a new age of Promise

a new age of Promise

The Magazine of Saint Xavier University Fall/Winter 2013

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1

July 2013WiSeMan naMed To “100 WoMen of inflUence” liST

Saint Xavier President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., was named to the “100 Women of Influence” list in Today’s Chicago Woman, which highlights well-known women of importance in various fields throughout Chicago. The list notes Wiseman’s successes, which include forging articulation agreements with other higher education institutions, overseeing record-breaking fundraising efforts and implementing the Vision 2017 strategic plan.

August 2013WiSeMan appoinTed To illinoiS Board of HigHer edUcaTion

Saint Xavier President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., has been appointed to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Gov. Pat Quinn announced that Wiseman was among those appointed to the prestigious 16-member board, which is the coordinating agency that oversees the programs, activities and policies related to higher education within the state. Wiseman began serving as an acting member effective Aug. 7.

September 2013SXU recognized aS 2014 MiliTary friendly ScHool

Saint Xavier was named to the 2014 Military Friendly Schools® list in recognition of its efforts to reach out to veterans and military personnel. The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

“Military veterans are warmly welcomed to Saint Xavier University,” said President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., whose father was a Navy veteran of the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach. “We are proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, and we encourage service members to learn more about the many other ways that SXU extends a friendly hand to our nation’s military veterans.”

The 1,868 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year’s list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. These schools have world-class programs and policies for student support on campus, academic accreditation, credit policies, flexibility and other services.

October 2013neTWorking evenT

A private reception at the Metropolitan Club in Chicago was hosted by Trustee Roger O. Crockett and former Trustee Darrell Jackson ’81. Featured speakers were Quintin E. Primo III, chairman and CEO of Capri Capital, James Reynolds Jr., chairman and CEO of Loop Capital, and SXU President Christine Wiseman, J.D. SXU students also attended, and they shared their stories and interacted with top leaders of the African-American business community in Chicago.

saint Xavierm ag a z i n eVOLUME 8, ISSUE 1

Magazine Purpose Statement: Saint Xavier Magazine strengthens the shared connection between alumni, the University and its community. Stories will demonstrate the core values of excellence and diversity, encourage learning for life and engage the minds of the University family.

Saint Xavier Magazine is published two times a year for the University’s alumni and friends by the Office for University Relations.

Vice President for University RelationsRobert Tenczar

Executive Director of Marketing and Communications

Jennifer Younker

Senior EditorErin Kresse

Senior Graphic DesignerAlejandra Torres ’00

Contributing WritersJon-Pierre Bradley ’06, ’12

Rick Ducat ’11Jeanmarie Gainer ’85

Ruth HansenRob Huizenga

Jamie ManahanJill RoggeveenColleen Sehy

Dave Wieczorek

PhotographersMary ComptonKyle DunleavyMatt KowyniaJeff MaleckiGail Pollard

Editorial OfficeSaint Xavier University

3700 W. 103rd St.Chicago, IL 60655

Phone: (773) 298-3952Email: magazine@sxu.edu

Please send your letters to the editorto the above address.

Alumni and Parent RelationsPhone: (773) 298-3316Email: alumni@sxu.edu

Website: www.sxu.edu, keyword: Alumni

Please contact the Office of Alumni andParent Relations for address corrections

and/or alumni notes.

Read the magazine online!Website: www.sxu.edu, keyword: Magazine

Saint Xavier University, a Catholic institution inspired by the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, educates men and women to search for truth, to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to serve wisely and compassionately in support of human dignity and the common good.

11 | Voices Heard Around the WorldJournalists today must know how to write, navigate social media, take photos, shoot video and especially juggle all of these tasks. Journalism specifically and media in general have entered a new technological era and are well on their way into a future of unlimited and unimagined possibilities. Student Media is embracing and leading the change to spread SXU far and wide.

By Dave Wieczorek

16 | Living Corps ValuesFour recent graduates of Saint Xavier have chosen to serve for a year with the Mercy Volunteer Corps, the largest number of participants in a given year. They are spending their year addressing the needs of the economically poor and marginalized throughout the United States. They tell their stories.

Fall/Winter 2013S A I N T X A V I E R M A G A Z I N E

DEPARtMEntS

4 Saint Xavier Journal

7 Cougar Pulse

18 Alumni Notes

29 Advancing the Mission

35 Last Word

President’s Agenda

SXU Trustee Roger O. Crockett, left, Quintin E. Primo III, chairman and CEO of Capri Capital, former Trustee Darrell Jackson ’81 and President Christine Wiseman, J.D.

Ava D. Youngblood, CEO of Youngblood Executive Search, left, SXU President Christine Wiseman, J.D., and James Reynolds Jr., chairman and CEO of Loop Capital.

H I LTON C H IC A G O | 7 2 0 S . M IC H IG A N AV E N U E

SAVE THE DATE

SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSIT Y

SCHOLARSHIP BALL

SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014

A Pew Research poll shows that an astounding 96 percent of Catholics have a positive impression of Pope Francis only six months into his papacy, Vatican reporter John Allen Jr. told a packed crowd in McGuire Hall in September.

“For the number of Catholics who can’t even agree that today is Wednesday, that’s a phenomenal thing,” Allen said.

With a mere 6 percent of the world’s 1.25 billion Catholics billed as Americans, the Church has been undergoing a dramatic demographic shift in the past 100 years from one that is based in the global north to one in which two-thirds of its population is based in the poorer southern hemisphere, Allen said.

That means that the new pontiff isn’t focusing on American concerns such as priestly celibacy, but rather on issues such as immigration, poverty and war and peace, he said.

“American thinking is inadequate,” Allen said. “You either think globally or you think dysfunctionally. Those are the only two options.”

Francis also is restoring a new spirit of Catholic charity, being more active in bringing people into the fold and stopping at no less than transforming the world, Allen said. The pontiff, a native of Argentina, is the first Jesuit pope and the first from the developing world, and he is outspoken in his desire to end bloodshed in places such as Syria and Egypt, he said.

In just six months, Francis has revived the international prestige of the papacy and its moral capital with his humbler lifestyle and charisma. The Italian edition of Vanity Fair alone declared him its “Man of the Year” in June, and millions of “bikinis and rosaries” mixed at his youth festival in Rio de Janeiro in July, Allen said.

Allen is the prize-winning senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and the senior Vatican analyst for CNN. He is the author of seven bestselling books on the Vatican and Catholic affairs, including The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church and Ten Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know.

Allen’s speech was co-sponsored by SXU’s Office for University Mission and Ministry and the Vicariate V Ministry Commission.

BlACkhAWkS GAME BEnEfitS fiRE, POliCE ChARitiES

Current and former team players of the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in the sixth annual Blackhawks Alumni & Friends Charity Softball Classic with members of the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department at Saint Xavier.

The September event benefitted the Chicago Firefighters’ EMWQ Retirees’, Widows’ and Children’s Assistance Fund, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and related police and fire charities. In the first five years, the Blackhawks Alumni and Friends have raised more than $140,000 for the families of the Chicago police and fire departments.

Jack O’Callahan, a member of the 1980 Olympic gold medal hockey team, has been one of the brains behind the successful charity game.

“As former players for the Chicago Blackhawks, we are proud to be a part of this great city and have the utmost respect and admiration for the Chicago police and fire departments. It is truly an honor to be able to aid their families,” he said.

SXU President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., agreed.

“Saint Xavier University is proud to support the Chicago Firefighters’ EMWQ Retirees’, Widows’ and Children’s Assistance Fund and the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation through this wonderful event,” she said.

SXU nAMED tO 2013-14 “CAthOliC COllEGES Of DiStinCtiOn” liSt

Saint Xavier was named to the Colleges of Distinction’s 2013-14 “Catholic Colleges of Distinction” list. It honors higher education institutions across the country that engage students, offer great teaching, create vibrant campus communities and foster successful outcomes.

The list identifies colleges and universities “that take a holistic approach to admissions decisions, that consistently excel in providing undergraduate education, and that have a truly national reputation.” The list is generated through graduation rates, classroom size and other key statistics, as well as feedback from admission experts, high school counselors and visits to campuses.

nORWAy tERROR POliCE hOlD tRAininG At SXU

Chicago area law enforcement gathered in June at Saint Xavier to learn about mistakes made during the 2011 Oslo, Norway, bombing and shooting massacre from two Norwegian police officers who had responded to the scenes.

The training seminar about preparing and responding to active shooters and bombings included a staged active shooter terror exercise showing how to conduct room-by-room suspect searches and communicate better.

It was presented by the Illinois Tactical Officers Association and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

saint xavierJoUrnaL

4 J O U R N A L 5F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

vatican rePorter refLects on first siX months of PoPe francis

Members of the Palos Fire Protection District fight for control in a tug-of-war contest.

fiREfiGhtERS RAiSE MOnEy At SXU tO fiGht PEDiAtRiC CAnCER

Firefighters raised nearly $35,000 to fund pediatric cancer research and raise awareness in a series of fun challenges before a crowd of more than 1,000 at Saint Xavier.

The July event, called “Fire Up a Cure,” featured a hot wing-eating contest, a forcible entry door competition, an obstacle course, inflatable jousting and a tug-of-war. The Palos Fire Protection District won the event for the second year in a row.

Children explored a fire truck and enjoyed face painting, a balloon artist and a kids’ fire pole to slide down.

MORE COUPlES PUt A RinG On it At MCDOnOUGh

A McDonough Chapel organizer says he is seeing the largest number of weddings being held on campus since the chapel was dedicated by Bishop John Gorman in October 2000.

Eight weddings were scheduled this year alone, double the number from last year, said Jim Bruton ’06, chapel events coordinator.

Bruton said he loves walking couples through the process of securing the necessary documents for an archdiocesan wedding as opposed to a parish affair.

“It’s a small, intimate setting that’s beautiful, with artwork

throughout the space and light coming through the windows,” he said. “It’s a dignified and meaningful place for couples to celebrate the holy sacrament and continue on to the next phase of their lives.”

Bruton said couples who choose McDonough are often alumni or students who appreciate their Saint Xavier education and want to carry forward their journey with SXU.

Alumni, faculty, staff and students are welcome to contact Campus Ministry to make arrangements for marriage ceremonies, as well as baptisms and funerals. Contact (773) 298-3900 or campusministry@sxu.edu for more details.

saint xavierJoUrnaL

6 J O U R N A L

MERCy DAy CElEBRAtiOn

Each September, Mercy Day marks the feast of Mary under her title as Our Lady of Mercy. Saint Xavier highlights values central to its Mercy heritage. The Mercy Day leadership commissioning takes place alongside the Academy Bell, a campus site richly symbolic of the Mercy spirit. Pre-dating the Chicago Fire in 1871, the Academy Bell regularly called the Sisters of Mercy to prayer and to teaching during Saint Xavier’s early years as an Academy. Left behind but secretly salvaged by a savvy Sister of Mercy when Saint Xavier moved to 103rd Street, the Academy Bell was returned to Saint Xavier University and installed near the main entrance of the Warde Academic Center in 2004. Here, student Brad Myjak takes his turn ringing it during the commissioning of campus leaders.

SXU RAnkS 13th On “hiGhESt ROi COllEGES in illinOiS” liSt

Saint Xavier was ranked 13th on the “Highest ROI Colleges in Illinois” list by Affordable Colleges Online in September.

The study analyzed 315 colleges in Illinois to determine which offered the best return on investment (ROI), or the incremental lifetime earnings as a result of earning a college degree minus the cost of the education.

Rankings were calculated using wages from PayScale.com’s 2013 College Earnings Report as well as tuition and fees data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System and the Carnegie Foundation.

Class of 2017By thE nUMBERS

How many freshmen applications were received? 10,513, the highest in our history. Of these, 64% were female, 36% were male.

How many are first-time freshmen? 594, the largest in our history.

How many states do they come from? 9% of the new freshmen come from out of state with 12 states represented. They come from as far away as California and Florida.

What is the racial makeup? For the first time in our history, Latino/Latina students make up the largest ethnic group at 38%. Whites are 37%, African-Americans are 18% and 2% are multiracial.

What are their majors? The School of Nursing had its largest entering class of freshmen – but still the dominant major is “no major.”

7F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

Couples are increasingly turning to McDonough Chapel as the venue in which to say their vows.

Senior offensive lineman Tim Ladd (Chicago/St. Rita) was named to the College Football America 2013 NAIA Preseason All-America Team when the honors were released by the national publication in August.

The members of the College Football America staff publish the College Football America 2013 Yearbook Encyclopedia, which features 919 college football teams in the United States and Canada. The group also helps the Football Writers Association of America submit nominees for All-American status as well as the Nagurski Award for Defensive Player of the Year.

Ladd has been a starter on the offensive line each of his previous three years with the Cougars and has been a tremendous leader for the program both on and off the field. Last season, he was named to the Mid-States Football Association All-Mideast League Second Team.

“Tim has been a rock for our program on the offensive line the past three years, and it’s hard to believe that he is a senior this fall,” said SXU head football coach Mike Feminis. “He’s not only a great football player, but a great person as well and definitely deserving of whatever accolades he receives. I know he is very excited about his senior season and will do whatever it takes to help get this team ready to compete for a national championship.”

Three other seniors were named to the 2013 Beyond Sports Network (BSN) Preseason NAIA All-America Team by the online sports media network. They are linebacker Zach Dolph (Crest Hill, Ill./Joliet Catholic) with first team honors, safety Jacob Ghinazzi (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) on the second team and running back Nick Pesek (Oak Lawn, Ill./Oak Lawn Community) claiming honorable mention recognition. All three were instrumental in helping lead SXU to an 11-2 overall record and a berth in the 2012 NAIA Football Championship Series semifinals.

Saint Xavier switched over from the Mideast to the Midwest League of the Mid-States Football Association for the 2013 season.

Former SXU players still play together as a team in a summer basketball league in Elmhurst, Ill. From back row (left to right) are Jackie Heine ’09, Maureen Riley ’13, Mary Kusner ’12, Brittany Jones ’12 and Michelle Tourtillott ’12.

Front row (left to right) is Jen Belmonte ’06, Kathlyn McClain ’10 and Marissa Young ’12. Not pictured in this photo, but also making up the summer league team, are Jacki DiMaggio ’06, Rachel Merkell ’06, Jennifer Stinich ’08 and Shalonda Young ’11.

FOUR SENIORS NAMED PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS

Dolph

Ladd

Ghinazzi

Pesek

9F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 38 C O U G A R P U L S E

AthlEtiCS DEBUtS nEW COUGARS lOGO, WEBSitE

A new athletics logo featuring a cougar with a black-and-gold face, red tongue, white eyes and whiskers, and a grayish nose was rolled out in August, replacing the old logo that had been introduced in 1993.

It will be phased in for the school’s 17 varsity men’s and women’s sports teams as jerseys and equipment are replaced, said Rob Huizenga, assistant athletic director for communications.

Huizenga said the Shannon Center’s basketball floor was redone in July and features the new logo at center court.

The Cougars’ 268 student-athletes also received T-shirts with the new logo at the beginning of the school year to help advertise it, Huizenga said.

In addition, the Athletics Department revamped its website to give it a more modern look. See it at www.sxucougars.com.

“What a great way to start off the new school year by unveiling a new logo as well as rolling out a new athletics website,” Huizenga said. “It has been fun to watch the logo spread throughout campus in the form of signage and apparel, and the feedback has been very positive. It is a wonderful step forward for our department.”

fOOtBAll RAnkED nO. 4 in PRESEASOn POll

The Saint Xavier football team is projected to win the 2013 Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League title. In addition, Saint Xavier claimed the No. 4 spot in the 2013 NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll.

In the MSFA’s projections, SXU received all seven first-place votes in the 2013 preseason poll. Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) claimed the No. 2 spot, while William Penn University (Iowa) was third. In the national rankings, the Cougars finished behind No. 1 Morningside College (Iowa), No. 2 Marian University (Ind.) and No. 3 Missouri Valley College (Mo.).

“It is great to have the respect of the other coaches in the MSFA and see our team atop the rankings in the preseason poll, but those are just projections and we will definitely have our work cut out for us this season,” said SXU head football coach Mike Feminis. “Being ranked among the top five teams in the nation at our level is a great honor, but also a huge challenge.

“We have to be ready to play every single week, because we will always have a huge target on us,” Feminis added. “However, the veterans are motivated big time to get back to Rome (Ga.) after falling short last year, and we’ll definitely need some freshmen to contribute right away if we’re going to get there.”

DOlPh nAMED nAiA, MSfA MiDWESt DEfEnSiVE PlAyER Of thE WEEk

Senior linebacker Zach Dolph (Crest Hill, Ill./Joliet Catholic) was named both the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League Defensive Player of the Week and the NAIA Football National Defensive Player of the Week when the awards were released in early September.

Coincidentally, the last time an SXU football player earned national player of the week recognition was Dolph one year ago when he earned the same award following a stellar performance in the Cougars’ victory over Langston University (Okla.).

Last season, Dolph set a new SXU record with 128 total tackles in a season.

fAnS CAn WAtCh StREAMinG ViDEO Of hOME GAMES

Fans of Cougar Athletics can watch home sporting events with a smartphone or a computer thanks to Stretch Internet being named as Saint Xavier’s web streaming provider for the 2013-14 academic year.

The addition also will provide a live stats option to track the progress of the games. All live and archived content will be available through its new GameCentral portal. Click on its icon in the upper corner of each page on the Saint Xavier Athletics website at www.sxucougars.com.

“This is a significant enhancement to our department and should make all fans of Saint Xavier University Athletics extremely excited,” said Rob Huizenga, assistant athletic director for communications. “This allows us the opportunity to bring our sports to the fans either in video or live stats format.”

Stretch Internet was founded in 2003 and partners with more than 200 colleges, universities, high schools, collegiate conferences, professional sports organizations, radio stations and businesses across the nation for their streaming needs.

The Shannon Center’s basketball floor was redone with the new Cougar logo at center court.

11F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

a total team accomplishment. I’m so proud of what this team achieved this year, and they proved to everyone that they were one of the top teams in the NAIA. Finishing at No. 7 in the nation is an amazing feat and unprecedented for our program.”

Saint Xavier ends its most productive season in program history with a school-record 50 wins (50-9 overall), a host of school records, its highest postseason finish as well as the CCAC regular season and tournament titles and the NAIA National Championship Opening Round Portland site champion.

SOftBAll BREAkS nAiA nAtiOnAl MARk, finiShES With nO. 7 RAnkinG

The SXU softball team ended its magical season not only with the best fielding percentage by a NAIA team at .981, but also the best single season fielding percentage in the history of NAIA softball.

The mark surpasses the old national mark of .977 set by Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) during the 2012 campaign. The Cougars also officially finished the 2013 season with a No. 7 national ranking when the 2013 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll was released in June.

The secret to the extraordinary success of the team’s 2013 campaign included the superb pitching performances of junior Megan Nonnemacher (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) and freshman sister Nicole Nonnemacher (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community).

“Our coaching staff stressed defense and pitching every single day,” said softball coach Myra Minuskin. “The outcome of an at-bat is out of our control, but playing good solid defense is something we can control. We actually exceeded our goal of a .980 fielding average. It is a mindset, a lot of hard work and

WOMEn’S BASkEtBAll, VOllEyBAll RECOGnizED fOR ACADEMiCS

Women’s basketball coach Bob Hallberg and his 2012-13 team proved that its success among NAIA institutions at the national level is not just limited to the basketball court, but the classroom as well, after the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.

The Cougars finished No. 18 out of the 25 teams highlighted in the NAIA category with a team grade-point average of 3.379.

The 2012-13 season is the 18th in which the WBCA has produced the honor rolls. Teams must have a collective 3.000 or better GPA to be nominated.

The 2012-13 women’s volleyball team was recognized as well by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for its

excellence in the classroom with a 2013 AVCA Team Academic Award. To achieve this distinguished honor, the Cougars had to achieve at least a 3.0 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2012-13 academic year. SXU earned a cumulative GPA of 3.511 on a 4.0 scale.

“We had a very hardworking group of young ladies last year, and they were focused just as hard on their studies as they were on success on the court,” said volleyball coach Bob Heersema. “This is a special type of award, because it showcases the tremendous balance that our team had in order to excel in both areas. We also had great senior leadership last year, and many of those seniors have already translated their academic successes into promising careers.”

10 C O U G A R P U L S E

Voices Heard Around the WorldStudent Media embraces technology to spread SXU far and wide

B y D A V E W i E C z O R E k

To accept the fact that journalism specifically and media in general have entered a new era and are well on their way into a future of unlimited and unimagined possibilities, one need only read the following testimony:“I write for The Xavierite, but I don’t read the printed newspaper,” says Lauren Dwyer, an SXU junior communications major from Homewood, Ill. “I read it online on my phone or laptop. There are stacks and stacks of newspapers on campus that nobody picks up. We should stop wasting money on paper.”

“When I started my career the technology for an editing bay involved a room with a million dollars’ worth of hardware,” says Chuck Floramo ’80, a video editor for Harpo Productions in Chicago and the Oprah Winfrey Network. “I can do more right now on my $2,000 Macintosh laptop than that million-dollar room.”

Thanks to the streaming of media on the Internet, says Peter Kreten ’08, ’12, director of SXU’s Student Media program, “We’re reaching the world.”

Make no mistake: This isn’t a distant wave of the future. It’s a tsunami crashing on the present.

“Today’s explosion of information makes this a very positive time,” says Floramo, referring to students who will pursue media careers. “A lot of different fields are advancing at accelerated rates. For media professionals to be a part of that, to help structure messages that will be watched and listened to and read, is exciting.”

Finding Their VoicesAt Saint Xavier, WXAV is the epicenter of that information explosion.

Tune in to 88.3 FM – 150 watts broadcasting over 10 to 12 square miles of the Chicago and suburban areas –any hour of any day of the week, and you’ll hear things not offered regularly on most commercial stations.

In the morning you might hear Coldplay and Metallica. In the afternoon you might hear the Chicago Celtic punk band Flatfoot 56. In the evening it might be Dylan, Swift or Sinatra. Tune in and you might catch an exclusive interview with Yoko Ono, Moby, Conan O’Brien, Ralph Nader, the Dropkick Murphys, Ziggy Marley or Mr. McFeely (David Newell) from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Other programs throughout the week range from suspense stories to religion issues to sports talk.

“We have people who listen to WXAV in England, in South Africa, in Germany,” Kreten says. “We receive music from all over the world from bands that find WXAV on the Internet and want us to play their music. We get CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes in the mail. They send MP3s on Facebook and email music to us.

“There’s something magical about saying your music is on the radio. You can send your stuff to XRT or The Drive or The Mix and they’ll never play it. The ultimate goal of college deejays is to just play good music.”

Several groundbreaking projects, which have received widespread recognition, have spun off from WXAV and the Student Media program. The third annual College Radio Day was broadcast Oct. 1 by nearly 600 college stations around the world. The event was the brainstorm of Rob Quicke, Kreten’s predecessor as Student Media director. Quicke is now an assistant professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey.

Such global reach by the University is the result of Student Media, which is evolving, expanding and educating as fast as the technology that’s driving new concepts in the production and delivery of news and entertainment.

“What we’re trying to do is take the best aspects of Student Media and create a hybrid, where you keep the pillars, the standards, but then you put your own fingerprints on them,” Kreten says. “So that when people check out any Student Media outlet it has a distinct Saint Xavier marking, something that makes us our own unique entity.”

He continues: “It’s a very realistic goal that everybody in the Saint Xavier region knows what Student Media is, whether it’s through WXAV radio, The Xavierite or SXU-TV. It’s a great way for the University to promote itself.”

The Student Media program is a portal to the world through which a melting pot of music, entertainment, news and public affairs pours out in ever greater amounts. All of it is just a click away at sxustudentmedia.com.

At the website, visitors can listen to WXAV radio 24/7, read The Xavierite, watch programming produced by the recently launched SXU-TV as well as live coverage of SXU athletic events, or

check out everything from award-winning documentaries to interviews with rock stars and politicians.

This is media unlike anything experienced by students – and their audiences – of previous generations.

“I like the whole concept of the Student Media venue,” says Floramo, a member of the program’s advisory board. “The college years should be about experimenting, coming up with new ideas and taking chances. A lot of times in the corporate world, you can’t take chances.”

More than 60 students participate in the three primary components of Student Media – radio, TV and newspaper – and the tentacles of sxustudentmedia.com reach more than 100,000 people a year across all platforms. It has the potential to touch millions more thanks to Internet streaming of content.

“When I started at Saint Xavier in 2002, there was no MySpace, no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube, no blogs,” Kreten says. “Now I tell students they need to learn everything. They need to know HTML coding, Photoshop, how to shoot with a video camera, how to do audio recordings, how to write. The Communications Department has adapted to that. Every communications student has to take a writing class, a photography class, an audio or video production class.”

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I like the whole concept of the Student Media venue. The college years should be about experimenting, coming up with new ideas and taking chances. A lot of times in the corporate world, you can’t take chances.

—Chuck Floramo ’80, a video editor for Harpo Productions in Chicago and the Oprah Winfrey Network

12 V O I C E S H E A R d A R O U N d T H E W O R L d

Peter Kreten ’08, ’12, director of SXU’s Student Media program, received a message from President Obama regarding World College Radio Day in October. Obama wrote: “By empowering students to add their voices and opinions to the airwaves and connecting listeners to new ideas and artists, college radio fosters creativity, promotes emerging musicians and serves as a platform for students to engage with one another.”

Student Mark Weber, deputy music director and a deejay at WXAV, works the microphone on a Tuesday afternoon in October.

15F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 314 V O I C E S H E A R d A R O U N d T H E W O R L d

“It’s a day to celebrate the uniqueness of college radio,” says Kreten, “to get people who wouldn’t normally listen to college radio to check us out.”

Participating stations supplied their own content. This year they were also required to air College Radio: An Artist Perspective, a documentary produced by Kreten.

Another original SXU production, Veteran Matters, was a collaborative effort of Student Media, the Center for Religion and Public Discourse, and Peter Hilton, Ph.D., associate professor of education. Supported in part by a grant from the Westerman Foundation, the critically acclaimed series was based on interviews with military veterans about their war experiences, and it took second place in the professional category of the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s 2013 Silver Dome Awards.

Also in 2013, Kreten initiated a summer camp for high school students from throughout Chicago interested in pursuing media studies in college.

His goal is “to create an environment for students to find themselves, to find their voice,” he says.

One of those students is John Martinez, host of the Friday morning program Paranoid Android on WXAV. His three-hour “entertainment venue” features music from personal favorites such as Arcade Fire and The National interlaced with ad-libbed commentary about books, movies and anything else that pops to mind.

“Going on the air comes naturally to me,” says Martinez, a junior English and communications major from Blue Island, Ill. “I like being able to entertain people and get things on the air that you won’t hear on a mainstream station.”

Martinez hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll pursue a professional radio career.

“If not a career then at least an outlet where I can enjoy whatever talent I might have,” he says. “I want to keep my options open to try different things.”

Voices of Experience “The thing I loved about Saint Xavier is that I walked into the newspaper office and said, ‘Hey guys, I’d like to do something.’ They asked me to write an article, and by the next semester I was features editor,” recalls Janine Schaults ’02, former editor of Illinois Entertainer magazine and a member of the Student Media Advisory Board. “Same thing with WXAV. I went in with some grand ideas about having my favorite bands in the studio and said, ‘I need a show.’ They were like, ‘How’s Thursday nights sound?’ You were able to participate in those things and not just on the periphery. With Student Media, if you want to sink your teeth in, you’re able to.”

Gaining practical media experience while on campus, she says, can help jump-start a professional career.

“You can only learn so much in the classroom,” Schaults says. “To be a journalist today you have to know how to do 12 different things. You have to know how to write, how to navigate social media, know how to take photos, how to shoot video. A lot of things in media have changed, like newspapers going online, but what hasn’t changed is you need to go out and do these things while you’re in school.”

Dwyer, The Xavierite’s senior features editor, has heard the dire warnings about scarce jobs but remains confident about her chances in the media marketplace.

“I’m a little afraid about the future with everyone saying, ‘There aren’t a lot of jobs out there,’ ” she says. “But having written for the newspaper and website, I think I’ll have a leg up on graduates who haven’t done that. I’ll have an archive and portfolio that I can show to potential employers.”

Floramo shares Dwyer’s optimism.

“There will be a lot of jobs out there,” he says. “There will be different jobs where you’re wearing many hats, but that’s good. There are still plenty of corporations that understand the need for great media professionals.”

Despite all the technological advancements, Schaults asserts that one thing should never change: staying focused on one’s goals.

“It has always been hard to find a job in the media, but I had a one-track mind. I really wanted to be in journalism,” Schaults says. “I refused to listen to smarter people who were telling me what I should do, because I had a dream.”

Click on sxustudentmedia.com, and you’ll find dozens of other Janine Schaultses who are chasing their dreams, too. SXM

Student John Martinez is host of the Friday morning program Paranoid Android on WXAV. His three-hour “entertainment venue” features music from personal favorites such as Arcade Fire and The National.

To be a journalist today you have to know how to do 12 different things. You have to know how to write, how to navigate social media, know how to take photos, how to shoot video. A lot of things in media have changed, like newspapers going online, but what hasn’t changed is you need to go out and do these things while you’re in school.

—Janine Schaults ’02, former editor of Illinois Entertainer magazine and a member of the Student Media Advisory Board

Student Lauren Dwyer says her consumption of media is almost exclusively online. She is senior features editor of The Xavierite.

Becki Brown is editor in chief of The Xavierite. Learn about her plans for the future.

See Page 28.

17F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 316 M E R C y V O L U N T E E R C O R P S

TARA BECKER ’13 (Nursing), serving in Savannah, Ga.“In Savannah I am serving as an R.N. at a free health clinic called Good Samaritan. Aside from the other responsibilities I have at the clinic, I also triage patients, draw blood, perform EKGs, schedule necessary tests and coordinate the care of the patients with other nurses, doctors, interpreters and social workers, who are also strictly volunteers. Our patient population is very diverse. There is a large Hispanic population that goes to Good Samaritan, which is a major reason why we need to have interpreters. We are

currently on our way with reaching out to the Middle Eastern population.

“I have always been involved with service events and trips so taking the path to go into MVC following graduation felt like the perfect fit. Also, I wanted to have a different perspective of nursing and appreciate it more before I applied for jobs in Chicago. I have also always contemplated with becoming a community nurse, so I feel like this experience is helping me understand what community nursing is all about. So far, I am loving every minute of it.”

SANTINA BRANCH ’13 (Biology), serving in St. Michaels, Ariz.“I am aiding the Therapy Department at St. Michaels Association for Special Education in Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. I aid the students in many activities such as dancing, sports, reading, painting, gardening and day-to-day activities. The students are great to work with and not a dull day goes by. They always put a smile on my face, and we enjoy each other’s company. Living on the Navajo Reservation is gorgeous, and I am learning very interesting facts about the Navajo culture. The women I work with in the Therapy Department are some of wisest and creative women I have ever met.

“I believe that the best part is the fact that I am having a blast while I volunteer at my service site. I am performing activities that I probably would have never done if I did not join MVC, and I learn something new every day.”

KELLY MIHALIK ’13 (Nursing), serving in St. Michaels, Ariz.“I am a volunteer registered nurse at St. Michaels Association for Special Education on the Navajo Reservation. I assess the kids and adult clients on a daily basis to ensure that they are in good health. Many of the clients are fragile, so if they get a little ill, it can escalate very quickly, and I need to be quick on my toes to assess, diagnose and treat. I will also be helping out with Special Olympics at SMASE. The smiles, the hugs and the hands that I have had the privilege to hold out here in Arizona have taught me that nursing is much more than medicine and science. It is also about compassion and nurturing moments.

“Before the year is over, I hope to gain a better sense of what life on a reservation is like, and I hope to gain a sense of peace and purpose as I continue my nursing career.”

MICHAEL WURSTER ’13 (Business/Communication), serving in Sacramento, Calif.“I am serving as a personal development coach for Quinn Cottages, which offers safe and affordable housing to homeless people. I am responsible for meeting up with participants of the program in order to help them budget their money and time while also providing encouragement and supportive programs to help them attain the life skills they need in order to propel themselves from the streets to self-sustainability. As a volunteer I am personally humbled to see their determination to achieve things that I have taken for granted.

“In order to be a part of Quinn Cottages, participants must provide proof of a disability. Such disabilities range from alcoholism to depression and HIV to cellulitis. Many residents spent years in jails fearing for their lives and years on the streets thirsting for compassion, and by the grace of God I am allowed to share in that with them as they tell me their story. I realize from listening that I have been truly blessed.” SXM

Four recent graduates of Saint Xavier have chosen to serve for a year with the Mercy Volunteer Corps, the largest number of participants in a given year. tara Becker ’13, Santina Branch ’13, kelly Mihalik ’13 and Michael Wurster ’13 are spending their year addressing the needs of the economically poor and marginalized throughout the United States.John Farley, director of communications and alumni relations for the Mercy Volunteer Corps, praised the record number of participants and the relationship between Saint Xavier and the MVC.

“I think it is a testament to the University’s mission of service in the name of Mercy and all of the wonderful people who work in the Campus Ministry Office,” he said.

The Mercy Volunteer Corps was founded in 1978 by the Sisters of Mercy as a lay ministry. In 2000, the first international volunteers were commissioned. Mercy Volunteers work in education, health care and social services while living together in a community and growing spiritually. Since its beginning, the Mercy Volunteer Corps has placed more than 900 women and men in more than 140 different service sites in 24 states and South America.

“We believe our mission is more than serving 15,000 individuals a year and saving nonprofits an average of $20,000 a year,” Farley said. “We believe that as a result of the service our volunteers experience, they become changed and begin to understand the systems of oppression in our society. This new understanding motivates our alumni to continue to live their lives as advocates as well as in service with people who are poor and marginalized.”

record number of sXU graduates serve in mercy volunteer corps

The MVC community in Arizona, including Kelly Mihalik, left, and Santina Branch in orange

Tara Becker, left, Santina Branch, Kelly Mihalik, Michael Wurster

Tara Becker

Michael Wurster, left, with three residents outside the gym after a workout/training program in which participants learn to motivate themselves and each other to hit personal goals and keep commitments

Roberta Vondrak ’97 M.A. (Psychology), LCPC, CADC, has been working for 15 years doing Christian-based counseling. In March 2013, Roberta and her husband Ross Vondrak, MBA, LCMT, started Triune Clinical Center in Bolingbrook, Ill., each doing private practice in counseling and massage therapy. Roberta and Ross are married 37 years and have two married daughters and two grandchildren with a third on the way.

Ramon Esparza ’98 (Communications) has a wonderful 4-year-old, Benjamin Edward, who attends the early childhood preschool program at Oakwood Elementary in Lemont, Ill. In between his retail sales position in the Brass and Woodwinds Division at Sam Ash Music and his responsibilities as a father, Ramon finds time to unwind and play the saxophone in a Latin ska band called Tone Zone Skam.

Michael J. Gilmartin ’99 (Political Science) has joined the firm of Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC. He will practice out of the Chicago office.

Heather Schmaedeke ’99 (Art), ’03 M.A. (Education) moved to Berlin in July 2012 to participate in an international artist residency program. Heather’s photos have been featured as a Photo of the Day on the Berliner Fenster, a screen that broadcasts news through the underground train system.

2000s Mario Lopez ’00 MBA (Training Management), a training officer with the Chicago Police Department, instructs volunteers in Chicago neighborhoods on ways to improve safety in their communities.

Alejandra Torres ’00 (Mass Communications) participated in the Aurora Help-Portrait Community Outreach event in November. Help-Portrait is a community of photographers coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community. For more information, visit www.help-portrait.com. Alejandra’s photography website is www.epiclensphotography.com

Isisah Guy ’03 (Biology), ’06 (Public Health), ’08 (Health Administration) was featured in a Sun-Times column about her tragic beginnings at birth and how she survived and thrived with her adoptive parents.

Jennifer Springer Tadin ’03 (Marketing) is the founder of ChickChat Chicago women’s network.

Simons

Anna Wilk Simons ’03 (Computer Science), ’07 (E-Commerce) and Scott Simons were married Sept. 7, 2013, at McDonough Chapel at Saint Xavier University. Anna has been employed at Saint Xavier since 2003 and is the executive director of advancement

services. Scott is a technical manager at Safety-Kleen. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii.

Joseph Schimmel ’04 MBA (Education Administration) became the new division chairman for special education at East Aurora High School in July 2013.

Bruno Giacomuzzi ’05, MPH (Public Health) was promoted to vice president for strategy and business development for Presence Resurrection Medical Center and Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical in Chicago.

Christina Jesse Hanson ’05 (Education) and her husband Brian welcomed their first child, Callie Jean Hanson, on May 7, 2013.

Joan Knox ’05 (Liberal Studies),

executive director of external and legislative affairs for Saint Xavier University, was selected as a 2013 Edgar Fellows. She is among those chosen in the second year of an initiative to foster cooperation across regional, political and ethnic lines to address challenges Illinois faces in the years and decades ahead. She also was appointed to the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and to the executive committee of America’s Urban Campus Consortium.

Janaya Ross-Shaw ’06 M.A. (Education) became a tenured professor at South Suburban College, South Holland, Ill., in spring 2013.

Brigid Somodji Landis ’07 (Education), aka Sunny Cyprus, is a lifelong citizen of Illinois and, along with her husband and young daughter, a proud resident of Chicago. She maintains a daily

webcomic that pokes fun and gathers insight from her daily life and experiences, ranging from kids, gluten intolerance, tabletop role playing and hilarious friends and family. She is making her debut in the comics scene as a collaborator/partner to Rebecca M. Zec, aka Zelda Rabbit, with their first zine, Sick Sunny: My Journey to a Gluten Free Lifestyle. Visit it at http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/4709/

Christopher Hollock ’08 (Organizational Communications) serves on the SXU National Alumni Board and is chairman of the Events Committee for the National Alumni Board.

Greg Parr Jr. ’08 (Marketing) has been working at Frontier Construction since 2004, through college and since graduation. Greg has gained significant experience ranging from developing and implementing the company marketing plan, communicating technical construction processes, selling multimillion-dollar construction proposals, to copywriting, photography and graphic

19F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

alumni notes

Hanson

1950s Helen Petitti Osterman ’51 (Nursing) published Locked Within, the fifth book in the Emma Winberry mystery series, in August 2013. Helen’s website is www.helenosterman.com.

Sister Solina Hicks R.S.M. ’52 (Art Education), a former chair of the Art Department,

continues her passion for art despite her age – 101 years old! Although her eyesight is failing, Sister depends on the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide her in her painting. “If it turns out, it turns out,” she says.

1970s Katherine Hughes Malhas ’74 (Communication Disorders) earned a doctorate in educational leadership in June 2012 and works as a citywide instructional specialist for Chicago Public Schools. Katherine’s husband, Dr. Wade Malhas, who served as a member of the SXU Board of Trustees for nine years, is busy with his medical practice and other business interests. The couple enjoy traveling and visiting friends around the world.

Jerilyn Willin ’76 (Psychology) celebrated the 17th year of her performance development/career coaching practice, JWillin Consulting, in June 2013. Her debut novel, Unless a Love Be Free, was published in late 2012. It is available, as is her nonfiction Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still, as an e-book and in paperback at amazon.com and bn.com. Jerilyn would love to hear from other psychology majors from her class to see how everyone is doing. Contact her at jerilyn@speakerwritercoach.com.

Bonnie Bonoir Schleder ’77 (Nursing), CCRN, APN, received her doctorate, Ed.D., from Olivet Nazarene University on May 4, 2013.

The Honorable David Sterba ’79 (Criminal Justice) retired in July from his seat as a judge for the First District Appellate Court – Illinois. He was appointed to this position on April 15, 2011.

Catherine O’Brien Witek ’79 (English) published her first historical novel, The Trial of Misella Cross, inspired by the writings of Samuel Johnson. The novel portrays a young woman’s descent into a life of prostitution in 18th-century England, her arrest for murder and the fight to save her from the gallows. Visit www.catherinewitek.com for more information.

1980s Michael Maslanka ’81 (Spanish), attorney, was a guest speaker on a two-part cable television show, Preparing Your Young Adult for College, which aired in June 2013. The program featured questions and answers about legal issues that parents and young adults will face as students transition from high school to college. The program will be available on YouTube.

Mary Haubenreiser ’84 (Criminal Justice), ’07 (Education) was named director of student services at Excel Academy of Englewood for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Christopher Wlezien ’84 (Political Science) has been appointed the Hogg Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

Carla Arocha ’86 (Biology) had her one-ton stainless steel hanging artwork, worth some $154,000, placed inside the CTA’s Howard station. Called “24/7,” it’s composed of dozens of stainless steel discs, polished to a mirrored finish and laser-cut with a pattern of computer-designed holes. It was featured in a June Chicago Sun-Times story.

1990s Nancy Donovan ’91, ’96 (Nursing) found a way to deal with her grief after the death of her daughter, Meg Moonan. She researched and developed a program for children, “Sun Safety,” and promotes education and melanoma awareness. She was featured in a July story in the Southtown Star.

Hervé Phaure ’96 MBA (International Business) is an associate partner in charge of credit and operational risks in the Risk Services Department at Deloitte in France.

Jaime Guzman ’97 (International Business) joined USAA Bank’s leadership team as an AVP, Credit Risk Management, in September 2012. Jaime has overall accountability for the bank’s credit loss framework and implementation into reserving, oversight and implementation of an integrated risk appetite framework, credit economic capital, pricing, bank credit risk modeling, OPC planning and stress testing.

Andrea McCleverty Sala ’97 (Education), ’02 (Administration) completed a doctoral degree in education through National-Louis University in 2010. Andrea is serving as a principal and curriculum director for Arbor Park School District 145.

alumni notes

18 A L U M N I N O T E S

Knox

Hicks

21F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

Danielle Babbington ’06 had just enrolled in the family nurse practitioner master’s program at Saint Xavier last fall when the director of the Schweitzer Fellowship paid a visit to her class. Learning that the Fellowship provides the opportunity to serve vulnerable and underserved populations, Babbington applied for it and was competitively chosen for the prestigious program.

Babbington partnered with Family Rescue, a domestic violence agency on Chicago’s South Side for women and their families. She is teaching health education, GED test preparation and life skills to help the women transition to independent living.

“One of the things about domestic violence is that it’s a cycle of power and control,” she said. “Some of the women don’t have control or power over their own lives because they don’t have the resources like the education or the job background to get out of that cycle.”

Babbington works with survivors of domestic violence with limited resources. She’s created a program that identifies their needs before taking the GED, such as tutoring them in math, English and literature and running GED workshops, as well as creating a lending library of books that they can take out and share.

Once the education aspect is addressed in the first half of her yearlong Fellowship, Babbington will then focus on survivors’ health and wellness concerns.

“What drew me to nursing was the ability to help someone’s entire being,” she said. “It’s not just their body parts that need healing. It’s all components of themselves – spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. All those things matter in having a healthy person.”

Babbington said her goal as a family nurse practitioner is to address all of those needs, and the Fellowship supports the network and resources she needs to build to someday open her own clinic.

She said the most rewarding aspect of the Fellowship is acknowledging that “people are human.”

“I know that sounds hokey, but the human perspective and interacting with people show me that anybody at any time in their lives can be impacted by trauma or violence. Everybody just wants to be treated with respect.”

Named in honor of famed humanitarian and Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the Chicago area Schweitzer Fellows program encourages service-minded students to “make their lives their argument” by addressing the serious health challenges faced by members of society whose important needs are not currently being met. It’s not coming in to “save” anyone but acting as a resource for individuals who may need support.

Since its founding in 1996, the program has mentored more than 400 who have contributed over 87,000 hours of service in a variety of innovative ways.

“If you go for the Schweitzer Fellowship, it’s because you truly do have a passion for meeting the needs of people and creating a community of individuals,” Babbington said.

Alumni AchieverDanielle Babbington ’06, nursing student and recipient of prestigious Schweitzer fellowship

alumni notes

20 A L U M N I N O T E S

design. He is also involved with hiring, other HR functions, IT and charitable partnerships. “It’s been a busy five years,” he says. Greg lives in Palos Park, Ill., with his fiancee, Lindsay.

2010s Maryah Richardson Marciniak ’10 (Criminal Justice) graduated with a master’s in criminal justice from Governors State University in May 2012.

Mark Evans Piper ’10 (Political Science) earned a master’s of science in leadership and policy studies from the School of Public Service at DePaul University in June 2013.

Samantha Wascher ’10 (Art) teaches art at Aurora Central Catholic High School. In her first year of teaching, one of her photography students went on to win a National Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. The student and teacher recognition ceremony was held at Carnegie Hall on May 31, 2013.

Kathleen Laduke ’11 (Nursing) was featured in an August story in the Beverly Review for her plans to donate one of her healthy kidneys into her brother Joe’s body. She is an obstetrics nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Jake Cashman ’12 (Political Science) has landed at AARP Experience Corps, a volunteer tutoring and literacy program that began operations in Chicago Public Schools in October 2013. Previously, Jake worked as an intern for the U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C., and as a press intern for Sen. Dick Durbin’s Chicago office. Jake also spent the 2012 campaign season with the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Claire Dicola ’12 (English) will earn an MBA in December 2013 from SXU’s Graham School of Management with a concentration in marketing. Claire wants to thank Saint Xavier for giving her the knowledge to start her own company, Ampllify, a social media store for small businesses. Ampllify sets up and effectively manages social media platforms to help small businesses grow.

Chad Ramos ’12 MAS (Computer Science) accepted an offer as a lead developer for Xerox. Chad will be working remotely in Chicago for the company, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., developing the red-light camera system databases to capture the analytical data and dashboard used to view this data.

Ariana Rosado ’13 (Communications, Marketing) was chosen from more than 200 dancers nationwide to make the Chicago Bulls’ Luvabulls team of 20. She performs at 2013-14 Bulls home games, charity fundraisers and special events around the world.

Smith Village resident Joan (Condon) Guilfoyle ’39 (French), center, enjoys a moment with Kevin McGee ’03 (MBA), president and CEO of Smith Senior Living, and Christine Wiseman, J.D., president of Saint Xavier University, at the 29th annual reunion of the 49ers. The 49ers are an alumni group associated with Saint Xavier when the college and Saint Xavier Academy were located at 49th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago from 1901 until 1955. Guilfoyle initiated the reunion by gathering together with classmates while on vacation in Florida. Eventually the group met annually in upscale restaurants and country club settings. “Over the years this just grew and grew,” says Guilfoyle, who wore a school pendant belonging to her mother, a 1910 alumna. This year marked the reunion’s first time in the main dining room at Smith Village, a continuing care retirement community.

1964SAVE THE DATEClass of 196450th Reunion CelebrationMay 9-10, 2014Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit www.sxu.edu/alumni.

Cashman

Rosado

23F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

alumni notes

22 A L U M N I N O T E S

Dec. 12• 7thannualAlumni&FriendsHolidayTea,

Butler Reception Room

Jan. 15• SXUNationalAlumniBoardRecruitment

Night, Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon

Jan. 25• SXUBasketballTailgate,ShannonCenter

feb. 7• ChicagoBlackhawksvs.Phoenix

Coyotes, Glendale, Ariz.

March 7• HalfwaytoHomecoming,TBD

March 21• WhiteSoxvs.CubsSpringTraining,

Glendale, Ariz.

March 22• SXUScholarshipBall,ChicagoHilton

April 3• AlumniX-Change,TBD

April 25 • S.T.A.T.(ServiceThroughActionTeam),MisericordiaCandyDays

May• ChicagoCubsbaseball,TBD

May 9-10• Classof196450thReunionCelebration

June 22• SXUSummerConcert

UPcomingevents and activities

Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at alumni@sxu.edu or (773) 298-3316 for more

information on these events and activities.

1961

1963

Guests gathered in the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library for the October dedication of Valiant Woman, a painting by Kathy Gordon Davis ’85, ’06 depicting “women who have touched our lives and help to mold who we are as individuals.”

The valiant woman biblical passage (Proverbs 31:10-31) was displayed in the main entrance of the Warde Academic Center in the 1950s and 1960s and was a visual reminder to the students entering Saint Xavier of their potential, a memory fondly held by the Class of 1961.

To honor their 50th reunion, the Class of 1961 generously donated monies to commission this painting with additional funds designated to the Student Relief Fund. The fund helps students pay tuition or buy textbooks, enabling them to stay in school and finish their degrees.

ClASS OF 1963 donates money to Learning Center and Disability Services

ClASS OF 1961 dedicates artwork to library

ChiCAGO BlACkhAWkS VS. PhOEniX COyOtESThe 2013 Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, head to the heart of the desert on Friday, Feb. 7, where they will battle the Phoenix Coyotes at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

SXU alumni and friends are invited to join us. The cost of the event is $70 per person (cash bar) and includes a pre-game reception on the outdoor terrace deck and admission to the 7 p.m. game. A portion of the ticket price will be donated to support SXU student scholarships.

Limited tickets are available. Transportation and lodging are not included. For more details or to RSVP, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

ChiCAGO WhitE SOX VS. ChiCAGO CUBS SPRinG tRAininGSXU alumni and friends are invited to the infamous Windy City spring training rivalry between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs on Friday, March 21, in Glendale, Ariz.

Limited, general admission tickets will be available for purchase. The cost of this event will only include the entry into the game. For more details or to RSVP, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

VOlUntEER fOR MiSERiCORDiA CAnDy DAySS.T.A.T. (Service Through Action Team) will be volunteering to support Misericordia Heart of Mercy during its annual “Candy Days” fundraising event on Friday, April 25. We welcome SXU alumni and friends to join us at 95th Street and Cicero Avenue in Oak Lawn to collect donations from motorists. All we need is an hour or two of your time.

Misericordia supports 600 children and adults with mild to profound developmental disabilities from all racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. Programs include residential placement and day-to-day support, employment opportunities, physical and speech therapy, social and recreational outings, health and fitness activities and opportunities for spiritual growth.

For more details or to RSVP, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

alumni notes

Saint Xavier University welcomed the Class of 1963 to campus in September to celebrate their 50th reunion.

These golden graduates were awed by the renovations to the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library and the beautiful upgrades to the campus. Following the tradition of previous years, the Class of 1963 will be commemorating their reunion, providing assistive technology to the Learning Center and Disability Services Office that helps students with learning differences.

Mobile devices such as iPads and iPods help students with auditory, visual and physical disabilities, and FM Listening Systems let faculty members talk into a hand-held microphone, which transmits the sound of the teacher’s voice directly to a hearing aid of a deaf or hard of hearing student.

In recent years the Learning Center has experienced a 40 percent increase in students requiring special services. This assistive technology, generously donated by the Class of 1963, is a gift that will reap great rewards.

save the Date

SEND uS yOuR NEWS! Your classmates want to know what you’ve been up to.

Write to us at alumni@sxu.edu or by mail, and we’ll spread the word for you.

The Class of 1961

“Valiant Woman,” by Kathy Gordon Davis

25F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 324 A L U M N I N O T E S

1945 Jeanne Duffy-Meyers (Nursing) 1945 Sister Mary Venarda Lance, R.S.M. (Nursing/Biology) 1945 Sister Margaret Mary Moloney, R.S.M. (Nursing) 1946 Nancy Abbott (Nursing) 1946 Joan Nothnagel Murray (Nursing) 1946 Shirley Twickler (Spanish) 1948 Mary Bartosek (Nursing) 1949 Norinne Dolehide Nicholson (Psychology) 1953 Nola Dausman Farley (Nursing)1956 Sister Margaret Siena Lyons, R.S.M. (English)1956 Sister Loretta E. Roth, R.S.M. (Education)

1959 Patricia Finley (Nursing)1959 Dorothy A. Janes LaFranier (Biology)1960 Sister Patricia Costello, R.S.M. (Natural Science) 1964 Sister Shamus Dowd, R.S.M. (Education)1968 Sister Lucilla Conway, R.S.M. (Education)1971 Sister Mary Jo Kenny, R.S.M. (Education) 1972 Jeanne M. Moran (Education)1973 Elizabeth Erlandson (Nursing)1978 Jewell Perry (Psychology)1988 Norma M. Zeilner (Education)1990 Mary Kean Coffey M.A. (Education)1992 Douglas Persson (Business)1993 Lola B. Yore (Education)

in memoriam

Mary Kean Coffey M.A. ’90 (Education), who served in various faculty and staff positions at Saint Xavier, died in October. She was 67. Recently retired as assistant to the dean in the School of Education, Mary served cheerfully and with great energy and passion as director of the Bishop John R. Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic

Education, and as liaison and spirit behind the Catholic Local Schools Initiative, which did wonderful work with St. Margaret of Scotland parish and school and with many others. Mary received the George K. McGuire Distinguished Alumna Award from the School of Education in 2003 and the Sister Isidore Perrigo, R.S.M. Service Award in 2009. She was a spirited and dedicated member of the Saint Xavier community who will be missed and remembered.

Jeanne Moran ’72 (Education), a former member of the Renaissance Academy, passed away in June 2013. Jeanne pursued her bachelor’s degree from SXU after raising her family and taught grade school until her retirement. In 2009 Jeanne joined the National Alumni Board working as a volunteer and board representative at various alumni events. Jeanne’s work on the board made her feel “complete.” Although small in stature, Jeanne’s passion for the University was bigger than life. Her presence will truly be missed.

Norinne Dolehide Nicholson ’49 (Psychology) passed away in July 2013, but her legacy lives on. A graduate from Saint Xavier College on 49th and Cottage Grove, she earned her membership into the “49ers Society.” Norinne served as president of the Alumni Board, on the Library Advisory Council and was a loyal donor to the annual fund, supporting student scholarships. Norinne’s passion for and belief in the education and values Saint Xavier offers passed on to her daughter, Eileen Kusner ’88, and her granddaughter, Mary Kusner ’12. Saint Xavier University was graced to have Norinne as a student, an alumna and a friend.

Norinne Nicholson, left, Mary Kusner, Eileen Kusner

Joyce Hunter, D.B.A., Associate Professor in the Graham School of Management

To see the latest faculty achievements and published works, go to

www.sxu.edu, keyword: Faculty Notes.

10 Questions With …1. Where did you grow up?

I grew up here in the city of Chicago. I’ve always lived on the South Side. Most of my friends went away to college. I could never afford to go away to college, so all of my educational background was done here at junior colleges, Chicago State and ultimately a master’s at Roosevelt University. And then a friend of mine introduced me to a doctoral program at Sarasota University.

2. What do you teach at Saint Xavier?

I teach principles of marketing, hospitality marketing, hospitality management and advertising promotional strategies.

3. When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

To be honest, I had no idea. I knew I didn’t want to continue to be poor. I started working in the neighborhood selling snowballs, actually getting the block of ice, getting the little scraper. We lived by a bus stop, and the bus drivers would stop and buy my snowballs. I graduated from selling snowballs to lemonade. So all of my life I have worked.

4. What are your most treasured items on your bookshelf?

I have three little ducks. Years ago, I worked for Delta Airlines and I would always say things like, “I have to have my ducks in a row.” When I retired about 12 years ago, one of the gifts was three little ducks. So I put my little ducks in a row, and it keeps me in focus. I’m always trying to be prepared, I’m always trying to be on guard, and I’m always trying to keep my ducks in a row. When I look at those ducks, it reminds me of my humble beginnings.

5. What are some things that few people know about you?

I’m a very creative person. I do interior decorating for myself and my family and friends. I like buying old, raggedy, rundown buildings in different neighborhoods in the city of Chicago. The greatest joy is breathing life into those buildings and making something out of nothing. I redo homes, redo foyers and redo hallways. I also spend a lot of time watching HGTV.

6. What do you do in your free time?

My mother is 91 years old; I don’t have a lot of free time, but I spend a lot of free time caregiving. But after 50 years, I recently got back on a bicycle and I absolutely love riding down by Lake Michigan. It was sort of a freedom I had not had before.

7. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I think one of my greatest achievements is being able to be the type of woman that my mother wanted all of her daughters to be. Born extremely poor, being a product of the welfare system, being a product of the Chicago Public Schools system, my mother, not being an educated woman, instilled in us more than anything to try to grow up and be somebody, to offer something significant to other people – to give back. My greatest accomplishment was that I didn’t stray from any of her teachings. I grew up to be the kind of woman that I’m proud of myself. I care about the fact that I was able to live up to the values that my mother instilled in me – to be the best that I could be, and knowing that there’s nothing impossible when you have God first and foremost in your life.

8. What would be your ideal last meal?

I can only think of the meals that brought a lot of joy into my life. I can remember my mother taking all four of us to McDonald’s for the first time. McDonald’s had just come to the city. We were so ecstatic. It was maybe 1955. I can remember holding that little hamburger, sipping on that little chocolate malt and taking one little french fry at a time. It’s very nostalgic.

9. What do you wish you were better at?

I think I wish I was better at expressing myself to others and in more of a kind and gentle way. I think sometimes I come across as direct. My bark is a little worse than my bite. When I’m serious, I’m serious, when I’m no-nonsense, I’m no-nonsense, and many times people underestimate or misjudge me and think I’m not as approachable as I would like to be. If I had to do it all over again, maybe I would ask to be blessed with a more kind and gentle bark.

10. Who is your favorite musical artist?

I have to admit, I did grow up with Michael Jackson and watched his career. I can remember when he would come on The Ed Sullivan Show or The Dick Clark Show – there was a scramble as we would all come listen to him. I love the music of the Sixties. I love rock ‘n’ roll. He’s one of my favorite artists, followed by Elvis Presley. Elvis was something different, especially within the African-American community, to see a white artist that was sort of doing the dance and singing like people in our culture.

alumni notes

SEE WHAT SAINT XAVIER’S GOT BREWING

HOM E C OM I N G2013

HOMECOMING 201326 A L U M N I N O T E S 27F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

Homecoming 2013 kicked

off under the theme of “See What

Saint Xavier’s Got Brewing,” and

festivities certainly lived up to that.

It featured the unveiling of Cougar

Ale, an amber ale made exclusively

for SXU by Horse Thief Hollow

Restaurant and Brewery, and Cougar

Swirl, a white chocolate mocha

coffee with raspberry that was

created by the Starbucks on campus.

The week’s activities culminated

with more than 200 alumni and

friends gathering for a pre-game

celebration in the SX-Brew House

Tailgate Tent. A new feature this

year, Cougar Cubs, offered family

entertainment as children enjoyed

craft projects, inflatables, air tattoos

and more. While the No. 3 Cougars

fell to No. 4 Grand View University,

48-21, 5th quarter celebrations

continued into the night at

Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon.

1 The 2013 SXU National Alumni Association Award winners are, from left, Sister Ellen Marie Ryan, R.S.M. ’60 – Sister Dorothy Marie Peschon ’19 Award; Mark E. Piper ’10 – Rita A. Ford ’98 Faith in the Future Award; and Kelly urso ’00 and Nick urso ’00 – Spirit of Saint Xavier Award.

2 Cheerleaders Margo Draper, left, and Amber Kieklak give a final boost of encouragement to runners and walkers nearing the finish line at the Cougar 5K Run/Walk. More than 700 people participated in the event.

3 Wearing new uniforms, the Cougar Marching Band stands ready to perform for the Homecoming crowd.

4 Champ, the Cougar mascot, got a spiffy new look just in time for the Homecoming celebrations. Appreciating the makeover at the Cougar 5K Run/Walk are SXU President Christine Wiseman, J.D., left, Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton and Steve Murphy, Ed.D., executive director of development at SXU.

5 Senior linebacker Zach Dolph tackles a Grand View player during the Homecoming game.

6 Athletic Director and women’s basketball coach Bob Hallberg, center, is surrounded by the women’s basketball team at the start of the Cougar 5K Run/Walk.

7 Vito leone ‘09, ‘10 and Erin Costello leone ‘09 are all smiles at the SX-Brew House Tailgate Tent.

8 Congratulations to the recipients of the 2013 Saint Xavier University Academic Distinguished Alumni Awards. They are, bottom from left, Judith Scully, Ph.D. ’84 – The School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award; Roz Iasillo, Ed.D. ’90 – The School of Education George K. McGuire Award; James Hedderman ’00 –The Graham School of Management Distinguished Alumni Award; and Kimbriell Kelly ’97 – The College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award. Behind them are, from left, Gloria Jacobson, R.N., Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing; Paul DeVito, Ph.D., provost; John Eber, Ed.D., dean of the Graham School of Management; and Kathleen Alaimo, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

1 2 3

5

8

4

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SOMEONE you should knowBecki Brown ’14 has worked her way up the career ladder to become editor in chief of The Xavierite student newspaper as a senior this year. The English/secondary education major from Oak Lawn started off as a contributor in her freshman year, then moved up to editor positions in the features section before ascending to the top.

“I really like being able to watch everything come together and have a very active part,” she said. “There are four different sections – in news, viewpoints, features and sports – so I feel like I’m the link between all of them.”

Brown oversees a staff of about 15, with The Xavierite published once a week, or 24 issues each academic year. Her job is a demanding one.

“Our week usually starts on Wednesday, and that’s when the previous paper is out to print and distributed. And then we all meet and talk about how the previous issue went and if there are any changes we need to make or any corrections we need to run,” she said.

“Then we talk about what we’re going to be writing about for the next issue. From there, everyone has until Friday to write their stories. Over the weekend we have copy editors look over the articles, and then Monday is press night, which is when we actually put the paper together. That’s a really long, involved day for most of the editors because they’re in here getting pictures and changing their stories if they need to.

“Tuesday is a much smaller day. We just give everything one final look-over and then it goes to print,” she said.

Each 12-page issue presents a new set of challenges, but Brown said her goal is to go toe-to-toe with bigger student

newspapers and be recognized for excellence by the Illinois College Press Association when it hands out its awards in February.

“This is definitely learning on the job,” Brown said. “I think that the staff is working together really well. The quality of the paper has really improved because of it.”

Brown also is concentrating on offering more online exclusive content at sxustudentmedia.com and making the newspaper available on the SXU app for smartphones.

After graduation, she hopes to work with a middle school newspaper program as a student advisor.

Her mother, Celeste Brown ’72, couldn’t be prouder.

“She has been with the newspaper since freshman year, and I have seen her mature and grow into the position she holds now,” she said. “I always look forward to reading the paper. As a Saint Xavier alumna, I am especially proud of her accomplishments and how it reflects on our school.”

Get Student Media at www.sxustudentmedia.com

state-of-the-art faciLity officiaLLy oPens in WarDe Saint Xavier marked the completion of the latest phase of improvements to the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September. The newly renovated space in the lower level of the Warde Academic Center is designed to foster creativity, collaboration and innovation across all academic disciplines. It includes a teaching lab, quiet study rooms, an art gallery and state-of-the-art facilities for the Center for Instructional Design and Academic Technology (CIDAT).

The work was funded by an Independent Colleges Capital Program grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and by many generous donors, including the Renaissance Academy and Elaine Phillips ’44. The Renaissance Academy is an outreach program that provides intellectual stimulation, cultural enrichment and fellowship for older adults who have a desire to learn simply for the joy and excitement of learning.

The Renaissance Academy’s gift is recognized with a plaque in the new Gallery Lounge, which serves as the gateway to the new space. Phillips’ generosity is also recognized with a plaque outside the CIDAT’s new recording studio. Phillips received a B.A. in music from Saint Xavier College and went on to a long career in radio and television broadcasting.

29F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

Standing before the plaque recognizing the Renaissance Academy are Steve Murphy, Ed.D., executive director of development, left; SXU President Christine Wiseman; Donatta Yates, Renaissance Academy board member; and Belinda Potoma, Renaissance Academy board president.

The Center for Instructional Design and Academic Technology (CIDAT) is officially opened with a ribbon-cutting by Provost Paul DeVito, Ph.D., left; Donatta Yates, Renaissance Academy board member; Haley Simone, a junior majoring in art and design; SXU President Christine Wiseman, J.D.; John Costello, chairman of the Board of Trustees; and Chris Zakrzewski, director of the CIDAT.

SiStERS Of MERCy GRAnt SUPPORtS SERViCE tRiPS

The Office for Mission and Heritage received a grant of $26,000 from the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Mercy Ministry Fund. The grant will support University-sponsored service trips, with a focus on student access, expansion of service opportunities and alignment of service trips with the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy.

Saint Xavier students have many opportunities to participate in service activities as part of their undergraduate experience. However, service trips such as spring break mission trips – both domestic and international – represent an additional expense. This grant will subsidize travel costs for students.

In addition, the money will make possible a new trip to the U.S.-Mexico border region, further increasing the diversity of

opportunities available. These trips will also serve as opportunities to engage students in reflection on Catholic social teaching and the Sisters of Mercy Critical Concerns.

“These trips engage students in direct service to others who are struggling with poverty or homelessness or domestic abuse or environmental degradation or other social ills,” said Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M., director of the Office for Mission and Heritage and initiator of the grant request. “Student participants gain a personal experience of people and circumstances with which they are generally unfamiliar.”

Laura LeCompte ’06, a participant on a past service trip, put it this way: “You make a small impact on others’ lives, but they leave a larger impact on yours.”

advancing the mission

28 S O M E O N E y O U S H O U L d k N O W

Saint Xavier received a grant of $604,945 from the Health Resources and Services Administration through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program. The grant supports scholarships for full-time undergraduate nursing students from disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate financial need. Students received awards of $7,500 per semester for the 2013-14 academic year.

Recognizing that the strong academic preparation required for a rigorous nursing education might not be readily available in schools serving low- to moderate-income communities, Saint Xavier’s SDS scholarship recipients are also benefitting from intensive mentoring and academic counseling services in order to promote successful completion of their degree program.

“This SDS program has had a tremendous impact on our students,” said Sue Swisher, director of financial aid. “We believe that the program will make it easier for students to complete school by reducing financial burdens so that students can focus on their studies, and from what we are hearing it is very successful.”

In 2012-13, 50 students received SDS scholarships, and all recipients either graduated or progressed to their next year of study.

“We are so pleased to have access to the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program for our students,” said Gloria Jacobson, RN, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing. “We are helping to address a critical need in health care, and it is beneficial for our students. For some of them, this was a deciding factor in completing their program.”

In 2013, Saint Xavier received one of only 99 SDS grants made nationally to support students in a range of accredited health programs, including nursing, behavioral

health, dentistry, medicine, public health and other health professions. It is the only private university in Illinois to receive funding through the program this year.

The Health Resources and Services Administration noted SXU’s alignment with federal priorities in providing quality health care, including increasing qualified health professionals working in medically underserved communities and attention to the special health needs identified by the Department of Health and Human Services at the national level.

The SDS program promotes diversity among nursing students and practicing nurses in the health care community, and most Saint Xavier graduates remain in the greater Chicago area to contribute to the health care workforce.

SXU’s School of Nursing was recently honored as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing, the third time it has been so named.

“We have a very distinctive program at Saint Xavier,” said Peg Gallagher, RN, Ed.D., associate dean for undergraduate students in the School of Nursing. “Our faculty and teaching methods are consistently recognized for their high quality. We have instituted additional supportive measures for our SDS scholarship recipients to develop individual academic strategies and increase the personalized attention they receive to help them successfully master the theory and practice of nursing.”

Fully 100 percent of the cost of Saint Xavier’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students awards is underwritten by the Health Resources and Services Administration; no nongovernmental funds contribute to the scholarship program.

$605,000 feDeraL grant heLPs DisaDvantageD nUrsing stUDents

advancing the mission

31F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

nEW StUDEnt-fACUlty PARtnERShiP EnDOWMEnt CREAtED

Saint Xavier has launched a Student-Faculty Partnership Endowment to support projects that engage students and faculty in meaningful collaborative learning experiences. The new endowment, which is an objective in the University’s strategic plan, “Vision 2017,” will support a wide range of collaborative research and creative projects across any major.

Fundraising for the endowment involved a unique collaboration of government funding and alumni and student donations. It was initiated with $10,000 from the University’s five-year U.S. Department of Education Title III grant, which focused on increasing student engagement and retention. The grant funds required a dollar-for-dollar match from nonfederal sources.

Recognizing the importance of increasing student engagement in the Saint Xavier experience, the Class of 1962 chose to support the endowment as its 50-year reunion gift. Class members contributed more than $7,000 to the fund. The Class of 2013 also chose to support the endowment as its class gift, raising the additional funds required to meet the match.

In order to recognize the crucial role that the Class of 1962 and the Class of 2013 played in creating the new endowment, the fund will make two awards in the name of the Class of 1962 and the Class of 2013 in each year in which the awards are made.

Colleen Sehy, executive director for Corporate, Government and Foundation Relations, notes that the Student-Faculty Partnership Endowment is the first dedicated source of support for student-faculty collaborations at SXU and that the matching gifts from members of the Class of 1962 and 2013 will have a lasting impact on students and faculty.

The first awards are expected to be made in 2014.

SXU RECEiVES thiRD COnSECUtiVE “CEntER Of EXCEllEnCE” DESiGnAtiOn

Saint Xavier’s School of Nursing was one of only nine nursing programs and one health care organization in the nation to be honored by the National League for Nursing as a 2013 “Center of Excellence.”

Additionally, SXU is the only organization to receive the prestigious designation for the third consecutive term for creating environments that enhance student learning and professional development. SXU previously received the three-year designations in 2010 and 2007.

“This third designation recognizes an educational program and faculty who model excellence in their teaching and commitment to the University’s core values of respect, excellence, compassion, service, hospitality, integrity, diversity and learning for life,” said School of Nursing Dean Gloria Jacobson, R.N., Ph.D. “Those who graduate will provide a strong and diverse nursing workforce that will ensure the public’s health and the continuation of excellence in nursing education.”

Saint Xavier and Mercy Hospital, both founded by the Sisters of Mercy, joined forces in 1935 to create the first integrated baccalaureate nursing program in Illinois. Today, the School of Nursing remains strongly committed to linking innovation and concern for community, to providing basic and advanced nursing education programs and outreach programs, and to providing clinical services to surrounding communities.

MAkE A lAStinG tRiBUtEDo you know someone who loves Saint Xavier University or whose life has been greatly impacted by his or her experiences here? You can honor that person with a personalized, commemorative brick in Mary’s Circle – an important landmark on our Chicago campus where hundreds of alumni and friends have chosen to leave lasting tributes to loved ones or to celebrate special occasions.

Bricks are installed twice a year in the fall and spring. You can purchase a three-line brick for $150 or a four-line brick for $250.

For more information, please visit www.sxu.edu, keyword: Mary’s Circle, or contact University Advancement at advancement@sxu.edu or (773) 298-3940.

30 A d V A N C I N G T H E M I S S I O N

33F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

SiStER ChRiStiAn MOliDOR, R.S.M., 1929-2013

Sister Christian Molidor, R.S.M., a beloved member of the Sisters of Mercy for 53 years and a former Saint Xavier University trustee, died in July. She was 83.

A teacher, writer, photographer, reporter and creative spirit, Sister Christian taught at McAuley High School, served in the Development and Communications Office of the Sisters of Mercy of Chicago, and was director of community service and subsequently director of public relations at Mercy Center. She then became assistant to the president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association for 27 years. In that role, she traveled to, photographed and reported on the work of CNEWA’s extensive missions throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa.

She was an SXU trustee from 1990 to 2000 and earned an honorary degree in humanities from SXU in 2001.

Saint Xavier is opening a satellite campus in Gilbert, Ariz.

The Gilbert Town Council approved a development agreement with Saint Xavier in early November that allows for the construction of an 87,000-square-foot satellite campus in the downtown Heritage District.

The campus will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on liberal arts, business and nursing.

The University still needs approval from the Higher Learning Commission and Arizona accrediting agencies as well as endorsement by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. If approved, classes could begin as soon as spring 2015.

“We are honored to be part of the growing legacy of Gilbert and the State of Arizona, and we are pleased to share our own 168-year legacy of rigorous, values-based higher education,” said President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D. “We look forward to building partnerships within the Gilbert community, creating a collaborative learning environment and working with motivated students from all walks of life.”

Added Provost Paul DeVito, Ph.D., “As we finalize our plans for the Gilbert campus, a Senate-endorsed faculty task force will engage the academic and mission-based issues in order to continue guiding this development.”

The campus will include a proposed four-story building that will provide students access to state-of-the-art technology, smart classrooms, nursing labs and student lounges, as well as gathering and study space. In addition, Gilbert plans to construct a 300-car parking facility just east of the campus.

“It has always been part of our economic development plan to have a faith-based university located in downtown Gilbert. We are thrilled to welcome Saint Xavier University, Chicago’s oldest Catholic university,” said Gilbert Mayor John Lewis. “It’s very important that we can offer our residents opportunities to obtain advanced degrees in a number of academic disciplines within this environment.”

With a population of 227,000, Gilbert is the seventh-largest community in Arizona. It is about 25 miles southeast of Phoenix.

advancing the mission

32 A d V A N C I N G T H E M I S S I O N

saint Xavier to oPen neW camPUs in giLbert, ariz.

in m

emor

iam

Shelby Lukasik ’09 (Science/Biology) is living her dream. She is in her third year teaching science at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Chicago, an aspiration she has had since she was a little girl. She is also a grateful alumna.

“My education has enabled me to grow and develop, while giving me the essential skills necessary for my career as a high school science teacher,” she said.

Shelby owes much of her success to Elaine Gallagher ’51 (Education).

Elaine taught science to seventh- and eighth-graders in Chicago Public Schools for 40 years. She believed science was an interesting and exciting subject, and she shared her enthusiasm for nature with her students.

Elaine also believed that her education at Saint Xavier was instrumental in her success as a teacher. As such, she provided

scholarship funds through a bequest in her will so that others could follow in her path. Shelby received the Elaine Gallagher ’51 Science Education Scholarship her senior year.

Elaine quietly made her mark on the world, often without any fanfare. Yet she used her gifts to make a difference for others. Her legacy continues to impact the world today by assisting future science teachers who will go on to shape the next generation, like Shelby.

Won’t you join Elaine Gallagher in making a difference for others? Create a lasting legacy. Make a planned gift today.

For more information on including Saint Xavier University in your estate plans, contact Jill Roggeveen at (773) 298-3317 or roggeveen@sxu.edu.

Legacy gifts make a difference

Donor Profile

you can make a similar impact on the students at Saint Xavier university. Visit www.sxu.edu, keyword: Giving, to make a gift today. Gifts of $1,000 or more qualify you for membership in the President’s Club.

Saint Xavier raised more than $90,000 at its 17th annual Golf Classic at Silver Lake Country Club in August. More than 150 golfers enjoyed a day on the links, with all proceeds supporting student scholarships.

“We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the donors and sponsors who helped provide scholarships to Saint Xavier University’s most deserving students through this wonderful event,” said Executive Director of Development Steven Murphy, Ed.D.

In addition to playing an 18-hole round of golf with contests to test their golf skills, participants were treated to breakfast, lunch and a buffet dinner, and raffle prizes were distributed.

The presenting sponsor was Henry Bros. Co. Major sponsors included Bank of America, Deltak, DLA Piper, Linear Electric Co. Inc., Mid American Group, Ozinga Brothers, Inc., Print Post, Inc., Keyser Retail Solutions and Florida Plastics International.

GOlf ClASSiC RAiSES MORE thAn $90,000 fOR StUDEnt SChOlARShiPS

Presenting sponsors and founders of the golf outing are George Ferrell, left, Bill Callaghan Sr., Bill Callaghan Jr. and Nancy Callaghan.

Gallagher

Lukasik

Last WordTabernaclesIt happened fast. A feeble-brained innocent, refugee from halfway spaces, moving at the wrong time: the bread raised high, the cup engaged in mystery, and he chooses this time to change his seat from one church side to the other.

For a moment his head blocks the view of bread yielding to miracle. For a moment his face and the bread are one. The words spoken over both.

Then hands shake, extending proper peace. Cheeks meet. Words wish a peace the world has never tasted. He stares, like a dog offered too many bones at once, and accepts only one hand’s greeting.

Next comes procession to his first meal of the day as faces clearly wonder if he understands what this is all about. He takes the proffered piece of pita in this most post-Vatican assembly and stops. Momentarily thrown by this bread with pockets, he’s oh-so-gently reassured that it’s quite all right to eat. He takes ... and green teeth masticate the Body of Christ. Then he reaches for the syrupped goodness of the cup.... (Just 3 sips after him I debate the wisdom of changing lines.)His puffed-cheek mouthful nearly drains the cup. (I almost wish he had so I wouldn’t need to tell myself I won’t catch some disease.)And then.... (I knew it!)He coughsand sends forth a rosy mist that sprays divinity onto the floor. A rainbow comes and goes in that unexpected spray as gasps are quelled in 40 throats. He clamps his mouth with leaky hands looking like a child trying to keep a pricked balloon from bursting.

Unslackened, the line moves on and divinity is trampled by shod feet till pure white linen -- bleached and starched -- in fervent fans that won’t permit impiety, drinks the pink God from the floor.

In a corner he sits alone in rapt humiliation. When someone asks, “Are you OK?”he quickly shows his palms and says, “I didn’t wipe them on my dirty pants, I didn’t. I rubbed them hard together, see?” And he demonstrates, with insect frenzy, how he used friction to evaporate the spilled God from his hands.

Oh, what a cunning God who tests our faith by hiding in green-teethed tabernacles to see how truly we believe in the miracle of real presence.

Graziano Marcheschi, D.Min., is executive director for

university Mission and Ministry at Saint Xavier university.

advancing the mission

We’d like to hear from you… Keep in touch with your friends and classmates. A new hobby, volunteering, job changes – whatever your news, share it with friends

and classmates via Saint Xavier Magazine. And if your address or other contact information has changed, please let us know.

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Send your news for consideration to:

Saint Xavier University

Office of Alumni and Parent Relations

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Chicago, IL 60655

Fax: (773) 298-3886

Email: alumni@sxu.edu

Update your information Online!

www.sxu.edu, keyword: keepintouch

Keep Touchin

Graziano Marcheschi, Copyright © 1995

JACk SiMMERlinG, 1935-2013

Renowned Beverly artist, author and local business owner John J. “Jack” Simmerling, who received an honorary doctorate from Saint Xavier in 2001, died in July. He was 77.

Simmerling had a deep passion for the Victorian era and Chicago’s historic architecture. He was a talented artist, and his watercolors and pen and ink drawings grace the walls of many homes, libraries, museums and schools.

The founder and owner of the Heritage Gallery on 103rd Street in Beverly, Simmerling was a loyal friend to the Beverly community and its many organizations. Saint Xavier later showcased his work in an exhibit titled “Chicago’s Storyteller in Pen, Ink and Watercolor” in 2006.

Although he was inspired by Chicago’s landscape and architecture, Simmerling was also known for his depiction of the natural beauty of the countryside, from his weekend travels to rural Indiana to the vast landscapes of Ireland and England, where he often spent his summers painting and teaching.

In 2005, Simmerling praised Saint Xavier for establishing a stronger presence in the community. “As the University expands, the community is just beginning to get over the idea that campus events are for students only. I sense that the University and the community are becoming much closer. And that is good for everyone!”

ChARlES E. SChMiDt, 1920-2013

Saint Xavier lost a dear friend in August when Charles Eugene Schmidt passed away after a brief illness. He was 93.

In 2011, Schmidt donated $100,000 to Saint Xavier’s School of Nursing in honor of his beloved wife, Mary Kay Millea Schmidt ’44. Schmidt’s generous gift endowed a scholarship in memory of Mary Kay and expanded the Lifespan Learning Lab in the School of Nursing.

Nursing students spend many hours in the Lifespan Learning Lab training to care for patients from infants, toddlers and teenagers through to the elderly population. One room in particular is equipped to simulate a home health care environment that focuses on the care of the critically ill and hospice patients. Schmidt had the opportunity to visit the Lifespan Learning Lab often in the past two years and met two of the student recipients of the Mary Kay Millea Schmidt ’44 Scholarship.

The Lifespan Learning Lab will continue to be a viable space to prepare students for hospital and community health clinical experiences. The Mary Kay Millea Schmidt ’44 Scholarship will also continue to support nursing students for years to come. The University is most grateful for all of Schmidt’s faithful support and friendship over the years. in m

emor

iam

Mary Kay and Charles Schmidt

cHicago caMpUS

3700 WeST 103rd STreeT

cHicago, il 60655

(773) 298-3000

orland park caMpUS

18230 orland parkWay

orland park, il 60467

(708) 802-6200

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On thE COVER: GOlDEn DAy (2011) © JUDith EDElMAn

JudithEdelmanstudiedatTheAmerican Academy of Art, majoring in fashion illustration. She had further study at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Evanston Art Center. Edelmanworkedinitiallyasafashionillustrator for Carson Pirie Scott and Co. and Marshall Field, and later as a graphic designer and illustrator forAndersenConsulting(nowAccenture)andamajorincentivefirm in Rosemont, Ill. She has been pursuing art and painting her whole life in watercolor and oil as well as creating sculpture in paper, fiber and ceramic. She currently paints in oil at her home studio in Mt. Prospect, Ill.

Learn more about Edelman at artbyjudithedelman.com.