Dr. Krusemark Honored as the New McGilley Chair

This fall marked the start of Dr. William “Bill” Krusemark serving as the new Sister Mary Janet McGilley Endowed Chair in Liberal Studies (McGilley Chair).

The chair position was established in 1990 to honor Sr. Mary Janet, SCL, president of Saint Mary College from 1964 to 1989. Consistent with the example set by Sr. Mary Janet, the chair holder must demonstrate a commitment to and excellence in teaching. The appointment is for a renewable three-year term and is made by the president of the university.

“Dr. Krusemark is one of our finest and most dedicated faculty members as well as a distinguished musician in his own right,” praised USM President Sister Diane Steele. “If dedication and devotion is measured in hours, Bill is exemplary. For Bill, teaching music and offering voice lessons is not a job, it is his mission and ministry … He has a gift for bringing out and developing whatever talent he has in a given year, always finding music that enhances students’ natural gifts.”

Over the past four decades at Saint Mary, Dr. Krusemark has dedicated himself to growing the community’s appreciation for the liberal arts. Along with the hundreds of music productions and concerts he’s spearheaded, he’s also brought incredible artistic talent to Leavenworth. In September, Dr. Krusemark arranged The Sister Janet McGilley Poetry Reading with Eric McHenry—the Kansas Poet Laureate; and just a month later, Core Ensemble of Miami presented “Los Valientes” (The Courageous Ones)—a chamber music theatre production, exploring the artistic and political passions of Diego Rivera, the unwavering commitment to human rights of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the pursuit of social justice by Mexican American desperado Joaquin Murrieta (“Zorro”). Both events, sponsored by the McGilley Chair fund, packed Xavier Theatre and received praises from the USM community and Leavenworth-Lansing patrons.

Dr. Krusemark continues to fill USM’s fine arts calendar with events, like a student writing contest, The Goldenberg Duo (violinist and pianist), and a student concert of American poems and art-songs.

Visit stmary.edu/FineArtsCalendar for a complete list of fine arts events at Saint Mary.