Onyx Anneau Fall 2020

THE WOODS Advancing By Catherine Mickey Saunders ’98 TRADITIONS AT OUR COEUR

2019-2020 SMWC Honor Roll of Donors Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is proud to announce the current Honor Roll of Donors, recognizing generous gifts received in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Not only will you find Annual Giving Societies, Lifetime Giving Societies and the Legacy Guild, but the Honor Roll is once again recognizing Class Gifts by listing all donors to the Woods Fund by class year. New this year, the Aspire Higher Society — Le Fer Hall recognizes gifts of $5,000 or more supporting the renovation of Le Fer. Gifts made In Memory Of (IMO) or In Honor Of (IHO) individuals will now be listed in the Honor Roll instead of the Nota Bene section of the magazine. Donors enable The Woods to carry Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s mission forward. SMWC continues to educate students and effect positive change in the world. Together, we are building future generations that will sustain Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy. Please visit smwc.edu/giving/honor-roll-donors and celebrate the continued and growing support from Woods alumni and friends.

Students filling the hallways and classrooms is a recognized privilege today. Enjoying campus events and building college memories will never again be taken for granted by this generation after the truncation of spring 2020. Many factors make this reality possible, not the least of which is donor generosity. Annual support of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) contributes to the ongoing operations of The Woods.

Woods traditions and stories and welcome students with an acorn pin that will be matched by a crown of oak leaves upon graduation. • September 12 — Ring Day Postponed in March, campus, Woods Online and graduate students celebrated a unique fall Ring Day Ceremony. Because the Church of Immaculate Conception remains closed to the public for the safety

“Remember what makes this place like no other... Knowing the history and grit of this place will guide you through anything. Lean on providence with all of your weight and your worry, and you will be well supported.” — Elaine Yaw ’95

of the Sisters of Providence, students celebrated in the Sunken Garden of Le Fer Hall with family, friends and faculty. • October 2020 — Big/Little Week The tradition of welcoming new students and building lifelong friendships continues through Big/Little. Embracing male students in the fall of 2015, Big/Little continues to be one of the most anticipated fall traditions in the campus program. More than 115 new students registered for a “Big” and are eager for a week filled with surprises and the revelation of their “Big” in late October. Students will engage in Woods traditions — old and new — as the academic year continues. Your continued support helps enrich the student experience.

Donors often look for tangible results of their philanthropic investments. Gifts to SMWC directly benefit our students through their experiences, inside the classroom and beyond. The continuation of Woods traditions is just one example of how gifts to the Woods Fund make a difference and effect the student experience. Being blessed to have in-person instruction has allowed students to enjoy a number of time-honored traditions this fall. • September 2 — Acorn Ceremony One of the newer traditions started in 1997, Seniors led new students to the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto for a candlelight ceremony where they were welcomed as the newest members of The Woods family. During the ceremony, seniors share

Your Woods Ring is a Legacy Gift your ring to a future student by making arrangements in your estate.

The December Onyx Anneau will feature philanthropy at work with an update on the Aspire Higher Campaign and the many donor-funded campus improvements taking place in Le Fer Hall, Hulman Hall, the Conservatory of Music and more!

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