Message from the Office of the President: Dec. 3 update

Dear Colleagues,

It was wonderful to celebrate through a few of our favorite traditions this past Tuesday evening. Along with ushering in the Advent season, I had the privilege to announce the public phase of our A Second Century of Saints: Believe. Belong. Transform. campaign. Our goal to raise $14 million by June 30, 2023 is underway, and you can learn more about the campaign priorities at css.edu/campaign. Thank you to all who participated in choosing our campaign tagline — we believe it helps tell the story of our campaign perfectly.

We also had some great coverage from WDIO and the Duluth News Tribune. Tune in to Fox 21 this evening for another Campaign highlight featuring Rose Carpenter and Steve Lyons!

Lighting A Tradition

Our 26th annual lighting of Tower Hall on the Duluth campus was our most breathtaking event to date! Thank you to Bret Amundson, Lisa Roseth, Mike Turner, Tanya Lowney and the entire Facilities Team for helping to coordinate this beautiful lighting ceremony. If you are at one of our extended sites or working remotely, we hope you caught the happenings on social media, it was a beautiful evening! Please note that the display will run through Christmas every evening from 5:30-10:30 p.m. We hope it fills you with hope and joy.

Summary of the Student Center design committees

HGA Architects has completed the conceptual design for the future Student Center building which will be located on the Duluth Kenwood campus with the goal of serving all students, those physically located in Duluth as well as our non-traditional and graduate students. Now it’s time to move the project into the schematic design phase. With this goal in mind, two committees have been formed to move the work forward: a Design Committee/working group and the Student Center Design Steering Committee.

• The Design Committee/working group represents the core working group: the architects, engineers, general contractor and the College along with the college President, Vice President of Student Affairs and the Vice President of Advancement. Tim Orlowski, Facilities Services, will serve as chair.

• The Student Center Design Steering Committee is the second group which will be made up of broad representation from the College to act as the advising and recommending body to the Design Committee. This group will guide and support the design committee’s proposals through this process. Members of the steering committee include traditional, extended and online students, staff, faculty and Sisters of the St. Scholastica Monastery. This committee will be co-chaired by Steve Lyons and Tim Orlowski. Both committees have scheduled dates to begin meeting during December.

This is a very exciting time for the College and we are looking forward to working collaboratively to achieve the best possible Center that will serve the multiple needs of our student body.

In closing, as we reflect on the Advent Season, we look forward with anticipation and hope. We lean into our faith and pray for the safekeeping of all as we prepare for the special holiday season. Stay well and many blessings to you all.

Barbara