Saint Mary's University has a long-standing legacy of alumni who turned their science or business degrees into successful careers. Several alumni have created nationally and internationally known companies, others have assisted with medical innovations that have improved - and even saved - countless lives. For example, Saint Mary's Winona Campus Adducci Science Center is named for just such a business and science entrepreneur. Anthony Adducci '59 co-founded Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., the world's first lithium battery artificial pacemaker.

Likewise, the university's John C. Parmer School of the Sciences is named for a 1950 alumnus who co-founded the Cole-Parmer Instrument Company, an international supplier and manufacturer of laboratory and industrial equipment. To achieve success, tomorrow's business leaders will need that same combination of passion and knowledge to solve challenges that we haven't yet imagined.

At Saint Mary's, we've always known that the information students gain from textbooks is valuable, but what students obtain outside of the classroom is vital.

That is why Dr. Roger Lucas '65, one of the co-founders of TECHNE Corporation (one of the world's largest suppliers of biotechnology products) funds summer internship collaborations between R&D Systems and Saint Mary's. He wants current students to gain the same exceptional practical experience he valued as a student. Additionally, each year, four of our students, two business and two science students, are chosen for the Innovations Scholar Program. This unique program places students at the interface of innovation in science and medicine and the fields of intellectual property, marketing, and business development. This cross-discipline collaboration is an amazing opportunity for students to do hands-on research that could potentially be commercialized and licensed for use by Mayo. Fueling our students' entrepreneurial spirit and passion, Dr. Jon Kabara '48 founded the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Saint Mary's. He knew students would benefit from a rich platform of events and speakers designed to give students insight into what it takes to own and operate a business.

Saint Mary's is adapting its undergraduate and graduate academic programming to meet the challenges of a high-tech, ever-evolving global marketplace. As it strives to bring the real world into the classroom, faculty are reaching out to industry leaders to work with, challenge, and mentor students. Skilled and caring faculty work closely with students, urging them to think beyond textbooks and ask important questions, interpret data, and achieve results. With competition at an all-time high, Saint Mary's business students have a high job placement rate. Now, the university plans to bring business facilities to a new level of excellence, creating a more inviting and useful space for students to collaborate, to study, and to jump-start their futures.