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Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textSummer 2019 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.RESEARCH INSTITUTE
AWARDS
Page 8
CENTER FOR HEALTH
LAW STUDIES
Page 16
STUDENT
DANCE GROUPS
Page 20
RETIREMENT
PLANNING
Page 26
Page 10
A SLU professor and his students examine
the secret lives of bees
SUMMER 2019 | 1
VOLUME 45, ISSUE 2
EDITOR
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Garland (A&S ’97)
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Krob
CONTRIBUTORS
Jessica Ciccone
Marie Dilg (Grad SW ’94)
Sarah Hilgendorf
ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
SLU's Dr. Gerardo Camilo
searches for bees on campus.
Photo by Douglas Garfield
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 all mail
to Universitas, DuBourg Hall 39, One N.
Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. We
accept email at [email protected].
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Universitas, Saint Louis University,
One N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
Website: slu.edu/universitas
Universitas is printed by Breese
Printing and Publishing
Worldwide circulation: 123,557
© 2019, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited.
Members of the student dance group XQuizit (from left) Sally Kim and Victoria Birchem
PHOTO BY GARRETT CANDUCCI
F E ATU R E S D E PARTME NTS
8
Valuing Research
SLU’s new Research Institute awards nearly
2 million in grants to 15 faculty.
10
Buzz Worthy
A SLU professor and his students are busy
studying bees in urban areas.
— By Amy Garland
16
Center of Attention
SLU’s No. 1-ranked health law program has
set the standard since 1981. — By Jessica Ciccone
20
Just Dance
Student dance groups are taking center stage
at SLU. — By Sarah Hilgendorf
26
Inspired Retirement
The Next Chapter program helps retirees
plan the next phase of their lives.
— By Marie Dilg
2 On Campus
Men’s basketball A-10 championship ///
Commencement /// NGA conference ///
Prospect Yards update /// Literary Award
winner
30 Class Notes
Alumni Spotlight: Margaret Lazzari {A&S ’75} ///
Alumni Merit Awardees /// How I Got Here:
W. Raymond Barrett {CSB ’60} /// Billiken Hall of
Fame Class
38 In Memoriam
40 By the Numbers
Accelerating Excellence campaign news
41 The Last Look
Our faculty, clinicians, staff and students are in fierce pur-suit
of our vision to be a global Jesuit university that is
mission-focused, student- and patient-centered, and
research-driven. A university that is working with the people of St.
Louis to reimagine, transform and unify our city.
Pursuing that vision requires us to be nimble, not a frequent
descriptor for a 200-year-old institution. But nimble we must be
as the interests and needs of our current and future students shift,
and the world around us accelerates the rate of change. This adap-tive
process is inherently Ignatian. As you, our alumni, know, at
the crossroads of our talents and the world’s greatest needs is our
vocation, and we have a responsibility to thoughtfully discern that
intersection.
In addition to examining and improving our offerings, we are
investing. Our investment priorities include scholarship support,
career services and experiential education; STEM, health sci-ences,
nursing and medicine, where student demand and employer
needs continue to grow exponentially; the creation of Saint Louis
University’s first University-wide, Ignatian inspired, core curricu-lum;
faculty and student research; and mental health and well-being
services for our students and community partners.
In this edition of Universitas, we spend some time on our part-nerships
— partnerships with businesses and government agencies
that enhance our educational experience; partnerships within our
community that strengthen families, provide
opportunity and sustain the revitalization
of our region; and partnerships with alumni
who generously support our efforts.
For example, as you’ ll read on page 6,
St. Louis is becoming one of the nation’s
centers for location-based data col lec-tion,
mapping, analysis and services, called
geospatial information technologies. We
have recently partnered with the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on a collab-orative
agreement that will allow our two
organizations to work together on research,
training and innovation efforts. Because
of SLU’s diverse and expanding geospatial
research and training portfolio, we are well
positioned to support the NGA’s work as they
plan to invest 1.75 billion in a new western
headquarters, less than two miles from our
campus. In April, we co-sponsored a sold-out
conference with the NGA that introduced
some of the geospatial industry’s leaders to
our students and faculty.
Our local economic partnerships are
thriving, too. As you’ll see on page 7, ren-derings
have been released for the new Iron
Hill development at the northwest corner
of Grand Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue.
This exciting project will further accelerate
the dynamism taking place in the city’s cen-tral
corridor. As you know, SLU has long served as a catalyst for
social and economic prosperity in the city we proudly call home.
And this investment will transform an empty lot into a unique and
lasting development that will serve the SLU community and our
neighbors for many years to come. You will be pleased to know
that there is more development taking place on and adjacent to our
campus than at any time in our 200-year history. Look for more
information on these projects in future issues.
Finally, our partnership with you, our loyal supporters, is stron-ger
than ever. Last fall, we launched Accelerating Excellence: The
Campaign for Saint Louis University, and we are pleased to report
that so far more than 17,200 alumni have made campaign gifts to
SLU. This year, thanks to your continued support, we have sur-passed
last year’s all-time record for fundraising. Along with other
exciting records we’ve broken, you’ll hear more about Accelerating
Excellence and our extraordinary year in the next issue.
Until then, may God bless you, and Saint Louis University.
Dr. Fred P. Pestello
President
There are a lot of myopic narratives about higher education
floating around, from out-of-control costs to graduates who
are ill-prepared for their future. As you, our alumni, well
know, here at Saint Louis University, our reality looks
drastically different from some of the sensational stories you
might be reading or viewing in mainstream and social media.
PRESIDENT ’ S
MESSAGE
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
Pestello greets a graduate and her family
after SLU’s May 18 commencement.
2 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SUMMER 2019 | 3
ON CAMPUS
Billikens Win
A-10 Crown
Saint Louis University
captured the Atlantic 10
Conference title with a 55-
53 win over St. Bonaventure
March 17 at Barclays Center
in Brooklyn, New York.
The Billikens completed a
thrilling A-10 Tournament by
winning four games in four
days to punch their ticket to
the 2019 NCAA Tournament
— SLU’s first NCAA
appearance since 2014.
Tramaine Isabell Jr. was
named the A-10 Tournament
Most Outstanding Player.
Javon Bess (A&S ’18)
was named to the All-
Championship team as well.
“We go out every game,
every day, every practice,
and we’re playing for this
university, and we’re playing
for the city of St. Louis, and
that means a lot to us,” said
Head Coach Travis Ford.
The 13th-seeded Billikens
finished their season with a
23-13 record after losing to
Virginia Tech, a No. 4 seed, in
the first round of the NCAA
Championship.
Adding to the March
Madness frenzy was the
Billiken mascot's appearance
on The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon. The Billiken
captured the slam dunk and
three-point titles, beating
13 of the A-10's college
basketball mascots in The
Tonight Show's first NCAA
mascot skills competition.
Head Coach Travis Ford (center, in
suit) leaps into a pile of celebrating
players following the Billikens' A-10
championship win at Barclays Center
on March 17.
PHOTO BY MITCHELL LEFF / ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
4 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGA ZINE OF SAINT LOUI S UNIVERS I T Y SUMMER 2019 | 5
ON CAMPUS
SLU Celebrates Its 2019 Graduates
As he stood at the commencement podium,
Matthew Prest (Parks ’19), Saint Louis University’s
student speaker, told the crowd to be mindful of a
proverb from his native New Zealand: “What is the
most important thing in the world? It is the people, it
is the people, it is the people.”
For Prest and the University’s 2,546 newest alumni,
the call to change the world for the better defined
their SLU experience and the paths they will take
following their May 18 commencement at Chaifetz
Arena.
“The legacy of SLU and of yourselves is in your
hands,” Prest said. “What being a Billiken means is
up to you, but I challenge you to make it matter.”
University President Dr. Fred P. Pestello echoed
Prest’s emphasis on the uniqueness of a Jesuit edu-cation
and on Billikens as change-makers, as did the
ceremony’s keynote speaker, Randall L. Stephenson,
chairman and CEO of AT&T.
Stephenson received an honorary doctor of com-merce
degree during the ceremony. Others given
honorary degrees were Robert Cardillo, former
director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency; Marie Kenyon (Law ’86), a lawyer and
director of the Peace and Justice Commission of
the Archdiocese of St. Louis; and Donald Ross, vice
chairman of Enterprise Holdings Inc.
Cancer Center Receives 4.5 million gift from the estate of Dr. LeRoy
Fink (Med ’56) to support the Saint Louis University Cancer Center. Fink’s gift
is one of the largest in the history of the medical school.
A lifelong supporter of the University, Fink named the School of Medicine as a
beneficiary of his estate, providing funds that will be used to support the Cancer
Center specifically with research and clinical care, as well as the Cancer Center’s
active focus on clinical trials and its outpatient bone marrow transplant program. A
native of Edwardsville, Illinois, Fink died in January 2018 at age 87.
He was an active alumnus, assisting in planning numerous class reunions as a
volunteer and providing many gifts to support student scholarships and programs
in the School of Medicine.
Danticat Named 2019
Literary Award Winner
Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat, author
of acclaimed books that include Breath, Eyes,
Memory, Krik? Krak! and The Dew Breaker, will receive
the 2019 St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis
University Library Associates.
Danticat is a graduate of Brown University whose mas-ter’s
thesis became her debut novel Breath, Eyes, Memory,
which was selected in 1998 as an official book club pick by Oprah Winfrey. She also
has been recognized for her 2010 essay collection, Create Dangerously: The Immigrant
Artist at Work. She has received an American Book Award (1999), a National Book
Critics Circle Award (2007) and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship (2009).
Danticat will be in St. Louis on Thursday, Oct. 24, for the award ceremony. The
event is complimentary, but registration is required. To register, visit alumni.slu.
edu/literaryaward19.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
First No-Hitter
in 53 Years
Billiken pitcher Cody Luther
made history in April during
SLU’s 5-0 win over St.
Bonaventure in game one of
a doubleheader: The senior
threw the first nine-inning
no-hitter at SLU since 1966.
Luther struck out a career-high
11 opposing hitters,
while scattering two walks in
his dominant start over the
Bonnies.
St. Louis Jesuits Coming Home
ASept. 29 concert in St. Louis will mark the last
time Bob Dufford, S.J. {A&S ’67, Grad ’72, ’75},
John Foley, S.J. {A&S ’68, Grad ’68, ’74}, Tim Manion
{A&S ’76}, Roc O’Connor, S.J. {A&S ’73} and Dan
Schutte {A&S ’72} will take the stage together as the
St. Louis Jesuits. The farewell concert, to be held at 3
p.m. on the final day of SLU’s Homecoming and Family
Weekend at Powell Hall near campus, will feature
the group’s most beloved liturgical songs and hymns.
Tickets start at 15; a VIP preconcert reception is
available for an additional fee. All proceeds benefit the
Ignatian Spirituality Project. Tickets may be purchased
by phone at 314-534-1700, or online at powellhall.com.
Graduate Programs Earn High
U.S. News Rankings
The health law program at Saint Louis University’s
School of Law was named the best in the nation for
the 15th year in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report
“Best Graduate School” rankings. The Center for
Health Law Studies has been a top program since
the rankings were first published. (See the story on
page 16.)
Three graduate programs in the Richard A.
Chaifetz School of Business were ranked in the
top 15 this year: entrepreneurship, international
business and supply chain management. Graduate
accounting ranked No. 35.
SLU health care specialties programs — including
health care management, physician assistant and
public health — were in the top 50. Social work
ranked 51 in the nation.
U.S. NEWS 2020 TOP-50 BEST GRADUATE SCHOOL RANKINGS
1 Law: Health Law
9 Business:
International
13 Business:
Entrepreneurship
13 Business:
Supply Chain
13 Health Care
Specialties:
Health Care
Management
30 Law: Part-time Law
35 Business:
Accounting
37 Health Care
Specialties:
Physician
Assistant
46 Health Care
Specialties:
Public Health
ATHLETICS
Majerus Makes
Hall of Fame
The late Rick Majerus,
who served as SLU’s men’s
basketball coach for five
years from 2007-12, was
selected to the National
Collegiate Basketball Hall of
Fame Class of 2019. He will
be inducted officially on Nov.
24 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Majerus posted a 95-69
record at SLU and guided
the Billikens to the 2012
NCAA Tournament in his
final season, which was SLU’s
first NCAA appearance in 12
years. The Billikens would go
on to make two additional
NCAA Tournament
appearances with Majerus’
core group of players.
Majerus took a leave of
absence for the 2012-13 season
to deal with a heart condition.
He died on Dec. 1, 2012.
PHOTOS BY STEVE DOLAN
New Academic Programs
to Start in Fall
Saint Louis University will offer many new academic
programs this fall.
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Bioethics and Health
Studies
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Chemical Biology
and Pharmacology
Data Science
MASTER OF ARTS
OR SCIENCES
Chemical Biology
ACCELERATED PROGRAMS:
BACHELOR OF ARTS
TO MASTER OF ARTS
French
Spanish
MINORS
International Studies
Law, Religion and
Politics
CERTIFICATES
Disability
Administration in
Higher Education
Brewing Science and
Operations
MLK III Visit: Martin Luther King III
spoke at the 2019 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Memorial Tribute at Busch Student Center in
January. King III told the crowd, “Discrimination
is a tenacious evil. We are a better nation than the
behavior we exhibit. We’ve got to find a way to bring
Americans together.” SLU received the Community
Partner of the Year Award from the Urban League of
Metropolitan St. Louis at the breakfast.
Growing the Region's Econony:
SLU President Dr. Fred P. Pestello (far right) and
Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Dr.
Mark S. Wrighton (far left) cut the ribbon on the
COLLAB, the first dedicated academic space for either
university in Cortex, the region’s largest innovation
district. Officials from both universities celebrated the
launch of the initiative that will focus on economic
development, innovation and education. Housed in a
7,700-square-foot suite, the COLLAB will:
Offer programs in entrepreneurship through
SLU’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business
Present programs on cybersecurity, IT and
engineering management through Washington
University’s McKelvey School of Engineering
Support technology transfer efforts to get
research to the marketplace
Bolster university-industry partnerships
The COLLAB will also host courses as well as events
that bring together academic, industry, civic and
innovation leaders around topics of shared interest.
Additionally, the COLLAB will support the growth
of university-industry collaborations in areas of
common regional interest.
Parks graduates celebrate
Prest
FROM LEFT: Stephenson, Kenyon,
Pestello, Ross and Cardillo
PHOTO BY ROMONDO DAVIS
The St. Louis Jesuits
PHOTO BY AMELIA FLODD
SUBMITTED PHOTO
PHOTO BY BILL BARRETT
PHOTO BY BILL BARRETT
6 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SUMMER 2019 | 7
ON CAMPUS
Gift Creates New
Neuroscience Center
Through a 300,000 endowment, Dr. Henry
Nasrallah, retiring chair of SLU’s Department of
Psychiatry, and his wife, Amelia, a research psycholo-gist,
have established the Henry and Amelia Nasrallah
Center for Neuroscience at Saint Louis University.
The endowment will foster interdisciplinary
research and education in neuroscience within the
School of Medicine and across several colleges at
SLU. The endowment will also support an annual
lectureship during National Brain Awareness Week
in March, featuring a distinguished neuroscientist at
a joint neurology and psychiatry grand rounds.
SLU, NGA Collaborate on Major Initiatives
PARTNERING ON GEOSPATIAL
RESEARCH PROJECTS
In January, Saint Louis University
signed a Collaborative Research and
Development Agreement (CRADA)
with the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA),
establishing a new relationship that
will allow SLU to collaborate with the
NGA on geospatial research, training
and innovation initiatives.
CRADAs are formal agreements that
allow federal agencies and partner
organizations to optimize their
resources, share technical expertise,
enhance workforce development
and leverage the national industrial
base and innovation communities.
The collaboration supports the new
GeoSLU initiative, which aims to
establish SLU as leading center for
geospatial research, training and
innovation in St. Louis. As a Jesuit
University, SLU’s geospatial research
primarily focuses on improving the
human condition — from economic
and health inequity to food and
water security. Mapping is also being
used to study climate change, crop
productivity and disease prevention,
among other areas.
The agreement followed the NGA’s
recent decision to invest in a new
$1.75 billion campus north of
downtown St. Louis.
HOSTING A GEOSPATIAL CONFERENCE
A crowd of 650 regional leaders from
academia, government and business,
and college students came together
at the Midwest’s first geospatial
conference April 9. Geo-Resolution
2019 was co-sponsored by the NGA
and SLU, which hosted the event.
Vice Admiral Robert Sharp, who
assumed leadership of the NGA in
February, and SLU President Dr. Fred
P. Pestello kicked off the day with a
moderated discussion on the future of
St. Louis.
As part of the conference, students
from SLU and other area universities
met with leadership from the
geospatial community during a
mentoring lunch. Students also
presented posters of their research
and were recruited by local industry
and government employers during a
special career fair.
Nearly two dozen speakers from across
the country shared their insights on
myriad geospatial topics including
artificial intelligence, analyzing
data, emerging technologies and
trends, public/private partnerships,
entrepreneurship and changing
patterns of where people live.
WORKING WITH
FORMER NGA
DIRECTOR
Robert Cardillo,
former director
of the NGA, has
been named a
Distinguished
Geospatial Fellow in the Saint Louis
University Research Institute. Cardillo,
who remains based in Washington,
D.C., devotes a portion of his time
each month to his work for SLU.
In his new role at SLU, Cardillo
supports an ongoing strategy for
geospatial growth in St. Louis and
facilitates collaborations between the
University, local innovators, industry
leaders and the NGA. Cardillo also
provides guidance to GeoSLU, SLU’s
geospatial research, training and
innovation initiative.
In addition, Cardillo advises the
Cortex Innovation Community
on geospatial strategy, innovation
and commercialization, further
strengthening the partnership
between SLU and the neighboring
innovation hub.
Cardillo is a leader in the U.S.
Intelligence Community. He
previously held senior positions in
the Bush and Obama administrations,
and most recently served as the sixth
director of the NGA. He retired from
that position in February. In May, he
received an honorary doctorate from
SLU.
Grand Honor: In May, SLU held an event to
recognize Lawrence Biondi, S.J., SLU’s president
from 1987-2013. To acknowledge his impact on
SLU and Midtown, the stretch of Grand Boulevard
that fronts campus honorarily was named “Father
Biondi, S.J., Way.” The area is marked by street signs,
underwritten by Biondi's supporters. The signs are
found along Grand between Lafayette Avenue and
Lindell Boulevard. Additionally, a plaza at the Madrid
Campus will be named for him.
Arts at SLU
SLUMA
Saint Louis University Museum of Art
MODES OF EXPRESSION
Through July 28
Featuring works from SLUMA’s permanent collections,
this exhibition focuses on representational,
abstract and non-objective art as modes of
expression, from the late 19th century to today.
M.C. ESCHER: INFINITE VARIATIONS
Through Sept. 22
With more than 100 pieces on loan from the
Herakleidon Museum in Athens, Greece, this exhibition
examines the mind-bending, mathematical and
metamorphic works of graphic artist M.C. Escher.
MOCRA
Museum of Contemporary Religious Art
Founding director Terrence Dempsey, S.J.,
who retired from SLU on June 30, is curating a
special September exhibition that will highlight
artists and artworks from MOCRA's history.
New Develop
Dijaspora Bošnjačka: Broj 56
No full textBosniak DiasporaV56Dijaspora bošnjačka (Bosnian Diaspora) is a Bosniak periodical that was published monthly between May 2004 and December 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was one of the two components comprising the Bosnian Media Group (the other was Radio Behar St. Louis). The publication features original articles by an international group of contributors (including from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and was distributed in the United States and Canada and parts of Europe. The paper was launched to share information and perspectives about the aggression toward Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people between 1992 and 1995, as well as to promote the values, traditions, and culture of Bosnian Muslims.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue
Dijaspora Bošnjačka: Broj 47
No full textBosniak DiasporaV47Dijaspora bošnjačka (Bosnian Diaspora) is a Bosniak periodical that was published monthly between May 2004 and December 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was one of the two components comprising the Bosnian Media Group (the other was Radio Behar St. Louis). The publication features original articles by an international group of contributors (including from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and was distributed in the United States and Canada and parts of Europe. The paper was launched to share information and perspectives about the aggression toward Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people between 1992 and 1995, as well as to promote the values, traditions, and culture of Bosnian Muslims.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue
Dijaspora Bošnjačka: Broj 63
No full textBosniak DiasporaIII63Dijaspora bošnjačka (Bosnian Diaspora) is a Bosniak periodical that was published monthly between May 2004 and December 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was one of the two components comprising the Bosnian Media Group (the other was Radio Behar St. Louis). The publication features original articles by an international group of contributors (including from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and was distributed in the United States and Canada and parts of Europe. The paper was launched to share information and perspectives about the aggression toward Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people between 1992 and 1995, as well as to promote the values, traditions, and culture of Bosnian Muslims.Click on the blue Maximize button in the top right corner of each image to browse the pages of an issue