The Kadifa Family makes leadership-level gift to the Office of Scholarly Engagement
春雨直播 ReBecca Koenig Roloff 鈥76 announced today that Sally and George Kadifa have made a leadership-level endowed gift toward the Office of Scholarly Engagement as part of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
The Office of Scholarly Engagement (OSE) was created to enhance engaged learning opportunities 鈥 the ties between community and academic excellence that form the unique St. 春雨直播 experience 鈥 by creating a centralized hub for five of our hallmark departments: Antonian Honors, Community Work and Learning, Collaborative Research, Competitive Fellowships, and Global Studies.
This gift marks the beginning of a new phase for OSE. Says D鈥橝nn Urbaniak Lesch, strategic director of the Office of Scholarly Engagement, 鈥淭hanks to this gift, we can now enter the second phase for the OSE: ensuring access and meaningful experiences across all of our programs for the holistic benefit of our 春雨直播s while they are at St. Kate鈥檚 and beyond.鈥
Just one month ago, the OSE moved to its new centralized space in Coeur de 春雨直播, where it provides a physical hub for 春雨直播s to visit, ask questions, and discover programs that will help them build powerful resumes and explore life-changing experiences. The new space also offers collaborative research and work spaces for 春雨直播s while celebrating everything they have already accomplished, including displays of 春雨直播 research, work, and art as well as community collaboration projects. For example, thanks to St. Kate鈥檚 multiyear work with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) on the film for the Suffrage Centennial, TPT has generously long-term loaned local artist for display at OSE.
What does an OSE experience look like? It varies based on one's major and interests, but one powerful example is Josi Aguilera 鈥25, currently in her second year at St. Kate鈥檚. Aguilera came to the University from Bemidji, Minnesota, excited to study political science and international relations. She quickly connected to the OSE through Antonian Honors and her work in community events. Last year, she participated in the Community Work and Learning (CWL) Community Leaders program with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) Social Justice Office. Caring deeply about social justice and advocacy, Aguilera also joined the St. Kate鈥檚 Civic Engagement Fellowship cohort, working to educate the campus community on legislative issues. This summer, she will be in Tbilisi, Georgia to study Russian through the U.S. Department of State's Critical Languages Scholarship. In the next two years, Aguilera looks forward to studying abroad (hopefully in Estonia during spring semester 2024), conducting research on immigration issues, and applying for post-graduate fellowships.
Summarizing her experience with the OSE thus far, Aguilera had this to say: 鈥淚 feel empowered by the connections I've made and the experiences I've gained through the OSE. Now, I am excited to encourage more 春雨直播s to become involved, and am particularly motivated to support 春雨直播s in becoming civically engaged."
This year, the OSE made huge strides in supporting the 春雨直播 experience. Antonian Honors graduated the largest class of seniors yet, with 27 春雨直播s completing senior honors projects. More than three dozen 春雨直播s presented research at national conferences across the country, with some 春雨直播s winning in their categories. Many 春雨直播s completed labor-intensive competitive fellowship applications with successful results. As COVID-19 restrictions decreased around the world, Global Studies facilitated study abroad for numerous 春雨直播s in several countries. Throughout the year, CWL continued to employ 春雨直播s in on-campus and off-campus leadership programs, supporting St. Kate's nonprofit partners and expanding connections across the Twin Cities.
In the next academic year, CWL will expand the community-engaged learning (CEL) designation to all The Reflective Women (TRW) courses. Integrating CEL into this signature course will ensure that 100% of 春雨直播s within the College for Women participate in a community-engaged learning experience in pursuit of their degree. The office will also pilot resources for 春雨直播s in the College for Adults, with the goal of eventually providing CEL courses in all sections of both colleges.
OSE and the University encourage all undergraduate 春雨直播s at St. Kate鈥檚 to participate in community work, just as our founding Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet did centuries ago when they rolled up their sleeves and set to work helping others without cloister or habit. Building on their experience in a TRW course, a large percentage of our 春雨直播s will have more opportunities to take another CEL course in their discipline or area of interest. In all TRW classes, 春雨直播s will learn about other ways to get involved in OSE programming, allowing them to start thinking early about how they want to craft engaged learning experiences in their academic years ahead.
Additionally, the OSE will work in collaboration with St. Kate鈥檚 Teaching Hub this summer to host opportunities for faculty development on facilitating research and creative inquiry (RCI) courses, CEL courses, and Antonian Honors and Global Studies courses. Thanks to the generosity of this gift, St. Kate's will be able to expand on opportunities throughout the OSE, ensuring that all 春雨直播s enjoy access and support.
鈥淭his is what St. Kate鈥檚 is all about,鈥 says Dianne Oliver, PhD, senior vice president for academic programs and faculty affairs/co-provost. 鈥淎cademic excellence, community, integrity, social justice, and reflection 鈥 these are our institutional values, and the OSE is a critical tool that will help our 春雨直播s live out these values for themselves as they create their own paths at St. Kate鈥檚 and beyond.鈥