advancing Justiceadvancing

Justice

The Magazine of Saint Xavier University Spring/Summer 2013

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2

May 2013SXU celebraTeS coMMenceMenTS

Almost 700 undergraduate and graduate students received diplomas at the Saint Xavier University spring commencement. Former Illinois State Senator Edward D. Maloney received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement addresses at both the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies. In December, former editor of Poetry magazine and noted author, editor, critic and public speaker Joseph Parisi, Ph.D., received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address to more than 500 graduates.

June 2013ThoUSandS enjoy SUMMer concerT

More than 2,000 people enjoyed an evening of music and fireworks at Saint Xavier University’s 17th annual Summer Concert in June.The free outdoor concert featured the band Scramble, whose members are seasoned musicians who played with legendary rock bands The Buckinghams and The Cryan’ Shames. The band played a range of favorite tunes for all ages as attendees danced the night away. The event also featured concessions from local vendors including The Original Rainbow Cone, Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon, Calabria Imports, Happy Jack’s and the SXU National Alumni Board. The event concluded with a patriotic finale and fireworks display at dusk.

November 2012lincoln acadeMy STUdenT laUreaTe naMed

Darryl Brown Jr. received a Student Laureate Award from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in honor of his extraordinary curricular and extracurricular achievements at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield. He received a medallion along with an honorarium check and certificate of achievement. This marked the 38th year that students have been honored by the academy.

President’s Agenda

Darryl Brown Jr. with SXU President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D.

saint XavierM ag a z i n eVOLUME 7, ISSUE 2

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 Compton

Alejandra Torres ’00

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.

8 | Pro-Football ContractFormer standout quarterback Jimmy Coy ’12 signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in June and became the first Cougar football player to sign a professional football contract. He was awarded NAIA Football Player of the Year in 2012.

11 | Trial StepsIn an environment in which some law schools have slashed their enrollment numbers, aspiring attorneys need an edge. Saint Xavier is sharpening its commitment to students preparing for careers in law with its mock trial course, which debuted in fall 2012, and mock trial team. Both are tools to help pre-law students gain critical experience.

By Dave Wieczorek

Spring / Summer 2013S A I N T X A V I E R M A G A Z I N E

DEPARtMEntS

4 Saint Xavier Journal

8 Cougar Pulse

18 Alumni Notes

28 Advancing the Mission

35 Last Word

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4 J O U R N A L

MAhOnEy BOOk COllECtiOn BRinGS MORE thAn 1,400 BOOkS tO SXU liBRARy

The Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library dedicated the Mahoney Book Collection that consists of more than 1,400 books on Irish culture, fiction, history, literature, politics and society.

The Mahoney Collection was dedicated in memory of Thomas O’Mahony (1893 to 1985) by his son, Thomas F. Mahoney Jr.

It features a particularly strong selection of books about the struggle for Irish independence, a wide variety of Irish fiction from authors including John Banville, Maeve Binchy, Christy Brown and many more, as well as numerous works of criticism of Irish authors, particularly James Joyce.

The oldest books in the collection are Life of Daniel O’Connell, The Liberator and Life, Opinions, Conversations and Eloquence of Daniel O’Connell: with a Preliminary Sketch of Irish History, both published in 1872. One of the rarest items in the collection is A Child’s History of Ireland written by Patrick Weston Joyce in 1898. Only 10 libraries in the world have a copy of the original edition.

Thomas O’Mahony was born in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland, in 1893. He emigrated to America in 1913 and spent more than 40 years as a switchman and yard conductor on the Grand Trunk Railroad. He married Margaret Grace Curran, and they had two children, Thomas and Patricia.

Thomas F. Mahoney Jr. graduated from Leo High School in Chicago in 1954, received a B.A. in English from Saint Joseph’s College, and received a juris doctorate from Loyola University. He is a Navy veteran and served as a corporate attorney for many years before retiring in 1996.

SECOnD PhASE Of liBRARy REnOVAtiOnS BEGinS

The University began the second phase of its renovation of the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library.

The renovations in the L-wing lower level will include an art gallery, silent study spaces, library teaching lab, editing rooms, recording studio, small coffee venue, student lounge, instructional design center, media services and the student media center.

Several years ago the University received a grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education Independent Colleges Capital Program (ICCAP). The first release of ICCAP funds financed the renovation of the library’s main level in summer 2011, and the University then received its second set of funds. No University or tuition funds are being used for this renovation.

This phase of renovation helps SXU reach the goals of the ICCAP grant and the Vision 2017 strategic plan to create a user-centered dynamic learning environment rich in technology that supports teaching, learning, scholarship and research for the entire campus community.

Completion is set for early August.

hiStORy hOnOR SOCiEty DEBUtS At SXU

Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, approved a chapter at Saint Xavier, and the first induction ceremony for students in the newly christened Alpha-Omicron-Eta group was held in April.

The society has more than 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.

Students will be eligible for national prizes and scholarships through Phi Alpha Theta and will be presented with a certificate and an honor cord that they can wear with their graduation regalia.

Tuesday, aug. 6, 2013

Tee off with Saint Xavier University at the 17th annual Golf Classic on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. Check-in begins at 7 a.m. with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The day will conclude with a reception, dinner and raffle drawing. The outing helps raise funds for student scholarships.

Registration for an individual golfer is $300, which includes greens fees and cart, breakfast, lunch, dinner and all beverages.

Register and purchase raffle tickets online with a credit card or use our printer-friendly form (PDF) to register by mail and pay with a check. Go to www.sxu.edu, Keyword: Golf.

For more information, please email specialevents@sxu.edu or call (773) 298-3748.

17th AnnualSaint Xavier University

Golf Classic17th AnnualSaint Xavier University

Golf Classic3

1962 VAtiCAn ii lEGACy REMEMBERED

Saint Xavier celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council with speakers, an art exhibit and a special Tridentine Mass conducted in Latin as it was celebrated for 500 years before Vatican II.

A major address by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., had to be canceled when he had to fly to Rome to vote for a new pope.

Edward P. Hahnenberg, Ph.D., of John Carroll University spoke about what happened at Vatican II and how the most significant religious event of the 20th century prompted Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI to call it the “true compass” for the Church in the 21st century.

nEW REGinA hAll SPACE fEAtURES PERfORMAnCE AREA

Residence Life officially opened the ResCenter, a reimagined space in the Regina Hall lobby that can host performances, speakers and open mike nights. There is also space for studying with tables, chairs and upgraded lighting, as well as printer and copier access.

The space also includes a pool table, air hockey table, a 62-inch wall-mounted TV and a Nintendo Wii.

StUDEntS tRAVEl tO ROMAniA tO StUDy BUSinESSES, hEAlth CARE SyStEM

Six nursing students and three business students, along with Evelyn Norton, Ph.D., of the School of Nursing and Cheryl Luczak, Ph.D., of the Graham School of Management traveled in March to Romania to study its nonprofit businesses and health care system.

Students met with entrepreneurs and directors of several institutions, including the director of the Bistrita Hospital, the director of Bistrita’s nursing school and the director of a nursing home in Cluj.

Trip participants were hosted by the Romanian Children’s Relief Fund and the Innocenti Fund. Romanian Children’s Relief founder and Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer Michael Carroll and film producer Don Hahn gave the address at SXU’s 2011 spring commencement, where they were awarded honorary degrees.

Carroll and Hahn hosted the Chicago premiere of their documentary film Hand Held at SXU, which explores the plight of overcrowded Romanian orphanages and Carroll’s efforts to bring them aid.

5S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

SXU welcomes Illinois Poet Laureate Kevin Stein for National Poetry MonthIllinois Poet Laureate Kevin Stein read from Wrestling Li Po for the Remote, his recently released collection of poems, and gave a pre-lecture seminar with selected SXU students and invited students from local Catholic high schools in April.

Appointed Illinois Poet Laureate in 2003, Stein said he regards the responsibility to be the state’s “ambassador of the arts” as an opportunity to bring poetry into the lives of everyday people and to draw them into the delight and sheer fun of words that resonate with beauty and insight. During his first visit to SXU in 2004, Stein impressed his audience of students and community members with his ability to communicate the pleasure of poetry.

Stein is the Caterpillar Professor of English at Bradley University in Peoria, where he teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in American literature and coordinates the creative writing program.

‘Theology South’ lecture series ends after 33 yearsA 33-year community lecture series that explored the connection between faith and adult life has ended.

“Theology South” was hosted by Saint Xavier and brought in singers, authors, theological scholars and others to explore and reflect on societal issues for the predominantly women’s group.

Notable speakers over the years included Joseph Cardinal Bernardin and the Rev. Andrew M. Greeley.

The program was launched after Vatican II in order for women and laity to be more actively engaged in spiritual matters. It was modeled after similar programs in Oak Park and Park Ridge, said Donatta Yates, the longtime program coordinator.

“Theology South allowed participants to take time for themselves and their inner lives,” she said.

Students contribute to National Wall of ListeningTo enhance their multicultural education practices and perspectives, students in the ESL/bilingual education program are contributing their audio stories to the National Wall of Listening.

The National Day of Listening is a national holiday started by StoryCorps in 2008, in which participants record short interviews with loved ones and post them online. Go to http://nationaldayoflistening.org/organizations/saint-xavier-university/

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6 J O U R N A L

Mission Day HonoreesThree people were honored for outstanding service on Mission

Day in March. They were: Therese M. Johnson, left, director

of advising and educational planning in the Office of Records

and Advising; Peter B. Hilton, Ph.D., associate professor in the

School of Education; and Kelly A. Mihalik, a senior majoring in

nursing and president of the Student Government Association.

“It has been inspiring to read what the nominators wrote about

each of these individuals,” said President Christine Wiseman, J.D.

“Each award winner gives real life and meaning to our mission

statement’s call to ‘serve wisely and compassionately in support

of human dignity and the common good.’ They remind us of the

essence of our Mercy identity.”

7S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

COMMiSSiOn On COllEGiAtE nURSinG EDUCAtiOn lAUDS SXU

The School of Nursing’s baccalaureate/master’s program received notice of its continuing accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education extending until June 30, 2023.

The CCNE Board of Commissioners determined that SXU’s programs met all four accreditation standards, which included: mission and governance; institutional commitment and resources; curriculum and teaching-learning practices; and aggregate student and faculty outcomes.

“This was wonderful news to receive and is a reflection of everyone’s efforts and commitment to excellence in the School of Nursing and Saint Xavier University,” said Gloria Jacobson, dean of the School of Nursing.

SAint XAViER MAGAzinE, CAMPAiGn ViDEO Win AWARDS

The Publicity Club of Chicago honored the Office for University Relations with two prestigious Silver Trumpet awards for the alumni magazine and campaign video.

University Relations staff members were recognized at the 54th annual Golden Trumpet Awards in May. The Golden Trumpet Awards is the premier awards competition for Chicago’s public relations and communications professionals and are presented for excellence in planning, creativity and execution.

University Relations received a Silver Trumpet in the “Newsletters/Magazines” category for the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2012 issues of Saint Xavier Magazine. It also received a Silver Trumpet in the “Video News Releases & Video Features” category for its campaign video, which showcased alumni discussing their positive experiences at SXU.

A group of Saint Xavier University music students attended a Civic Orchestra of Chicago concert in May and were invited backstage to meet legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Ma joined the Civic Orchestra in celebration of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Rivers Festival, where he performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major. Led by Cliff Colnot, the musical selections were inspired by nature and flowing waters as symbols of discovery, cultural development and communication.

Students Meet Legendary Cellist Yo-Yo Ma

Saint Xavier QB standout Coy signs with Calgary Stampeders

Former standout quarterback Jimmy Coy ’12 of Park Ridge, Ill., signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in June and became the first Cougar football player to sign a professional football contract.

The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to the National Football League in the United States. As per the Stampeders’ policy, terms of Coy’s agreement were not disclosed.

The CFL’s eight teams, which are located in eight separate cities throughout Canada, are divided into two divisions of four teams each, the East Division and the West Division. The league’s 19-week regular season runs from late June to early November with each team playing 18 games with a bye week.

“I am really excited for Jimmy because his dream is to play professional football, and he has worked incredibly hard to get to this point,” said SXU football coach Mike Feminis.

The professional contract capped a stellar year for Coy. He attended a Chicago Bears rookie mini-camp in May, and he was named 2012 NAIA Football National Player of the Year, becoming only the second player in Saint Xavier University Athletics history to earn national player of the year recognition. He also earned the 2012 Mid-States Football Association’s (MSFA) Mideast League Player of the Year.

Coy is just the 13th player to receive the NAIA Football Player of the Year honor since the award was first presented in 1997 with two athletes repeating. He is just the third player to receive the award out of the MSFA.

Coy ranked third in the country with 3,427 passing yards despite missing two games last fall due to injury. During the 2011 campaign, he earned first-team All-MSFA recognition and led the Cougars to their first national title in any sport completing 347 of 510 passes for 4,261 yards and 42 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions. He also tallied 269 yards and four touchdowns on the ground that year.

COUGAR PULSE

Jimmy Coy accepts the 2012 Rawling-NAIA National Football Player of the Year award in December, with his

parents, Jim and Pati Coy, and Coach Mike Feminis, right.

fOOtBAll RECEiVES fiElDtURf tEAM Of thE yEAR AWARD

Finishing the 2012 season with an 11-2 overall record and its fourth straight appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series Semifinals, the Saint Xavier football team was honored as the NAIA Team of the Year when FieldTurf announced the annual winners of its FieldTurf Football Awards.

The FieldTurf Team of the Year Awards acknowledge teams at all levels of sport that show a passion for the game along with dedication to team play. FieldTurf announced awards in 19 categories for the 2012 season, including team and head coach honors from the NFL through high school.

“I’m so thankful to FieldTurf for recognizing our program as the NAIA Team of the Year,” said football coach Mike Feminis. “They run a first-class business and have been instrumental in the development of the game of football at every level of play. It is truly an honor to receive such a prestigious award.”

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

MUnizzi RECEiVES nAiA RiMinGtOn AWARD

Senior center Matt Munizzi of Chicago was the 2012 recipient of the prestigious NAIA Rimington Award. It recognizes the most outstanding centers at the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III levels as well as the NAIA.

This year’s Rimington Trophy, awarded to the best center at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, went to University of Alabama’s Barrett Jones. The Rimington Trophy and Awards are overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised more than $100 million for CF research.

Munizzi is the first player from SXU to earn the national award and just the second player from the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) to claim the honor since the NAIA version began in 2003.

“It is truly an honor to be the recipient of the 2012 Rimington Award for the NAIA,” Munizzi said. “I want to thank my family and friends, who have been so supportive throughout my career, and my teammates as well, who made my time playing football here so enjoyable. I also want to thank Coach (Mike) Feminis for recruiting me and giving me the opportunity to play at Saint Xavier. I didn’t know it at the time, but my decision to come to SXU was one of the greatest decisions of my life.”

Munizzi was a MSFA All-Mideast League First Team selection this season and earned second team recognition as a junior in 2011. He helped lead an offense line that was second in the NAIA in total passing offense (4,254 yards), No. 2 in passing offense per game (327.2 ypg) and eighth in scoring offense (448 points). Munizzi was also the starter last season when the Cougars won their first NAIA national championship in December 2011 in Rome, Ga.

Karp named CCAC Player of the YearJunior guard Brad Karp of Valparaiso, Ind., was named the 2012-13 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and joined three of his teammates on the 2012-13 All-CCAC Men’s Basketball Team. Senior point guard Roosevelt Green of Markham, Ill., also earned first team honors along with Karp, while senior point guard Anthony Grant of Calumet City, Ill., and sophomore guard Jack Krieger of Plainfield, Ill., earned honorable mention recognition.

Karp has now earned first team honors all three years of his career at SXU. He ranked among the top four players in the league in no fewer than four statistical categories. During the conference season, he ranked second in scoring average (21.6 ppg), third in both rebounding (8.6 rpg) and steals (2.1 spg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.567).

Karp also headlined the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America® College Division Men’s Basketball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The basketball teams are comprised of student-athletes from both divisions of the NAIA as well as Canadian and two-year institutions. Karp was chosen as the winner of the Member of the Year award for the men’s basketball team out of the other 14 players who earned a spot on either the first, second or third teams. Last year, Karp earned a spot on the second team as a sophomore.

Karp is majoring in biology and carries a 3.61 cumulative grade-point average.

9S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

The women’s soccer team boasted the next highest group at five. The men’s cross country team had three student-athletes, and the women’s cross country team and men’s soccer team each had two of its members named to the all-academic team.

fOOtBAll MOVES BACk tO MiDWESt lEAGUE, RElEASES 2013 SChEDUlE

After six years of playing in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League, the Saint Xavier football team will move back to the Midwest League for at least the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.

SXU was one of the charter members of the MSFA when the league formed in April 1993, and it spent a majority of the program’s history playing in the Midwest League before realignment prior to the 2007 season moved the Cougars over to the Mideast League.

Saint Xavier also released its 2013 schedule, which includes a home opener against 2012 NAIA national champion Marian University (Ind.) on Sept. 7 and a homecoming matchup against No. 17 Grand View University (Iowa) on Oct. 5.

“This might be the most challenging schedule we’ve had in a long time, but it will be fun to get back in the Midwest League and renew our rivalries with schools like Saint Ambrose and William Penn,” said football coach Mike Feminis. “From a competitive standpoint, we still get to play crossover games with our two biggest rivals in the Mideast in Marian (Ind.) and Saint Francis (Ind.), but then to top it off we’re playing the University of Indianapolis, who was a NCAA Division II playoff team a year ago.”

Get the entire 2013 schedule at www.sxucougars.com.

10 fOOtBAll PlAyERS lAnD On 2012 MSfA All-ACADEMiC tEAM

The Saint Xavier football team had 10 of its players earn a spot on the 2012 Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) All-Academic Team.

Criteria for the team include being an active player on an MSFA member institution, having at least a junior academic status and having a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or above. Last season, the Cougars had seven of their players named to the 2011 team.

Saint Xavier had another amazing season finishing with an 11-2 overall record and making its fourth straight appearance in the semifinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series. The Cougars carried the NAIA’s No. 1 ranking for the first five weeks of the 2012 season and later went on to defeat then No. 1-ranked Marian University (Ind.). SXU claimed the No. 4 spot in the NAIA’s final regular season top 25 poll.

StUUt nAMED PlAyER Of thE yEAR, jOinS BROSki On All-CCAC tEAM

Sophomore guard/forward Morgan Stuut of Marcellus, Mich., was named the 2012-13 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and joined fellow sophomore teammate, guard Suzie Broski of Rockford, Ill., on the 2012-13 All-CCAC Women’s Basketball Team.

Stuut earned first team recognition, while Broski earned a spot on the second team. Both players were named to the 2011-12 All-CCAC Women’s Basketball Team as freshmen last season.

Stuut averaged a double-double and ranked in the top 10 of conference leaders in six different statistical categories. She averaged 17.3 points (third in the CCAC) and 11.2 rebounds per game (first) in league contests, while ranking fourth in the conference in free throw percentage (.804) and blocked shots (1.7 per game).

Stuut was also seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.352) and ninth in steals (2.1 per game). Her other numbers included an average of 3.2 assists per game.

Broski ranked sixth in the conference in scoring (16.1 ppg) and tied for fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.518).

They also were recognized as members of the 2013 Capital One College Division Academic All-America® Women’s Basketball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Broski earned a spot on the second team, while Stuut was named to the third team.

18 fAll AthlEtES hOnORED fOR ACADEMiC EXCEllEnCE

With the women’s volleyball team leading the way with six, 18 student-athletes from the five fall teams that play in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) were named to the league’s All-Academic Team in their respective sports.

To be nominated for the award, a student-athlete must have been enrolled at his or her respective CCAC institution for a minimum of one academic year, have completed at least 30 semester hours and boast no less than a 3.25 cumulative grade point average.

Stuut Broski

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

11S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Young attorney Victoria Brown stood in the courtroom before the judge, nervous but not unnerved. Her training had prepared her for this moment, the turning point in a trial. She knew this was no time to get flustered and tongue-tied. She had to think quickly if she was to win her case.

“I was questioning my witness, and he wasn’t answering the questions quite the way I wanted him to,” Brown would later recall.

The witness was a doctor in a civil suit in which Brown represented the plaintiff. A man had died while scuba diving over a shipwreck at deep depths. His widow sued the dive company for recklessness, claiming it had not thoroughly questioned her husband to determine his qualifications to make such a dangerous dive. The dive company said the man had assumed the risk and that he had chosen to hide a medical condition from the dive company.

The doctor, an expert in nitrogen narcosis, a condition that can occur in divers when breathing compressed air and possibly lead to death, was Brown’s key witness – and he was stumbling over his testimony.

“So right there on the spot I had to come up with follow-up questions to pull the information out of him,” Brown says. “I needed to get certain information out there into evidence – and I did.”

She went on to win the case for her client. Or, to be more precise, she helped Saint Xavier win a tightly contested match with the University of St. Francis.

Brown and her “witness,” David Rodriguez, are sophomore members of SXU’s mock trial team. In February, they and their teammates competed in the American Mock Trial Association’s Regional Tournament in Romeoville, Ill. Saint Xavier defeated St. Francis in Round 2 before losing its next trial and failing to advance to the National Championship Tournament in Washington, D.C.

Nevertheless, it was an impressive performance considering it had been Saint Xavier’s rookie season.

SXU’s team is the hands-on component of the mock trial course, which made its curriculum debut in fall 2012. The

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

Trial StepsPre-law program and mock trial team lead students down the path of justice

12 T R I A L S T E P S

course itself is an integral part of Saint Xavier’s pre-law program, which is open to all students whether or not they “declare” as pre-law students.

“Saint Xavier’s pre-law program is not a major or a minor but a recommended course of study that helps prepare students for the requirements to get into law school and be successful when they’re in law school,” explains Matthew Costello, Ph.D., a professor of political science and faculty advisor to the program. “The American Bar Association recommends students take courses that will teach them to write, to think critically and logically, to analyze, make discriminations and synthesize information.”

These courses include math, political science, philosophy, history and sociology.

“This is what will prepare them for the challenges of law school,” Costello says.

The pre-law program, which falls under the umbrella of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been in existence well over 20 years, but in the past three years the University has made a greater commitment to the program.

“We’ve always had a large number of students interested in law school,” says Costello, who has advised students since joining the faculty in 1991, “but now we’ve restructured the pre-law program in response to our students’ demands.”

Those demands include helping prepare students in applying to law schools, preparing for the rigors – and expense – of law school and preparing for the reality of the marketplace upon graduation.

The Law School Admission Council estimates that there will be 54,000 applications to some 200 U.S. law schools for fall 2013. Approximately 44,000 graduates compete for fewer than 30,000 legal jobs each year. That makes a liberal-arts-based pre-law program like Saint Xavier’s more vital than ever.

“It’s important that students who come through the University get a broad education, even those who declare themselves pre-law,” says attorney Rob Shapiro, an adjunct professor in the Philosophy Department and senior litigator at the Chicago law firm Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg. “Some universities have gone to a pre-law curriculum, and students who know they want to go to law school take a prescribed group of courses.

Students David Rodriguez, left, Jessica Heller, Michelle Thompson, Victoria Wondolowski, D’Andre Charles and Victoria Brown competed in a mock trial regional tournament.

Sage Advise Offered To Pre-Law Students

“If someone were to ask me, ‘What’s the most

important course I could take to get ready for law

school or being a lawyer?’ my answer would be:

writing,” says attorney and adjunct professor Rob

Shapiro, who teaches SXU courses in America’s

founding documents and political philosophy.

“You don’t have to have any specific skill

before you go to law school. If you’re interested

in mathematics, study mathematics. If you’re

interested in geology, study geology. If you’re

interested in English literature, study English

literature. But the one thing you must do is study

writing. If you’re not a good writer, become a good

writer. If you’re a good writer, become a better

writer. Writing serves you well in applying to law

school, for doing well in law school and for doing

well as a lawyer.”

The Write Stuff

At right, students act as attorneys for the plaintiffs or the defense, cross-examine opposing witnesses and deliver closing arguments.

13S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

I work in a good-sized law firm with a lot of young lawyers who have gone to elite colleges and elite law schools, and if I have a quarrel with their education it’s that it’s very deep and very narrow. They don’t know much about history or literature or art or the sciences. They have very little breadth. Saint Xavier is going about the pre-law program in exactly the right way.

—Attorney Rob Shapiro, an adjunct professor in the Philosophy Department and senior litigator at the Chicago law firm Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg

14 T R I A L S T E P S

“I work in a good-sized law firm with a lot of young lawyers who have gone to elite colleges and elite law schools, and if I have a quarrel with their education it’s that it’s very deep and very narrow. They don’t know much about history or literature or art or the sciences. They have very little breadth. Saint Xavier is going about the pre-law program in exactly the right way.”

The University also recognizes that pre-law students want to make certain their pursuit of a legal career is the right decision, and the mock trial course is a practical tool for making that determination.

Outside the Comfort Zone“When I’m in the moment at a mock trial, I feel like I’m a real

attorney,” says Brown, a political science major from Dolton, Ill. “If you have it in the back of your mind that this isn’t real, you’ll treat it like it’s not real. It’s like actors in movies. They take on the characters they have to portray. In my mind, I’m a real attorney representing a real client, and this trial is somehow going to affect his life.”

Twenty-five students “declared” (indicated an interest) as pre-law students as of fall 2012. Nine of those signed up for the initial mock trial course, in which they are prepared to compete in the regional tournament held each February. SXU’s team of attorneys and witnesses had to be knowledgeable enough to argue both sides of a case, which remains the same throughout the tournament. Which side they will argue, however – plaintiff or defense – remains unknown until 15 minutes before the start of a round. During the competition, student-attorneys make

opening statements, put their witnesses on the stand, cross-examine opposing witnesses and deliver closing arguments – just as professional lawyers do at the trial-court level.

Chicago attorneys Pat Enright and Dan Maloney joined Saint Xavier as adjunct professors and mock trial coaches in fall 2011, when the team was an extracurricular activity. They had previously served as judges at regional tournaments and were so impressed with the college legal eagles that they inquired about teaching a three-credit course at Saint Xavier.

“The mock trial course is not just another lecture class,” says Maloney, a narcotics prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. “It gets the kids out of their comfort zone. It makes them speak in front of groups, to do things that they’re not used to doing, and it builds confidence.”

Enright, a partner at O’Rourke, Hogan, Fowler & Dwyer, says that regardless of whether a student is interested in becoming an attorney, the course “is a great experience for any student because there are a lot of analytical and speaking skills involved that you don’t acquire in most other college-level courses. They are skills you can use no matter what you do in life.”

In other words, the course is not limited to students aspiring to be the next Clarence Darrow or John Roberts.

“If you don’t want to enter law school and want to get a job after college, it’s just a good résumé builder,” Enright says.

Students in the course also are exposed to justice in the real world. Maloney arranged for a “sidebar” last fall with Cook County Associate Judge Rosemary Grant Higgins ’75 in the Criminal Courts building.

15S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Higgins says it’s important for students to see the legal process unfolding in court, to see attorneys “engaging in the appropriate procedures to effectively represent their clients and the state in an atmosphere of fairness and justice. Clearly, watching what is going on in court will help students decide whether or not they have this vocation.”

A pre-law program did not exist at Saint Xavier when she was an undergraduate, but Higgins appreciates the direction such a program provides.

“If you have a goal, you need to envision that goal and think about all the steps that will enable that goal,” she says. “Pre-law helps students do that.”

After meeting with Higgins, the students toured the Cook County Jail with Lt. John Blair ’93 of the Sheriff’s Office.

“The stuff you see on TV is more glamorous than the reality,” says Maloney, “so I thought it would be good for students to see two sides of the justice system they probably never saw before.”

Witnessing RealityReality is just what the pre-law program and mock trial course

are designed to deliver to students.“Maybe they’ll find out they hate law. Maybe they’ll find out

they really love it and this is what they want to do forever,” Costello says. “You’re about to go spend three years of your life in law school, so it’s probably a good thing to decide whether or not you like it.”

“Witness” Rodriguez, an SXU soccer player from Montgomery, Ill., didn’t know he wanted to pursue law until he experienced the mock trial course. “It looked interesting and competitive, that’s why I took the course,” says the triple major (political science, international studies, Spanish). “But it helped me discover my love for law, and now law school is my goal.”

Rodriguez and Brown are president and vice president, respectively, of the recently formed Pre-Law Society.

“We’re working on a budget so we can sponsor mock trial competitions, educate students about law school admissions and bring real lawyers to campus for legal workshops,” Rodriguez says.

Shapiro says students can use all the help they can get in finding work in the legal world upon graduation from law school. When he graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1979, “there wasn’t a single student in that class who didn’t know where he or she would be working after graduation. I was told recently by U of C students there are now upwards of a quarter

to a third of the class who have to worry about whether they will have jobs at the end of law school. It has become incredibly competitive.”

He adds: “Law school is a pretty hard slog. It’s three years that are extremely challenging and expensive. Some students come out of school $200,000 in debt. So they should have some idea about whether this is something they really want to do. The offerings that Saint Xavier has in the pre-law program will allow them to do that.”

As Rodriguez testifies:“Maybe you’ll walk out of a pre-law class or the mock trial

course unchanged – or maybe you’ll walk out with a new passion in your life, like I did.” SXM

for information about Saint Xavier’s pre-law program, contact faculty advisor Matthew Costello at costello@sxu.edu.

for information about the student-run Pre-law Society, contact President David Rodriguez at rodriguez.d04@mymail.sxu.edu.

Victoria Brown and David Rodriguez

JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

Saint XavierUniversity

Xavs1846XaXav 18s184646 sxucougars@SaintXavier@SaS iintXXaviier sxuexperiencesxuxucoucougargarss

Insta

16 1 0 q U E S T I O N S w I T h . . .

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

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is a very large city, which is probably why I like Chicago so much; I’m a city person. I attended the University of Buenos Aires and then, after a short time in the north of Argentina in a small town in the Corrientes Province, I moved to Boston. There I spent five years, during which time I went back to school for my Ph.D. I have strong memories of learning English in Boston and making friends who became my family here in the United States. I also lived in Texas for a while. I spent a few months in Houston, then a couple of years in Austin. After that, I came to Illinois. I’ve been all over the place!

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

I always liked doing things with my hands. I was very good at taking things apart and sorting all the pieces, and I remember wanting to be a carpenter.

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

Two clocks, which are identical. They were given to my mom and my aunt when they took their First Communion in Cuneo, Italy, in the 1940s. Both my mother and my father are Italian. Their families emigrated to Argentina when my parents were teenagers. I still have many relatives in Italy. So those two clocks came to Chicago from the north of Italy, after a 40-year detour in Buenos Aires.

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

I was a gymnast when I was young. I was a very bad gymnast, but I loved training every day when I was a teenager. After I stopped competing I was a coach for a while, and I really liked that, too.

5. What do you do in your free time?

I play tennis when my arm allows me to do so. I take long walks. I do things with my hands, and although I never became a carpenter, I like fixing things in my house.

6. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being a parent (and surviving it so far!). My son is 23 and my daughter is 21. They are two remarkable young adults. Being a parent has been the most intense, complex role in my life. It has also been and continues to be the most rewarding one. It is hard to say if being a parent was an “achievement” because I am sure I have done so many things wrong as a parent, but it’s no doubt the activity in my life into which I put most of my effort and love.

17S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

7. Who is your hero in real life?

My mom, no doubt. She always has a positive outlook on life, even when she faces difficult situations. She moved to Argentina when she was 14 at the end of World War II. Her family had a comfortable situation in Italy before the war, and they went to Argentina with absolutely nothing. My mother had to work and take care of her siblings. She missed Italy terribly. She went back to the university to finish her medical degree when she was already a parent of two. She raised my two siblings and me on her own. She had to work extremely long hours when I was growing up. At 67, she decided to move to the United States to be closer to my sister and me. She left her profession, her friends, her language. But she’s doing great in her third country, and she continues to get involved in new things.

8. if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you be?

Oh, that’s easy. I think I’d live in Rome. Everything is so chaotic in that city that in a strange way it makes it the perfect city for me. One of the things that I love about Rome is that it’s a “written” city. Every single piece of wall, it seems, has either Latin inscriptions or is covered with modern graffiti! There is something powerful about having all those shared messages.

9. What would be your ideal last meal?

The homemade bread of my paternal grandmother, Nonna Rosa, or anything made by my maternal grandmother, Nonna Nuccia, who was an absolutely incredible cook. She used to spend all day in her kitchen. I would love to taste her osso bucco one more time.

10. if you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

That’s a tough one, because actually I’m becoming too bold for my own good. I don’t worry about failure much. I have been very fortunate to have the family, the friends and the education that I have, and I guess being so lucky made me become a bit intrepid.

Alberta Gatti, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Foreign Languages and Director of the Center

for Creating Engaged Learning Environments

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

www.sxu.edu, Keyword: faculty notes.

10 Questions With …

1950s Helen Petitti Osterman ’51 (Nursing) retired from nursing in

2007 and began a career writing the Emma Winberry cozy mystery series. The newest novel to this collection, Maker’s Mark, centers around the world of art and is available on Amazon, CreateSpace and Ebooks. Go to www.helenosterman.com or http://tinyurl.com/helenosterman.

1960s Class of 1963 Reunion Year! Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit our website: www.sxu.edu/alumni.

1970s Class of 1973 and 1978 Reunion Years! Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit our website: www.sxu.edu/alumni.

Dorothy Perkins ’73 (Education) lost her husband in May 2011 after 60 wonderful years, but in 2012 she experienced the joy of witnessing two of her granddaughters marry and the joy of new birth as she welcomed great-grandchildren to the fold. To date Dorothy has been blessed with 14 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She fondly remembers the Sisters of Mercy with great love and admiration.

Mary Smith ’73 (Education), a school counselor for 39 years, retired from the Chicago Public School system in June 2010. Mary is raising her two grandchildren, ages 14 and 16.

Susanne DeFabiis ’74 (Nursing) earned a doctorate (Ed.D.) in counseling psychology from Argosy University in Schaumburg, Ill., in November 2012.

1980s Class of 1983 and 1988 Reunion Years! Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit our website: www.sxu.edu/alumni.

Curt Ehrenstrom ’84 (English) recently received the prestigious Golden Apple Award for teaching physics at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago.

Matthew Luzi ’89 (Criminal Justice) published a book about the Chicago Heights street crew of the Chicago Outfit. Chicago Heights was long the seat of one of the major street crews of the Chicago Outfit, but its importance has often been overlooked and misunderstood. For the first time, the history of the Chicago Heights street crew is traced from its inception through its last known boss in The Boys in Chicago Heights.

1990s Class of 1993 and 1998 Reunion Years! Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit our website: www.sxu.edu/alumni.

Abby David Azhar ’93 (Accounting) and Kazi Azhar ’91 (Business Administration) opened a new Papa John’s restaurant on 103rd and Cicero in Oak Lawn, Ill. The couple have four children, 16, 14, 10 and 7.

Laima Rastenis ’94 (Liberal Studies) ’96 M.A. (English) received a grant and Rising Star Nomination from the Women’s Jewelry Association and was the recipient of the 2012 Achievement Award from the Gemological Institute of America.

John Riffice ’96 (Education) published his second book, Dog and Butterfly, a story about fate and the beguiling art of moving on. It is available on Amazon.

Katherine Haskins Becker ’97 (History) announces the opening of Haskins Becker, P.C., a law firm representing clients in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake and Will counties in divorce and family law matters.

Tynia Burton, ’97, ’00, ’05 M.A. (Education), after 15 years of service with Chicago Public Schools as a teacher and assistant principal, decided to serve as an educator in a different capacity. Now working as an education foundations professor, advisor and induction coach at the University of Chicago, Tynia instructs and advises adults in the master’s degree program and coaches new teachers in Chicago public and charter schools. She loves where her career path has led her and no longer considers it “work.” Tynia enjoyed the beaches of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica for Christmas 2012 and is optimistic about what 2013 holds for her personally and professionally.

Tracy Dineen Jones ’97 (Education) remarried and teaches fifth grade in Chicago Public Schools and is excited to share the news that one of her daughters received her acceptance letter to SXU.

Kimbriell Kelly ’97 (English) joined the Washington Post’s government accountability investigative reporting unit. Calling employment at the Post “my dream when I was in J school,” Kimbriell told Time Out Chicago’s Robert Feder: “I’m really excited about this opportunity, particularly to work on investigative stories that I care about, that impact people and their lives.” Previously,

Kimbriell had been editor and publisher of The Chicago Reporter, a pioneering nonprofit bimonthly magazine with an outsized reputation for investigative work in the social justice realm.

alumni nOtes

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

Paula Komarudin ’99 MBA (Business) resides in Indonesia and is a marketing director at Ciptadana Asset Management. Paula enjoys working in the asset management industry and credits the education she received at SXU for her career success. She and her husband have two sons (22 and 19). The eldest will graduate this year from business school with plans of earning a master’s degree in the U.K.; the youngest enjoys cooking and is in his second semester in hospitality school with plans of earning a master’s degree from Le Cordon Bleu London.

2000s Class of 2003 and 2008 Reunion Years! Make sure we know how to contact you. Questions? Call (773) 298-3316 or visit our website: www.sxu.edu/alumni.

Issa Elsousou ’04 (Business) is working at Country Financial helping people achieve their financial goals. He welcomes all to visit www.countryfinancial.com/issa.elsousou to see how he can help you.

The Women’s Growing Connection Welcomes You

Christmas: The Gift of LovePoem “A Visit from the Christ Child” ©1986 F.R. Duplantier. Adapted for drama by Elissa Metropoulos 2012.

Excerpt "Bride Letter 14: Christ- The New Born King" from the book "The Bride Letters"  ©2011, Gary G. Galloway. Adapted for drama by Elissa Metropoulos 2012.

Excerpt "That’s How Much I Love You" from the book "From In the Grip of Grace" ©1996, Max Lucado. As written.

All songs:For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 60740

Gather Round Ye Children Come-CCLI#4618294 Andrew Peterson © 2005 New Spring (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

Here With Us-CCLI#4592743 Joy Williams, Ben Glover, Jason Ingram © 2005 Wordspring Music, LLC (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) Years Later Music (Admin. by The Loving Company) (Admin. by The Loving Company) New Spring (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) J Ingram Music (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.)

Love Comes Down-CCCLI#5553633 Matt Maher, Michael Gungor, Audrey Assad, Paul Moak © Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) spiritandsong.com (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) River Oaks Music Company (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Songs of Razor and Tie (Songs of Razor and Tie [Admin. by Music Services, Inc.])

How He Loves-CCLI#5032549 John Mark McMillan © 2005 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

O Come Let Us Adore Him CCLI#6089319 Autumn Hardman, C. Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade, Matt Crocker, Ryan Taubert © 2011 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

He Has Come for Us CCLI#5683022 Jason Ingram, Meredith Andrews © 2009 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) Sony/ATV Timber Publishing (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC) West Main Music (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC) Windsor Hill Music (Admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC)

Copyright Credits

CCCH Christmas Program

Friday, December 14, 2012

8:00-9:00 p.m.

Thank you Christmas Dinner team! This evening is possible because of the work of so many great people including the planning team, hostesses, cooks, servers, kitchen crew, parking attendants,

set-up team and CCCH staff.

Elissa Metropoulos ’04 (Music) directed and produced her third Christmas program for the Women’s Growing Connection of Christian Church, Clarendon Hills, Ill. With the exception of the music, Elissa wrote most of the program that included songs presented by vocalists, a worship band, dramas and a local artist, who painted throughout the program as another form of worship. This year’s theme was Christmas: The

Gift of Love, retelling the story of Jesus Christ coming to Earth as a baby, God in flesh.

Tiffany Douglas Chavez ’05 (Nursing) was married in August 2012. Employed with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Tiffany is working on a master’s degree in clinical nurse leadership at Saint Xavier. In November 2012 Tiffany was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau.

Laura Kleinhenz Slonskis ’05 (Art) is a graphic designer at Flyer Delivery Service in Oak Lawn, Ill.

Eric Entler ’06 MBA (Financial Planning), commissioner of the park district of Forest Park, Ill., was elected to the Illinois Association of Park Districts’ board of trustees. As trustee, Eric will assist the association in its mission of advancing Illinois park districts, forest preserves, conservation, recreation and special recreation agencies in their ability to preserve natural resources and improve the quality of life for all people in Illinois.

Luke Gregerson ’06 (Criminal Justice), a relief pitcher for the San Diego Padres, was selected to represent the United States on Team USA for the 2013 World Baseball Classic held in March.

Sarah Phillips ’06 MBA (Marketing) and her husband welcomed an addition to their family. Gavin James Phillips joined big brother Liam Michael on Sept. 10, 2012.

Lauren Infelise Prunckle ’08 (English) and Matthew Prunckle ’08 (Finance) married on Sept. 29, 2012. Their story began in 2005-06 during a winter break trip to Rome sponsored by SXU. The two having never met before convinced their parents to allow them to sign up for this “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” During their travels, a stroll through the Roman Forum, a tour of the Colosseum, a day trip to Florence, a view from the top of the

Spanish Steps and a New Year’s kiss sealed the deal and they began to see each other exclusively upon arriving home. Immediately following their wedding, seven years after having met at SXU, the couple returned to take pictures and enjoy some homecoming festivities.

Sharday Cage ’09 (Communications) has written her second book, Shadows and Silhouettes, a collection of prose. As a student at SXU, Sharday realized a groundbreaking moment occurred as she recited one of her poems called “Forgiveness” for Sister Helen Prejean, a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Sharday’s writing covers a wide range of topics from violence to love to nature.

Clay Pelegrin Diaz ’09 (Religious Studies) is studying at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and will complete his courses in 2014.

Agne Juskaite ’09 (International Studies) completed a master’s of management with specialization in higher education administration at Robert Morris University in 2012.

Stephanie A. Whyte, M.D. ’09 MBA (Public and Nonprofit Management) joined Chicago Public Schools as its first-ever chief health officer. A board-certified pediatrician, Stephanie oversees student health and wellness policy and programming for the district with the goal of improving student achievement by removing health-related barriers.

2010s Lindsey Herzog Bye ’10 (Nursing) and her husband welcomed Lilly Ann, born on Sept. 4, 2012, at 6 pounds, 15 ounces.

19S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

alumni nOtes

Bye

Phillips

Prunckle

alumni nOtes

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

Lawrence T. Prentice ’10 (Sociology) received his master’s in sociology from DePaul University and is an academic advisor at Saint Xavier.

Maeren Chambers Wrenn ’10 (Nursing), a registered nurse in the oncology unit at St. James Hospital, and her husband, Dan, have two children Harper (3) and Jameson (2).

Tiffany McCould ’11 (International Business) is a second-year law student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. She is interning at the public defender’s office and is a legal volunteer at the California Innocence Project. The California Innocence Project has been successful in nine exonerations, some of whom were in for life. Tiffany wanted to inform the SXU community of her success in emulating the core values of SXU.

Esperanza Moreno Padilla ’12 (Finance) was named treasury management officer at Fifth Third Bank, Chicago. Esperanza previously served as commercial treasury management sales associate for Fifth Third Bank and has nearly a decade of customer service and sales experience.

Joan Guilfoyle, with her Easter baskets

The Easter Basket ProjectJoan (Condon) Guilfoyle ’39 (French) learned of a need at a local homeless shelter two years ago to provide Easter baskets for children living in residence, so she started the Easter Basket Project.

Last year, with the help of about 10 fellow Smith Village residents, Joan prepared 20 Easter baskets for the children at the Maria Shelter on Chicago’s South Side. She wanted to continue the tradition this year and again partnered with Maria Shelter. Only this time, the staff explained that its housing program expanded to include Believe Shelter, and 40 Easter baskets would be needed. Joan said, “No problem,” and the project was underway again.

She accepted donations of sand pail “baskets” and small toys from a Smith Village employee volunteer and got to work assembling the Easter baskets.

Already thinking about Easter 2014, Joan personifies the Mercy-inspired mission of Saint Xavier University – thinking of others, identifying what she can do personally and mobilizing others in service of the common good.

Cubs outing a hit for SXUNearly 100 SXU alumni, students and friends came

together at Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs

take on the San Diego Padres and cheer for SXU

alumnus, Padres pitcher Luke Gregerson ’06. The April

evening was a success with a Cubs win and with

Saint Xavier University well-represented both on and

off the field.

For information on upcoming alumni and friends events,

contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at

(773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

21S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Last year, longtime artist Kathy Gordon Davis ’85, ’06 was approached by the Class of 1961 50-year reunion gift committee and University administration to create a painting that would embody the quotation, “Who shall find a valiant woman?” The painting is part of the Class of ’61 reunion gift and is expected to be completed and displayed in the newly renovated Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library this fall.

This biblical passage (Proverbs 31:10-31) adorned the main entrance of the University during the 1950s and 1960s, and many Saint Xavier alumnae found inspiration from it.

“To me, this quote speaks volumes of the value of a woman in relationships with her spouse, family, community and God,” Gordon Davis said. “Women take on such a variety of critical and dynamic roles throughout the course of a lifetime. Several of these roles are visualized in the design and composition of my painting. There are women recognized for their extraordinary contributions, who are recognized for their valiance, and there are women who do simple everyday things that are perhaps not extraordinary but valiant in their own right.

“We all have had so many incredible women touch our lives and help to mold who we are as individuals,” she added. “For me, this quote from Proverbs honors the amazing contributions of all women, not just those recognized by history.”

Gordon Davis is the chair of the Fine Arts Department and a visual arts instructor at Mother McAuley High School, where she has been employed for more than 25 years. She said working with teenage girls is by far the most rewarding aspect of her career.

“Seeing the students evolve and seeing them grow from unsure teenagers into amazing young women” is such a joy, she said. “Every day is a new adventure. Every day they entertain me, they inspire me, they motivate me to get up in the morning. I love working here, and I love the kids.”

Gordon Davis earned her bachelor’s degree in art and her master’s degree in teaching and leadership. She says Saint Xavier focused on action research to make her a better teacher.

“You collaborate with other teachers and you take all of the things you learn and you apply it to your classroom teaching. It’s not this lofty, philosophical approach to education, it’s in the trenches.”

She said working within the single-gender environment of McAuley brings a unique perspective.

“The girls are so empowered. There are no worries about what they have to look like…. It’s all those little things, but it gels together and it’s a pretty amazing place,” she said. “Helping them see their potential is just phenomenal. They can do anything.

“One of my favorite quotes from Catherine McAuley is: ‘No work ... can be more productive of good to society or more conducive to the happiness of the poor than the careful instruction of women ... since whatever situation they are destined to fill, their example and their advice will always have great influence ... and wherever a God-fearing woman presides, peace and good order are generally to be found.’”

Alumni Achieverkathy Gordon Davis ’85, ’06, professional artist and fine arts chair at Mother McAuley high School

Kathy Gordon Davis described herunfinished oil painting as a

depiction of the courageous women in history as well as the resilient women in everyday occupations.

She also included the 49th StreetGateway Arch and images of the

current Saint Xavier campus.

alumni nOtes

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

Wine reception warmly receivedNearly 100 alumni, friends and prospective graduate students enjoyed a private wine reception at Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant and Winery in Orland Park, Ill.

In addition to the assortment of food and wine selections, prospective graduate students had the opportunity to meet alumni, faculty, staff and National Alumni Board members who shared their knowledge and/or educational experiences at SXU.

“This evening was a wonderful collaborative event between our alumni, friends and prospective students,” said Jamie Manahan, executive director of Alumni and Parent Relations. “Our alumni had a chance to reconnect with the University and share their insights about educational opportunities for future SXU graduate students.”

A special feature of this sold-out event in February was the recognition of “SXU Sweethearts.” Andy ’75 and Nancy ’76 Devine spearheaded this honor by inviting several alumni couples who, like them, met their spouses while studying at SXU.

The event was hosted by the Saint Xavier Office of Alumni and Parent Relations in collaboration with the Office of Admission.

Aug. 23• SXUnightatU.S.CellularField–

“Elvis Night” Sept. 7

• SXUFootballTailgate,BruceR.DeatonMemorialField

Sept. 28 – Oct. 5• HOMECOMINGWEEK

Sept. 28• Classof1963–50thReunionCelebration

Sept. 29• HomecomingLiturgyandSpiritof SaintXavierAwardsCeremony, McDonoughChapel

Oct. 1• “UnveiltheAle”atGilhooley’sGrandeSaloon

Oct. 2• S.T.A.T.(ServiceThroughActionTeam)BrownBagProject,Atrium

Oct. 5• Classof1973–40thReunionCelebration• SX-BrewHouseTailgateTentand All-AlumniReunion,BruceR.DeatonMemorialField

• SXUFootballvs.GrandViewUniversity(IA)• FifthQuarterPartyatGilhooley’sGrande

Saloon Oct. 12

• SXUSoccerTailgate,BruceR.DeatonMemorialField

Oct. 24• AlumniX-ChangeNetworkingEvent

nov. 9• S.T.A.T.(ServiceThroughActionTeam)ChicagoFoodDepository

nov. 21• Alumni&FriendsWineReceptionatGilhooley’sGrandeSaloon

Dec. 12• Alumni&FriendsHolidayTea,ButlerReceptionRoom

upcOMingevents and activities

“SXU Sweethearts” include, from left, Gary ’75 and Susan ’75 Hickerson, Dennis ’75 and Joann ’76 St. Leger, Michael ’73 and Laureen ’71 Kelly, Patrick “Andy” ’75 and Nancy ’76 Devine, and Leonard ’73 and Janet Wade.

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

information on these events and activities.

SEE WHAT SAINT XAVIER’S GOT BREWING

H O M E C O M I N G2013

13th Annual Cougar5K Run/Walk

SX-Brew House Tailgate Tent

All Alumni ReunionCelebrating Class

Years: ’07, ’03, ’97,’93, ’87, ’83 and ’77

Class of 1973 Reunion

SXU Football vs.Grand View University (IA)

Gilhooley’s 5thQuarter Party

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 – SATURDAY, OCT. 5

SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITYSee What Saint Xavier’s Got Brewing!S A V E T H E D A T E F O R H O M E C O M I N G

2013

Saturday, Sept. 28Class of 1963 Golden Graduate Celebration

ChicagoCampusTour3p.m.,McDonoughChapel

GoldenGraduateCocktailHour4:30p.m.,ButlerReceptionRoom

GoldenGraduateDinner6p.m.,ButlerReceptionRoom

Sunday, Sept. 29HomecomingLiturgyandSpiritofSaintXavierAwards10a.m.,McDonoughChapelJoin the Saint Xavier community as we gather for the Homecoming Eucharistic Liturgy that will include a blessing for the recipients of the Spirit of Saint Xavier Awards. A reception honoring the award recipients will follow in the Mercy Ministry Center.

Monday, Sept. 30SX-BrewBus9a.m.,ChicagoCampusThe SX-Brew Bus will visit various locations on campus. Come out for a cup of Cougar Swirl, a specialty coffee created by Starbucks just for SXU.

tuesday, Oct. 1“UnveiltheAle”HomecomingCelebration4p.m.,Gilhooley’sGrandeSaloonStaff, faculty and alumni are invited to be the first to sample microbrew SXU Cougar Ale. Admission is free. Register online to receive a commemorative Homecoming 2013 stadium cup and a complimentary Cougar Ale drink ticket!

Wednesday, Oct. 2ServiceThroughActionTeam(S.T.A.T.) BrownBagProject6p.m.,SXUDinerAtriumIn the spirit of our Mercy heritage, alumni, students, staff and faculty are invited to help us prepare lunches for local organizations that serve our neighbors in need.

thursday, Oct. 3AcademicDistinguishedAlumniandtheO’BrienStudent Leadership Awards6:30p.m.,ButlerReceptionRoomMembers of the SXU community will honor those alumni and students whose words and actions emulate the operating ethos of Saint Xavier University.

Saturday, Oct. 5Here’s a sample of the activities planned for the Homecoming 2013 celebration. For more details, visit www.sxu.edu, Keyword: Homecoming 2013.

•13thAnnualCougar5KRun/WalkLast year more than 1,000 alumni, students, parents and friends of SXU participated in the Cougar 5K run/walk. Don’t forget to register early! Visit www.sxu.edu, Keyword: Cougar 5K.

•AthleticAlumniGamesFor more information, please contact the Office of Athletics at (773) 298-3101.

•SX-BrewHouseTailgateTentandAll-AlumniReunionGather at this pre-game tradition with other alumni and friends to enjoy our very own microbrew, Cougar Ale, brewed specifically for SXU by owner and Brew Master Neil Byers of Horse Thief Hollow Restaurant and Brewery. Or enjoy a cup of Cougar Swirl, a signature coffee created for SXU by Starbucks. A portion of the $10 admission price supports Cougar Athletics.

•Classof1973ReunionMembers of the Class of 1973 are invited to celebrate their 40th reunion with a reception in the Bishop Quarter Room of the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library.

•CougarCubs:FamilyFunandGamesFace painting, caricature artists, bags and more … we’ll have something that every age will enjoy!

•SXUFootballvs.GrandViewUniversity(IA)•Gilhooley’sFifthQuarterPartyAfter the game, the celebration will spill over to Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon. Cougar Ale will be on tap along with live entertainment – an awesome finale to Homecoming 2013!

interested in gathering a group of classmates for a reunion? Become a class volunteer! Work with the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations and the SXU National Alumni Board to reach out to members of your class year and help plan Homecoming.

To find out more about becoming a Homecoming class volunteer, contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

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

SOMEONE you should knowShane zackery had never been in the limelight before when he joined 14 of college football’s best and brightest scholar-athletes from around the nation.

The senior wide receiver and team captain from Rockford, Ill., was selected as a 2012 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA. Zackery was the only NAIA player represented in this year’s class, and he was awarded an $18,000 scholarship to assist with postgraduate studies at an awards dinner in December in New York City.

The NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete program is the first initiative in history to award scholar-athletes postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. Zackery joins such past luminaries as actor Mark Harmon (UCLA), NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (Richmond), former Dateline NBC anchor Stone Phillips (Yale) and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow (Florida).

“It was the first time I was part of big press conferences,” he says. “Schools such as Notre Dame, Alabama, MIT – it’s basically the football version of the Heisman Trophy for the academic part of it.”

Zackery, however, is no novice to success, because the business management major with an emphasis in marketing and finance becomes the first student-athlete in the 20-year history of the Saint Xavier football program to receive this distinction.

He carries a 3.7 cumulative grade-point average and is a two-time CoSIDA College Division First Team Academic All-America (2011 and 2012) as well as a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete (2011 and 2012). Zackery also helped SXU win the 2011 NAIA Football National Championship finishing the game with nine receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.

This past season, Zackery led the Cougars in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,122) and touchdowns (13). He also has coordinated team activities for Saint Xavier’s annual “Service

Day” and volunteered his time to help host a free football clinic for underprivileged kids in conjunction with a local Salvation Army Community Center in Chicago.

“Just meeting guys like Manti Te’o, Matt Barkley, Barrett Jones was just great. Those are three guys that are going to be high draft picks, so just being able to spend a couple of days with them and see how they interact with each other was great.”

Zackery showed his skills on the field to NFL coaches and scouts at various college pro day workouts this past spring, but he values his education. He plans to get a master’s degree in finance at SXU and then go to law school.

“Coming to college I didn’t think I’d succeed like I am now,” he says. “I’ve always been a hard worker. I really don’t talk a lot, I just wanted to show my talents and let my actions speak for themselves. My ambitions come from my parents and my grandmother. They’ve always instilled great morals and great values.”

Coach Mike Feminis says Zackery “has a tremendous work ethic and, when you combine that with his skill level, you have one of the best receivers in small college football. However, what makes me the most proud about Shane is what he has accomplished in the classroom and the type of person he is.… As good as he is on the field, Shane has always understood the importance of academics and he has obviously excelled in the classroom as well.”

Online extra: Watch video highlights

of Shane Zackery’s trip to New York for

the NFF National Scholar-Athlete honor.

www.sxucougars.com/ article/3354.php

25S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Chicago baseball fans gather in ArizonaFans of SXU and Chicago baseball gathered at Camelback Ranch Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., to witness the White Sox overtake the Cubs during a spring training preseason game in March.

President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., welcomed more than 130 guests to the Legends Deck designated exclusively for Saint Xavier University.

“I am pleased that so many Saint Xavier alumni and friends joined us for this annual event,” she said. “To share the occasion with alumni and friends of the University makes an exciting event memorable for years to come. I look forward to seeing all of our friends again next year.”

This regional event attracts alumni and friends from across the country as well as those living in the Grand Canyon state. Ticket sales have grown each year, and a portion of the proceeds support student scholarships.

For more information about this regional event and upcoming SXU alumni activities, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

Halfway to Homecoming event raises scholarship moneyThe second annual Halfway to Homecoming 2013 (H2H) event focused on re-engaging alumni and friends of SXU. Held in March at the club 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, Ill., H2H was the perfect opportunity for alumni to reminisce about their experiences at SXU, discuss current SXU happenings and begin making plans for Homecoming Week 2013, Sept. 28 – Oct. 5.

Organizers also used H2H to raise awareness of the need for funding to help SXU students, and a portion of the admission price supported student scholarships. Other donations were generated through raffle sales for Blackhawks tickets and gift baskets of goods donated by local vendors.

Timothy O’Neill ’04, left, enjoys the evening with Andrea Wydra ’07, Matthew Prunckle ’08 and Lauren Prunckle ’08.

Nancy Callaghan ’78, left, Nicole Quintavalle, Kimberly Callaghan and William H. Callaghan Jr. soak in the sun as they watch the White Sox battle the Cubs.

From left, Carol and Ron Rezetko, Jacob Ghinazzi, Molly Sheehan, SXU President Christine Wiseman, J.D.

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alumni nOtes

1939 Loretta Lang Neufeld (Nursing)1941 Shirley M. Anderson (History)1941 Sara Faems (History)1942 Dorothy Tsui Tang (Nursing)1946 Margaret A. De Vore (Latin)1946 Rita Doubek (Spanish)1946 Joan Nothnagel Murray (Nursing)1950 Mrs. Lillian Sattler Harwood (Nursing) 1951 Ave Hayes Green (Education)1954, 1966 Sister Mary Jo DeMarco, R.S.M. (Sociology, Theology)1954 Sister Mary Josephus Lamansky, R.S.M. (Nursing)1957 Ann Simpson (Nursing)

1959 Patricia Broadhurst Finley (Nursing)1960 Sister Mary Catherine Daly, R.S.M. (English)1961 Judith Guglielmucci Bauer (History)1963, 1971 Sister Rita Pitstick, R.S.M. (Education, Theology)1967 Mary Ann Albrecht (Education)1968 Bishop Moses Anderson, S.S.E. (Theology) 1968, 1976 Doris E. Grede (Education)1968 Joan Lopeman (Psychology)1977 Phillip Wood (Nursing)1981 Lucille Foster-Fitzpatrick (Nursing) 1981 Maureen P. McKenna (Nursing)1991, 1993 Rev. Charles G. Gallagher (English)1991 Mary Clare Lynch (Education) 2006 Rebecca Ann Hodorowicz (Accounting)

in memoriam

PhilliP WOOD, 1944-2012

The Saint Xavier community lost a loyal alumnus, fan and true friend with the passing of Phillip Wood ’77 (Nursing). Phil’s passion for the University was exemplified by his years of service on the board of the Alumni Association. In 1998 Phil received the Sister Dorothy Marie Peschon ’19 Award for serving as an exemplary volunteer and supporter of the University’s endeavors. A mainstay at pregame tailgates, Phil was an avid fan of Cougar Athletics, was a dedicated President’s Club member and was a firm supporter of student scholarships. Phil’s contributions to SXU will always be remembered.

AVE hAyES GREEn, 1929-2013

Ave Hayes Green ’51 (Education), an ardent member of the “49ers Club” for graduates from the campus at 49th and Cottage Grove, died in April 2013. Ave’s passion for SXU carried over to the 103rd Street campus, serving as a member on the board of the Alumni Association, president of the Alumni Association and member of the President’s Advisory Board. Her dedication to Saint Xavier as an exemplary volunteer and supporter of the University’s endeavors earned her the Sister Dorothy Marie Peschon ’19 Award in 1989. Ave’s personality was bigger than life and her passion for and dedication to Saint Xavier rivaled that. The entire University community mourns her loss.

Ave Hayes Green ’51, left, with Jamie Manahan, executive director of Alumni and Parent Relations

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.

Ellen Ryan, R.S.M. ’60, left, and Emily Kemppi, R.S.M. ’59, meet at Gilhooley’s before a Joffrey Ballet performance.

27S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

AlUMni EnjOy EVEninG With jOffREy BAllEt

Alumni and friends enjoyed an evening with the Joffrey Ballet in February for the performance of American Legends at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.

American Legends highlighted four separate storylines, each with unique dance styles. An added bonus to the evening featured an intimate “meet the artists” pre-show event introducing two members of the ballet troupe, who spoke about their artistic approach to and interpretation of the stories in American Legends. The dancers also participated in a Q&A session with the audience.

Guests gathered for a reception at Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon before the performance.

SXU supports Misericordia Candy DaysS.T.A.T. (Service Through Action Team) was proud to support Misericordia Heart of Mercy during its annual “Candy Days” fundraising event in April. SXU alumni, students and staff volunteered to collect donations from motorists.

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.

S.T.A.T. will be hitting the streets again to support Candy Days 2014. We welcome new volunteers. Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or alumni@sxu.edu.

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.

Bill Sheehy, left, Erin Laske ’06, Anna Kornas and David Ngo volunteer to raise money for Misericordia Heart of Mercy.

SPEnCER fOUnDAtiOn fUnDS RESEARCh intO SChOOl BOARD DECiSiOnS in jiM CROW SOUth

Anyone who has relocated has heard the mantra “location, location, location.” If children are involved, schools are a key factor in the decision making.

Karen Benjamin, Ph.D., of the Department of History and Political Science is examining the interplay between school board policy and housing markets during a period of urban growth in four Southern cities. Her research suggests that between World War I and World War II, the relationship between site selection for new schools and new housing actually increased racial segregation.

The Spencer Foundation has granted Benjamin nearly $40,000 to finish research on this topic for a book manuscript, Segregation Built to Last.

The Spencer Foundation is dedicated to the encouragement and support of high-quality and independent critical inquiry into educational issues and ideas. The connection between education and social opportunity is one of its grant-making focus areas.

hElEn M. hARRiSOn fOUnDAtiOn SUPPORtS SCiEnCE At SAint XAViER

Saint Xavier received a $25,000 grant from the Helen M. Harrison Foundation to support technology improvements in our academic science laboratories.

The Helen M. Harrison Foundation has been a generous supporter of academics at Saint Xavier for many years. Past grants have provided new laboratory equipment for the Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences and the Department of Biological Sciences.

In addition to its support for our science programs, the foundation has also provided support for the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library at SXU. The Helen M. Harrison Foundation is a generous benefactor to many nonprofits in the Chicago area.

DR. SChOll fOUnDAtiOn fUnDS SChOlARShiPS fOR nURSinG StUDEntS

A generous champion of charitable organizations in the Chicago area, the Dr. Scholl Foundation has provided Saint Xavier with a $10,000 grant to support scholarships for minority students in the School of Nursing.

Students in the School of Nursing enjoy an exceptional curriculum and the guidance of a dedicated faculty, and it is one of only 17 schools in the country designated as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.

About 95 percent of undergraduate students at Saint Xavier University receive financial assistance. The generosity of donors like the Dr. Scholl Foundation helps to ensure the accessibility of a quality SXU education for these students.

WEStERMAn fOUnDAtiOn SUPPORtS MiSSiOn EnGAGEMEnt

As the oldest Catholic university in Chicago, Saint Xavier’s Catholic identity is part of the character of a Saint Xavier education. The Office for University Mission and Heritage, under the direction of Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M., thinks that’s a good thing – and works hard to support the deepening engagement of employees, particularly faculty, with our Catholic identity and the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy. (For one faculty member’s perspective on the yearlong Mercy Scholars program, see Last Word, page 35.)

A recent grant of $10,000 from the Westerman Foundation is helping her to expand SXU’s mission engagement programs. For this year, the program sponsored discussions of common texts, and the foundation’s support will enable several participants to travel to workshops and bring back their insights.

advancing the MissiOn

28 A D V A N C I N G T h E M I S S I O N

S AV E T H E DAT E !

29th Annual President’s Scholarship BallSaturday, March 22, 2014

hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.

Saint Xavier University netted more than $397,000 for student scholarships at its 28th annual President’s Scholarship Ball in April, the most ever raised since the ball’s inception. More than 430 guests attended an evening of dinner and dancing, and it included a paddle raise auction led by an auctioneer.

The ball honored 2013 Shield of Saint Xavier recipients Henry Bros. Co. Henry Bros. Co. has been among Saint Xavier’s most generous lifetime donors and supporters. It has supported the Scholarship Ball since 1990 and was the ball’s first-ever presenting sponsor in 2002.

Additionally, third-generation co-owners George Ferrell and Bill Callaghan Jr. have chaired the SXU Golf Classic since its inception in 1996. Under their leadership, that event has grossed more than $1.3 million to scholarship support.

In 1922, brothers Robert and Patrick Henry, the founding partners of Henry Bros. Co., began a legacy responsible for building hundreds of churches, schools, rectories, convents and other religious institutions for the Archdiocese of Chicago and many religious orders of brothers and sisters, including the Sisters of Mercy. William H. Callaghan Sr., nephew of Robert and Patrick, and George P. Henry, son of Patrick, were the second-generation owners of the company from 1966 to 1987. William and his wife Maxine have attended Saint Xavier and Mercy Sisters fundraising events for more than 50 years.

George Ferrell helped to fund the renovations of Saint Xavier’s Ferrell Field, named in honor of his brother, Richard, who played baseball for SXU. George is married to Lorna Ferrell. Bill Callaghan Jr. is married to Nancy Callaghan ’78, a member of the President’s Advisory Council.

The fine workmanship of Henry Bros. Co. is visible throughout SXU. The company has built or renovated much of the Chicago campus since the mid-1970s, including the Outdoor Sports Center, the Shannon Center, McDonough Chapel and Mercy Ministry

Center, and most of the residence halls. The Orland Park campus also was built by Henry Bros. Co. in 2003. The firm continues to work on renovations of the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library and associated high-tech learning facilities.

“We thank the ball’s co-chairs, James P. and Mary M. Lill, for their tremendous efforts in making this evening such a success,” said President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D. “We also extend our sincere gratitude to the trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, benefactors and friends who support higher education and recognize the significant difference they make in the academic careers of our students.”

The President’s Scholarship Ball has raised millions of dollars for the Presidential Scholarship Program, which provides financial support to Saint Xavier’s most deserving students. More than 2,000 students have received Presidential Scholarships since the ball’s inception in 1985.

29S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

president’s scholarship Ball nets record $397,000

From left, William Callaghan Jr., Mary Lill (co-chair), William Callaghan Sr., President Christine M. Wiseman, George Ferrell, James Lill (co-chair)

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

advancing the MissiOn

“I lived down the street and was able to walk to college,” she said.

Beyond the convenience of living so close to the then-College, Helen has strong ties to the Sisters of Mercy. She attended Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School and had an aunt, Sister Ambrosine, and cousin, Sister Ambrose, who were Sisters of Mercy. Helen’s mom was a secretary to Sister Dominic Merwick, R.S.M., and her sister, Patricia McGrath ’76, is a Saint Xavier alumna. So is her sister-in-law, Mary Lue (McMahon) Buchler ’70.

Helen has many fond memories of her days as an undergraduate student at Saint Xavier, including the experience she gained in the speech clinic under her mentor, Sister Antonine Ludden, R.S.M.

“Being at Xavs – with its liberal arts education – it taught us how to think, how to look at things from different perspectives. In addition to the intensive education I received in speech communication disorders, I enjoyed courses in subjects like music and philosophy, too,” she said. She added that she was privileged to have had Sister Irenaeus Chekouras, R.S.M., as a teacher and has wonderful memories of Sisters Marie Fox, R.S.M. and Simeon O’Donohue.

Helen met her husband, Don, at a mixer she planned when she was a student. Married for nearly 42 years, they have raised three children and are enjoying time with their three grandchildren.

Helen and Don have been loyal supporters of Saint Xavier since the mid-1970s and proud members of the President’s Club for the past eight years. “Supporting Saint Xavier is our way of giving back,” Helen said. “I’ve had many wonderful experiences in the speech and language field as a result of the education I received at Saint Xavier.”

Don added, “For us, our chance to go to college changed our lives. If we hadn’t had the opportunity, our lives would be very

different. Higher education provides foundational knowledge that is so important for future success. We know our gifts make a big difference, especially at a place like Saint Xavier where there are a lot of first-generation students. That’s where you can really see the impact.”

Loyal and generous donors like the McMahons provide the vital funds that allow the University to fulfill its mission and give students of all abilities and backgrounds the chance to earn a life-changing degree.

Helen and Don McMahon

For Helen (Foley) McMahon ’68 (Speech-Language Pathology), attending Saint Xavier College was almost a foregone conclusion.

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.

31S p r i n g / S u m m e r 2 0 1 3

Saint Xavier University is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Life Trustees to its Board of Trustees: John C. McCarthy and John P. Sweeney.

Life Trustee appointments are a way for SXU to connect with and honor former University trustees who have made outstanding contributions to the University, the community or the nation, or who have distinguished themselves in a field of education uniquely benefitting humanity. Life Trustees hold honorary positions on the Board of Trustees.

John C. McCarthy has been part of the SXU community since his birth. He is the nephew of Sister Mary Huberta McCarthy, R.S.M., who was SXU’s president during the 1950s. He served as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2007, and was chairman of the board from 1997 to 2003. He and his wife Jane chaired SXU’s President’s Scholarship Ball in 1998. In 2009 two group study rooms in the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library were named for McCarthy’s parents and for his grandparents in recognition of his generous gift to the Mercy Challenge fundraising drive.

McCarthy is president and part owner of Continental Air Transport, Inc., and is chairman of the board at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. McCarthy received a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in 1972 and an MBA from Loyola University in 1980.

John P. Sweeney served as a member of SXU’s Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2006, and was chairman of the board from 2003 to 2006. Through a generous gift by the Sweeney family to the Office for University Mission and Heritage during the Mercy Challenge, the Saint Xavier University John P. Sweeney Family Lecture Series was inaugurated in April 2011.

Sweeney is owner and president of D.E.C. Ventures and is a general partner in many real estate partnerships under the name JPS Interests. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and studied at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

The other Life Trustees are James O’Connor, Sister Lois Graver, R.S.M., and James McDonough.

Mccarthy, sweeney named as Life trustees

McCarthy

Sweeney

The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded a $9,061 Nurse Educator Fellowship to Mary S. Haras, PhD(c), MBA, APN, NP-C, CNN, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. This program aims to ensure retention of well-qualified nursing faculty at institutions of higher education that award nursing degrees. The fellowships supplement

recipients’ salaries and help defray professional development and continuing education expenses. Haras was nominated for the award by Gloria Jacobson, R.N., Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing.

Haras is one of 18 nursing professors in Illinois to receive this highly competitive fellowship for the 2012-2013 academic year. As she completes her Ph.D. in nursing at the Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University, she will use this award to study the perceptions of nephrology nurses toward advance care planning for persons with chronic kidney disease. Her dissertation focus is

an important area of research because the number of persons with chronic kidney disease continues to grow, and a valid and reliable method of assessing the advance care planning process in nephrology nurses is needed.

Haras’ expertise is in the field of nephrology, and her teaching responsibilities focus primarily on medical-surgical nursing. She earned her BSN at Rush University in Chicago and her MS/Adult Nurse Practitioner degree from North Park University in Chicago. She also holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

Haras joined SXU’s School of Nursing as an assistant professorial lecturer in 2007. Today, as an assistant professor on the tenure track, she teaches in the undergraduate classroom and clinical settings, and in the online clinical nurse leader master’s program. Outside SXU, Haras remains active as a nurse practitioner in Evergreen Park and serves as American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) project director for the American Kidney Fund Medicare Kidney Disease Education Project.

First Midwest Bank provided a grant of $5,000 for continued support of the Graham School of Management’s work with small-business owners in the Pilsen community.

St. Aubin Haggerty and Associates, Star Diamond, Great Lakes Financial Partners and Best Buy have also provided support for this year’s programming. The project’s community partners include LISC Chicago, the Greater Pilsen Economic Development Association and The Resurrection Project.

The program, which is directed by Monica C. Gavino, Ph.D., associate professor of management, is designed to strengthen and sustain small businesses. A series of workshops help small-business owners refine their business plans, learn how to work with financial

lenders, use technology and manage key aspects of their business operations, and network to promote their businesses. Materials and presentations are provided in English and Spanish to increase accessibility for non-native speakers of English. More than 250 business owners have participated in the program since it started in 2009.

By investing in this effort, First Midwest Bank and other project partners are helping Saint Xavier provide small-business owners with critical resources that enhance their skills as entrepreneurs, improve the performance and sustainability of their businesses, and promote the economic vitality of the Pilsen community.

advancing the MissiOn

32 A D V A N C I N G T h E M I S S I O N

nURSinG PROfESSOR RECEiVES iBhE fEllOWShiP

fiRSt MiDWESt BAnk, CORPORAtE PARtnERS SUPPORt SMAll-BUSinESS OUtREACh

33S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

Saint Xavier lost a dear friend and cherished alumnus, Bishop Moses Anderson ’68, on Jan. 1, 2013. Bishop Anderson was last on campus in December 2011 when he received an honorary degree at the winter commencement ceremony. This award was a highlight of Bishop Anderson’s life as he mentioned to his good friends Sisters Irenaeus Chekouras and Marion Johnson.

Bishop Anderson was born in Selma, Ala., on Sept. 9, 1928. He was the oldest of five children and as such helped support his brothers and sisters. When he was 20 years old he departed from his Baptist roots and converted to Catholicism. He then had two strong issues to deal with: being black and being Catholic.

Bishop Anderson was ordained a priest in 1958. He earned an M.A.T. in sociology at St. Michael’s College in 1961. His first assignment was as associate pastor of Our Lady of Consolation in Charlotte, N.C. In 1961, Bishop Anderson was appointed pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Elizabeth City, N.C. It was during this time in North Carolina when Bishop Anderson also became involved in the civil rights movement.

In 1964, he was named associate professor of theology at St. Michael’s College. During his stay there he heard about the theology department at Saint Xavier University. Bishop Anderson came to Chicago and earned a master’s degree in contemporary theology in 1968. Upon completing his degree from Saint Xavier, he became vice president of student affairs at Xavier University in New Orleans. In 1971, he was named director of religious affairs and associate professor of theology at Xavier University and Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

In 1981 he was appointed pastor of All Saints Parish in Anniston, Ala. In 1982, he received a phone call from Pope John Paul II, naming him auxiliary bishop of Detroit. He was ordained to this position in 1983. At the time there were only seven black bishops in the United States. He was the first and only African-American bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bishop Anderson had a wide variety of interests including black theology, art and evangelization. He enjoyed all kinds of music from classical to jazz, blues to pop. He also enjoyed cooking and organic gardening. He forged ties with Ghana where he studied African theology. There he was honored as a tribal chief of the Ashanti tribe.

Hundreds attended his Detroit funeral. Monsignor James Robinson, a longtime friend of Bishop Anderson, said that “he came a long way. He overcame segregation, poverty and anti-Catholic prejudice in Alabama to become the first African-American Catholic bishop in Detroit.”

He was, in the words of Archbishop Allen Vigneron, “a real ambassador for Christ on Earth.”

Bishop Moses Anderson was awarded a Saint Xavier honorary degree in 2011. Here, he celebrated with Sister Marion Johnson, left, and the late Sister Irenaeus Chekouras.

Bishop Moses Anderson, 1928-2013

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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Chicago, IL 60655

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Email: alumni@sxu.edu

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Keep Touchin

AnthOny j. RUDiS SR. 1911-2012

Anthony J. Rudis Sr. served Saint Xavier as a member of the Board of Trustees from 1971 until 1983. He founded Rockwell Engineering Co., a structural fabricating firm in Blue Island, Ill. He was a past president of the International Trade Club and was a member of the Legislative Committee of the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, the Urban Renewal Committee and the Export Managers Club. He frequently helped promote American business in foreign countries and traveled abroad for the U.S. State Department. He was also a past director of the American Museum of Immigration at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

Rudis died in December. He was 101.

Throughout his lifetime, Rudis was active in various civic projects and community-based initiatives. Rudis and his late wife, Mary, were involved with the Lithuanian community in Chicago and supported humanitarian efforts in Lithuania. They were also strong advocates for a variety of Catholic causes. In recognition of his activism, Rudis was made a Knight Commander of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II.

Rudis developed an interest in environmental conservation and was responsible for one of the largest reforestation projects in Illinois on his 610-acre property in Monee. Through personal funds and government grants, Rudis planted hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs on his property.

In 2003, Rudis received an honorary doctorate of human letters from Loyola University Chicago.

Rudis was last on campus to attend the inauguration of President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D., in October 2010.

Rudis was preceded in death by his beloved wife and daughter, Margarita Krupa. He is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

BEnEDiCt M. AShlEy, O.P., 1915-2013

Saint Xavier University is saddened by the passing of one of its foremost teachers and scholars, Dominican Father the Rev. Benedict Ashley, O.P. He was 97.

Ashley was a theologian and philosopher who had a major influence on 20th century Catholic theology and ethics in America through his writing, teaching and consulting with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He was a full-time professor of theology and philosophy at Saint Xavier College from 1952 to 1962. He held a S.T. L. (Licentiate in Sacred Theology) and a Ph.D. Author of many books and scholarly papers, Ashley was a significant intellectual presence at Saint Xavier. in m

emor

iam

Last WordThe struggles of bringing faith into the classroomWhen the invitation to join the yearlong Mercy Scholars program went out to the faculty in spring 2012, I immediately and eagerly responded yes.

Fundamentally, the program allows for three processes of inquiry: First, it allows participating faculty members to immerse themselves in a study of their own religious heritage, irrespective of what that tradition is.

Second, it provides a forum in which faculty members can assemble with other Mercy Scholars to explore the ways in which a Catholic university might be a place in which the kind of issues and concerns carried by religious traditions ought to be introduced and examined.

And third, it encourages – and gives support for – faculty who desire to revise their course syllabi in a way that would demonstrate what it would mean to introduce into the classroom the kind of religious questions and perspectives that they have been studying.

At a first reading, these kinds of engagements, these kinds of benefits, may not seem like much; however, they are indeed rich and necessary, and, as author and poet Raymond Carver would say, they are “small, good things” in the world. They provide faculty members at Saint Xavier with a chance to bridge the spiritual and the professional, the ethical and the pedagogical, and encourage a deep, profound discussion of the things that really matter to every individual.

That is a much bigger benefit than the outcomes listed above might suggest, believe me. For it is an unfortunate fact that most members of the professoriate do not get the chance, or the forum, to explore spiritual and ethical matters deliberately in the company of their colleagues or in terms of the classroom. We often choose to keep our faith lives separate from our work, not from any designed attempt to deny their possible synthesis but from a desire not to inflict our beliefs on our colleagues and students.

Even as a medievalist, as one who spends a good deal of time wrestling with ecclesiastical texts from centuries long past, even I am often hesitant to address spiritual or ethical issues outside of the material context. Rarely do I engage in those profound conversations about God, about faith, or about

social obligation and justice with my colleagues or students. Again, that silence is not deliberate; rather, it is an acknowledgement that in the academic world, those kinds of conversations are often relegated to certain kinds of social arenas that are, metaphorically, roped off for the purpose.

The Mercy Scholars program, however, is at its core an initiative that seeks to sever that rope. It encourages every participant to explore faith, spirituality and ethics in terms of the potential of the Catholic university, in terms of the potential of the classroom and in terms of the potential of the individual. In other words, it offers true personal and professional development, and it is a gift to the faculty at Saint Xavier University.

My own experience with the program this year is something a bit hard to define. I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to gather with my colleagues, to

learn from them and to share my views of faith with them but I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t a challenging process for me. There were texts that I read with my colleagues that expanded my horizons and texts that challenged everything that I knew – or thought I knew – about spirituality and belief. In reading all of that material, I was compelled to stretch, mentally and emotionally, and, quite understandably, the process caused a certain amount of stress fractures in my belief system.

The fissures healed, of course, in new, healthy ways, and I was the better for the battle, so I would take none of that process back, challenging as it was. And I know that that profound thinking, that inner struggle, has also manifested itself in some of the assignments and discussions that I have designed with my students.

We might talk about the critical process and argumentation of theologians like William James and Paul Tillich, but we are also, quite fundamentally, addressing the place and practice of belief in the modern world. It is a deeper kind of conversation, a more challenging one, and it is one that I would never have been able to initiate without the Mercy Scholars program.

Shannon Ambrose, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of english and Foreign Languages at

Saint Xavier university.

The Mercy Scholars program

is at its core an initiative that

encourages every participant

to explore faith, spirituality and

ethics in terms of the potential

of the Catholic university, in

terms of the potential of the

classroom and in terms of the

potential of the individual.

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