On Oct. 29, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College hosted a Fall Community Dinner in O’Shaughnessy Dining Hall. All students enrolled in the campus-based program, and all faculty and staff members and their immediate families, were invited to attend.

SMWC President David G. Behrs and the President’s Cabinet hosted the event, and they helped everyone get into the Halloween spirit by dressing in costume. During the event, Behrs also recognized the College’s softball and equestrian teams for accomplishments that occurred after the end of the 2007-2008 academic year.

The College held its commencement ceremony on May 3, but the SMWC Softball Team was in Decatur, Illinois, May 8 through May 11 competing in the 2008 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship Softball Tournament.

In the early morning hours on May 11, after a lengthy rain delay, the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College softball team was declared the 2008 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Softball Champion. This was the team’s second USCAA national title in a row and sixth in the last seven years. 

Also May 8-11, members of the Hunter Seat and Western Equestrian Teams traveled to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Calif., to compete at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Nationals. As the Hunter Seat Reserved Champion Team in Zone 9, SMWC served as a representative at Nationals for the Zone. This was their first team appearance at Nationals, and the Team finished eleventh out of 18 teams.

On the Western team, Charlynn (Larissa) Turner, who graduated in May 2008, took the Reserve Champion title in the American Quarter Horse Association High Point Western Rider competition. Turner was the regional high point rider in Zone 9, Region 1, which qualified her to compete at Nationals, and her Reserve Champion title means that she placed second out of 22 riders. Every year, several riders from SMWC compete and place at Nationals. 

Finally, Behrs recognized Dr. Paul Salstrom, associate professor of history, with the 2008 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Student Advocacy Award. The award was given for Salstrom’s dedication to the students through his gift of teaching, his participation and support of their activities, his spirituality and his genuine concern and care of their wellbeing.

Salstrom received his master's degree in history from Southern Illinois University in 1983 and his Ph.D. in comparative history from Brandeis University in 1988. He also received a master's degree in agricultural education from West Virginia University in 1993, and in 2007, Purdue University Press released his book titled “From Pioneering to Persevering: Family Farming in Indiana to 1880.” In addition, Salstrom is recognized as an authority on the early rural history of the Appalachian mountain region, and he authored a book titled “Appalachia’s Path to Dependency.”

Salstrom has been a member of the SMWC faculty for 14 years, and during that time he has contributed greatly to this campus. He currently teaches many of the undergraduate history courses at SMWC, and he teaches at the graduate level in the college’s Earth Literacy Master's program. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Pomeroy Award for Scholarship Excellence, and he has served as the faculty advisor for SMWC's Peace & Justice club.