Building The Future to Scale Back in June, I mentioned that I would be living on campus in Riedinger House for my first several months at the College. I was amused that whenever I told someone this, they asked, “How does it feel to be in that miniature house?” And I had to admit: I hadn’t really noticed. Upon Reflection Dr. Katie Conboy shares her thoughts about her first few months at president of Saint Mary's College. At Home with President Conboy...Our Mom We asked the daughters of Dr. Katie Conboy to introduce you to our new president and their mother. Count Your Blessings Dear Saint Mary’s Friends, There’s a serious moment in the 1991 comedy Hear My Song when Ned Beatty — who plays the real-life Irish tenor Josef Locke — sings one of Locke’s classic songs, “Count Your Blessings.” It is a favorite movie moment for me, and I began playing Locke’s recording of the tune right after the prayer at our family’s Thanksgiving meal each year. It became a tradition. I know we haven’t even reached Halloween yet, much less Thanksgiving, but I find myself humming “Count Your Blessings” quite a lot these days. Spring Semester 2021 Plans Saint Mary's celebrates our seventh week on campus and announces plans for the spring semester. Expecting the Unexpected Dear Saint Mary’s Friends, We often talk with students about becoming life-long learners, and this year the entire faculty and staff at Saint Mary’s have had to lead by example, demonstrating the many ways that we, too, can remain open, flexible, determined, and creative in our work. A Letter from the President In a letter to the students of Saint Mary's College, President Katie Conboy urges students to stay on campus. "Let me be clear. Our precious time together on campus is at risk," she writes. "Right now, while we have only three positive cases among the Saint Mary’s College community, we are growing concerned. The trends on other campuses — high infection numbers that are largely due to off-campus activities — are undermining our own campus precautions. We are alarmed by what we are seeing, and it has us on high alert." The Chance to Explore Dear Saint Mary’s Community, When I ended my letter to you last month, I was feeling the heady rush of the Le Mans start: I compared launching my first week as President of Saint Mary’s with revving up for that classic endurance race involving high-powered automobiles. But at the end of my message, I promised that while I would continue to move quickly to get up to speed (as it were), I would also slow down and balance important decisions and actions with research and reflection on the unique character of this College. Campus Improvements Welcome Students Back Saint Mary’s prepares for students’ return to campus with dozens of improvements as the fall semester is set to begin.