Mural displays 100+ year history between CSB+SJU and The Bahamas
Over winter break, a mural was installed depicting the 100+ year relationship between The Bahamas and the College of St. Benedict and St. John's university. Students, faculty, staff and community members can view the mural in the lower level of Sexton Commons.
A mural depicting the historic relationship between CSB+SJU and The Bahamas has been installed on the first floor of Sexton Commons. This mural, depicted as a timeline, showcases how The Bahamas and the CSB+SJU community have impacted each other, starting from their earliest connection to their strong bond in the present.
The connection between the two began in 1891, when the then abbot of the St. John’s Abbey sent a monk to supervise a small Catholic group in The Bahamas. In the following years, more monks were sent as the Catholic community grew in numbers, and by the 1920s, Bahamian students were being sent to study at St. John’s. Two decades later, Bahamian students began attending St. Ben’s.
In the 1970s, Bahamian CSB alum Telzena Coakley began a program where Bahamian teachers could finish a part of their coursework in The Bahamas and travel to CSB to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. This program eventually grew to include both CSB and SJU students. Benedictine University College, a satellite campus in the Bahamas cofounded by Coakley, helped many Bahamian students earn their degrees from 1974 to 2000.
The modern bond to the Bahamas is maintained by members of CSB+SJU such as presidents and admission staff annually traveing to The Bahamas to talk to prospective students, alums and government officials. Bahamian alums have also helped negotiate with the Bahamian government to create a scholarship for students attending CSB+SJU.
Ilan White, a junior Bahamian student at SJU, proposed the idea for the mural after he witnessed Brittany Merrit Nash, assistant professor of history at CSB+SJU, give a presentation documenting the tightly woven relationship between the university and the nation. The idea was to have a permanent addition to the campus that would demonstrate the rich history, educating those who may have never learned on their own.
White consulted Matt Lindstrom director of the McCarthy Center, with the idea, and Nash was brought on board to plan the timeline depicted on the mural. Graphic designer and CSB alum Clairissa Nathe helped make the final product.
Nash believes the mural will be beneficial for both Bahamian and non-Bahamian students.
“My personal hope is that Bahamian Bennies and Johnnies will feel a sense of pride about the legacies that previous Bahamian students have left behind at our institutions, and that non-Bahamian students realize the deep, historic connections that their Bahamian peers have with our campus community,” Nash said via email.
Furthermore, Nash anticipates the mural will leave a lasting impact on the campuses.
“I hope that this will help our ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive campus community that recognizes and celebrates the many ways that our students, who come from so many different backgrounds and represent multiple cultures, enrich our campuses,” Nash said.