Saint Mary's News & Stories

The Power of She: From Saint Mary’s to Medicine and Back Again

Mary Morgan Mitchell ’12, at right, never believed the naysayers. If she had, she would never have become the accomplished, generous doctor she is today. Because of the affirming experiences and opportunities afforded to her at the College, Mitchell, a sports medicine physician at Virginia Tech University, has become a loyal donor to the Saint Mary’s Fund. “I give back so others can have the same experience that I had. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have made it into a position like this. That is what Saint Mary's did for me,” she said.

Read More
Preparing Nurse Leaders: Inside Saint Mary’s DNP with Dr. Scarlet Spain

Her career started in the steel mills along Lake Michigan. Today, Dr. Scarlet Spain is influencing how healthcare is practiced, taught, and improved at Saint Mary’s. As director of Saint Mary’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, Dr. Spain shows Saint Mary’s students what’s possible with a DNP degree. Through hands-on campus immersions, expert faculty, and meaningful clinical experiences, DNP graduates are prepared to make an immediate difference in healthcare.

Read More

Saint Mary's Stories Archive

Search Stories
April 30, 2026 Great Expectations, Great Archives Hidden—but not by design—the Rare Book Room offers students a rare kind of access: the chance to engage directly with centuries-old texts, and history becomes something not just studied, but held. Made possible through the ongoing collaboration between the Cushwa Leighton Library and the Saint Mary’s College community, this carefully kept space is a dynamic site of learning, and the distance between past and present collapses. April 29, 2026 CFAM Migration and the Common Good Service Experience During a recent mission immersion experience in Tucson, nine Saint Mary’s students engaged with migration through learning, reflection, and direct encounters. According to participant Leylany Rivera ’28, the experience revealed the human realities behind migration and the systems that shape it. “More than an academic experience, this trip became a call to continue advocating for compassionate, community-centered change,” Rivera said. April 27, 2026 Building With Disciplined Imagination In her April letter, President Conboy invites readers into a practice of disciplined imagination, one that is bold enough to look beyond the present and attentive enough to consider how the seeds planted today will take root, grow, and shape the future of Saint Mary's. April 22, 2026 Belonging — It’s More Than a Word at Saint Mary’s For Saint Mary’s Professor of Psychology Bettina Spencer, belonging is the foundation of flourishing. To that end, she designed a new course titled Belonging as part of the Signature Course Fellowship Program through the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. Thirty Saint Mary’s students in the inaugural class created a documentary film around this theme, which premiered April 26. April 16, 2026 A Smart Investment in Saint Mary's College Lisa Dittrich Wurst ’77 fell in love with Saint Mary’s, graduating with a degree in business. After a long career in finance, she continues to stay connected with her alma mater in retirement. In her professional opinion, Wurst shares how a donor-advised fund is among the easiest ways to invest in the future of Saint Mary's. April 16, 2026 Holy Spirit Chapel Celebrates its Centennial On April 24, 1926, the Chapel of the Holy Ghost, now known as Holy Spirit Chapel, was dedicated at Saint Mary's College. One hundred years later, the campus community will gather in that same sacred space to celebrate its centennial milestone. April 15, 2026 Tassels, Stoles, and Cords: The Regalia of the Avenue The Class of 2026 is making its way down the Avenue for the final time on May 16. With them come new friends and the start of their careers. Black-gown regalia, a cap, and a diploma in hand, they head out on the new adventure Saint Mary’s prepared them for. April 8, 2026 The Modernization of Academic Advising At Saint Mary’s newly opened PACE Center, academic advising has undergone a modernization. No longer tied to class year, advisors now stay with students for all four years, organized by major and focused on building deep, supportive relationships. Advisor Emily Pantelleria Graham ’21 shares how this student-centered approach ensures no one slips through the cracks, helping every student thrive and launch successfully after graduation. April 6, 2026 Raise Your Voice at Five Years April is Sexual Violence Awareness Month, and since 2022, Saint Mary’s College has hosted Raise Your Voice: A Sexual Violence Prevention Symposium (RYV). This campus initiative is aimed at raising awareness and education, reducing stigma, and preventing sexual violence through workshops, panel discussions, and guest speakers. This year's event is Monday, April 13.