St. Catherine University serves a diverse student body with a strong focus on community engagement and service-learning, particularly through its weekend program designed for non-traditional students. The program, established in 1979, offers various majors and aims to enhance academic learning through real-world projects, while also providing significant benefits to both students and community partners. Challenges include institutional and student-related obstacles, but successful engagement has shown to deepen academic experiences and foster networking opportunities.

1. ENGAGING NON-TRADITIONAL
STUDENTS AT ST. KATE’S
New Professionals’ Reflections
Barbara Rogers & Laura Haynes

2. St. Catherine University
 Mission
St. Catherine University educates students to lead and
influence. Inspired by its visionary founding in 1905 by the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, more than a century
later the University serves diverse students, with a
baccalaureate college for women at its heart and graduate
and associate programs for women and men.
 Location
The St. Paul campus is 5 miles from downtown St. Paul, 7
miles from downtown Minneapolis, and sits on 110
wooded acres. The Minneapolis campus is located in the
heart of downtown Minneapolis and is in close proximity
to major health-care facilities.
© St. Catherine University 2

3. St. Catherine University
 Facts and Figures
– Undergrad Student Body Fall 2010
• 26.7% multicultural students
• 49.9% traditional age students (18-23)
• 91.9% from Minnesota
• 97.3% women
• 80.5% first-time, full-time students live on campus
– Entire Student Body Fall 2010
• 3,830 undergraduate students
• 947 associate students
• 1,498 graduate students
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4. Center for Community Work and Learning
 Mission
– Facilitate community engagement to enhance student
academic learning and leadership development
– Through service-learning, off-campus student
employment, and civic engagement
– Develop relationships with community partners for social
justice and positive impact on global community
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5. Center for Community Work and Learning
 Facts and Figures 2010-2011
– Service-Learning Courses
• 60 courses across 17 departments offered a community work
component,10,500+ hours students spent working in the
community
– Off-Campus Student Employment
• 105 students employed
– Civic Engagement Programming
• 17 community sites, 325 students participating
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6. Weekend Program
– Established in 1979
– Undergraduate & Graduate
– Offer 18 majors and 10 minors
– Trimesters
• Classes meet 8 times
– Two back-to-back weekends
– One on-line session
– Friday evening, Saturdays, Sundays, some weeknights
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7. Weekend Program
 2010-2011 Demographics
– 776 weekend students
– 58% full time enrollment
– 20% multicultural students
– Average student’s age 35 years
– 45% are parents
– 93% already have some college background
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8. Challenges to Engaging Weekend Students
 Institutional Obstacles
– Tight weekend format
– Conflicting timelines with Day schedule
– Finding evening and weekend service opportunities
 Student Related Challenges
– Busy Schedules
– Creating meaningful work for older students
– Different educational goals
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9. Benefits of Engaging Weekend Students in
Community Work
– Draws students into campus community and mission
– Students bring life experience to service-learning
– Community sites benefit from mature workers
– Deepens academic learning
– Networking and community building possibilities for
students
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10. Service-Learning
 Community Work and Learning at St. Kate’s
Class One-time Group Semester
Project-Based Local Immersion
Presentation or Individual Individual
Experience Experience
and Activity Experience Experience
 Models that work well for the Weekend
Program
• Project based experience
• One-time experience
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11. Fall 2010: Rhetoric, Civic Participation & Social Justice
– Students collaborate with the Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy (IATP)
– Produced videos highlighting aspects of the Farm Bill
– IATP will use them to reach subscribers & through social
media avenues such as YouTube
– Students built collaboration and technology skills
“For me, this project defines a "hands on approach" not only to learning and building upon
skills, but to solving problems with a creative consciousness that isn't confined to the walls
of a classroom… This project allowed me to dwell in possibilities and fine tune my thinking
in regard to what path I would like to take for a future career. Most important… taught us
that we don't have to wait until we graduate to act and make difference in our world. We can
do it now!”
-Weekend student, Beverly Kumar
Fall, 2010 Rhetoric, Civic Participation, & Social Justice
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12.  Ballad of Earl Butz
 Snack Attack!
 Pac Man
© St. Catherine University 12

13. Spring 2011- Buyer Behavior & Market Research
– Develop marketing research tools for 5
organizations
– Provide needed research
– Apply classroom concepts in real-world projects
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14. Examples of One-Time Service-Learning Projects
 Spring 2011 Biology of Women
– Four small group
projects
“It was so much fun!! I think I might
keep going every Tuesday. It's a
great way to stay involved and
I can bring my family too.
Thanks for setting this up.”
- Stephanie Samuell
Weekend Student
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15. Other Ways We’ve Engaged Students
 Weekend Civic Engagement
Programs
– Brain Injury Association of MN’s
“Cranestorm – Wishes in Flight”
– Feed My Starving Children
 Off-Campus Student
Employment
– Community Leadership Program
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16. Lessons Learned
– Thoughtfully present projects to weekend
students
• Clearly framed with goals and expectations
– Respect nontraditional student experience
• Avoid assumptions
– Create more challenging projects
– Flexibility with all parties
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17. Questions
6/17/2011 © St. Catherine University 18