Coeur de Catherine, St. Joseph's Hall and the Library
The Coeur de Catherine is a unique space that has greatly improved upon spaces of the past to create a multi-functional and useful space for all members of the university. The CdC is a mix of two existing spaces to create a student center that can better serve students. I had the pleasure of speaking with Deb Miner, Director of the Student Center Activities, who was heavily involved in the creation of the CdC. The space in St. Joseph's Hall was no longer functioning for the University when Miner arrived in the fall of 1989. A prime example of the dysfunction was the placement of her office. Students would have to travel thru her office to get to the CAGB office, CAGB was the student governing board which was later renamed to Senate. This layout was not ideal for students or for Deb but it reflected a university that had grown out of its space.
St. Joseph's Hall is the only building that has ceased to exist on the St. Kate's campus. The CdC was built in the shell of St. Joseph's Hall and worked to connect St. Joseph's Hall and the Library into one seamless building. The atriums work to connect these two spaces into one more functional space for the entire university. The construction of the CdC also brought about rearranging departments, before the construction, the Student Activities Office included what today would be seen as Residence Life and Student Center and Activities. While these were one department they were located in two separate buildings. The construction of the CdC allowed for these departments to be separated and to create spaces that would serve both best.
St. Joseph's Hall attempted to serve too many needs and so such could serve few well; the building did everything from classrooms to kitchens to alumnae office. The space was so divided and shared that it could serve no one well. One of the biggest missing pieces was a Student Organization Center, this severely impacted clubs and student life. A club existed in a student's backpack, and once they graduated all of the club materials and records would leave with the students forcing the club to start over. Some clubs were lucky and left a few things with advisors or Miner, but as her office was tiny then there was little room for club materials. The story of club leaders and other short comings of St. Joseph's Hall and the library grew and spread; the building was designed, money collected and input gathered. Miner worked with Curt Galloway, Dean of Students, in the design of the building, together they included student input into the design and the building. Miner mentioned that amazingly student input matched their design, the issues they saw were confirmed by the response of students and the community. The spaces we enjoy were carefully created by Miner and many others. The chairs in the Student Org Center today were carefully picked by Miner, she spoke of the careful balance of function and appearance. She took care to make sure that the chairs would be comfortable for students, in a discussion with a committee Deb remembers encouraging everyone to sit in the chairs like students would. Every choice was carefully planned and evaluated to make sure the CdC would function well and last far into the future. The CdC today is often where students hang out between classes and we have Deb Miner and the CdC team to thank for this space. Without their careful planning the space would not be able to serve the university as well as it does.
The construction of the CdC began in 2001, opening ceremonies included a ceremony to close St. Joseph's Hall. From the next few years the entire university would make many sacrifices for the great space we have today. Miner remembers the mud that was tracked all over campus, the cramped spaces they worked in, limited options in "The Grill" including a lack of french fries. The most profound sacrifice may have been the lack of space, events were held in the Butler Gym (this is before the recent renovations) or the Chapel. Just days after St. Joseph's Hall was closed 9/11 shook the nation and the university. As a university we have a long history of coming together and reflecting after tragedy, and now suddenly there was no space to gather. The new space finally arrived in 2004, the entire community finally got to live in this space. It was exactly what the university had needed and what had been waiting for; space to gather, collaborate, and socialize. The CdC remains as the center of the university; this is where we work, where we eat, where we celebrate, gather and study.
The name itself is significant Coeur de Catherine - Heart of Catherine. Sister Andrea, the then president, sent out a call on campus for a name for the new building. Over three hundred and fifty names were submitted and Marcie Myers'1 was the chosen one. She remembers "I looked over the directions, thought about it for a nanosecond, and then the name Coeur de Catherine just popped into my head. I liked it because it meant "heart of Catherine", which is what our students are, and it was French, like our founding mothers. I really do believe I was just channeling all the wonderful CSJ energy and history around me."2 This name connects the university to the pioneering sisters that opened the doors and continues their mission of serving the needs of the people.
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1 Marcie Myers is a biology professor at St. Catherine University.
2Marcie Myers, e-mail message to author, March 5, 2017.
