On April 22, President Susan Rundell Singer’s leadership team, along with St. Olaf’s Student Government Association (SGA), hosted a meet and greet as an opportunity for students to get to know their team and ask any questions on their minds.
In an email interview with The Olaf Messenger, SGA President Fiona Mundy ’26 spoke about why it was important for SGA to facilitate this conversation between the President’s Leadership Team (PLT) and the student body: “We want to give [the PLT] a well-rounded student account of life on campus, and that means giving more than just numbers from a survey people have filled out; it means facilitating the face-to-face conversations between students and the PLT.”
The event began with introductions from each member of the PLT:
- Vice President for Community and Belonging Eduardo Pazos Palma
- Vice President for Advancement Enoch Blazis
- Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Mike Berthelsen
- Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing Officer Katie Warren
- General Counsel and Vice President for Human Resources Carl Crosby Lehmann
- Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Tarshia Stanley
- Chief of Staff for the President and Secretary to the Board of Regents Kathryn Lohre
- Vice President for Student Life Hassel Morrison
As members of the PLT introduced themselves, many shared their connection to St. Olaf. Several members are alumni, or parents of current or former Oles. It was clear that every member of the PLT has a strong connection to St. Olaf and is honored to serve a community that has served them.
After introductions, the event moved into a large group discussion moderated by Mundy and SGA Vice President Karen Henriquez Fajardo ’26. The PLT addressed questions regarding how recent changes to federal legislation will affect St. Olaf and the College’s financial strategy as it balances its budget. Rundell Singer responded to concerns regarding proposed federal funding cuts of TRIO programs, which are outreach programs designed to support first generation, low income, and disabled students.
The proposed funding cuts have yet to be approved by Congress, and St. Olaf continues to monitor the situation. In addition, Pazos stated that no federal legislation has been passed regarding Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and that the College will continue to foster community and belonging.
In regard to St. Olaf’s financial strategy, Berthelsen spoke about how they create their budget around the College’s policy of meeting 100% of students’ financial needs. St. Olaf is one of few private institutions with that policy in place and plans to continue to prioritize the policy going forward.
“Our [SGA’s] priority is to make sure the PLT is hearing student voices before they make decisions so that we, [both] as representatives and the student body as a whole, have the chance to advocate for their needs,” Mundy said. A list of Frequently Asked Questions and answers from the PLT, along with information about how students can contact or become involved with SGA, are accessible here.
