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Myser Awards for Teaching Excellence 2008
Professor Gina Mancini-Samuelson, Professor Emerita John Christine Wolkstorfer CSJ, Professor Brian Fogarty, and Professor Emerita Eleanor Lincoln CSJ
Four Memorable Teachers
Selected by Alumnae for the Myser Award:
In 2008, reunion alumnae chose favorite teachers who made positive contributions to their lives to win the Myser Award for Teaching Excellence: Brian Fogarty, Sociology; Sister Eleanor Lincoln, English; Gina Mancini-Samuelson, Chemistry, and Sister John Christine Wolkerstorfer, History. These four distinguished teachers each received an honorary certificate and a monetary gift. The award was initiated by Patricia O’Connor Myser ’56 and her husband John to pay tribute to the invaluable influence of wonderful teachers on students' lives.
Brian Fogarty, Sociology Department Chair
Education
Ph. D. in sociology from Purdue University, his M.A. from University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and his B.A. from Southern Illinois University.
Number of Years Teaching at St. Catherine's
19. Prior to St. Catherine's, he taught at St. Louis University and Briar Cliff College. He also served as a cost analyst for the U. S. Army.
Courses
"Principles and Concepts,""Research Methods", "Social Theory", "Sociology of Medicine"," Sociology of War and Peace", as well as various Topics and Honors courses, including "Music, Culture, and Genocide."In the past, he taught" Sociology of Race and Ethnicity" and "Cultural Anthropology", too.
Current Projects
A book project entitled "Why Not Here? Germany, America, and the Rise of Facism." His previous publishing credits include War, Peace, and The Social Order, in addition to numerous articles on the sociology of war, peace, and military waste.
Outstanding Qualities
Sociology Department Chair Brian Fogarty, Ph.D., is known on campus and beyond for his application of the science of sociology to life realities for deeper understanding and better daily decisions.
Besides the standard courses in principles, concepts, methods, and theory, Professor Fogarty teaches two extremely timely courses: “The Sociology of Medicine,” and “The Sociology of War and Peace.” In every course, he enriches his students’ range of vision and challenges common assumptions and inaccurate or outdated perceptions.
It is this focus on exploring social issues that affect people’s lives and values that has consistently made him such a memorable teacher. As one alum noted: “The sociology classes I took from Professor Fogarty truly prepared me for life in the ‘real world’. I learned how to view society’s mechanisms from a different lens and that perspective has helped me to understand why we act in the ways we do in respect to war, family, and gender.”
Professor Fogarty’s teaching is deepened by research and writing. In 2006 in an essay for the Star Tribune, he described a national situation where the government debt and unemployment are high while military successes, international prestige, and confidence in elected leaders are low -- as they are now in the United States. "Sound familiar?" he wrote. "The society was Germany of the 1920s, the ill-fated Weimar Republic." This challenging essay was entitled: "What We Can Learn from 1920s Germany."
After 19 years of teaching at CSC (beginning in 1989), Professor Fogarty still responds to questions about his teaching with honest humilty:
Favorite Courses "Music, Culture, and Genocide" (also called "Most German of the Arts"). It was done several times with a study-abroad component in Germany and Austria, which took us to the great opera houses of the world. It also got me started on my second book, which will be released this winter.
Goals in Teaching They change over the years as students and our culture changes. These days, it's to model self-doubt and curiosity, which are all too rare. Americans simply don't care enough about learning and understanding things.
Sources of Inspiration
Colleagues who are better teachers than I am.
What have you been most passionate about in your teaching?
Our vast ignorance about war and peace, specifically the cost of the military and associated activities.
Nonprofessional Activities
What do you do outside of classes that you most enjoy?
Travel and hear opera. And ride trains. If I can do all three in one trip, so much the better.
Why do you feel you were selected by alumnae for the Myser Award? What qualities in you and your teaching content do you think they have most appreciated?
I honestly don't know, and that's no false modesty. I'm guessing I turned on one or two students to some ideas that meant a lot to them, or helped some students work through some learning-skills problems. Anybody who's been around a while will have a few of those students, so I guess mine have spoken up--for which I'm grateful. | Eleanor Lincoln, CSJ '46, Professor Emerita of English
Education
Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, M.A. in Theology and Spirituality and a B. A. in English from St. Catherine's. She is Professor Emerita.
Number of Years Teaching at St. Catherine's
45 years( including the years when she was doing graduate work). First I taught 2 years in the Library Science Department and then chaired the department for 2 years. I continued teaching one library science course for a number of years but since the late 1950s, I have spent my teaching career in the English Department, chairing the department for 6 years in the 1970s.
Courses
I liked everything I taught! Whatever I was teaching at a given time were my favorite courses. Of course, I loved American literature with Thoreau, Henry James, Emily Dickinson, Edith Wharton, etc. and courses in women's literature. I enjoyed the many years of teaching Human Experience in World Literature and in the years it was offered, the Humanities course for freshmen. I also treasured all the writing courses I taught, especially Advanced Writing and Writing for Publication. And how can I forget the Honors courses I taught with Agnes Keenan and Alberta Huber.
Current Projects
Co-director of Women at the Well Retreat Center where she develops and directs in-person and online retreats. She has also written a book entitled: Memory and Memoir: Self-Knowledge through Writing Your Memoir
Outstanding Qualities
Sister Eleanor Lincoln is remembered by her students as a forthright, insightful teacher who didn’t mince words, but used them to propel, guide, and inspire her students in writing and the appreciation of literature.
Numerous alumnae who have careers in writing or depend on writing in their jobs attribute their skills to her honesty (those small handwritten notes and the dreaded “tsk, tsk”s in the margins!) One alum said: “I remember vividly that in my freshman year, Sister Eleanor Lincoln told me that my writing skills were very poor and that I should seek help immediately. Needless to say, I was shocked since I had done very well in my high school English class. However I took her advice…By my senior year, I was a feature writer for the newspaper and (bravely) decided to take an independent study with Sister Eleanor that would culminate in a writing project. I received an “A” for my work… and praise that my writing had greatly improved from my first year.”
Another alum noted: “She not only taught me how to write correctly … but she also taught me to recognize beautiful writing and to aspire to it…it is a joy. I owe my career –and so much more – to the wisdom of Sister Eleanor Lincoln. I know that I am only one of the many others whose lives she changed.”
Sister Eleanor, who has written a guide to writing memoirs and creates online retreats, is beloved for spiritual wisdom as much as for her writing advice. One alum mentioned comments about life and literature she received from Sister Eleanor: ”Some of her suggestions to me I apply 20 years later.”
Philosophy and Goals of Teaching
The students were the focus of my teaching in their varieties, gifts, and needs. I liked to see them develop and grow in knowledge and wisdom. I tried to stimulate them to keep reading and learning and developing as young women (and men).
Sources of Inspiration
My own teachers inspired me when I was their student--and then when I was their colleague. Education is a wonderful way of keeping on learning. I tried to instill this in my students.
I can't imagine having spent my life in any other way!
Present Projects
I have been co-director of Women at the Well ministry since Catherine Litecky and I retired from teaching at CSC in 1994--and we are continuing our retreat work although on a more limited basis than when we began. We have given many retreats for parishes and other groups. In recent years we have prepared a number of online retreats (www.goodground press.com).
Over recent years I have edited several books: (Walking in Two Worlds in 1992; Eyes Open on a World: the Challenges of Change in 2001; Hooked by the Spirit: Journey of a Peaceful Activist (by Rita Steinhagen) in 2005). After many years of presenting memoir writing workshops I wrote Memory and Memoir: Self-knowledge through Writing Your Memoir (Good Ground Press, 2006). About to be published is the collection: The World Within: The Poems of Ellen Murphy, CSJ (2008) which Catherine Litecky and I have been editing.
I see the retreat work as an extension of what I have done all along. We started Women at the Well partly because of our teaching in the REAP and WEC programs at CSC. We wanted to encourage women (and men) to continue growing and enriching their lives. As for memoir work, that is another form of encouraging writing and the insights it brings.
Everything I have done has been an extension of everything else. I have always treasured the sharing of knowledge and ideas and the beauty of language--and of the whole of creation. I see the whole world as within and without.
CSC alums have been always important to me. I try to show up for most alumnae events and love to meet alums and connect with them again. I appreciate this award as tangible evidence of my efforts and love for them. |
Gina Mancini-Samuelson, Chemistry Department Chair
Education
Ph. D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Her advisor was Dr. Marion Stankovich and her research was on the electron transfer properties of flavin-containing proteins.
Number of Years Teaching at St. Catherine's: 12 years
Courses
"General Chemistry for Health Science," "Quantitative Analysis", and "Instrumental Analysis" -- She often uses a case studies format in guiding student laboratory work.
Current Projects
She collaborates with students on research, often after having applied for and received with the student a small STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) grant from 3M. She is part of Project Kaleidoscope, an informal professional alliance working to research and develop innovative undergraduate curricula to make STEM teaching and learning exciting.
Outstanding Qualities
Chemistry Department Chair Gina Mancini-Samuelson is admired by students and alumnae because of her passion about guiding students into loving the process of discovering and understanding chemical relationships and rolling up their sleeves with the real life research of case studies and applied chemistry. "I love teaching Quantitative Chemical Analysis. The laboratory experiments are fun and interesting. Students develop practical "bench chemistry" skills in this course. Sometimes the repetitive nature of the work can be frustrating, but at the end of the day students leave with a sense of accomplishment."
Research Projects
In addition to teaching and chairing the department, Dr. Mancini-Samuelson collaborates with her students on significant research. In the last ten years, she has partnered with students on at least five research projects, with subjects ranging from the riboflavin in breakfast cereals to the environmental state of local water sources to elementary and undergraduate curriculum approaches. With these students, she has applied for and received numerous 3M Small Scale Grants for these Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, grants.
"I have worked with 11 students on research projects. Their majors have been chemistry, biology, and education. Funding has come from 3M grants, General Mills, and the National Science Foundation. The most rewarding part of collaborating with undergraduate student researchers on projects is when the student reaches the point where the project becomes their own, they start asking the questions and figuring out the next steps.
"In 2003 we started a project involving water analysis of the Dew Drop Pond. We documented the pH, dissolved oxygen, chloride content, water hardness, alkalinity, etc. The project has now found a place in the Advanced Analytical Chemistry course I teach. Every year students add to the data set. This has been a fun project because it is starting to have a longitudinal component to it. Students can compare their data to previous year's findings.
Teaching Methods and Philosophy
She is part of Project Kaleidoscope, a group of STEM college faculty who are developing and sharing new approaches to teaching in order attract and keep students “by giving them the joy of discovery and an awareness of the influence of science and technology in their world.” Professor Mancini -Samuelson has found The Project Kaleidoscope meetings extremely helpful in sharing her teaching and research.
"My teaching philosphy is a work in progress. What is important to me and to our department is to provide students with a strong chemistry foundation. A strong foundation will provide students with so many opportunities. We have had students go on to medical school, pharmacy school, Ph.D. programs in clinical pharmacy and pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, masters of public health as well as graduate work in bioanalytical, physical, organic/polymers, and biochemistry.
"In the analytical chemistry courses I strive to build the foundation of the discipline in the laboratory and classroom but I also try to make the work engaging. In my efforts to do that, I received a National Science Foundation grant to develop laboratory experiments using a case study model. The case studies help make the laboratory activities relevant as well as expose students to the variety of careers available to chemists."
Reasons for Selection
Dr. Mancini-Samuelson finds inspiration in her students and their progress, and it is clear by the fact that alumnae selected her for a Myser Award that they are inspired by her. An alum summed it up this way:
"Dr. Mancini-Samuelson was a pivotal influence in my career choice. The solid analytical base established in her chemistry class was possibly the most useful tool I got in college for direct application in my work. Not only did Dr. Mancini Samuelson impart the information in a clear manner, she worked hard to make the presentation interesting and engaging."
Dr. Mancini-Samuelson feels honored by such praise and this award.
Her Other Interests? Whippets!
"My husband David and I spend quite a bit of time with our dogs. Last year we had the #12 whippet in the country in American Kennel Club comformation, Champion Dashing the Gentleman Aviator. He even made an appearance at the Westminster Kennel Club show.
"If there are any alumnae out there that attend dog shows, stop by the whippet ring, I would love to meet you." | John Christine Wolkerstorfer, CSJ '53, Professor Emerita of History
Education
M.A. and Ph.D in American History with a supporting program in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. I had COE fellowships at the University of Iowa, Macalester College, and DePaul University in Chicago.
Number of Years Teaching at St. Catherine's
26 years, from 1973-1999, plus Senior Classes at CSC for 2 years and 1 for the University of Minnesota - topics on the American Civil War, my specialty. She is Professor Emerita.
Courses
"At CSC I taught American Political History, Nativism in American History, Early Amer. History, Civil War and Reconstruction, American Industrialization in Post Civil War, and an on-line course in Early 19th Century American History. This course was taught only two years, when our pilot work was discontinued due to lack of funding by CSC. I also taught a semester at the University of Minnesota - American Civil War, and another semester at St. Cloud State University --American Immigration History. In the early 1980s, I was a guest participant in a national security issues symposium at the U.S. War College at Carlisle in Pennsylvania.
"I am a great devotee of American History so I really enjoyed all of these experiences. The distance education project was interesting and challenging but the immediate and group interacting was truncated by the internet format. Eye contact and body reaction was simply not there."
Projects
Book reviews for Oral History Review and other history periodicals. She co-authored with Rosalie Ryan, CSJ, the book Eighty-Five Years at the College of St. Catherine (1992) and authored the books: You Shall Be My People: A History of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1999) and Blanket of Suspicion -- The Rejection of German Americans in World War II (1988).
One of St. Catherine’s Centennial 100 and a Professor Emerita, Sister John Christine Wolkerstorfer not only taught history, but she also collected numerous oral histories and chronicled the history of both the College of St. Catherine and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
"I have done quite a bit of local history: My PhD dissertation was on anti-German sentiment in Minnesota during WWI; I also wrote the history of the Catholic Aid Association, a fraternal insurrance company in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin; The history of the Archdiocese (You Shall Be My People) came out in 2001; Sister Rosalie Ryan initiated the writing of More than a Dream , I wrote the last four chapters and edited into her work quotations from the CSC Oral History Collection which I had amassed over the previous 10 years. The college is still using parts of this book in the Reflective Woman course required of underclass persons at CSC.
"While at CSC I was an active member of the National Oral History Scoeity and the Oral History Society of Minnesota. ... The CSC Oral History Collection needs to be updated by persons who know how to implement the rules of Oral History.This requires sound historial research in planning each interview.
"I have also done a considerable amount of lecturing for other associations and interested history groups-- Phi Beta Kappa Lecture on States Rights in our times, Civil War Round Table, Ethnic societies, Oral History Programs, etc."
Outstanding Qualities
The students of Sister John Christine admired her for her range of knowledge and position of respect in the national field of history. “Her wealth of intelligence has been recognized locally and nationally,” said one former student. This alum was thinking specifically about her studies on the Civil War era, but Wolkerstorfer is also known for her work in the areas of local German American and Catholic history.
In all of her research and studies, Sister John Christine Wolkerstorfer had that ability to find the unnoted connections, compelling trends, and colorful stories beyond the dates, names, and larger events of time. She passed on this passion and insight to her students: “Sister John Christine’s ‘U.S. Political History’ was one of the most illuminating courses I took in college,” said one alum. “She was excellent!”
Sources of Inspiration
"I have been an ardent advocate of higher education for women since my high-school days when I was fortunate to meet the CSJs who inspired me no end. Both in and out of my religious community, individuals have called on me to share my professional expertise, which is a pure joy for me. This is great stimulation for me to keep current in my profession - I do believe it shows."
Retirement Activities
"Since retirement I have read a lot of books re/ biography, history, recent theology, and a number of the classics that I simply never had the time to read. I find that some of my older siblings require special care and I, being the youngest in my family, can still do a lot of necessary care-giving.
I thank God I have the health and stamina to address their needs."
Reasons for Selection
Why was I selected? People know my values and as the alumnae get older, I do believe they appreciate history and enthusiasm for the political scene more than when they had to take some of these required courses as undergraduates.
One alum stated simply: “She is one of the most knowledgeable and challenging teachers I have ever known.” |
Photos by Martin Photo Media, 2008. |
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