January courses offer practicality, variety

Although many students elect to work during January, a number of students will use January term (J-term)to conduct an internship, study abroad or enroll in a course. Students who enroll in a course may do so to catch up on academic credits or to stay focused on academics during the extended break. Tuition for J-term courses are considered part of a student's winter semester; financial aid that is awarded for winter term applies to courses taken during J-term.

Students on the Minneapolis campus may choose a range of courses offered both online and on-campus. In addition to Exercise Science courses, St. Paul students may want to consider the following:

Career Development for Women, INDI 2000 offers students who may be deciding on their major to go through a process that helps understand values, skill and interests related to academic majors and career paths. Upper-class students find this course especially helpful as they prepare for internships, job search and graduate schools. The course is practical and useful for students at any stage. Offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

Personal Financial Fitness, INDI 2010 is a two-credit course designed for first- and second-year students (upper-class students should talk with instructor Trudy Landgren if interested). This valuable course teaches the basics of money management: budgeting, understanding credit scores, financial products, insurance basics, financial aid and financing college, investing, saving plans and much more. This course teaches students financial management skills for a lifetime. This two-credit course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Applied Trigonometry, Math 2992 will cover topics such as right triangle and unit circle trigonometry, trigonometry identities, solving trigonometric equations, vectors, cross product, dot product and other vector mathematics. The course will also make connections to applications of trigonometry in physics and other mathematics courses. This course is recommended for the student who has not had trigonometry in high school or the student who needs to review trigonometry before taking a physics or calculus course. This two-credit course is offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11:15 a.m.

Other courses include:
Exercise Science courses including First Aid, Weight Training and Conditioning.
See the Registrar's home page for more detail.

Student interns share highlights

Three of our star student interns were featured at the recent Parent and Family speaker series, "How to Support Your Student's Career Development" (pictured, from left): Rebecca Nguyen, international relations and political science, intern at the office of Gov. Mark Dayton; Pa Vang, public health, intern at the American Cancer Society; and Alison Marson, healthcare sales, intern at Owens and Minor.

Tina Wagner, associate director of Career Development, presented parents and students with a comprehensive overview of programs and services available to students all through their years at St. Kate's and beyond. She specifically addressed the importance of having a strong liberal arts foundation for competing in today's economy and how to market those skills/knowledge.

The three student interns shared the various responsibilities they had in their internships including writing memos and working on policy issues for the governor's office, advising individuals and groups on cancer risks and prevention, and selling medical equipment to hospitals and observing surgeries.These impressive young women provided great advice to their peers.

If you missed this presentation, you can view the podcast by going to: to stkate.edu/parents. Select "Parent and Family Speaker Series."

Important holiday news from Residence Life

December and January Break
The end of the semester is quickly approaching. If your student lives on campus, please review the following information.

• The residence halls, with the exception of Alberta and Georgia Apartments, close at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21. If your student needs to stay on campus at any time during the December break (Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2012), she must complete the Break Housing Request Form. This form is available on our internal website, and your student will receive a link to the form via email on Dec. 1. Forms are due by Friday, Dec. 9.

• Students who are  not approved for break stay will have no access to their living space between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1, 2012. Although your student does not need to pack all her belongings, she should bring the items she’ll need while away on break.

• The residence halls reopen on Sunday, Jan. 1, at noon. Residents can stay in their room during the January term, even if they are not enrolled in a January class. If it’s mid-January and you’re ready to send your student back to campus, she’s welcome to return to her room; no prior arrangements need to be made with us.

• Winter semester begins on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012.

Resident Advisor Applications for 2012-13
We hope you will encourage your student to apply for a residence life staff position for 2012-13. Resident Advisors receive room, board and a small stipend as compensation for this very important leadership position. Additionally, Resident Advisors learn transferable skills that many employers seek such as leadership, time management, mediation, and crisis management skills.

Applications will be available in mid-December. Job descriptions, the hiring time line and other position information will be available on the Residence Life internal website in mid-December.

It’s been a great semester. We truly hope your student enjoyed living on campus this semester, and we look forward to her return and another fantastic semester!

Citizen Katie: community service project

Over 100 residence hall students volunteered in the community as part of Residence Life's annual Citizen Katie Day. The enthusiastic students pictured at right were cleaning and clearing debris near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Our campus blooms in autumn

Family Weekend: a rousing success

This year's Family Weekend was well attended by Katies and their families. Family members enjoyed a competitive Trivia Contest Friday evening. On Saturday morning, over 60 family members listened to Tiffany Kirk speak on the topic of Financial Steps to College Success and left with tips on budgeting, building positive credit and the importance of savings.

A barbecue lunch and pumpkin decorating contest drew over 175 participants, and Saturday evening's a cappella group, Ball In The House, drew a crowd of 175.

Families took in the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) Fall Art Tour in the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery and cheer on the Wildcats soccer and volleyball teams. Sunday Mass in Our Lady of Victory Chapel, followed by a brunch and performance by the St. Catherine University Women's Choir, completed the packed weekend of events.

It was great to have so many family members experience the beautiful fall weekend on campus.