An abridged version of the HLC Top Ten Talking Points" appeared in the HLC presentation Wednesday, Aug. 29. This extended version is the original top ten written by Amata Miller, IHM, professor of economics and director of the Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity, and Curt Galloway, dean of students.
Suppose you step into an elevator some day in February, 2013 and your companion turns out to be a member of the HLC Site Visit Team. You want to impress her/him with information about the high quality of our University. Here are some suggestions of some significant points to convey.
1. Over a century ago, in 1905, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded the College of St. Catherine as an undergraduate college for women. Over time co-educational two year programs and graduate programs were added, and in 2009 we changed our name and our structure to better reflect who we have become - St. Catherine University.
2. This is a mission-driven institution at its core. Three key elements make up our identity. We are a Catholic, liberal arts institution, shaped by our roots as a women’s college. We call these three elements the “heart of the matter”, the “Coeur de Catherine” because they characterize a St. Kate’s education at every level.
3. According to our vision statement we will be a leading Catholic university distinguished by our innovative spirit and premier baccalaureate College for women.
4. Our current Strategic Plan — “2020 Vision”—specifies how we will achieve that vision. Eight Strategic Directions lay out the path:
1) MISSION – Integrate the power of the tripartite mission throughout the University, with intensified emphasis on leadership development.
2) STRUCTURE – Launch the colleges and schools and position them to achieve strategic goals.
3) CURRICULUM AND CO-CURRICULUM – Make strategic investments in both kinds of programs that advance our mission, attract and engage students and prepare students for leadership and life.
4) ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP – Emphasize a pervasive environment of academic excellence as the hallmark of the baccalaureate college for women and advance a focused research agenda for the graduate college.
5) PARTNERSHIPS – Expand strategic relationships and interdisciplinary connections: within SCU, between SCU and its core partners (CSJs, Archdiocese, alums; between the University and external partners who align with our curricular emphases
6) VISIBILITY – Achieve recognition as a comprehensive, Catholic university in a vibrant metropolitan community, featuring several nationally recognized programs, a premier baccalaureate college for women, and competence in educating students from many backgrounds for leadership in a diverse world.
7) ENROLLMENT – Maintain undergraduate enrollment levels during demographic decline and economic challenge, and grow graduate and other net revenue generating programs with high market and visibility potential.
8) RESOURCES – Maintain fiscal equanimity during challenging economic times and establish a financial platform to grow the human, technological, and capital resources necessary to fund strategic priorities.
Five Destination Metrics describe how we will show that:
A) Our mission permeates the culture of the University and is relevant to all major constituencies.
B) We are recognized for innovative, high quality academic programs.
C) We are a mid-sized metropolitan university offering a stimulating campus-based learning environment, vibrant campus and residential life, and an array of digital learning options.
D) We are recognized as a leading Catholic university, distinguished by its spirit of innovation and premier baccalaureate college for women.
E) The University is able to fund its strategic plan, while it has preserved its financial strength, as measured by key financial ratios exhibited in the top quartile of benchmark schools.
5. As a University we are organized into three colleges and three schools: the College of Applied and Continuing Learning, the College for Women, and the Graduate College; and the School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences (SHAS); the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health (HSSOH), and the School of Business and Leadership (SBL).
6. Two separate campuses house different programs. The Minneapolis campus is home to the majority of the two-year programs and the most of the School of Health departments. The St. Paul campus is home to the majority of the student body, including the large undergraduate Nursing department, as well as to SHAS and SBL and to the majority of the Graduate school programs.
7. According to the Fall 2011 statistics, our student body includes 5227 students, 2,862 of whom are baccalaureate students, 1,401 are graduate students, and 964 are in certificate and two-year degree programs.
8. Our student body is diverse. SCU has the largest Catholic women’s college in the USA and we annually vie for the title of the largest women’s college in the hemisphere. According to the 2011 Fact Book and Fall, 2011 Census Reports, there were 10% men in associate and graduate programs, 27.3% of all undergraduate students are multi-cultural, and 22.7% of all undergraduates are student-parents. 49 of our students are international.
9. We have more than 43,000 alumnae/i from all programs over all the years. In 2011-12 we conferred 236 Two-year degrees, 529 Baccalaureate degrees, 333 Master’s degrees and 40 clinical doctorates.
10. Though women presidents of colleges are relatively rare today, we have had ten of them – from Mother Antonia McHugh CSJ, the fabled first president through Sister Andrea Lee, IHM our president for the past 13 years.
These are only a few of the salient facts about St. Catherine University. They should impress our HLC visitors. But if you want more, just consult the website of the Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment Department on KateWay (you will be prompted to log-in).
