Retiring.
But Not
From Life
"The retirement of
S. Colman as president this year provides an excellent opportunity to reflect upon some of the changes which have occurred during her adminis�tration and to extend to her the accolades which she so richly deserves because those changes are
due in large measure to her vision, energy and leadership
qualities." �
Herman J Ratelle, former president ofthe board of trustees
hen people thinkofthe College ofSaint Benedict, they envision a small, Catholic, liberal arts college for women nestled in the cozy; small town ofSt. Joseph, Minn. But over the years, the scenery here has changed. With the progressive effort to improve the educational offerings, the campus facilities, and the cooperative relationship with neighboring Saint John's University for men, CSB no longer reflects the usual image ofa traditional women's college.
S. Colman chats with Clark Hendley, the first CSB/SJU joint provost (left) and a guest of the college.
During the past 10 years as CSB president, Colman O'Connell OSB has led a reshaping of the college's vision for the future and has guided the college community in its struggles to adjust. & she prepared to leave office earlier this spring, we askeq O'Connell to reflect on the events ofthe past decade and to share her thoughts on CSB's years to come.
What are you most proud ofaccomplish�ing dufing your presidency?
''I'm afraid there's a tendency to think that what the college has accomplished in the last 10 years is to build a campus. I am pleased, ofcourse, that we now have a complete campus .... But I believe that this visible change in the college is not what people 20 years from now will think most impor�tant about this era.
"I hope that 20 years from now people will say: 'The colleges made a bold step 20 years ago in creating the coordinate relationship to promote the education ofmen and women.' Education for men and for women in this coordinate, gender�conscious environment is the best way to educate students. It is not only superior to coeducation, but also to single sex education. Some have mis�takenly assumed we've created the coordinate re�lationship because it is so difficult to attract stu�dents to traditional women's colleges or men's colleges. However, in addition to not being sal�able, I don't believe that single sex education for either men or women is as effective as that ofthe model created at CSB and SJU. I'm persuaded that we have the potential to serve women better and men better than that provided at either single-sex colleges or at coed schools."
With the two schools melding so much, how do you know that Saint Ben's is still its own institution with its own identity?
"The schools are not 'melding.' The two schools are working coordinately. ... The last thing we need is one more coed college .... We've made every effort to provide training to the faculty to understand that we're serving men and women; we're not serving 'people.' We never talk about commitment to 'students' in general, but to men and women students."
2
Retiring. But Not From Life "The retirement of S. Colman as president this year provides an excellent opportunity to reflect upon some of the changes which have occurred during her adminis�tration and to extend to her the accolades which she so richly deserves because those changes are due in large measure to her vision, energy and leadership qualities." � Herman J Ratelle, former president ofthe board of trustees hen people thinkofthe College ofSaint Benedict, they envision a small, Catholic, liberal arts college for women nestled in the cozy; small town ofSt. Joseph, Minn. But over the years, the scenery here has changed. With the progressive effort to improve the educational offerings, the campus facilities, and the cooperative relationship with neighboring Saint John's University for men, CSB no longer reflects the usual image ofa traditional women's college. S. Colman chats with Clark Hendley, the first CSB/SJU joint provost (left) and a guest of the college. During the past 10 years as CSB president, Colman O'Connell OSB has led a reshaping of the college's vision for the future and has guided the college community in its struggles to adjust. & she prepared to leave office earlier this spring, we askeq O'Connell to reflect on the events ofthe past decade and to share her thoughts on CSB's years to come. What are you most proud ofaccomplish�ing dufing your presidency? ''I'm afraid there's a tendency to think that what the college has accomplished in the last 10 years is to build a campus. I am pleased, ofcourse, that we now have a complete campus .... But I believe that this visible change in the college is not what people 20 years from now will think most impor�tant about this era. "I hope that 20 years from now people will say: 'The colleges made a bold step 20 years ago in creating the coordinate relationship to promote the education ofmen and women.' Education for men and for women in this coordinate, gender�conscious environment is the best way to educate students. It is not only superior to coeducation, but also to single sex education. Some have mis�takenly assumed we've created the coordinate re�lationship because it is so difficult to attract stu�dents to traditional women's colleges or men's colleges. However, in addition to not being sal�able, I don't believe that single sex education for either men or women is as effective as that ofthe model created at CSB and SJU. I'm persuaded that we have the potential to serve women better and men better than that provided at either single-sex colleges or at coed schools." With the two schools melding so much, how do you know that Saint Ben's is still its own institution with its own identity? "The schools are not 'melding.' The two schools are working coordinately. ... The last thing we need is one more coed college .... We've made every effort to provide training to the faculty to understand that we're serving men and women; we're not serving 'people.' We never talk about commitment to 'students' in general, but to men and women students." 2
