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Parks Air News - Volume 014, Issue 004a (October-November, 1946)
No full text4 pages. Misnumbered as the second Issue 4
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textSummer 2025 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.President Pestello looks back on 11 years of leadership
PAGE 10
THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y
SUMMER 2025
UNIVERSITAS THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Message from the First Lady
Beginnings and endings are
filled with anticipation
and a sense of adventure.
What is next is unknown
and ready to be created.
Eleven years ago, Fred and I drove
into St. Louis ready to begin his tenure
as SLU’s first lay president and my role as
the first first lady. We are now approach-ing
the day when we step out of our roles
and begin a new chapter of our lives in
this great city.
As we move toward this momentous
transition, it is gratifying to take stock
of the accomplishments we have marked
and the challenges we have faced together.
As Fred notes in his interview (page 10), SLU
and Midtown have grown and transformed
in remarkable ways — strengthened and sus-tained
by SLU’s Jesuit mission and values.
I had the joy of creating the role of first lady
at this historic institution, bringing my own
experience as a scholar of sociology and a
former department chair to the work. It was
a privilege to join the SLU community as we
celebrated the milestones and responded to
the challenges of the last decade.
In one of my favorite events during our time
at SLU, we honored the University’s bicenten-nial
with a moving Mass under the Gateway
Arch.
On numerous occasions, we were warmly
welcomed to the Madrid campus, and we have
cherished getting to know the people and the
city that make SLU-Madrid so special.
I had the opportunity to help the St. Louis
Literary Award, one of the first initiatives I was
invited to support, become more embedded in
the life of the Saint Louis University campuses.
We responded to the unprecedented chal-lenges
of the COVID-19 pandemic — with me
teaching, virtually and then in person, and
Fred leading the University in those early days
of lockdown from the third floor of our house.
In 2017, we began a new tradition, joining
students, faculty, staff and alumni to bless
and light the tree each December at Christmas
on the Quad. We also hosted an annual
Christmas dinner for the Jesuits who call our
campus and our city home.
And at the end of every semester, Fred and
I have wished students luck on their final
exams with cookies, pretzels, ice cream or
other study day treats.
We know there are many things we will
miss as we leave our daily engagement with
campus, but we are looking forward to engag-ing
with St. Louis and campus in new ways in
the years ahead.
I wish President-Elect Ed Feser and incom-ing
First Lady Kathy Feser many blessings as
they assume these roles, which Fred and I have
loved and treasured.
I thank you, Billikens, for filling the past 11
years with grace, joy and countless memorable
moments.
Dr. Frances G. Pestello
First Lady
10
Selfie-Reflection
In a candid Q&A, outgoing
President Dr. Fred P. Pestello
looks back on his time at SLU.
— by Laura Geiser
18
Reaching Research 1
SLU’s new R1 classification affirms
its place among elite U.S. research
universities.
— by Clayton Berry
22
Moments and
Milestones
Recapping
the events,
achievements
and
challenges
SLU faced
during
the last 11
years.
— by Amy
Garland
FEATURES DEPARTMENTS
2
ON CAMPUS
Introducing
Dr. Edward Feser
Commencement
Center for
Bosnian Studies
MLA honor
10 million gift
Softball history
30
CLASS NOTES
33
How I Got Here:
Dr. Tiffany (Brown) Anderson
(Ed ’94, Grad Ed ’01)
— By Amy Garland
34
Alumni Merit Awards
35
Alumni Spotlight:
Andy Hahn (A&S ’97)
— by Debbie Dugan
37
IN MEMORIAM
41
THE L AST
LOOK
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 2
EDITOR
Laura Geiser
{A&S ’90, Grad ’92}
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Garland {A&S ’97}
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Krob
ON CAMPUS NEWS
STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
SLU President Dr. Fred
P. Pestello takes a selfie
as confetti falls during
his final commencement
as president on May 17.
Photo by Sarah Conroy
Universitas is published by
Saint Louis University.
Opinions expressed in
Universitas are those of the
individual authors and not
necessarily those of the
University administration.
Unsolicited manuscripts and
photographs are welcome
but will be returned only if
accompanied by a stamped,
self-addressed envelope.
Letters to the editor must
be signed, and letters not
intended for publication
should indicate that fact.
The editor reserves the
right to edit all items.
Address:
Universitas
DuBourg Hall 39
1 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Email address:
[email protected]
Website: slu.edu/universitas
Universitas is printed by
Progress Printing Plus
Worldwide circulation:
103,000
©2025, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole
or in part without
permission is prohibited.
President Dr. Fred P. Pestello and First Lady
Dr. Fran Pestello exit SLU’s commencement
ceremony for the last time on May 17.
PHOTO BY SARAH CONROY
SARAH CONROY
2 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SUMMER 2025
On campus
Dr. Edward J. Feser, a Roman Catholic, Jesuit-educated
leader in higher education, will become Saint Louis
University’s 34th president on July 1.
“Saint Louis University is a remarkable institution
with an impressive history of impact, and it will be both
exciting and a privilege to lead it,” Feser said. “I am
thrilled at the prospect of joining the SLU community
and contributing to the University’s outstanding legacy.”
Feser grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended a
Catholic high school in Red Bluff, California. He earned
a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco,
a fellow Jesuit institution, before graduate school at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He comes to SLU after eight years as provost and exec-utive
vice president at Oregon State University (OSU), a
land-grant institution with more than 38,000 students,
a 1.8 billion budget and 213 million
Collaborative Innovation Complex — now under con-struction
— to foster interdisciplinary research, powered
by artificial intelligence and accelerated computing, and
expanding arts and humanities programs.
Inclusive Excellence: Achieving record-setting diversity in
student enrollment while working to diversify the faculty
and embed equity and inclusion across OSU’s operations.
Budgetary Innovation: Implementing a new shared
responsibility budget model to advance transparency and
financial stability.
GUIDED BY SERVICE, COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
Throughout his career, Feser’s leadership has been rooted in
the Jesuit ideals of promoting justice, nurturing the whole
person and contributing to the greater good.
“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Feser for his willingness to
serve in such an important role. His experience as a scholar
and administrator makes him uniquely qualified to lead a
place as complex as SLU,” said Thomas P. Greene, S.J., the
provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern
Province. “But even more, I was heartened to hear of his
desire to use education to engender hope in the young, his
commitment to the University being leaven for the city and
his dedication to the University’s Jesuit, Catholic identity.”
“The rigorous and holistic Jesuit education I received at the
University of San Francisco — grounded in experiential learning in the city
itself and the principle that one should lead an active life of service to oth-ers,
especially the least among us — shaped my values in ways too many to
count,” Feser said.
A scholar of city and regional economic growth and development, Feser
strongly believes that all universities must be partners in serving and
improving the well-being of the communities they call home. At OSU, his
community-focused efforts included:
Downtown Hub: Opening the OSU Portland Center in downtown Portland,
which anchors the university’s strategy in the city, including programs to
support expanded pathways to OSU for students from diverse backgrounds.
Community Partnerships: Growing the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend,
Oregon, and collaborating with local leaders to launch the development of
a campus-based innovation district to support regional economic develop-ment
goals.
Economic Development Leadership: Serving on boards and commissions
to address economic development, workforce strategies and public policy
challenges.
SLU’s President-Elect at a Glance
PERSONAL DETAILS
Dr. Edward J. Feser
57 years old
Married to Kathy Feser, a school district
environmental sustainability coordinator
Two adult children, Jack and Mary
EDUCATION
Ph.D., University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, 1997
M.R.P., University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, 1994
B.A., University of San Francisco, 1989
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP HISTORY
2017-2025 Provost and Executive Vice President,
Oregon State University
2015-2017 Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs and Provost, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
2012-2015 Dean, College of Fine and Applied Arts,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2011-2012 Division Head, Innovation, Management
and Policy, Alliance Manchester Business School,
University of Manchester, United Kingdom
2007-2011 Department Head, Urban and Regional
Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign
FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
2017-2025 Professor, School of Public Policy,
Oregon State University
2007-2017 Professor, Department of Urban and
Regional Planning, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
2008-2017 Professor, Department of Agricultural
and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
2011-2012 Professor and Eddie Davies Chair of
Entrepreneurship, Alliance Manchester Business
School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
2004-2007 Associate Professor, Department
of Urban and Regional Planning, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2003 Associate Professor, Department of City and
Regional Planning, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
1997-2002 Assistant Professor, Department of
City and Regional Planning, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Introducing SLU’s
Next President
BUILDING ON PAST PROGRESS AND CHARTING A PATH FORWARD
Feser’s appointment follows an extensive national search led by a committee
of SLU trustees, faculty, staff, students and members of the Society of Jesus.
The University’s board of trustees voted to approve his appointment during
its Dec. 6 meeting.
Feser will succeed Dr. Fred P. Pestello, who announced in March 2024 that
he would step down at the end of June 2025.
“President Pestello’s vision and outstanding leadership are evident in the
success of SLU students, its excellent faculty and staff, its impressive growth
in research scale and impact, the depth and quality of its partnerships and
impact in St. Louis, and the achievements of Billiken student-athletes and
teams,” Feser said. “I’m excited to work with the SLU community to build on
Dr. Pestello’s accomplishments and advance Saint Louis University as one of
the finest urban research universities in the country.”
“Dr. Feser has the knowledge, experience, skill and values to serve as the
next steward of Saint Louis University’s noble mission — working for and
with the campus and the region to create new possibilities for a thriving,
hope-filled future,” Pestello said.
Look for more on Dr. Edward Feser in the next issue of Universitas.
3
SARAH CONROY
5
Class of 2025 Celebrated at
Spring Commencement
– photos by Sarah Conroy
Accounting Prof Honored
with Ring Award
Neil Jansen (Grad CSB ’98), an
associate professor of account-ing,
won the 2024 Nancy McNeir Ring
Award for Excellence in Teaching.
He was recognized during the
202 4 m idyea r commencement
ceremony at Chaifetz A rena in
December, during which he gave
the commencement address.
After starting his career in the
financial services industry, Jansen
joined SLU in 2008. He has been
the d i rec tor of the Master of
Accounting program since 2010
and an associate professor since
2024, winning several faculty and
teaching excellence awards along
the way.
The Nancy McNeir Ring Award,
named for the University’s first
dean of women, was established
in 1966 by SLU’s chapter of Alpha
Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor
society.
Jansen at the 2024 midyear
commencement
SARAH CONROY
SARAH CONROY
MED SCHOOL
RECEIVES
10 million gift, one of the
largest contributions in the
school’s history.
The gift came from a patient
who wishes to remain
anonymous in honor of Dr.
Gerald A. Maguire (Med
’91), a psychiatrist who
also pledged 10 million gift will
enhance medical education
and research at SLU:
2 million to fund the
Gerald A. Maguire, M.D., and
Joanne S. Maguire Endowed
Chair in Neuropsychiatry
Research and Education
$5 million directed toward
a future state-of-the-art
health education center
Maguire is the director
of residency training in
psychiatry at College
Medical Center, a teaching
hospital in Long Beach,
California, and the faculty
director of graduate medical
education at Oroville
Hospital, which serves his
rural home community in
Northern California.
Co-author of Without
Hesitation: Speaking
the Silence and Science
of Stuttering, Maguire is
considered the world’s
leading authority on the
pharmacologic treatment of
stuttering. He founded the
first clinic dedicated to the
scientific study and medical
treatment of the condition.
Pestellos Gift New Sculpture to SLU
Before stepping down as Saint Louis University’s
president this summer, Dr. Fred P. Pestello and First
Lady Dr. Fran Pestello offered a gift to SLU.
During a reception in Pius XII Memorial Library in
April, the Pestellos helped unveil a new sculpture they
donated to the University: “Land, Labor, Legacy” by Kyle
and Kelly Phelps. The sculpture is about 20 inches tall
and features four adult figures, one holding a child. The
figures represent enslaved persons of African descent
and members of the Osage Nation.
“We know the importance of art to inspire, to provoke,
to deepen understanding,” Fred Pestello said. “This
work speaks to us, and it speaks to the mission of this
institution.”
The Pestellos met the Phelps brothers more than two
decades ago, when Fred Pestello hired them to teach at
the University of Dayton. Their work is in the NAACP
National Headquarters as well as in the permanent col-lections
of art museums in Racine, Wisconsin; Asheville,
North Carolina; Canton, Ohio; and San Angelo, Texas.
FROM LEFT: Edward Ibur, executive director of the St.
Louis Literary Award, Dr. Cathleen Fleck, chair of the
visual and performing arts department, and Pestello
discuss the sculpture at its unveiling in April.
SLU Joins Center for Research Libraries
Last August, Saint Louis University Libraries joined
the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), an interna-tional
consortium of more than 200 university, college
and independent research libraries.
Jennifer Nutefall, dean of libraries and museums,
said the CRL gives the SLU community access to the
resources of the other consortium members. She sees
membership in CRL as recognition of the quality of work
throughout SLU’s libraries.
CRL member institutions include Harvard University,
Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Notre
Dame and the University of California system.
On campus
UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE O 4 F SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y
FROM TOP: Doisy College of Health
Sciences graduates Kirti Madhu (left) and
Emma Pearl Capulong embrace during
commencement; Pestello (back, center)
and First Lady Dr. Fran Pestello (left)
take a selfie with graduates after the
ceremony; Sam Deeljore, a SLU employee
and new graduate of the School for
Professional Studies, hugs his daughters,
Agni Deeljore (left), graduating from the
School of Social Work, and Jaya Deeljore,
graduating from the College of Arts
and Sciences, before the ceremony.
SUMMER 2025
Saint Louis University’s commencement ceremony on May 17 at
Chaifetz Arena featured outgoing President Dr. Fred P. Pestello as
the speaker. In an address that highlighted his career from radio host
to university administrator, he advised students: “Here is what
matters, Billikens — wherever your path takes you: Continue
to lead with love and mercy. And never vary from the quest to
make ‘things the way they ought to be.’ I wish each of you as
magnificent a journey as I have had.”
The ceremony also included remarks from Emma Lercher, a
student graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, who
encouraged the Class of 2025 to share their gifts.
SLU also conferred honorary degrees upon three individuals. This
year’s honorees were former trustee Patrick (CSB ’77) and Peggy
Sly, who were honored for their community support, and Tom
Smolich, S.J., who was recognized for his leadership of the Jesuit
Refugee Service.
UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SUMMER 2025
On campus ATHLETICS
Literary Award Brings Renowned
Writers to Campus
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead
received the 2025 St. Louis Literary Award from
Saint Louis University on April 9.
“Read, read, read to find out what kind of writer you
want to be. Write, write, write to find out what kind of a
writer you are,” Whitehead told audiences.
His novel The Underground Railroad won the National
Book Award and the Carnegie Medal for Fiction. The
Nickel Boys won the Pulitzer Prize, the Kirkus Prize and
the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.
Next year, Jhumpa Lahiri will come to St. Louis to
accept the 2026 St. Louis Literary Award. Lahiri has
written short stories, nonfiction, poetry and several
novels, including The Namesake. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning
collection of short stories, Interpreter of
Maladies, will be the featured title for the 2026 Campus
Read program. She will receive the award on April 8,
2026, and will offer a craft talk the following day; both
events are open to the public.
Whitehead speaks at the Sheldon Concert Hall in April
after receiving the 2025 St. Louis Literary Award.
Alum’s Biopic in Theaters This Fall
This October, Saint Louis University alumni will get
the chance to see the life of a fellow Billiken depicted
on the big screen.
John O’Leary (CSB ’99) came back to campus in 2023
for the filming of Soul on Fire, a major motion picture
based on his 2016 bestseller On Fire: The 7 Choices to
Ignite a Radically Inspired Life.
The film depicts how O’Leary nearly burned to death
in an accident when he was 9 years old — and how his
recovery shaped his life.
The movie was filmed in St. Louis, including several
locations on SLU’s campus. Members of the SLU commu-nity
served as extras and shadowed the director and crew.
Soul on Fire is scheduled to debut in theaters across
the country on Oct. 10, 2025.
ENGLISH PROFESSOR WINS
PRESTIGIOUS MLA PRIZE
Dr. Jonathan Sawday received
the James Russell Lowell Prize
for the most outstanding book
published in 2023, for Blanks,
Print, Space, and Void in English
Renaissance Literature: An
Archaeology of Absence.
The prize is the Modern
Language Association’s top
honor. Sawday, who joined SLU in
2009 and holds the Walter J. Ong, S.J., Chair in Humanities in the English
department, is the 55th recipient of the award and the first from SLU to
receive the honor.
SLU CELEBRATES
TRUMAN SCHOLAR
Sam Aitchison is the sixth student
in Saint Louis University history to
be honored with the prestigious
Truman Scholarship.
Aitchison, a junior majoring in
finance, leadership and human
resource management, and
Catholic studies, is one of 54
college students from 49 U.S.
colleges and universities selected as
2025 Truman Scholars. The award
is the premier graduate scholarship
for aspiring public service leaders in
the United States.
He plans to pursue a master’s degree in secondary or higher education
with the goal of teaching and, eventually, working in administration.
STUDENT EARNS PRESTIGIOUS GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP
Pascal Sikorski, a junior majoring in computer science, earned a
Goldwater Scholarship, a national undergraduate award for students in
STEM who intend to pursue a career in STEM research after graduation.
Sikorski wants to earn his doctorate in
computer science and become a professor.
Last summer, he was a researcher at
California Institute of Technology as
a WAVE Fellow in the Advanced
Mechanical Bipedal Experimental
Robotics Lab. This year, he will
conduct research at Oregon
State University on robotic
manipulation workflow alongside
humans in the environmental
sector.
Sawday
Provost Dr. Mike Lewis (left) and
President Dr. Fred Pestello (right)
congratu
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textFall 2024 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.FA
LL 2024THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITAS THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITYFALL 22
Three of a Klein
Billiken men’s soccer has
relied on the Klein family for
generations. — by Joe Barker
24
SLU Goes Hollywood
A movie based on alum John
O’Leary’s life brought a film
crew to campus.
— by Joe Barker, photos
by Sarah Conroy
28
Under One Roof
The Catholic Studies Program
offers more than a major; it
offers community.
— by Catherine
Kraemer
’
-
6
Paralympic Mettle
Dr. Sarah Adam won silver as
the first woman on the U.S.
Paralympic wheelchair rugby
team. — by Bridjes O’Neil
10
Lost and Found
Dr. Douglas Boin’s
discovery of an ancient
Roman temple is making
headlines. — by Marie Dilg
14
Join the Club
SLU’s sport clubs go beyond
traditional collegiate athletics.
— by Amy Garland,
photos by Sarah Conroy
18
Lighting the Spark
Ignite Seminars allow faculty
to share their passions with
students. — by Amy Garland
Members of SLU's
rowing club practice
on Creve Coeur Lake.
PHOTO BY SARAH CONROY
FEATURES
DEPARTMENT S
2
ON CAMPUS
Jon Hamm speaks at commencement
Literary Award
Campus dog
New men s basketball coach
Billiken Hall of Fame
31
CLASS NOTES
33 Alumni Spotlight: Sharee (Brown)
Silerio (A&S ’09) — by Amy Garland
34 Alumni Merit Awards
37
IN MEMORIAM
41
THE LAST LOOK
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1
EDITOR
Laura Geiser
{A&S ’90, Grad ’92}
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Garland {A&S ’97}
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Krob
ON CAMPUS NEWS
STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
Dr. Sarah Adam, SLU
assistant professor and
Paralympic silver medalist
Photo by Sarah Conroy
Universitas is published by
Saint Louis University.
Opinions expressed in
Universitas are those of the
individual authors and not
necessarily those of the
University administration.
Unsolicited manuscripts and
photographs are welcome
but will be returned only if
accompanied by a stamped,
self addressed envelope.
Letters to the editor must
be signed, and letters not
intended for publication
should indicate that fact.
The editor reserves the
right to edit all items.
Address:
Universitas
DuBourg Hall 39
1 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Email address:
[email protected]
Website: slu.edu/universitas
Universitas is printed by
Cummings Printing
Worldwide circulation:
127,000
©2024, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole
or in part without
permission is prohibited.
President’s message
Stories that reveal the heart of SLU
ASLU faculty member in occu-pational
therapy is the first
woman in history to compete
on the U.S. Paralympic wheel-chair
rugby team (page 6).
A history professor has made a major dis-covery
of an ancient Roman temple (page 10).
Numerous faculty members have created
new courses designed to ignite a lifelong pro-cess
of curiosity and learning in the Ignatian
tradition (page 18).
And our club sports program offers every
student a path to continue — or to discover —
an engagement with athletics that supports
their well-being, sense of community and con-nection
to the natural world (page 14).
When I talk to students about why they
love Saint Louis University, they often tell me
that it is because our commitment to mission
is real — that “higher purpose, greater good”
is more than a tagline.
This issue of Universitas highlights many of
the ways that we are delivering on our com-mitment
to pursue truth, to re-imagine what
is possible and to foster communities where
all people thrive.
SLU’s Catholic Studies Program is one
distinctive example of our Catholic, Jesuit
identity in action (page 28). It is a place where
students are centered in their spiritual lives,
integrating insights from across academic
domains as they seek the presence of God in
all things. Through numerous gatherings, dis-cussions
and events, students can experience
what it means to be part of a community that
is expressly committed to seeking wholeness.
As Billiken alumni, you know well: A SLU
education expands our students’ worldviews,
the opportunities they will find after gradu-ation
and the sense of purpose they will bring
to all aspects of their lives.
Indeed, our University’s talented alumni
continue to tell powerful stories that reflect
t he exper iences and t he exper t ise they
acquired in their years at SLU. Graduate
Sharee (Brown) Silerio (A&S ’09), who worked
on the Academy Award-winning documentary
short film The Last Repair Shop, is dedicated to
creating films that expand representation of
Black women and girls (page 33). And alum
John O’Leary’s (CSB ’99) story will soon be
released asa motion picture filmed in part on
our St. Louis campus (page 24).
Not all of us will make movies, but we all
have an essential role in the Billiken story. In
the multiple ways that you contribute to your
families, communities and professions —
each one of your stories reflects the profound
potential of our University’s noble mission.
Thank you for continuing to bring SLU’s
story to life.
Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
President
-
-
On campus
SARAH CONROY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A graduate prepares
for commencement; graduates celebrate
after the ceremony; a group selfe before the
ceremony begins in Chaifetz Arena; and the
2024 honorary degree recipients (from left)
William and Susan Klepper, Hamm and Christie.
SARAH CONROY
SARAH CONROY
FROM TOP: Hamm (center) receives his
honorary degree from Board of Trustees
Chair Joseph Conran (left) and SLU
He reminded the graduates that they are now for the Society of Jesus; Dr. Susan E. Klepper
part of a shared community. (DCHS ’66), emeritus professor at Columbia
President Dr. Fred P. Pestello; Hamm poses
for a selfe with student speaker Sky Carroll.
University; and Dr. William M. Klepper (A&S
’66), academic director at Columbia University.
SARAH CONROY
2 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y FALL 2024 3
SARAH CONROY
KABANCE PHOTO
‘Resilient’ Class of 2024 Celebrated at Commencement
For many of Saint Louis University’s newest “Be proud sons and daughters of St Louis,” he
alumni — who started college during the said. “Be proud of where you’re from, knowing
COVID 19 pandemic — the 2024 spring that it made you. Be at peace with where you
commencement was their frst chance to are, knowing it’s transitory and is leading
experience a proper graduation. to something else on the path. But most
importantly, be excited f St. Louis native and Emmy award-winning or where you’re going actor Jon Hamm congratulated the nearly — the future is endless, it is ripe with possibility, 1,600 students on their ability to thrive. and it is all yours to make of what you wish.”
“Your resilience in the face of continued In addition to delivering the main address, discomfort and distraction is impressive,” Hamm joined three SLU alumni in receiving Hamm said. honorary degrees: P. Maria Joseph Christie, S.J. (CSB ’99), secretary of higher education
4 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
On campus
’ ’
’
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ATHLETICS
SARAH CONROY
DISTINCTION Class of 2024 University Names
New Leadership
William
Johnson
RECTOR AND
VICE PRESIDENT,
SLU-MADRID
Johnson was
dean of the
SLU School of
Law for more
than seven years. He served
over four years as the director
of both the law school’s
Center for International
and Comparative Law and
its Summer Law Program in
Madrid.
Dr. Twinette
Johnson
(A&S ’96, GRAD ’19)
DEAN, SCHOOL
OF LAW
Johnson began
her academic
career as an
associate
professor at the SLU School
of Law over 20 years ago.
Most recently, she was dean
and professor of law at the
University of the District of
Columbia David A. Clarke
School of Law.
Dr. Jackson
Nickerson
EDWARD JONES
DEAN, RICHARD
A. CHAIFETZ
SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS
Nickerson was
a professor of
organization
and strategy at the Olin
School of Business at
Washington University in St.
Louis, where he’d been since
2007.
JOE BARKER WYLIE AGENCY
Hot Diggity! SLU Welcomes
Campus Facility Dog
The SLU community welcomed a new
member to campus this spring: Duo
Facility Dog Woody.
Unlike a service dog, a facility dog is
trained to work with multiple handlers in
homes, clinics or organizations and carry
out specific,skilled taskswith multiple cli-ents.
Facility dogs do not have public access
rights and are authorized to work within
the assigned facility only.
The first Duo Facility Dog to ever go to
college, Woody is a two-year-old English
Labrador retriever who has been training
his entire life for his role: decreasing stress,
improving moods and promoting well-be-ing
through interactions with students,
faculty and staff.
KINCAID RECEIVES LITERARY AWARD; WHITEHEAD TAPPED FOR 2025 HONOR
Renowned Antigua- Pulitzer Prize-winning author
CHRIS CLOSE
born author Jamaica Colson Whitehead will come to
Kincaid received St. Louis next April to accept the
the 2024 St. Louis 2025 St. Louis Literary Award.
SLU EARNS
NATIONAL
FOR
ENGAGEMENT
The Carnegie
Foundation for
the Advancement
of Teaching
announced
that Saint Louis
University
earned the 2024
Community
Engagement
Classifcation.
The elective
designation
is awarded by
Carnegie and the
American Council
on Education.
SLU is one of
Billiken Hall of Fame
CAMERON NEISLER
COMMUNITY The Department of Athletics inducted
new members into the Billiken Hall of
Fame in February.
BILLIKEN GREAT: CONTEMPORARY
Honoring student-athletes who
competed in the past 30 years
Aspen Cervin Ryan McCoy
(CSB 17), tennis (CSB 18), swimming
Miller Hogan, Alex Nickel (PH 17),
baseball softball
Jackie Kemph Tim Ream (CSB 10),
(CSB ’17, GRAD CSB ’18),
basketball soccer
Rick Majerus, Jenny (Kehl)
men’s basketball Wallace (A&S ’03),
head coach soccer
head coach for Bi l l iken
men’s basketball.
S che r t z c ame f rom
Indiana State, where he
finished his third season
with the Sycamores last
spring and led them to a
32 7 record and a run to the NIT championship game.
Prior to ISU, he spent 13 seasons at Lincoln Memorial,
where he led the Railsplitters to 10 NCAA Division II
national tournaments, including an appearance in the
2016 NCAA Division II national championship game.
Schertz is 403 109 in 16 seasons as a collegiate head
coach. His .787 winning percentage ranks in the top 10
among all active coaches in the NCAA. Schertz was named
the 2024 MVC Coach of the Year and the Hugh Durham
Schertz Heads Up
Men’s Basketball
J osh Schertz has started
his first season as the
National Coach of the Year, which is presented annually to
the top mid major head coach in college basketball.
Literary Award on Whitehead is the author of many 368 campuses DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD nationwide holding
novels, including The Underground the classifcation. Honoring former student-athletes for
April 25.
Soccer’s Schulte Makes Olympic Team
Former Saint Louis University men’s soccer standout
Patrick Schulte (CSB ’24) made it to the 2024 Paris
Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic men’s
Kincaid’s work Railroad, The Nickel Boys and their contributions to SLU athletics and
explores themes of colonialism, Harlem Shufe. In addition to the Pulitzer, he The report distinguished careers
gender and sexuality, racism, class won the National Book Award and the Carnegie highlighted SLU’s
and family. She wrote the novels Medal for Fiction, among other awards. He work on issues like Tom Strunk (CSB 89), soccer, is chief
Annie John, Lucy and See Now Then, has received a MacArthur Fellowship and a food insecurity fnancial ofcer of World Wide
and several other books. Guggenheim Fellowship. through Campus Technology Inc. He was instrumental in soccer team. The team advanced to the quarterfinals,
Kitchen and bringing Major League Soccer to and Schulte made five appearancesduring the Olympic
The new Target store is located along Grand Boulevard
between Gratiot and Papin streets.
Time for a
Target Run
TARGET’S NEWEST ST. LOUIS STORE,
located near the Saint Louis
University campus, opened on
July 21.
The approximately
72,000-square-foot store
includes a CVS Pharmacy,
Starbucks Café, and Ulta
Beauty at Target. The store flls
a void of anchor retail tenants
along the Grand corridor and
is part of the retailer’s eforts
to open more stores that meet
community needs for urban centers, dense suburban cities and college campuses.
The project is located within the 400-acre redevelopment area that’s guided by the
St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corp., a joint efort of SLU and SSM Health.
Billiken Bounty
and community
improvement
through initiatives
like Habitat for
Neighborhood
Business, SLU
Legal Clinics, and
the engagement
eforts of the
St. Louis Midtown
Redevelopment
Corp.
The classifcation
has been the
leading framework
for institutional
assessment and
recognition
of community
engagement in U.S.
higher education
for the past 19 years.
FALL 2024
St. Louis and has an ownership stake in
St. Louis CITY SC.
BAUMAN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Honoring individuals who made
outstanding contributions to Billiken
athletics
Joe Conran (A&S ’67, LAW 70) is a retired
partner and former chair at Husch
Blackwell LLP, where he is of counsel. He
chaired the SLU board of trustees for the
past 10 years.
BOB BURNES AWARD
Honoring teams that brought
recognition to SLU
2006 women’s soccer team, led by head
coach Tim Champion
2011 12 men’s basketball team, led by
head coach Rick Majerus
tournament.
As a Billiken from 2019 to 2021, he was the Atlantic
10 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020
and was a first team All Conference pick in 2021. In
2021, he helped the Billikens to a 16 1 4 record and an
NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
Noted as one of the best young goalkeepers in the
country, Schulte was drafted by the Columbus Crew of
Major League Soccer in 2022 and helped the team win
the MLS Cup in 2023. He was the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro
Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022 with Columbus Crew 2.
Schulte is one of several Billikens who have been
members of the U.S. Olympic men’s soccer team
through the qualifying stages, and he joins a select
few former Billikens who have represented their coun
try in the finals. Brian McBride (Ed ’96) was on the
most recent U.S. team to make the finals at the 2008
Beijing Olympics. Matt McKeon (A&S ’97) was on the
U.S. squad at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Joe Hamm
(A&S ’73), Mike Seerey (CSB ’73) and Al Trost (A&S ’71)
played on the United States’ 1972 squad at the Munich
Olympics.
5
FA
LL 2024 7UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY 6 SARAH CONROY DR. SARAH ADAM is an assistant professor of occupational science and occupational ther-apy at Saint Louis University, but her recent achievement is more about making history than teaching health science. Adam became the first woman named to the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair rugby team earlier this year. And in September, that team took silver in the 2024 Paris Paralympic games.Eight teams — including France, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain and Japan — competed at the 2024 Paralympics. Adam played a key role for Team USA. She was in the starting lineup when the team kicked off its campaign on Aug. 29 with a 51-48 win against Canada, scoring six times in the victory. In the final match, she and co-captain Chuck Aoki led Team USA with 14 tries. (Tries are worth one point each.) However, Japan won 48-41, claiming gold.USA Wheelchair Rugby (USAWR) announced in May that Adam would be one of 12 athletes to represent the United States at the 2024 Paralympic Games. She was selected from an elite 16-person national training squad competing to earn a spot on the roster.“It’s an honor to be named to a Paralympic team and repre-sent Team USA at the elite level of our sport,” Adam said. “To be the first female to do it, during a time where women in sports is exploding in popularity, just elevates that honor.”PARALYMPICMETTLE– by Bridjes O’NeilA SLU PROFESSOR IS THE FIRST WOMAN TO MAKE THE U.S. PARALYMPIC WHEELCHAIR RUGBY TEAM.
Adam’s students and colleagues surprise her with
a sign at the Disabled Athlete Sports Association SLU community members cheer for Adam
(DASA) Ability Awareness Demonstration in during a watch party for her Paralympic debut
April at the Simon Recreation Center. on Aug. 29 in the Allied Health Building.
SARAH CONROY
SARAH CONROY
SARAH CONROY
Adam (right) teaches students about wheelchair
rugby during the DASA event in April.
Although wheelchair rugby has been a mixed-gender sport (with
men and women competing together) since it debuted at the 2000
Paralympics in Sydney, the sport has been dominated by men. At the
Paralympics in 2021, only four of the 96 athletes were female. That
number doubled to eight in Paris.
“To be able to compete amongst the best of the best in our sport, par-ticularly
as a female playing against mostly men, I have focused a lot on
being in peak physical shape,” Adam said. “I spent many hours at the
Simon Rec Center getting ready.”
Adam had a unique introduction to the sport as an “able-bodied
volunteer” for the Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA) in 2013,
when she was a graduate student. DASA offers the biggest selection of
disabled competitive team sports and Parasport opportunities in the
SARAH CONROY
Adam (center) makes history as the frst woman to compete on the U.S.
Paralympic wheelchair rugby team versus Canada in Paris on Aug. 29. Midwest. Adam connected with the community and attended develop-ment
events — as both a coach-in-training and a referee.
A year later, after noticing difficulty walking, gripping items, numb-ness
in her hands and bouts of fatigue, Adam was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis. She began playing wheelchair rugby recreationally
in 2017 and competitively in 2019.
Adam describes her style of play as “cerebral,” viewing wheelchair
rugby as a large chess match, aiming to always be three moves ahead of her
opponents. She hopes a documentary about her team’s journey to Paris in
2024 will inspire others and shed light on the adaptive sports movement.
Adam (right) shows her Paralympic silver
medal to colleague Emma Edwards on her
frst day back to campus on Sept. 9.
Adam’s medal
SARAH CONROY
AP PHOTO / MICHEL EULER
“I was initially drawn to the combination of
physicality and strategy involved in wheelchair
rugby,” Adam said. “I’ve found that there is also
a great community of athletes in Parasport who
support each other not just on the court but off
the court. I’ve seen Parasport truly help trans-form
people’s lives by connecting them back to
some sense of normalcy and a community of
like-minded individuals. It’s a great community
to be a part of.”
Adam made her international debut at the
Americas Championship in 2022, where the team
won gold, and later that year won a silver medal at
the world championships. In 2023, she was part
of the gold medal-winning Parapan American
Games team that secured USA Wheelchair Rugby
a spot for Paris 2024. She also became the first
American woman to win Parapan American
Games gold in wheelchair rugby.
USAWR is the most decorated Paralympic
wheelchair rugby program in history and the
only one to be awarded at all Paralympic Games
since the sport was added to the event roster in
Sydney. The United States has won silver medals
at the past three Paralympic Games: Rio 2016,
Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
8 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y FALL 2024 9
FALL 2024
Spello is a picturesque village in Italy where the meandering cob-blestone
streets are lined with baskets of flowers. Enclosed in a
circuit of medieval stone walls and nestled in the verdant rolling
hills of the central region of Umbria, Spello is considered one of
the country’s most beautiful villages.
The scenery, however, is not what attracted Dr. Douglas Boin to Spello. An
expert in the religious transformation of the Roman Empire in the fourth cen-tury,
the Saint Louis University history professor was drawn to the village by a
piece of stone sitting in a room under a frescoed ceiling and dramatic lighting.
The stone contains a rescript, a message from Emperor Constantine giving
villagers permission to build a temple in Spello to celebrate a religious festival
in their own town rather than making the long journey to another. The only
condition was that the temple be dedicated to worshipping Constantine’s
imperial ancestors. This rescript was produced at a time when the Roman
Empire was straddling the lines between pagan and Christian religions.
Over his many years of research into fourth-century antiquities, Boin came
across articles and footnotes that mentioned the rescript, which was discov-ered
in the 1700s near Villa Fidelia, a resplendent Renaissance home built
outside Spello’s walls.
“It’s a trophy piece and by far the most famous piece of antiquity to come
from Spello,” he said. “It sparked my interest because anytime you can see
something written, whether on paper or stone, it can bridge a gap in time and
help us make sense of history. So, my colleagues and I decided to take a road
trip to see it.”
The Latin inscription on the rescript references a temple of opere magnifico,
roughly translated as “splendid endeavor.” After seeing the rescript, Boin and
colleagues stopped for a glass of wine and began to muse. Where was this
splendid temple erected? What did it look like? How did it impress itself on
the village at that time?
L O S T
F O U N D
11
DOUGLAS BOIN
The medieval hilltop town of Spello, Italy
A SLU history
A N D
professor's discovery sheds light on the
Roman Empire’s
transition from pagan
worship to Christianity.
– by Mar ie Di lg
The dig site in Spello, Italy
PHOTO BY LUCA PRIMAVESI
10 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y PAGA N I SM A N D
P LU R A L I SM
Boin said the temple is significant
because it can offer insights into
the social change from pagan gods
to Christianity within the Roman
Empire.
Although Emper
Book of Photographs | Podrinje Identification Project
No full textIFrom the title page:
Odjevnih i lićnih predmeta pronađenih uz prikupljene posmrtne ostatke lica pronađenih na površini zemlje šireg rejona sela Posuđe, rejona Baljkovice i sela Turalići.
Namijenjena je porodicama nestalih lica iz 'zaštićene zone UN Srebrenica' u ljeto 1995. Godine.
Translation:
Clothing and personal items recovered alongside the remains of individuals located on the surface of land in the wider region of the village of Posuđe, the Baljkovica area, and the village of Turalići.
It is intended for the families of missing persons from the 'UN Srebrenica protected zone' in the summer of 1995
Knjiga Fotografija | Podrinje Identifikacijski Projekat
No full textBook of Photographs | Podrinje Identification Project2Together, these two volumes contain approximately 4,800 photographs of clothing and personal belongings unearthed, along with skeletal remains, from mass graves in the eastern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The people who were buried in these graves were victims of the war and genocide perpetrated between 1992 and 1995.
Sometimes called the ‘Book of Belongings’, Knjiga Fotografija allowed family members to identify the remains of their loved ones before more accurate DNA testing was readily available. Photographs were prepared and arranged by the Institute for Missing Persons, and the printing of the book was funded and organized by the International Committee of the Red Cros (ICRC). Volumes might include original number, location of exhumation, identification mark, photograph number, case number, and photograph number in the book for each item.
The volumes now stand as a testament to the scope of the loss in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a reminder of the humanity of the victims.Volume 2 of 2; color illustration