Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College was pleased and honored to host more than 50 alums, guests, faculty, staff and students May 16 for the WED 35^th Anniversary celebration. Throughout the day, WED 35^th and Reunion guests had opportunities to participate in events together, mingle and celebrate their affection for The Woods. The Celebration also included an overview of WED's past with Jeanne Knoerle, SP, '49, who served as SMWC president in 1973 when the WED program was introduced, and Alice Quinlan '65, who served served as the director of the WED program from 1989 to 2008.

Jeanne Knoerle Videos

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjnPyI1_L2g
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMqK89nn2ts

Alice Quinlan Videos

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPnqBByGJwI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6lFbCj6GSg

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) recently became the second college or university in the state of Indiana to meet the guidelines for human resource education set by the Society for Human Resource Management.

The College received a letter from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) indicating that SMWC's bachelor of science degree in human resource management fully aligns with the SHRM HR curriculum guidelines. The only other institution in the state of Indiana to meet these guidelines is Ball State.

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Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has been selected as a recipient of the 2009 Ball Venture Fund award, a competitive grant established by the Ball Brothers Foundation (Muncie, Indiana) and administered by the Independent Colleges of Indiana.

Of thirty-four proposals submitted for consideration, four institutions were chosen to receive an award. Other institutions selected were Martin University, Indiana Wesleyan University and Franklin College. The four institutions will share $76,000 in seed funding for campus start-up initiatives aimed at stimulating creativity and innovation and fostering competition and collaboration among the state’s 31 independent colleges and universities.

SMWC will use the $21,900 seed money to pilot initiatives that address the academic support needs of its large student population in the Woods External Degree (WED) distance-learning program.

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Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) hosted more than 330 alums, guests, faculty, staff and students May 15-17 during the College’s 2009 Reunion celebration. Some of the many activities included a retreat, an alumnae art exhibit, pilgrimage tours, and the 23rd Annual Walk-in-the-Woods led by the SMWC President David G. Behrs.

One of the highlights of the weekend was Saturday night's Reunion Banquet where alums, friends and family gathered to celebrate a shared past, to sing and to enjoy good food, company and conversation. In addition, the banquet featured the presentation of the Frances Murphy Rumely Award to Jane O’Brien Argento, class of 1968, and the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Award to Miriam Wanjiru Chege, class of 1964.

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Samantha Friedman, a 2009 graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, was named the 2008-09 recipient of the Excellence in Paralegal Studies (EIPS) Award. The award was given by the Paralegal Studies Advisory Board at its semi-annual meeting on April 20, 2009.

In giving this award, committee chairperson Cathy Canny, senior paralegal for Dann, Pecar, Newman & Kleiman, P.C., in Indianapolis said, “This recipient has flourished in her studies at The Woods. She was a finalist in the Indiana INTERNnet awards, competed and won a position as a Legislative Intern in the 2008 Indiana General Assembly, completed an internship that resulted in employment, and still maintained high honors in her academic pursuits.”

Friedman, a native of Jasper, Ind., was recognized by Indiana INTERNnet, the statewide resource for internship opportunities from the Indiana Chamber, as one of the top interns for 2008. She served as a Senate Democrat intern during the 2008 session of the 115th Indiana General Assembly, working with State Senator John Broden (D-South Bend) and the Minority Attorney's Office.

In addition to winning a coveted spot as a legislative intern, Friedman received an award for Legal Research and was employed part time in a law office where she completed a second internship. She was also involved in Indiana Legal Assistants at the Woods, serving as president during her senior year; she served on the Paralegal Advisory Board; and she helped organize the College’s annual Law Day.

“In our paralegal program, we place an emphasis on teaching practical skills and on making the students market-ready upon their graduation,” said Kathryn L. Myers, associate professor and coordinator of paralegal studies at SMWC, “Employers know that our students can do the job of a paralegal and that their foundation of education is broad-based and rigorous.  Samantha's winning of this award is evidence of her readiness for the marketplace.”

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We will have a temporary voice mail outage Wednesday, May 20th as we upgrade our voicemail system.  During this time, callers will be unable to leave voicemail and recipients will be unable to retrieve voicemail from the system.  All current voicemail that is in faculty and staff inboxes will be saved.

The system should be restored to a working condition by noon (12:00 pm) on Wednesday.  If you are having difficulty accessing your voicemail after 1:00 pm, please contact the helpdesk for assistance.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we improve our telecommunication capabilities.

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Six players from the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) Softball team were honored when the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) announced its 2009 softball All-Americans and Academic All-Americans in conjunction with the national championship tournament, which was held this week in Decatur, Ill.

Sara Goelz, a freshman pitcher/first base player from Indianapolis, Ind., was named all named USCAA All-American. Chelsey Gerber, a sophomore outfielder from Clay City, Ind., Lindsey McNulty, a senior utility player from Indianapolis, Ind., and Aubrey Stitch, a sophomore pitcher/outfielder from Trafalgar, Ind., received All-American Honorable Mention.

In addition, McNulty and Amanda McGlone, a junior outfielder from Robinson, Ill., were named to the 2009 National All-Academic Team. To be considered for this honor, student-athletes must be sophomores, juniors or seniors and have an overall grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4-point scale.

Robert Morris College – Springfield, hosted the USCAA National Tournament Softball Tournament May 5-8 at Borg Warner Softball Complex. The SMWC Softball Team earned the No. 2 seed and competed in the double elimination tournament along with Robert Morris University – Springfield (No. 1 seed), Saint Catharine College (No. 3 seed), Southern Virginia University (No. 4 seed), St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn (No. 5 seed), Briarcliffe College (No. 6 seed), Judson College (No. 7 seed), and Penn State University – Beaver (No. 8 seed).

In the first game, SMWC was defeated by Judson College 1-0, but the team came back to win their second game of the national tournament, defeating Briarcliffe College by a score of 6-0. In game three, SMWC had a rematch with Judson College, this time defeating them 1-0 to advance.

Game four for SMWC was against Penn State-Beaver, and the team was again victorious with a score of 6-3. Unfortunately, SMWC’s winning streak came to an end when the team met up with Robert Morris College in the game that would determine which team would go on to compete for the national title. Robert Morris defeated SMWC 6-5, and the SMWC Softball Team finished third in the national tournament.

The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Softball Team is currently in Decatur, Ill., at the 2009 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship Softball Tournament. The team is looking to capture its third USCAA national title in a row. During the 2008 tournament, the team captured its second USCAA national title in a row and its sixth in the last seven years.

The SMWC Team earned the No. 2 seed and is competing in the tournament along with Robert Morris University – Springfield (No. 1 seed), Saint Catharine College (No. 3 seed), Southern Virginia University (No. 4 seed), St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn (No. 5 seed), Briarcliffe College (No. 6 seed), Judson College (No. 7 seed), and Penn State University – Beaver (No. 8 seed).

Robert Morris College – Springfield, is hosting the USCAA National Tournament Softball Tournament May 5-8 at Borg Warner Softball Complex. The SMWC Softball Team was scheduled to play their first game today (May 6, 2009) at 12 p.m. EST (11 a.m. CST) against Judson College.

More information about the tournament can be found online at www.theuscaa.com.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs, Ph.D., has announced the appointment of Serafina I. Spatola, as Vice President for Development. Spatola brings 20 years of progressive leadership experience and accomplishments from her work in both the private and non-profit business sectors. She currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will begin her service at SMWC on June 8, 2009.

“I am honored and delighted to be part of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College as the newly appointed Vice President for Development,” Spatola said. “I was told prior to interviewing with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College that it was a special place – a caring community. I must admit that I have been drawn into the genuine and gracious spirit that lives on this campus. The Woods is a community that cares.”

In her new position, Spatola will provide leadership and management for the College’s development and alumnae/i relations efforts, and work with the Board of Trustees' Development Committee in providing direction, information and support. She will also oversee a portfolio of leadership gift prospects and coordinate the involvement of the President in fundraising activities. Some of the programs and services she will supervise include the annual Woods Fund drive, community and donor relations, special events, major and planned gifts, alumnae/i affairs, SMARTS recruitment program, and development volunteers.

“Serafina has a unique blend of experiences, leadership, vision, creativity and motivation,” Behrs said. “Her skills as a strategic thinker, entrepreneur, creative visionary and effective manager of people, programs and resources will make her strong asset to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.”

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Approximately 140 students participated in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s 168th Commencement Ceremony on May 2, 2009.

During the ceremony, Marlene EchoHawk, Ph.D., a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) and an advocate for Indian behavioral health and adolescents, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the College, and she delivered the 2009 Commencement address. During the ceremony, SMWC also recognized Mary Pat Kelly, Ph.D., an author and filmmaker, as the College’s 2009 Distinguished Alumna award recipient.

The Rockwell Medals for Academic Excellence were awarded to Carolyn Louise Ouellet (Campus program) and Robin Louise Grossman Reichard (WED program). The Kappa Gamma Pi St Catherine Medals were given to Carolyn Louise Ouellet (Campus program) and Elaine Mary Engle Bielefeld (WED program). The Alumnae Leadership and Service Medals were given to Carolyn Louise Ouellet (Campus program), Courtney Elizabeth Spear (WED program) and Becky Lu Douglas (Graduate programs).