Saint Joseph's College (Indiana), a Catholic college founded and sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, pledges itself to a tradition of excellence and to a liberal education that is a united endeavor of intelligence and faith.
Graduate Spotlight: Kaitlyn Braun, MA
Before beginning Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) classes at Saint Joseph’s College, Kaitlyn Braun worked in-home care for three years as a Personal Care Assistant (PCA). A PCA is someone who helps people with day-to-day activities in their home and around their community. Kaitlyn shares, “I have always been interested in pursuing a job in the medical field. I heard about the CCMA class at Saint Joe and decided I was finally going to take a chance and enroll in the class.”
Kaitlyn continues, “The CCMA class was great and our instructor, Hali Chapman was awesome! I enjoyed everything about the class. I loved practicing drawing blood.” Drawing blood is a necessary skill the students learn in the program. For most, it is the highlight of the 15-week course. Since receiving her certification, Kaitlyn has become a Medical Assistant at Porter Primary Care in Valparaiso.
Kaitlyn received assistance locating, applying, and paying for the CCMA program at Saint Joe from WorkOne. WorkOne Northwest Indiana is a valuable one-stop for jobseekers when it comes to career resources. They assist jobseekers in exploring job and career opportunities. There is no cost to use WorkOne and take advantage of all the helpful resources and services available.
We are currently enrolling students for spring classes. If you or someone you know is interested in earning a healthcare certification, please go to our website for more information – www.saintjoe.edu
Spring at the Campus
As spring comes, the grass greens, flowers bloom, and the trees bud. The campus grounds will come to life again. Our Plant Team is working diligently to clean up from the winter and prepare the grounds for a beautiful spring. Unfortunately, the majority of the campus grounds remain closed to the general public. The liability of having guests wander campus is too great at this time. We have local police officers patrolling the grounds to be sure everyone is kept safe and there is no destruction of the buildings and property.
We know you want to come back to campus! We want life back on campus again. This spring and summer we will be planning campus tour dates, where you, your family, and classmates can meet and walk the campus grounds. More details to come soon. Also, we are working with the Alumni Association to arrange an alumni gathering on campus. As we have more plans and details, they will be shared via this newsletter, website, and social media.
128 Core Partners
In March, SJC staff hosted two Zoom meetings for current 128 Core Partners to update their progress at the College. Mike VanEekeren (Board Chairman), William Carroll (Executive Director), Kimberley Morisette, CPA, and Beth Graf, Director of Communications and Development shared information about progress with partnerships, current and new certification programs, and financial updates. Among the updates to the 128 Core Partners, it was reported that ALL pledge payments remain unspent in an account for future use. To date, with great fiscal planning and mindful spending, SJC has the cash it needs to run on a day-to-day basis without using the 128 Core Partners donations. Keep in mind the 128 Core Partners plan document specifically stated the purpose for these funds. The campaign funds would be used “to cover the expenses of SJC’s journey back to health and vitality.” The campaign’s purpose was to provide operating support over a three year period to “restructure, restart and rebuild.” To date, we have NOT had to use ANY Core Partners campaign payments to fund these operations. We are in the “rebuild” phase as stated in the 128 Core Partners campaign documents. We are in the throes of “fundraising”; in which one of the objectives was to start a certification program which has been done. We have “reduced expenses.” We are in the process of “engaging with the community” through House of Grace endeavors, and we are working on “collaborating” with other education institutions for the success of the educational future of SJC. To that end, should the operating need arise to continue the initiatives as outlined in the 128 Core Partners campaign, those funds may be used for these initiatives in the future.
The income to meet our daily expenses comes from unrestricted donations, grants, estate gifts, and windmill and farm income. One such gift came from the estate of Brother Joseph Hrezo, C.PP.S. Brother Joe served in ministry at Saint Joseph's College from 1958 to 1978. There, he was the equipment manager for the college's sports teams and later worked in its infirmary. He enjoyed his time at Saint Joseph's College, where he attended baseball, basketball, and football games, and found the space to raise Irish setters and other bird dogs.
Later, he worked in the infirmary, where he was known as someone who would take care of students without regard for his health, particularly during a meningitis outbreak in the 1960s. A case of polio when he was a child cost him much of the use of his right side; he knew what damage disease could cause, even among the young.
Brother Joe continued his legacy at Saint Joseph’s College by leaving a large part of his estate to the College. His generosity will give the College more time to form the partnerships needed to begin the accreditation process. We are very grateful for the wonderful gift.
If you too would like to support the College with a monetary donation, please contact Beth Graf, Director of Communications and Development at (219) 866-6000 x2014 or bgraf@saintjoe.edu
Contact Us
Saint Joseph’s College PO Box 300 Rensselaer, IN 47978
Beth Graf, Director of Communications and Development
Email: bgraf@saintjoe.edu
Phone: 219-866-6000 ext 2014