Honors Program.  Going forward, I'll use this space to update you on program news, information about the school, and various topics for discussion.  For today, I want to thank you for your interest in the program and The Woods itself and mention one event. 

» Read More

On Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m., Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will present “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which will include a film showing and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation, which will be held in the Cecilian Auditorium of the SMWC Conservatory of Music building, is part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it is being co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The war in Iraq has been showcased as both an example of American decisiveness and the catastrophic result of failed leadership. But beyond the debate, what is the reality of life on the ground? In March 2003, Mike Shiley was doing what most ordinary Americans were doing — sitting on the sofa, watching the nightly news coverage of Gulf War II and wondering what was really going on in Iraq. Shiley, an avid world traveler, was personally driven to travel to Iraq and produce a documentary film about what was happening behind the scenes.

» Read More

 The Saint Mary of the Woods College (SMWC) Art Gallery's next exhibition will feature the work of seniors Kendra Stumler and Amanda Trimble. The exhibition, entitled “Azzurri,” is the culmination of their work at SMWC and will be on display March 11-27.

Stumler, from Charlestown, Ind., is a graphic design major, while Trimble, from St. Louis, Mo., is a journalism major and a graphic design minor. The exhibition will include graphic design, as well as samples of Trimble's work as the editor of the student newspaper, “The Woods,” and Stumler's fashion design.

The SMWC Art Gallery is located in Hulman Hall, room 132. Admission is free and open to the public. Regular Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Rebecca Mollenhauer, Gallery Director, by phone at 812-535-5265 or by email at artgallery@smwc.edu.

“Amazing.” That was the word used by David Behrs, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College president, when he described the response to the College’s recent faculty/staff annual fund challenge.

On Feb. 27, the SMWC Board of Trustees convened for their February board meeting, and Behrs was very pleased to report that 100 percent of staff and 90 percent of faculty had given to the College’s annual fund.

“The dedication and generosity of the faculty and staff at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College never ceases to amaze me,” Behrs said. “In these challenging economic times, they continue to invest in this institution and in our mission. Their loyalty to this College and our students is truly heart-warming.”

» Read More

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is converting its email system to Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Web Access. Many of the features and functions are similiar in nature, just different in location and format. For most users, email address, username and password will remain the same. You can access the new system using the web address, https://email.smwc.edu/exchange. Internet Explorer and Safari users will need to click the link that says “Continue to this website.” FireFox users should click the link that says “Or you can add an exception...” and then follow the wizard to add the exception.

Old Emails: Even though we are 90% ready with new email, older e-mails are taking a bit longer to transition from the older GroupWise system to the new Outlook system. If your old emails are not in your email, you have not lost them, but they will be slowly trickling into your mailboxes over the next few days.

WED students, your email password should have been reset to the last six digits of your student ID number. To reset the password after logging in, click the Options link next to your name in the upper right hand corner of the screen. From the Options area, click the Change Password link along the left hand side of your screen. From there, follow the prompts on your screen to change and save your new password.

D2L should be operational, though there may be times as we complete the “external conversion” that it will either be a bit slow or unavailable for brief periods. This should all clear up by close of business on March 6, 2009.

During this conversation process, access to email, remote resources and other college services will be intermittent. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you need technical assistance, please contact the helpdesk at 812-535-1177.

» Read More

See who has RSVP'd for our WED 35th Anniversary Celebration!

» Read More

During the month of March, Gopalan Contemporary Art in Terre Haute will feature the artwork of Thomas Swopes, associate professor of art at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC). An opening reception will be held on March 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Swopes holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Southwestern Missouri State and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Indiana University. Swopes’ exhibit at Gopolan Contemporary Art will be on display through the end of March.

Gopalan Contemporary Art is located at 9 South Seventh St., in Terre Haute. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday by appointment. For more information, call 812-232-8080 or email art@gopalangallery.com. More information is also available online at http://gopalancontemporaryart.com/.