Another interesting Rotary presentation this week. If you weren’t there you missed good times.
We had Heidi and Holly from H&H Chevrolet with us for Smooth Jazz Rotary. Ok not really, we had Deb and Aileen wearing the same red and black colors so we decided they were the more sophisticated version of the H&H twins. Kind of a stretch but we had fun with it.
Our speaker was Dr. Maryanne Stevens, RSM, and president of the College of St. Mary since June 1, 1996. The college opened in 1923 by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious order of women to educate women who wanted to teach. They were invited by the Catholic mission in 1864 to come to Omaha.
In 1955 it moved to the current site at Mercy Road and became accredited as a 4-year institution. They facilitate the education of over 1,000 students and men are admitted to the graduate program as according to the law.
77% of the students are from Nebraska, with other students from 35 states outside of Nebraska. 43% of students are lower income and require a PELL grant in order to afford an education. The most well known programs are in the health profession and the college is sometimes referred to as a nursing school. Also provided are; occupational therapy, physician assistant’s studies and an upcoming physical therapy program. More programs are offered in liberal arts, education, kinesiology and a special concentration in the sciences.
90% of students stay in Omaha after graduation and 96% are employed within 6 months of their graduation, which are strong statistics. There are 10 athletic teams at the college, which adds to better health practices in life according to statistics. The mission of the school is to reach out to students that have less as opposed to more. There is a residence hall for single moms. The moms can have up to 2 children (not teenagers, they don’t want to mess with that) and the children can live and eat free. The mother’s pay full tuition as well as room and board. When a student approached her with this dilemma of being pregnant but wanting an education the college representatives visited another university that had started providing this feature for single mothers. The college now provides daycare and the ability for the children to attend public school. 13% of the student population is single parents although not all live on campus. Undocumented students are also a part of the population at the college. The college provides tuition and room and board for about 32 undocumented students and in return they must provide 10-15 hours of work on the campus and to agree to pay it forward. These students are academically prepared contributors to our community.
The college has no debt and are able to use tuition and donor funded scholarships to thrive. They are in a 40 million dollar campaign to continue scholarships and to build an athletic building. Affordable education is the focus of the college. Although nationally, tuition costs are rising, the College reduced their tuition costs and the number of years in the classroom to eliminate years of debt for the students.
Dr. Stevens also noted that by the year 2030 the face of the community will have changed to be much more multicultural and we need to understand how to grow together to make this a stronger community. An excellent presentation, thank you Lloyds!
The Orpheum opened in 1927. It was home to vaudeville performers during the early days. It became a movie theater in the 1960s. Jerry Lewis was the last known live performer in 1961, before the Orpheum transitioned into a movie house.
For the rest of the 1960s and into the early 1970s, it served as a movie theater. The building fell into disrepair during that time. It closed in 1971. In 1973, The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben bought the building and put in $2 million to renovate it. The Knights offered it to the city on the condition that the theater be used for plays, musicals, etc. The Orpheum reopened in 1975.
Today, the Orpheum is professionally managed by Omaha Performing Arts. The Orpheum underwent a major $10 million renovation in 2002 and the ornate splendor of this magnificent theater was enhanced to better serve patrons and artists. Recent renovations have restored its ornate splendor - and enhanced acoustics and views.
Our Tour Guide will be Jeff Brown, the Assistant Production Manager for the Orpheum Theater. Jeff is following in the footsteps of his father, the late Al Brown, who managed the Orpheum from 1974 to 1996. Jeff grew up backstage at the Orpheum, and continues to assume responsibility and care of the Orpheum today.
We have two locations to ring bells at the Nebraska Furniture Mart this year. East Doors of the Electronics Building (next to Subway) and the Main Furniture Building Entrance.
Rotary Leadership Institute provides educational opportunities for potential leaders to improve their Rotary knowledge and be exposed to new ideas of leadership. Clubs that care about their future will want the best leaders and members possible.
Participants need to plan to attend the entire day. Registrations must be made at least 1 week in advance.
October 19, 2019 - District 5650 – Dundee Presbyterian Church 5312 Underwood Avenue Omaha NE68132
