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Summer 2006
Commencement 2006 "Whether
you work inside the home raising your children, or outside
the home pursuing a career, or some combination of both: remember
'the power of one' and that you are a woman who can change
the world."
Recalling how discrimination prevented her parents from working in their professions despite their college degrees, Williams said, "You, the Class of 2006, have truly been blessed. Many in this world do not have the kind of support that has been given to you during these four years and indeed, throughout your lives." She urged graduates to remember the sacrifices of family members who made their Saint Mary"s education possible. Williams also spoke of the power of ordinary individuals – working alone or with others–to transform their surroundings. "The current circumstances of our nation and our world are as challenging as any that we have ever experienced," she said. As the first class to enter college after September 11, 2001, Williams told graduates, "You have already faced the unknown and triumphed. Many of you have already begun to do what you can to change the world." "I know you will change the world. And why can I say that with such confidence? Because you came to a place that nurtured your soul and let you soar without fear. And that will give you the strength to know that we, as women, can do anything..." Judge Ann Claire Williams
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Carrie
Korf, a business administration major, came
to Saint Mary's from the small town of Genola, Minn.
(population 71). Fewer people lived in her hometown than
on her first-year floor in Le Mans Hall, but she told
her classmates that at the College, "I didn't start
a new life, I just added more to the life I already had – more
friends, more experiences, and a greater appreciation
for family as well as for God."
Mary
Klinkhammer of Port Edwards, Wis., was
honored with this year's Lumen Christi Award. A
resident advisor for three years, she befriended
and supported countless students. "She is
the light of Christ for so many people on this
campus," said one who nominated her. Graduating
summa cum laude in mathematics, she hopes to establish
a women's care center.
Michelle
Fitzgerald received the Alumnae Association's Outstanding
Senior Award. A religious studies and political science
major from Kansas City, she was active in student
government and the Friends with Sisters program.
She also helped create SMC-TV, the College's student-run
television station. After graduation, she will spend
two years in Chile with the Holy Cross Associates
program.
John
Fotopoulos, assistant professor of religious studies,
won the Maria Pieta Award for teaching distinction.
A specialist in Scripture studies and St. Paul, he
received his Ph.D. from Loyola University and joined
the department in 2001. According to a colleague,
Fotopoulos's students "know that he is not only
a really masterful teacher but also a first-rate
scholar." Added a student, "He is a man
of great wisdom, great integrity, and many gifts."
Professor
of Psychology Rebecca M. Stoddart earned the Spes
Unica Award for outstanding service to Saint Mary's
over an extended time. Praised for "profoundly
shaping the College in important ways," Stoddart
guided the implementation of the College-wide writing
requirement, served as the first chair of the Diversity
Task Force, and sat on the board of the Early Childhood
Development Center. A generous mentor, she has sponsored
nearly 100 student research papers and encouraged
the College's active membership in 
Saint
Mary"s College celebrated its 159th commencement on a sunny
Saturday in May. From the steps of Le Mans Hall, the Honorable
Ann Claire Williams, a federal judge with ties to Saint
Mary"s and Notre Dame, addressed graduates. 