40,157 research outputs found
Título: Despertador de cortesanos
No full textEl ed. Louis-Michaud trabaja ca. último tercio del s. XIX-1912O ed. Louis-Michaud traballa ca. último tercio do XIX-191
Forma cleri secundum exemplar quod ecclesiae sanctisque patribus a Christo domino summo sacerdote monstratum est
No full textA mención de ed. vai diante de "tomus tertius"Sign.: A-Q, RApostillas marxinai
Saint Louis University Billikens vs. University of Missouri, St. Louis
No full textSLU Billikens vs UMSL at Busch Field in St. Louis. John Roselein (left), Peter Collico (center), and Don Aubruchon (right) surround Ed Flemming (#2, UMSL) SLU won this game 2 to 1. (13 September 1974
Saint Louis University Men's Tennis Team, 1967
No full textSaint Louis University Men's Tennis Team (1967) First row left to right: Clyde Deffaa, Ed Yoch and Paul Weirich. Second row: Bob Costigan, Ed Frank, Jack Goethals and Coach Rod Susman. [Image scanned from "All Sports Banquet Program," 4 May 1967, page 4, courtesy of Jim Leeker
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 2003 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis UniversityT H E M AG A Z I N E O F S A I N T L O U I S U N I V E R S I T Y
F A L L 2 0 0 3
By Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
Saint Louis University President
I’m convinced that it must have been a SLU graduate who coined the phrase, “What a small
world.”
I’m sure you’ve all had a similar experience: you’re sitting in a restaurant, standing in line
to check out at a grocery store or even taking in a ball game, and someone around you says
something like, “Didn’t you go to SLU?”
Whatever the opening line, what almost always ensues is a brief conversation between two
people. They may have never met before, but it’s as if an instant connection has been made.
They begin talking like old friends.
Although I realize that this phenomenon frequently happens between
people who share a common identity, I often come away from such experi-ences
convinced that members of our SLU community transcend the
superficialities of just sharing an alma mater or even a fondness for a particu-lar
sports team.
I truly believe our mission and our Ignatian heritage unites us on a deep-er
level. The recent Homecoming festivities only reinforced my belief. As
all of you know, during Homecoming, we welcome thousands of former
students back to campus, putting them in contact once again with each
other and with our current students, faculty and staff.
There were tours of Grand Center, our own home in Midtown, as well as
the new and improved Busch Student Center. There were parties, outdoor
concerts, Billiken soccer, a parade and fireworks. There were golf outings,
class reunions and tailgates. And serving as an appropriate, intimate ending
to the weekend, there was the Golden Billiken Brunch for members of the
classes up to and including the class of 1953.
Alhtough all of these activities are entertaining and help to demonstrate
our appreciation for members of our SLU family, perhaps the most satisfy-ing
element of Homecoming is found in the personal interaction between
longtime friends. For Homecoming is one of the few times during the year
in which generations of Billikens come back to campus to celebrate and
commemorate their shared identity. Alumni reminisce about old times
while also introducing their former classmates to their personal families. We at SLU show off
our campus and introduce our current family of students, faculty and staff, who share their
own thoughts and feelings about the SLU experience.
Alumni often share their own success stories, but more importantly, their stories about fam-ily,
friends and faith. They tell me how the philosophy, ethics and theological components
they once grumbled about now serve them well in their everyday lives.
Conversely, we let alumni know that SLU remains committed to informing and transform-ing
our current students, who, in turn, will transform society in the spirit of the Gospels. I
give assurances that although the nature of higher education has changed, SLU remains true
to its Jesuit, Catholic heritage — just like it has for generations, all the way back to its found-ing
in 1818.
Yes, we truly see the spirit of Saint Louis University revealed and refreshed during our
Homecoming festivities. It gives me great joy to hear about the ways in which members of
the SLU community continue to make a difference for their families, for their communities,
for their professions, for their world. Though it is only one weekend during the year, there’s
undoubtedly an invisible bridge that links generations of Billiken alumni together. We can be
reassured that SLU continues to succeed in preparing its graduates for a lifetime of service to
humankind.
It’s wonderful to see that SLU is indeed “where the heart is” in so many people’s lives.
UNIVERSITAS
Volume 30, No. 1
Editor
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
Assistant Editor
Chris Waldvogel
Contributors
Clayton Berry
Jeff Fowler
Photo Credits
Steve Dolan, 3, 9, 30
Joe Finlay, 4
Kevin Lowder, 10
Dave Preston, 26
John Quinn, S.J., 20
James Visser, cover, 4, 12-15
Chris Waldvogel, 2, 3, 5
New Line Cinema, 18, 20-22
Design
AKA Design Inc.
Art Direction: Richie Murphy
Design: Stacy Lanier
UNIVERSITAS is published by Saint
Louis University. Opinions expressed
in UNIVERSITAS are those of the indi-vidual
authors and not necessarily
those of the University administra-tion.
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 publica-tion
should indicate that fact. The
editor reserves the right to edit all
items. Please address all mail to
UNIVERSITAS, DuBourg Hall 39, 221
N. Grand, St. Louis, MO 63103. We
accept e-mail at [email protected] and fax
submissions at (314) 977-2249.
Address fax submissions to Editor,
UNIVERSITAS.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
UNIVERSITAS, Saint Louis University, 221
N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
World Wide Web address:
www.slu.edu/pr/universitas.html
UNIVERSITAS is printed by Universal
Printing Co. and mailed by Accurate
Business Mailers Inc.
Worldwide circulation: 109,611
© 2003, Saint Louis University.
All rights reserved.
On the Cover: The new Busch
Student Center courtyard. For
more photos of Busch Student
Center, see page 12.
IIN MEMORIIAM AALLUUMMNNII nnootteess
2
24 32
28 30
FALL 2003
6
Home-Court Advantage
Take a peek at the plans for
Saint Louis University’s proposed arena.
10
Remembering Father Ong
A look at the life of one of
SLU’s most noted scholars.
12
Center of Attention
The renovated and expanded
Busch Student Center is drawing raves.
16
Momentum
The Campaign for Saint Louis University
marks its first anniversary.
18
Lore of the Rings
A SLU professor is one of the world’s
foremost experts on J.R.R. Tolkien.
C O N T E N T S
2
SLU named a
‘Best Buy’ again
Saint Louis University is
the nation’s top educa-tional
buy among all Jesuit
institutions according to U.S.
News & World Report, which
again recognized Saint Louis
University as one of the
country’s best values in high-er
education. Overall, the
magazine also ranked SLU
among the top four Catholic
universities in the country.
In the publication’s
“America’s Best Colleges
2004” issue, SLU is No. 41
on the best values list among
all national doctoral universi-ties.
This is the sixth consecu-tive
year that U.S. News has
highlighted the University as
a leading educational value.
SLU is the top Jesuit institu-tion
on the best value list and
the No. 2 Catholic school,
second only to the University
of Notre Dame. U.S. News
determines best values by
measuring academic quality
with the net cost of atten-dance
for a student who
receives an average level of
financial aid.
U.S. News also named Saint
Louis University among the
top four Catholic institutions
on its ranking of best national
doctoral universities, a group
that includes nearly 250
schools. SLU is No. 78 on
the list, with only Notre
Dame, Georgetown
University and Boston
College ranking higher.
HOMELAND SECURITY: Hundreds of people attended
the first town hall meeting on homeland security featuring
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Oct. 7 at
Saint Louis University. An interactive event with high
audience participation, the forum included (from left) Frank
Sesno, host of Worldtalk and former CNN anchor; Steve
Rohleder, global chief executive for government, Accenture;
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay (Law ’80); Ridge; Dr. Karen
Webb, chief medical officer for Saint Louis University
Hospital; and Col. Tim Daniel, director for the Missouri
Office of Homeland Security. University President
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., gave the opening remarks.
Sword award
to honor Westfall
Saint Louis University will
give its highest honor to
the late George R. “Buzz”
Westfall (A&S ’68, Law ’69).
SLU will recognize the late
political leader with its Sword
of Ignatius Loyola during the
DuBourg Society Dinner
Dec. 7. Mr. Westfall died
Oct. 27. He was 59.
One of the region’s most
influential public figures of
the last 20 years,
Mr. Westfall was
elected St. Louis
County executive
in 1990 and was
re-elected three
times. Noted for
his bipartisanship
and regional focus,
his accomplish-ments
included the establish-ment
of a shelter for battered
women and children.
The Sword of Ignatius
Loyola is named for the
founder of the Society of
Jesus. Symbolic of the
Ignatian vision of service,
sword recipients have given
themselves to humankind for
the greater glory of God.
Louis; Keith F. Muccino, S.J.,
assistant professor of internal
medicine and Catholic chap-lain
at Georgetown University
School of Medicine; and
Robert L. Niehoff, S.J., vice
president for budget and plan-ning
at the University of San
Francisco.
New trustees
join SLU board
Three new trustees have
joined the Saint Louis
University board: L.B.
Eckelkamp Jr., chairman of the
board and CEO of the Bank of
Washington (Mo.) and chair-man
and president of Cardinal
Bancorp and Cardinal Bancorp
II, which owns the United
Bank of Union and Citizens
National Bank of Greater St.
SLU JOINS A10 CONFERENCE
Saint Louis University is joining the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Billikens will begin intercollegiate athletic competition
in the Atlantic 10 during the 2005-06 academic year.
The Atlantic 10 Conference is in its 28th year of NCAA
Division I competition. The league’s members include
Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, LaSalle,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure,
Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Xavier.
Saint Louis University currently is a charter member of
Conference USA. In early November, five C-USA member
schools — Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and
USF — accepted invitations to join the Big East Conference.
Five new schools — Central Florida, Marshall, Rice, SMU
and Tulsa — filled C-USA’s vacant positions.
For more details, visit www.slubillikens.com.
Three new deans
now on campus
Dr. Ellen Harshman (Grad
’78, Law ’92) is the new dean
of the John Cook School of
Business. She succeeds the
retiring Dr. Leroy Grossman,
who was interim dean for one
year. Harshman has served
SLU in several leadership roles
since 1972, including associate
dean of the business school,
director of the career planning
and placement center and assis-tant
to the vice president for
student development. She also
holds the rank of associate pro-fessor
of management and
most recently was SLU’s senior
vice provost. Among her many
responsibilities in this role,
Harshman administered com-
NEWS BRIEFS
By The Numbers
4 National rank of Parks College
of Engineering and Aviation’s
aerospace engineering program,
according to U.S. News and
World Report. Overall, Parks’
undergraduate engineering pro-grams
moved up three spots on
the U.S. News list to No. 27.
498 Residents sponsored by
SLU’s School of Medicine in 50
different residencies, subspecialty
residencies and fellowships rotat-ing
through eight affiliated teach-ing
hospitals and 18 affiliated
health care institutions.
8,742 Phone pledges made dur-ing
fiscal year 2003 for a total for
1 mil-lion
has been raised through
phoning.
In September, SLU sponsored a
two-evening gala event called
“Denim & Diamonds” to
benefit public education,
research and treatment of liver
disease. On Sept. 12, Willie
Nelson headlined “Denim,” a
concert to benefit the SLU Liver
Center and the Julia Spears
Foundation for Liver Disease.
On Sept. 13, “Diamonds” fea-tured
country music artist Naomi
Judd, who spoke at a black-tie
dinner to benefit SLU’s Liver
Center. … Dr. Robert B.
Belshe, Adorjan professor of
infectious diseases and director of
the Center for Vaccine
Development, received the
Clinical Virology Award for
2003 from the Pan American
Society for Clinical Virology. …
Sandra H. Johnson (A&S ’73),
the Tenet Endowed Chair in
Health Law and Ethics is one of
four winners of the 2003
Pellegrino Medal for contribu-tions
to health care ethics. …
Dr. Marla Berg-Weger, pro-fessor
and director of field service
education for the School for
Social Service since 1995, has
been named associate provost. …
Maria Whitehead, a member of
Wake Forest’s 2002 NCAA
Division I field hockey champi-onship
team, is SLU’s new head
field hockey coach. The appoint-ment
is her first head coaching
position. … Dr. Seung H.
Kim, professor of international
business and director of the
Boeing Institute of International
Business, has been appointed to
serve on the Presidential
Advisory Council for the
Peaceful Reunification of the
Republic of Korea.
RESEARCH PLANS: Preliminary plans are under way
for the design and site selection for a new research center at
the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, part of
an 300 million “Campaign for Saint Louis
University: Where Knowledge Touches Lives.”
pliance with the University’s
accrediting agencies, served as
a liaison with state-wide edu-cational
agencies and oversaw
the libraries, Reinert Center
for Teaching Excellence and
office of institutional study.
Harshman has earned numer-ous
honors during her SLU
career and was named SLU’s
Woman of the Year in 1981.
Dr. Charlotte Royeen, a
national leader in her field of
occupational therapy, is the
new dean of the Doisy School
of Allied Health Professions.
Royeen most recently served
as associate dean for research at
Creighton’s School of
Pharmacy and Allied Health
Professions and professor of
occupational therapy. Prior to
that, she was the founding
chair and professor of occupa-tional
therapy at Shenandoah
University in Winchester, Va.,
and worked for several years
for the U.S. Department of
Education’s Office of Special
Education Programs. Royeen
holds a doctorate from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State
University in Blacksburg, Va.,
and a master’s degree in occu-pational
therapy from
Washington University School
of Medicine. At the confer-ence
of the American
Occupational Therapy
Association, Royeen received
the 2002 Eleanor Clarke Slagle
Lectureship Award, which is
the highest scholarly achieve-ment
bestowed in occupational
therapy.
Dr. Bjong Wolf Yeigh
joined the Saint Louis
University community July 1
as the dean for Parks College
of Engineering and Aviation.
He came to SLU from Yale
University, where he was assis-tant
provost of science and
technology since 1999. He
succeeds Dr. Charles
Kirkpatrick, who was dean of
Parks College for nine years
and is on the department of
chemistry faculty. Yeigh
received a bachelor’s degree in
engineering science from
Dartmouth College, a master’s
degree in mechanical engi-neering
from Stanford and a
doctorate in civil engineering
and operations research from
Princeton. A former tactical air
intelligence officer assigned to
Fighter Squadron 74, Yeigh
served in the U.S. Navy dur-ing
the Gulf War and for a
total of eight years in active
and reserve duties, leaving with
a rank of lieutenant.
Yeigh
Royeen
Harshman
New technology
VP on board
Ellen Watson is Saint Louis
University’s new vice
president for information
technology services.
Although Watson may be
new to SLU, she is familiar
with the Jesuit mission.
Before coming to SLU, she
was the vice president of
information service at Loyola
University Chicago, a post
she had held since 1999.
Watson boasts 19 years of
experience in her field, hav-ing
served as associate vice
president for information ser-vices
and dean of library ser-vices
at Indiana State
University for four years and
associate provost for informa-tion
resources and technology
at Bradley University for two
years. She received her bach-elor’s
degree from Wellesley
College and her master’s from
the University of Maryland.
Drabble wins
Literary Award
Saint Louis University
Library Associates pre-sented
English author
Margaret Drabble with the
2003 Saint Louis Literary
Award at a ceremony Oct.
21. Drabble, a novelist, biog-rapher,
critic and short story
writer, is the author of The
Seven Sisters, The Peppered
Moth, The Witch of Exmoor
and The Millstone. She is also
editor of The Oxford
Companion to English
Literature. Drabble joins a dis-tinguished
group of authors
honored with this award dur-ing
the past 36 years.
Recipients include such
luminaries as Arthur Miller,
Joyce Carol Oates and
Seamus Heaney. Last year’s
winner was Joan Didion.
Biodefense
research brings
schools together
Anew research center based
in St. Louis will play a
major role in protecting the
American public against
bioterrorism and emerging
infectious diseases. Washington
University School of Medicine
and Saint Louis University
School of Medicine will be
part of a multi-institutional
Midwest Regional Center for
Excellence in Biodefense and
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Research (MRCE). The cen-ter
will be funded by a five-year,
35 million grant from
the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The founding members of the
MRCE also include Case
Western Reserve University,
the University of Missouri-
Columbia and the Midwest
Research Institute of Kansas
City. The new center will
concentrate on expanding cur-rent
research efforts in biode-fense.
For example, the team’s
initial research effort will focus
on poxvirus infections, which
include diseases such as small-pox.
The ultimate goals are to
improve the safety of vaccines
and to develop new therapies.
Kavanaugh wins
press award
Saint Louis University phi-losophy
professor and mag-azine
columnist John
Kavanaugh, S.J., (A&S ’65,
Grad ’66, ’71) received top
honors from the National
Catholic Press Association. His
“Ethics Notebook,” which
regularly appears in America
magazine, earned the Best
Regular Column Award from
Kavanaugh
MIXING IT UP: What’s cooking in the department of
nutrition and dietetics in the Doisy School of Allied Health
Professions? Mark E. Miller, a certified executive chef,
shown here supervising students Christina Bologna (left)
and Diana Kingston, has joined the Saint Louis University
faculty and is teaching future dietitians how healthy foods
can be prepared to taste great. Miller, most recently a chef
at Westborough Country Club, is sold on the University’s
new, one-of-a-kind degree program that prepares students
to become registered dietitians while they receive training for
their culinary arts credential. “Our degree is perfect for stu-dents
who want to work as personal chefs, among other spe-cializations,”
Miller said.
International HIV
trial led by SLU
Saint Louis University is
leading an international
vaccine trial to study a
promising HIV prevention
vaccine in humans. The trial
is being conducted through
the HIV Vaccine Trials
Network (HVTN) of the
National Institutes of Health.
This is the first HVTN trial
to be conducted simultane-ously
in the United States and
abroad — in St. Louis,
Boston (through Harvard
University) and Gaborone,
Botswana — and it signifies a
dedication to transcending
borders in the fight against
HIV. This vaccine has never
been tested in humans. The
trial is looking at the safety
and immune response of an
experimental HIV vaccine
the association, which repre-sents
640 publications with a
combined circulation of nearly
27 million in the United States
and Canada. In honoring him,
the National Catholic Press
Association said: “Father
Kavanaugh examines public
issues through a moral lens and
discusses them thoughtfully
and powerfully.”
4
The December 1963 issue of Saint
Louis University Magazine featured a
cover photo of the new Griesedieck
Memorial Hall, which was dedicat-ed
Nov. 30, 1963.
A news item mentioned that
fund raising for Busch Memorial
Center was under way — .1.5 mil-lion
had been raised, and a 3.25 million.
The issue also highlighted the
Midwest Assembly on Outer Space,
a conference co-sponsored by SLU
and held that September. The
assembly brought together a cross
section of leaders in education, gov-ernment,
labor, business, industry,
law, medicine, military and commu-nications
from a 14-state area to
consider the topic, “Outer Space:
Prospects for Man and Society.”
Participants included James E.
Webb, the head of NASA, and U.S.
Sen. Stuart Symington of Missouri.
Another article featured an alum-nus,
Robert Burns (Parks ’59), who
was the first Missourian to join the
Peace Corps. Burns was a land irri-gation
specialist in Pakistan.
Quotable UTAS: “It would be
tragic if we were able to pinpoint
rockets in space but unable to deter-mine
where we were going as
human beings.” — Charles A.
Sheehan, Missouri state representa-tive
and speaker at the Midwest
Assembly on Outer Space
Sign of the times: It was reported
that tuition for the 1964-65 school
year for full-time undergraduates
and law students would be 100 over 1963-64 rates. School of
Medicine students were slated to
pay $700 per semester.
SLU nabs C-USA
GPA award again
Conference USA has
named Saint Louis
University as the recipient of
the Institutional Excellence
Award for the eighth
consecutive year. The
award is given to the
member school
with the highest
SLU listed as ‘Best
Place to Work’
For the second time since
2000, Saint Louis
University has made the St.
Louis Business Journal’s “Best
Places to Work” list. This year,
SLU was honored in the “Best
Practice” category — the only
institution so recognized — for
the development of
Hometown SLU, which is
designed to spur development
near the St. Louis campus
while assisting SLU employees
looking to purchase a home in
certain areas near campus.
Since Hometown SLU was
unveiled Feb. 5, 19 people
have applied to the program
and been approved. Full-time,
eligible employees may receive
f
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textSummer 2018 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University. This is a special Bicentennial issue, celebrating the University's 200th anniversaryUNIVERSI TAS 2 SUMMER 2018 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 1 BICENTENNIAL
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
VOLUME 4 4, ISSUE 2
EDITOR
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Garland (A&S ’97)
ART DIRECTOR
Matt Krob
CONTRIBUTORS
Anne Marie Apollo-Noel
Dr. Dolores Byrnes
Molly Daily (Grad A&S ’18)
Marie Dilg (Grad SW ’94)
Sarah Hilgendorf
ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
Detail of a window in St. Francis
Xavier College Church depicting
the north entry of DuBourg Hall
flanked by graduates. The word
“Christocracy” in red letters
above the entry indicates Christ’s
influence on education. The
window was designed by Emil Frei
Jr. and installed in the 1930s.
Photo by J.J. Mueller, S.J.
(A&S ’69, Grad A&S ’70)
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 Henry Wurst Inc.
Worldwide circulation: 116,500
© 2018, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited.
Detail of two windows in St. Francis Xavier College Church
that spotlight academic disciplines and sit on each side of the
window on this issue’s cover. On the left, painting and music are
depicted. On the right, mathematics and science are shown.
PHOTOS BY J.J. MUELLER, S.J.
PHOTO BY JAY FRAM
F E ATU R E S
D E PARTME NTS
10
The First Two Centuries
A 200-year timeline of Saint Louis University
— By Molly Daily
16
Always at the Frontier
An excerpt from the official bicentennial book
— By Dr. Dolores Byrnes
20
Exhibiting History
The Saint Louis University Museum of Art’s new
exhibition — Photos by Steve Dolan
24
Talking About My Generation
Campus activities and hangouts since the 1940s
— By Amy Garland
29
The Bicentennial Logo
The hidden details of SLU’s 200-year mark
— Designed by Matt Krob
30
More Than a Job
Reflections from 10 longtime faculty and staff
— By Marie Dilg
36
Cover Story
Telling SLU’s history through its alumni
magazines — By Laura Geiser
40
Making Good Time
An update on the bicentennial service challenge
— By Anne Marie Apollo-Noel
2 On Campus
Major gift to the business school ///
Madrid’s 50-year celebration /// 2018
commencement /// Climate Summit
/// Prospect Yards /// Gift for nursing
scholarships /// Literary Award to Sondheim
42 Class Notes
43 Alumni Spotlight
Eric Moraczewski (CSB ’04)
46 In Memoriam
48 Feedback
49 The Last Look
Our beloved University is worthy of celebration —
both for the memorable achievements of our shared
past and for the many impressive ways in which we
live our mission today.
We began this past academic year with the
bicentennial Mass. As we planned it, I believed that it would be
remembered as one of the very best moments in our history. An
email I received from a parent of one of our students confirmed that
to me. He said, “As I sat at the 200th anniversary Mass, with its
gorgeous backdrop and significant history, I was brought to
tears by the humbling appreciation that my daughter could
attend a university like SLU.” This gratitude for SLU and our his-tory
set the tone.
More recently, as part of our bicentennial celebration, we hosted
the Saint Louis Climate Summit and brought together world-re-nowned
speakers Cardinal Peter Turkson, Dr. Mario Molina, Carl
Pope and Bill Nye to examine a path forward for our planet. (Read
more on page 5.)
The Climate Summit was born out of the desire to respond to
Pope Francis’ call to care for all of creation, especially our environ-ment,
in his encyclical Laudato Si’. Chaired by SLU’s own Dr. Jack
Fishman (Grad A&S ’74, ’77) and David Webb (A&S, CSB ’97, Grad
’12), and planned with support from Dr. Peter Raven and trustee
Trudy Busch Valentine (Nurs ’80), the summit attracted meteorol-ogists;
government leaders; experts in climate science, ecology and
sustainable development; students; and engaged St. Louisans for
three days of discussion.
In affirmation of this summit, I received a letter from Cardinal
Pietro Parolin, who is the secretary of state for the Vatican. In the
letter, Cardinal Parolin quotes Pope Francis’ prayer that, “This gath-ering
may serve to inform society more effectively on the issue of
climate change and encourage the University community ‘to pro-mote
best practice, to stimulate creativity in seeking new solutions
and to encourage individual or group initiatives.’”
In addition to these and other impressive events and academic
programs, our bicentennial has inspired an outpouring of support
from our community. Our stakeholders are demonstrating their
belief in the importance of our work by investing in SLU. We are
in the midst of the single greatest fundraising year in SLU history.
Further, we are confident we will end this year at more than twice
our previous all-time total.
This February, trustee Dr. Richard Chaifetz (A&S ’75) and Jill
Chaifetz made a transformational gift of 27 million.
Their latest gift is intended to grow SLU’s nationally ranked entre-preneurship
center and provide resources for other programs in the
newly named Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business. (Read more
on page 2.)
Thank you to each of our alumni who have contributed to this
historic fundraising year. Your gifts support innovation, academic
excellence, scholarship and informed medicine. They will invigo-rate
Saint Louis University, and reflect your confidence in our plan
for the future.
The very near future holds two outstanding opportunities for
all of us to come together to celebrate SLU’s first two centuries. I
hope you will join us for a Grand Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 29,
during our special bicentennial Homecoming and Family Weekend.
This evening will feature live music, food and fun activities for all
ages. And on Thursday, Nov. 15, I invite you to a 200th birthday
celebration featuring a private concert by the St. Louis Symphony
Orchestra at Chaifetz Arena.
As we all celebrate this historic milestone, our University is part-nering
in shaping the direction of our region, and we are doing
wonderful work in the classroom, in the laboratory, in the hospi-tal
and in the community. Your support during our past and in the
present is vital to our future. While you read, I hope you’ll learn
new facts about your alma mater, reminisce about your time here and
be inspired by the stories of those who shaped our beloved institu-tion.
I would be delighted to hear your reflections.
May God bless you, and may God continue to bless Saint Louis
University.
Dr. Fred P. Pestello
President
This special issue of Universitas takes you on a journey though Saint Louis
University’s past. The timeline, book excerpt, faculty memories and photos that you
will find on the following pages all serve to remind you of SLU’s noble history.
UNIVERSI TAS 2 SUMMER 2018 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 3 BICENTENNIAL
Chaifetz Family Gift Leads to
Business School’s New Name
In February, SLU trustee Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz (A&S ’75)
and his wife, Jill Chaifetz, increased their giving to Saint
Louis University to 15 million to the
business school. In 2007, the couple provided the lead gift
of 12 million that enabled the construction of Chaifetz
Arena.
To honor this new, generous contribution, the University
has renamed its business school the Richard A. Chaifetz
School of Business and the school’s entrepreneurship
center the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship.
SLU students, faculty and staff members turned out to
thank Chaifetz during a special reception on Feb. 22.
In his remarks, Chaifetz briefly told the story of how former
SLU President Paul Reinert, S.J., allowed him to remain
at SLU when financial issues threatened his ability to stay.
Chaifetz promised Reinert that he would pay back his
tuition — and that he would pay back the University in an
even bigger way in the future.
“This allows me to give back to a school I love, am
passionate about and want to make even greater,” Chaifetz
told the large crowd. “I want to hear the Chaifetz School
of Business mentioned in the same breath as other great
business schools.”
The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business has seven
programs nationally ranked by U.S. News and World
Report — three undergraduate and four graduate —
including the country’s No. 9-ranked undergraduate
entrepreneurship program.
Chaifetz is a world-renowned entrepreneur and business
leader, who in 1984 founded ComPsych Corp., today the
world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs,
behavioral health and wellness services. The company, of
which he remains founder, chairman and CEO, provides
services to more than 100 million individuals and 45,000
organizations in more than 160 countries. He also is
founder and chairman of the private investment firm
Chaifetz Group. He has been a member of SLU’s board of
trustees since 2007 and was an inaugural member of the
business school’s Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame.
ON C AMPUS
PHOTOS BY STEVE DOLAN
Chaifetz addresses the crowd.
Chaifetz (left) and SLU President Dr. Fred P. Pestello
talk with students at the February event.
Guests gathered in the in the Shanahan
Atrium of Cook Hall listen to Chaifetz.
UNIVERSI TAS 4 SUMMER 2018 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 5 BICENTENNIAL
2018 Commencement
Celebrates the Bicentennial
With SLU’s bicentennial in mind, the University
began a new tradition at the May 19 com-mencement
ceremony at Chaifetz Arena as members
of its Class of 1968 — now called Golden Billikens
— led the entry procession and received special
recognition. Golden Billikens will be honored at
University commencements going forward.
In another nod to the bicentennial, SLU reintro-duced
its “Varsity Song,” which was written in 1909
and had not been performed at commencement
since the 1960s. (See the original on page 19.) It was
updated by Dr. Aaron Johnson, assistant professor of
music, and sung by the University’s Mastersingers.
More than 2,100 students graduated this spring.
This year’s commencement speaker was Ronald
Mercier, S.J., provincial of the Jesuits’ U.S. Central
and Southern Province. He received an honorary
doctor of divinity from the University. Also honored
with honorary degrees during the ceremony were
two SLU alumni, former U.S. Congressman William
“Bill” Lacy Clay Sr. (A&S ’53) and former St. Louis
Mayor Francis G. Slay (Law ’80).
The student speaker from the graduating class was
new law alumna Sarah Tomlinson. University archi-vist
emeritus John Waide (A&S ’73) was the mace
bearer.
Climate
Summit Draws
Thousands
Saint Louis University
brought toge t her
some of the most author-itative
minds in climate
science, ecology and sus-tainable
development
for the 2018 Saint Louis
Cl imate Summi t thi s
April.
A highlight of SLU’s
yearlong bicentennial
celebration, the three-day summit was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical
Laudato Si’ that called attention to humankind’s responsibility to care for the earth
in the wake of climate change.
Nearly 2,300 students, faculty and members of the St. Louis community attended
the summit’s keynote address at Chaifetz Arena. The speakers were Carl Pope,
former executive director of the Sierra Club and co-author of Climate of Hope: How
Cities, Businesses and Citizens Can Save the Planet, and Bill Nye “The Science Guy,”
well-known science educator and advocate.
The summit featured experts from around the world, including Cardinal Peter
Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Dr.
Mario Molina, 1995 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; recipients of various
United Nations Environmental Awards; and members of the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences, the primary scientific advisory council to the pope.
Panelists presented about food security, water availability, rising sea levels, busi-ness
issues related to climate change and more. More than 220 people attended the
academic portion of the summit, which was shared worldwide online.
The summit was organized by
Dr. Jack Fishman (Grad A&S ’74, ’77),
professor of earth and atmospheric
sciences and director of SLU’s Center
for Environmental Sciences, and David
Webb (A&S, CSB ’97, Grad ’12), director
of SLU’s Emerson Leadership Business
Institute. Dr. Peter Raven, president
emeritus of the Missouri Botanical
Garden, and Trudy Busch Valentine
(Nurs ’80), a SLU trustee, were key
members of the planning team.
During February and March, SLU competed in the annual
nationwide RecycleMania competition, an eight-week
event that raises awareness about campus sustainability.
8th year
participating in RecycleMania
331,762 lbs.
of single-stream recycling collected by SLU
86,267 lbs.
of electronics collected during
the E-Waste Drive
4th place
in the national electronic
recycling competition
25,721 lbs.
of old documents shredded and
recycled during ShredMania event
443,750 lbs.
total diverted from landfills
by SLU this RecycleMania
IN ADDITION TO THE CLIMATE SUMMIT, HERE ARE A FEW
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS SPRING’S BICENTENNIAL EVENTS:
O N C A M P U S
BY THE NUMBERS
RecycleMania
Students volunteer at March’s
E-Waste Drive, part of the national
RecycleMania competition.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Nye (left) and Pope give the keynote address at Chaifetz Arena.
PHOTO BY SIMON NGUYEN
INTERCULTURAL ORIGINS
OF ST. LOUIS AND THE
TRANS-MISSISSIPPI WEST,
1800-1840
This conference examined
themes including the
international influences
present in early St. Louis,
and the expansion of the
St. Louis region.
WOMEN AT SLU:
THE STRUGGLE FOR
KNOWLEDGE, POWER AND
LEGACY
This symposium discussed
both the challenges and
opportunities women
confront as female
students, staff and faculty
at SLU.
FROM SELMA TO ST. LOUIS:
THEOLOGY OF MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR., AND THE
PURSUIT OF JUSTICE 50
YEARS LATER
This public symposium
offered performances and
reflections on King’s legacy
of liberation and justice.
PHOTO BY SIMON NGUYEN
Turkson (left) and Molina
Confetti and streamers were released at the
end of the ceremony in Chaifetz Arena.
Graduates’ caps Honorary degree recipients (from left) Slay, Mercier and Clay
Doisy College of Health Sciences graduates
PHOTOS BY STEVE DOLAN
UNIVERSI TAS 6 SUMMER 2018 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 7 BICENTENNIAL
SLU, St. Louis
Archdiocese
Sign Agreement
to Enrich
Seminarian
Education
St. Louis Archbishop
Robert J. Carlson and
SLU President Dr. Fred P.
Pestello signed an agree-ment
in April that brings
the Kenr ick-Glennon
Seminary undergraduate
program fully into SLU’s College of Philosophy and Letters, which oversees pro-grams
for students training for the priesthood and ministry.
Currently, seminarians take their first two years of undergraduate classes at
SLU and finish their education at the seminary, receiving a degree from Kenrick-
Glennon Seminary. Under the new agreement, seminarians will receive a Bachelor
of Arts degree in philosophy from SLU, taking classes taught both at SLU and at the
seminary. The program changes will be implemented for the 2018-19 school year.
The seminarians will be able to explore other disciplines while at SLU. Carlson
said he hoped that many would take advantage of the language arts and minor in
Spanish, as the archdiocese has a growing Spanish-speaking population.
Graduate Programs Earn High
U.S. News Rankings
The health law program in the Saint Louis
University School of Law has been named the
best in the nation by health law scholars for the
14th year, according to the 2019 U.S. News &
World Report “Best Graduate School” rankings.
The Center for Health Law Studies has been
listed as a top program since the rankings were
first published.
Four programs in the Richard A. Chaifetz
School of Business were ranked in the top
30 this year, including entrepreneurship,
international business, supply chain
management and accounting.
SLU School of Nursing’s master’s program
ranked among the top 50 out of more than 500
nursing graduate programs in the country.
1 Health Law
12 Entrepreneurship
13 International Business
15 Supply Chain Management
28 Accounting
28 Part-time Law
50 Best Nursing Programs – Master’s
51 Best Medical Programs – Primary Care
66 Best Nursing Programs – Doctor of Nursing Practice
70 Best Medical Programs – Research
88 Best Law Programs
163 Part-time MBA
194 Top Education Programs
Atlas Week Celebrates SLU’s Global Connections
The 2018 Sam and Marilyn Fox Atlas Week — “From Broken Walls,
We Build Bridges: Out of Conflict Rises Community” — paid special
attention to the ways that SLU students, faculty and staff members have
forged connections beyond campus to improve the world.
The week featured panels, presentations, film screenings, a soccer
tournament, and other opportunities to experience the myriad cultures
that make up the SLU community.
A highlight was the keynote address by brothers Fred and Milton
Ochieng’. Fred is pursuing cardiovascular medicine fellowship training
at Saint Louis University; Milton is a gastroenterologist with the BJC
Medical Group at Progress West Hospital. They spoke of their paths
from their Kenyan community Lwala to medical school in the United
States and beyond. The pair was orphaned and has used their medical
educations to give back to Lwala through the creation of a community
health clinic network.
The week culminated with the traditional Parade of Nations and the
Billiken World Festival.
Ring Award Winner Dr. Lauren Arnold,
associate professor of epidemiology in the College for Public
Health and Social Justice, is the most recent recipient of the
Nancy McNeir Ring Award, given by SLU’s chapter of Alpha
Sigma Nu to a faculty member who has displayed a special
dedication to students. Arnold addressed graduates during
Midyear Commencement in December. In her address, she
reminded the graduates to find joy in their decisions and to
find good mentors
Newly Named “Prospect Yards” District Connects SLU’s
North and South Campuses
In March, members of the Saint Louis University family, SSM Health and the
community cast nearly 6,000 votes to name St. Louis’ newest district. The win-ning
name? Prospect Yards.
The 150-acre district connects SLU’s north and south campuses and is bordered
by Laclede Avenue, Chouteau Avenue, Grand Boulevard and Vandeventer and Spring
avenues. The district lies within Midtown in the same way that Cortex is part of
St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood and the Loop is part of University City.
Prospect Yards includes projects such as the construction of the City Foundry STL
and an Element by Westin hotel, as well as redevelopment of the Armory building.
The name reflects the area’s early 20th-century roots, when the area west of
Grand was known as the “Prospect Industrial District,” one of 17 industrial districts
in the city and home to an extensive rail yard and many businesses.
The umbrella developer for the larger, 400-acre area is St. Louis Midtown
Redevelopment Corporation, which is owned by Saint Louis University and
SSM Health.
Stephen Sondheim Named 2018
St. Louis Literary Award Recipient
The Saint Louis University Library Associates
selected Stephen Sondheim, one of the most
eminent lyricists and composers of the modern era,
to receive the 2018 St. Louis Literary Award. He is
the first musical lyricist to win the award since its
inception in 1967. Sondheim will come to SLU in
October to accept the award.
In a career spanning 70 years, Sondheim has writ-ten
the lyrics, music or both for some of the most
iconic plays in the history of American theater,
including West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sunday in the
Park with George, Sweeney Todd and Gypsy.
The award ceremony and conversation with the
author, who will be interviewed by Muny artistic
director Michael Isaacson (A&S ’86, Grad CSB ’96),
is planned for Oct. 4. For more information, visit
lib.slu.edu/about/associates.
Med School Residency
Program Receives Highest
Accreditation Status
The Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education, the accrediting body for
medical residencies and fellowships, granted the
School of Medicine continued accreditation, its high-est
accreditation status. The status took effect Jan.
24, after a site visit earlier in the month.
SLU is the sponsoring institution for 65 residency
and fellowship programs at six area hospitals and
many other clinical sites.
8.4 Million Gift to Nursing School
Abequest gift totaling $8.4 million will allow the
School of Nursing to create the Dr. and Mrs.
Robert C. Hoppe Endowed Scholarship. The gift
— the largest in the School of Nursing’s history and
among the largest in SLU’s history — was made by the
estate of Mary K. Hoppe (Nurs ’51, Grad Nurs ’59).
“The Hoppes’ generosity in providing educational
assistance for students will live eternally through the
lives of the scholarship recipients and the countless
numbers of patients each student touches,” Nursing
Dean Dr. Teri Murray (Nurs ’79, Grad Nurs ’93, Grad
Ed ’97) said.
The nursing school plans to honor Hoppe and her
husband, Dr. Robert Hoppe (Med ’51), at its 90th
anniversary celebration this fall.
Dois
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textWinter 2020 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.10 facts about SLU-Madrid
Page 14
RECORD-SETTING
CLASS
Page 20
NEW CAREER
CENTER
Page 24
ST. LOUIS JESUITS’
CONCERT
Page 26
FACULTY EXPERT ON
VICE PRESIDENCY
Page 30
WINTER 2020 | 1
VOLUME 46, ISSUE 1
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)
ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES
University Public Relations
Billiken Media Relations
ON THE COVER
SLU-Madrid students in Plaza
Mayor in the heart of Madrid
Photo by Fernando Béjar
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,
1 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
We accept email at [email protected].
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Universitas, Saint Louis University,
1 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
Website: slu.edu/universitas
Universitas is printed by Breese
Printing and Publishing
Worldwide circulation: 123,557
© 2020, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited.
New and returning students gather at the first 9 p.m. Mass of the school year in St. Francis Xavier College Church.
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
F E ATU R E S
D E PARTME NTS
14
¿Sabías?
Ten facts about SLU-Madrid that might
surprise you. — By Laura Geiser
20
Top Class
The freshman class is the largest in
SLU’s history. — By Marie Dilg
24
Beyond Career Fairs
SLU’s Career Services focuses on preparing
students for life after SLU. — By Marie Dilg
26
Coming Home
The St. Louis Jesuits music group says farewell
with a sold-out concert. — By Amy Garland
30
Vice Presidential VIP
Law professor Joel K. Goldstein is the
nation’s top VP expert. — By Jessica Ciccone
2 On Campus
Women’s soccer A-10 championship ///
Record fundraising year /// Nursing school’s
new name /// Midtown development update
/// Rankings /// Opus Prize
34 Class Notes
35 Alumni Spotlight
Angela Lewis (A&S ’04, Grad A&S ’07)
36 How I Got Here
Jim Dean (CSB ’88)
40 Letters to the Editor
41 In Memoriam
44 By the Numbers
45 The Last Look
That is certainly what our campus in
Spain aims to achieve — and accom-plishes
with great success. From
signage to statutes, SLU-Madrid succeeds at
carrying out our branding. But much more
than that, it lives our mission. This campus
shares our vision for building a better world
with more Jesuit-educated graduates. To do
so on the global stage is a testament to the
power of a SLU education.
The stories I hear from our students, both when I visit SLU-Madrid
and those who come back to St. Louis after spending time
studying abroad, never cease to amaze me. Their stories and experi-ences
remind me why I was called to higher education.
As you will see in this issue, our students absorb culture through
their time with señoras, or host families, who help broaden their
perspective of Spanish culture. (Read more on page 16.) Learning
does not stop when our students leave class — and in this increas-ingly
connected world, it is more important than ever to lead them
to become informed global citizens.
The excitement we feel at SLU crosses international waters, and
I’m thrilled this issue brings you a flavor of the pride we feel for
our Madrid and St. Louis campuses. From regional development
to record-breaking enrollment and fundraising, we certainly look
forward to sharing our good news.
The start of our third century and SLU-Madrid’s 52nd year
brought a record-setting year for us at Saint Louis University.
Our freshman class in St. Louis broke all enrollment records with
1,900 students, surpassing our previous largest class by 200 students.
(Turn to page 22 to learn more.) SLU-Madrid continues to draw
hundreds of students from dozens of countries who learn and grow
together.
And thanks to our generous donors, we once again raised a record
amount in gifts for scholarships, academics, research and other ini-tiatives.
We are well on our way to our 550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and
Ambulatory Care Center. All will open this fall.
SLU is also proud to be involved in developments that lead the
resurgence taking place in the city’s central core, such as the redevel-opment
of homes in the Gate District West neighborhood near the
hospital, and the forthcoming City Foundry. (Read more on page
13.) As we share in the story about Gate District West, we are grate-ful
to our St. Louis community neighbors for sharing our vision for
and commitment to growing stronger together.
In closing, I ask that you remember how these stories and the
many initiatives behind them help fulfill our noble mission.
I also ask that you share our exciting news with those you know
who are young — or young at heart — who are seeking higher edu-cation.
Tell them about SLU and your experience. Our world always
benefits from more truth-seekers and servant leaders who are Jesuit
educated.
May God bless you and Saint Louis University.
Dr. Fred P. Pestello
President
I cannot tell you what it’s
like to step off of a plane
after an eight-hour flight
to Europe, only to walk
onto a campus that feels
just like home. Or perhaps
I don’t have to tell many
of you — those of you who
have studied at or visited
SLU-Madrid, or our
international students in
St. Louis.
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
PHOTO BY FERNANDO BÉJAR
Pestello talks with students outside of
San Ignacio Hall at SLU-Madrid.
2 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y WINTER 2020 | 3
ON CAMPUS
Women’s Soccer Wins A-10 Again
The Billikens women’s soccer team defeated
George Washington 3-1 in the Atlantic 10
Conference Championship title game in November,
securing its second straight A-10 Championship
crown.
Senior Courtney Reimer was named the most
outstanding player of the championship. Senior
Emma Farley, sophomore Hannah Friedrich, senior
Alli Klug and graduate student Mary Niehaus joined
her on the All-Championship team.
Over the season, SLU extended its school-record
unbeaten streak to 16 games. Already the
winningest class in SLU women’s soccer history, the
Billiken seniors registered their 64th victory.
The team lost to Notre Dame in the first round of
the NCAA Championship.
Reimer
Celebrating with
the A-10 trophy
Reimer (center) hugs
Annabelle Copeland
(left) and Farley.
Farley
The team celebrates at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on campus.
PHOTOS BY BILL BARRETT
4 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y WINTER 2020 | 5
ON CAMPUS
University Offers New Academic Programs,
Begins Comprehensive Review Process
Saint Louis University began offering many new academic programs in the fall,
including:
UNDERGRADUATE
Bachelor of Arts
in Leadership and
Organizational
Behavior
Bachelor of Science
in Health Care Ethics
Minor in Dance
GRADUATE
Master of Science
in Biostatistics and
Health Analytics
Doctorate in
Education Policy and
Equity
GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
American Studies
Cybersecurity
Strategic Intelligence
Women’s and Gender
Studies
The University also started a formal review of its academic programs. In spring
2019, the provost established the Academic Portfolio Review Committee, tasked
with analyzing and making recommendations to the provost about the size
and academic scope of the University’s portfolio of offerings. This process will
eventually become a regular assessment tool for all graduate and undergraduate
programs.
Led by faculty, the committee has representatives from the student body and
administration. Dr. Mark Knuepfer, a professor in the School of Medicine, serves
as the committee chair.
Signature Beam: Students, faculty and staff signed their
names and good wishes on the beam that would complete the topping-out
of SLU's new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building.
Saint Louis University leaders, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, trustees,
students, faculty and staff members marked the topping-out of the
University’s new 4 million in support of the
School of Nursing and Accelerating Excellence: The
Campaign for Saint Louis University.
In recognition of Valentine’s history of philan-thropic
support of SLU totaling nearly 3.75
million
Supported by a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr.
John Morley, professor of internal medicine, and Dr. Marla Berg-Weger, executive director
of SLU’s Geriatric Education Center and professor of social work, will partner with multiple
educational, patient care and service organizations in educating, studying and caring for
older adults.
COMMUNICATION
WITH PARENTS OF
SICK CHILDREN
2.1 million
Addressing the need for better pain medications, Dr. Daniela Salvemini and her colleagues at
the Henry and Amelia Nasrallah Center for Neuroscience at SLU will investigate a promising
pain-signaling pathway in the hopes of opening up a new avenue for pain medication research.
CELLULAR
CHANGES WITH
HEART DISEASE,
DIABETES
1.8 million
Chemistry professor Dr. Jim Edwards (A&S ’99, Grad A&S ’01) received this National
Institutes of Health grant to understand cellular changes that could lead to better therapies
for diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Chris Arnatt, assistant professor of chemistry at SLU, is
also a principal investigator.
OBESITY, CANCER
IMMUNOTHERAPY 1.7 million Dr. Ryan Teague, associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, will study
how obesity influences outcomes for cancer patients being treated with immunotherapy.
ANTI-DIARRHEAL
DRUG 30 Million
in Bid to Better Manage Pain
In one of the biggest investments in research com-mercialization
in Saint Louis University’s history,
BioIntervene, a biopharmaceutical company founded
in 2014 by SLU pharmacologist Dr. Daniela Salvemini
has raised 8.3 billion by 2024.
Neuropathic pain affects between 15 and 20 million
people in the United States. Exceedingly difficult to treat,
this type of pain can occur after injuries to the nervous
system due to trauma, disease or exposure to neurotox-ins,
including after chemotherapy. There is a need for
new medications that do not cause side effects and addic-tion
the way narcotic pain killers do.
“Having the opportunity to translate one’s discover-ies
from the bench to the bedside is a dream come true,”
Salvemini said. “I am hopeful that our efforts will lead
to the alleviation of suffering while helping end the opi-oid
crisis.”
Salvemini discovered that alterations in signaling within the body contribute to
the development of chronic pain states and that compounds that target a key recep-tor
can “turn off” pain signals, providing relief from chronic pain of various types.
This discovery, she noted, provided the starting point of her collaboration with
Dr. Kenneth Jacobson, chief of the molecular recognition section, in the laboratory
of bioorganic chemistry at the National Institutes of Health.
Salvemini
SUBMITTED PHOTO
6 | UNIVERSITAS | THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y WINTER 2020 | 7
ON CAMPUS
SLU Research Institute Grants Second Round of Funding
The Saint Louis University Research Institute awarded its second round of
funding last summer: More than 1.8 million
going to 15 faculty members.
Among the 13 faculty who received grants in this second round are:
Miriam Cherry,
professor and co-director
of the William
C. Wefel Center for
Employment Law, who
will study methods
of online justice such
as amateur sleuths
gathering online
to collect clues in
cold cases, workers
sharing information
online about abusive
labor practices and
people using the
Internet to mount
harassment campaigns.
Dr. Terra Edwards,
assistant professor of
anthropology, who
will finish a book
manuscript, Going
Tactile: Life at the
Limits of Language.
Her research focuses
on the protactile
movement, which
advances the claim
that hearing and vision
are not necessary for
things like greeting
people or joining or
leaving a conversation.
Dr. David Ford (A&S
’80), professor of
biochemistry and
molecular biology and
director of the Center
for Cardiovascular
Research, who will use
new technology to
investigate endothelial
and epithelial barrier
dysfunction. This
technology will be
used in the planning
for a SLU Sepsis
Center and the SLU
Institute for Drug
and Biotherapeutic
Innovation.
Jesuits Reckon with the Legacy of Slavery
In late August, Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern (UCS)
Province began contacting individuals believed to be descen-dants
of people held in slavery by 19th century Jesuits, including at
Saint Louis University.
This is the latest work of the Slavery, History, Memory and
Reconciliation Project, which started in 2016 as a joint initiative
of the UCS Province and the University. The goal is to find a path
to reconciliation by illuminating the lives of the people who were
enslaved and connecting with their descendants.
Historians have long known that when Jesuits established mis-sions
in St. Louis, they relied on the labor of enslaved people to help
those missions survive. To reveal the stories of courage and resil-ience
among those who were enslaved and to trace their families
forward, researchers have combed through thousands of docu-ments,
including financial ledgers, Church records and personal
journals.
Dr. Jonathan Smith, SLU’s vice president for diversity and com-munity
engagement, is leading the project for the University. To
undertake a conversation about SLU’s next steps, Smith plans to
assemble a working group that will include students, faculty, staff,
alumni, trustees and descendants.
To learn more about the project and to read the stories about the
people who were enslaved, visit shmr.jesuits.org.
SLU Launches Geospatial Institute
Anew Geospatial Institute at Saint Louis University will support
research, training and innovation in the rapidly growing fields
of geospatial science and technology.
Also known as GeoSLU, the institute brings together faculty and
students from various disciplines to use geospatial research tools
to solve challenges and to enhance graduate and undergraduate
education.
The institute’s primary areas of research will include artificial
intelligence, machine learning and informatics.
In launching the Geospatial Institute, SLU seeks to strengthen
collaborations with other universities, including the University of
Missouri System schools, Washington University in St. Louis and
Harris-Stowe State University, as well as innovation partners in the
region, including Cortex and T-Rex.
GeoSLU also builds upon SLU’s existing relationship with the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). In January 2019, the
University signed a partnership agreement with the NGA, and the
organizations partnered on the GeoResolution conference last April.
Dr. Vasit Sagan, associate professor of earth and atmospheric
sciences, is the institute’s faculty director. Robert Cardillo, former
director of the NGA, advises the institute as part of his work as a
distinguished geospatial fellow at SLU.
For more information, visit slu.edu/geoslu.
Nancy McNeir Ring Award
Presented for Excellence
in Teaching
Dr. Katie Kelting, assistant professor of mar-keting
in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of
Business, was selected as the recipient of SLU’s 2019
Nancy McNeir Ring Award for excellence in teach-ing.
Lauded by students for her emphasis on teaching
them the value of ethics in the business world, Kelting
joined the SLU faculty in July 2016 and is director of
the business school’s Behavioral Research Lab. On
a national level, she is a Women in the Marketing
Academy Fellow, among her many fellowships. She
addressed graduates during December’s midyear
commencement at Chaifetz Arena.
Kelting
PHOTO BY STEVE LONG
PHOTO BY STEVE DOLAN
Special
Guest Star:
The Stanley Cup makes
a stop on campus during
Homecoming and Family Weekend
2019, giving fans of the 2019 NHL
champion St. Louis Blues hockey team
the opportunity to make lasting memories.
SLU, Urban League Honor MLK’s Legacy
At their annual memorial tribute honoring civil rights leader the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 16, Saint Louis University and the Urban
League of Metropolitan St. Louis honored those carrying forward King’s legacy of
activism and advocacy for racial equity and justice across the St. Louis region.
The keynote speaker, noted journalist and author Roland Martin, told the crowd
in SLU’s Busch Student Center that “leaders step up when it’s time to lead.” He chal-lenged
those attending the tribute to recall King not as a mascot, but for his radical
commitment to social justice a
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textSummer 2006 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis UniversityS i n g i n g
g roup
wo r k s i n
h a r mo n y
pg. 9
B i o l o gy
fac ult y
m a k e t he ir
m a r k
pg. 12
A l um n i
c h a n g e
c hil d r e n’s
l i v e s
pg. 18
B a s e b a l l
t e a m p l ay s
i n n c a a
t our n a me n t
pg. 6
F E AT U R E S DE PA R TMEN T S
E d i t o r
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
C o n t r i b u t o r s
Allison Babka Burney
Marie Dilg (SW ’94)
Shannon McGuire (Student Assistant)
Rachel Otto
“ O n C a m p u s ” n e w s s t o r i e s
University Communications
Medical Center Media Relations
Billiken Media Relations
D e s i g n
Art Direction: Matthew Krob
Universitas is published by Saint Louis University. Opin-ions
expressed in Universitas are those of the individual
authors and not necessarily those of the University admin-istration.
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, 221 N. Grand, St. Louis, Mo. 63103. We accept e-mail
at [email protected] and fax submissions at (314) 977-2249.
Address fax submissions to Editor, Universitas.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
Universitas, Saint Louis University,
221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
World Wide Web address:
www.slu.edu/pr/universitas.html
Universitas is printed by Universal Printing Co.
and mailed by Specialty Mailing.
Worldwide circulation: 111,720
© 2006, Saint Louis University
All rights reserved.
Volume 3 2 , I ssue 3
In April, I had the privilege of speaking to a
group of outstanding local citizens to accept
St. Louis’ 2005 “Citizen of the Year” award,
which is presented by a committee of former recip-ients
and sponsored by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
It was truly an honor.
The humbling experience gave me the oppor-tunity
to reflect on my early days in my adopt-ed
hometown and how much I have seen things
change here during the last 19 years.
Although I had a very brief visit to St. Louis
in 1967 on my way to Mexico to hone my Span-ish
skills, I didn’t spend any time in the city
until I was named to Saint Louis University’s
board of trustees in 1983. On my first trip to
SLU for a board meeting, I extended my stay
so I could see the city. After taking the Lindell
Boulevard bus downtown on a Saturday after-noon,
I found so little to do that I caught an
earlier flight back to Chicago.
For four more years, I came to St. Louis for the
trustees’ quarterly meetings — and I came only for
the meetings. Then, in 1987, when I was elected
president of SLU, I decided that I had to get to know the city. One Sunday morning shortly after
my arrival, I took former SLU President Tom Fitzgerald’s old, green-colored Oldsmobile and drove
around downtown, trying to memorize the street names.
I saw progress. In four years, some things had certainly changed for the better. But as I drove
back to campus, I saw that there was still much to do. Right in Midtown, in my own new back yard,
there were dilapidated buildings, plots of asphalt and rundown city blocks.
In my early days at SLU, I was like a new homeowner. I wanted the best for my neighborhood,
and I was willing to make the effort to improve it. When I came to this city to live and work, I
quickly adopted it as my home. But I still needed a shot of hometown pride.
I found that pride away from buildings and ball clubs. I love St. Louis for more than its Arch,
toasted ravioli and Ted Drewes frozen custard. I love it for the people who are trying to make a dif-ference
— visionaries such as Joe Edwards and Richard Baron and many others. And while I did use
my “Citizen of the Year” acceptance speech as an opportunity to challenge my fellow St. Louisans
to aspire to make our city greater, I also know that I — and our University — have enjoyed unprec-edented
cooperation from city officials and local business leaders.
I can remember being here for just a few months and working with then-mayor Vince Schoemehl
(Grad ’86) to get trees — substantial trees — planted along Grand and Lindell. In Chicago, I would
have never had as much direct access to the Board of Aldermen or to the mayor himself. Today, we
continue to receive tremendous support from Mayor Francis Slay (Law ’80) and from the Board of
Aldermen. I am truly grateful for the trust that city officials have always placed in SLU.
And it’s not just the civic leaders who have given us their trust. You, our alumni, friends and do-nors,
have shown how you believe in us, too. Through your gifts of time, talent and treasure, you’ve
been instrumental in building the reputation and stature of Saint Louis University.
We’ve come a long way together. And the city of St. Louis has, too. I am so thankful for your
commitment to Saint Louis University and hope that — no matter where you live now — SLU and
St. Louis will always feel like home.
Lawrence Biondi , S. J .
photo by Steve Dolan
President’s Message
etrolink
On the Map
A special insert gives
you an up-close look
at SLU’s campus.
Map Illustration by
Robert North Jr.
U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6
Fr. Biondi with Dr. Donald Suggs, publisher of the St.
Louis American and the 2004 Citizen of the Year.
2 On Campus
Arena plans taking shape Research
Building gets a name Commencement
U.S. News ranks SLU high again
Social justice magazine debuts
6 Billiken News
Baseball team goes to the NCAA
Tournament Walker is now a coach
7 Campaign Update
Meet Anna and Jesse, students
doing their part for annual giving
22 Class Notes
Catch up with classmates
28 In Memoriam
Remembering those members of the
SLU community who recently died
29 Off the Shelf
Seven books from the SLU community
30 Alumni Events
Find SLU alumni activities
wherever you live
32 Perspective
An alumnus turns from music
fan into record label owner
33 The Last Word
Letters to the editor
9
Brothers in Song
An introduction
to the Bare Naked
Statues, SLU’s all-male
a cappella group.
By Allison Babka Burney
Bio-Diversity
The biology department
faculty are studying
everything from fish to
wasps to liver cancer.
By Marie Dilg
A Haven of Hope
Two alumni have
created a home where
abused and neglected
children thrive.
By Marie Dilg
12 18
Students congregate around a fountain at the Medical Center on a hot June aftternoon.
Photo by Kevin Lowder
U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6
Groundbreaking is less than three
months away for the new 8 million in TIF funding and bonds,
which will be paid off with revenues from the
Arena. Fund raising continues toward the 39
million goal for the Arena project. Alumni and
benefactors who would like to contribute to the
Arena project can get information about the
project online at arena.slu.edu, or by calling
(314) 977-2499.
Site preparation will begin this summer, with
a groundbreaking date in late August or early
September. Construction is expected to take
approximately 19 months and be completed in
March 2008. At 10,600 seats, the Saint Louis
University Arena will have the second largest
capacity in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The
University anticipates hosting more that 90
events in the Arena in its first year of operation,
with roughly half being non-University events.
Arena plans move forward; groundbreaking soon
Commencement 2006
Saint Louis University celebrated
commencement for more than 1,700
graduates May 20 at Savvis Center.
Chris Lowney, author of Heroic Leadership:
Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company
that Changed the World, delivered the com-mencement
address. The book takes the pil-lars
of Ignatian teachings and applies them
to today’s business environment. In addition
to Lowney, other honorary degree recipients
were Maurice B. McNamee, S.J. (A&S ’33,
Grad ’34, ’45), professor emeritus of Eng-lish,
professor emeritus of art and art history
and director emeritus of Samuel Cupples
House; and Frank Stroble (Cook ’52, Grad
’60) and Ruth Stroble, longtime supporters
of Catholic higher education and commu-nity
volunteers. Throughout five decades as a professor
at Saint Louis University School of
Medicine, Dr. Edward A. Doisy was
renowned worldwide for his pioneering work
in the field of biochemistry, including win-ning
the 1943 Nobel Prize for discovering
the chemical nature of vitamin K.
To honor his lifetime of work, SLU’s new
biomedical research tower, a 67 million fa-cility,
will be named the Edward A. Doisy
Research Center. The Doisy family has com-mitted
2 million to establish the James B. and Joan
C. Peter Endowed Chair in Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology. Dr. James B. Peter
(Med ’58) is founder and former chief execu-tive
officer of Specialty Laboratories, a hospi-tal-
focused clinical reference laboratory.
• 2 million to establish the Badeeh A. and
Catherine V. Bander Endowed Chair in Ne-phrology.
Dr. Steven J. Bander (A&S ’75),
adjunct faculty member in nephrology, and
his wife, Patricia, are endowing the chair in
honor of his parents.
• 1.5 million in a challenge grant from the
J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to sup-port
construction of the research building.
The building is expected to open in fall
2007. For more details, visit researchbuild-ing.
slu.edu.
Research building gets name and 30 million gift
For the third consecutive year,
U.S.News & World Report has named
the Saint Louis University School of
Law’s health law program the best in the na-tion.
Since the rankings for the health law
specialty began a decade ago, Saint Louis
University’s Center for Health Law Studies
never has been out of the top three.
Overall, the magazine’s “Best Graduate
Schools 2007” issue ranked the law school
among the nation’s 180 accredited law
schools. The School of Medicine was ranked
No. 62 among the nation’s 144 research-intensive
medical schools surveyed by U.S.
News. The school’s geriatrics program was
ranked 12th in the United States.
In addition, the part-time MBA program
in the John Cook School of Business was
ranked No. 25 in the nation out of 347 part-time
MBA programs accredited by the As-sociation
to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business (AACSB).
Graduate programs honored by U.S. News again
Annual Atlas Week recognizes
the University’s world view
Through more than 50 special events, including discussions,
open houses and student presentations, Atlas Week 2006 gave
the Saint Louis University community the opportunity to ex-plore
the international dimension of SLU’s academic programs and
celebrate the University’s role in international education and service.
The theme of this year’s Atlas Week, held in April, was “Political
and Social Justice in a Global World.” The Signature Symposium
featured Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams, who led the passage of
the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. Another
highlight was a panel discussion commemorating the first anniver-sary
of the death of Pope John Paul II.
The Billiken World Festival, which featured a Parade of Nations,
international cuisine, music, games and informational booths in the
quadrangle, wrapped up the week.
In SLU’s residence halls
Students living on
campus during the
2005-06 school year
On-campus rooms
Residence halls: Clemens, DeMattias,
Fusz, Griesedieck, Marguerite, Notre
Dame, Reinert and Walsh
Apartment complexes: Grand Forest,
the Language Houses, Marchetti East
and West, and the Village Apartments
3,346
1,785
84
Severson wins
teaching award
Dr. John G. Severson Jr., professor
of biology, received the 41st an-nual
Nancy McNeir Ring Award
from Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor
society. It is SLU’s oldest student-initi-ated
teaching award and is named for the
University’s first dean of women. Severson
joined the faculty in 1971, has served as
associate dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences and led the Academic Services
Center from 1993-2001. He played an in-tegral
role in the development of the Pre-
Law and Pre-Med Scholars programs, as
well as SLU 101 and SLU 301 programs
for new students.
A view of the Arena facing northwest.
A student shows her pride during the Parade of Nations.
From left: The Strobles, McNamee and Lowney.
Signing the beam before it is raised (from left): Alderman Michael McMillan; AT&T-Missouri vice president Debra
Hollingsworth; U.S. Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond; Clayco president and SLU trustee Bob Clark; University
President Lawrence Biondi, S.J.; SLU trustee Charles Drury and Shirley Drury, donors to the project.
Photo by Kevin Lowder
Photo by Clayton Berry
Photo by Allison Babka Burney
Photo by Allison Babka Burney
Lincoln Legacy exhibit
coming to SLUMA
From Aug. 25-Dec. 17, Samuel Cupples House,
in partnership with the Saint Louis University
Museum of Art, will present “The Lincoln Legacy:
Presidential Years.” The exhibit, which will be in
the Judith and Adam Aronson Gallery at SLUMA,
showcases the Dr. Bernard Hall Abraham Lincoln
Collection of the University of Saint Mary in
Leavenworth, Kan. It will feature manuscripts
and autographed documents, as well as sig-nificant
historical artifacts relating to Lincoln’s
presidency. The exhibit is free and open to
the public. In conjunction with “The Lincoln
Legacy,” the University will be the site of a Civil
War re-enactment, the “Camp Jackson Historic
Encampment,” during Labor Day weekend, Sept.
1-3. For other programming and updates, visit
http://lincoln.slu.edu or call (314) 977-2666.
t h e A R T S a t S L U
Hand-tinted woodcut of Lincoln (1863).
MOCRA welcomes back
‘Silver Clouds’
They’re back! SLU’s Museum of Contemporary
Religious Art (MOCRA) announces a final show-ing
of its most popular show ever, Andy Warhol’s
“Silver Clouds.” First shown at MOCRA in 2001
and 2002, the largest-ever U.S. “Clouds” instal-lation
features dozens of silver mylar balloons
riding the air currents around MOCRA’s capa-cious
nave gallery. Visitors are invited to enter
into a childlike world of wonder and experience
one of Warhol’s groundbreaking experiments
with creating unique, non-traditional environ-ments.
MOCRA also will be showing a number
of Warhol’s “Sunset” prints. The “Clouds” open
in mid-September and continue through the fall
semester. Call MOCRA at (314) 977-7170 or visit
mocra.slu.edu for more information.
“Silver Clouds” fill the gallery during
the 2002 MOCRA showing.
New administrators join SLU
As of July 1,
Dr. Kent
Porterfield is
Saint Louis University’s
new vice president for
student development.
Porterfield comes to
SLU from Northwest
Missouri State Univer-sity,
where he was vice
president for student
affairs — a role he held
for nearly a decade. At SLU, Porterfield fosters
student formation through non-academic areas,
including residence life, student life, student
health and counseling, campus recreation
and community outreach. He also oversees
contracted services such as the bookstore
and dining services. At Northwest, Porterfield
led many of these same areas and worked to
enhance students’ lives.
Dr. Connie
Evashwick,
previously
an endowed chair and
director of the Center
for Health Care In-novation
at California
State University, Long
Beach, joined SLU as
dean of the Saint Louis
University School of
Public Health on
July 1. Over the years, she has combined her
academic career with consulting and direct
operations management. Evashwick has served
as vice president of long-term care for two
major health care systems and is a national
consultant to health systems, hospitals and
long-term care organizations. She is the author
or editor of 12 books and more than 100 other
publications.
News Briefs
Saint Louis University again opened its doors
to the area’s homeless population to provide
a hot meal and clothing. During SLU’s annual
“Open Doors” event March 23, hundreds
of homeless individuals also received free
employment and housing assistance, legal
services and opportunities to pursue literacy
education.
SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., and Dr.
Ellen Harshman (Grad ’78, Law ’92), dean
of the John Cook School of Business, were
named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s
“Influentials” list this spring. The list recognizes
area business and community leaders who
make a difference to the region. Biondi was
honored as one of 10 “legends” — individuals
“who have gone beyond being influential to
become legends in our region and beyond.”
Dr. Bruce R. Bacon, professor of internal
medicine and director of the division of
gastroenterology and hepatology at the
School of Medicine, has been appointed to the
National Commission on Digestive Diseases,
an institute of the National Institutes of
Health and the National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive Diseases. The commission,
comprising 16 people, is charged with
conducting an overview of research in digestive
diseases and developing a strategic plan for
the next 10 years of NIH digestive disease
research.
Saint Louis University Provost Dr. Joe
Weixlmann was named “Distinguished
Editor of the Year” by the Council of Editors
of Learned Journals. The award recognizes
Weixlmann’s dedication and excellence in
his work with African American Review, the
official publication of the Modern Language
Association’s Division on Black American
Literature and Culture. He was editor in chief
from 1976-2004.
The St. Louis Jesuits, sometimes called “the
fathers of contemporary American liturgical
music,” received an honorary doctorate of
music from Creighton University this spring.
Roc O’Connor S.J. (A&S ’73), Bob Dufford
S.J. (A&S ’67, Grad ’72, ’75), John Foley S.J.
(A&S ’68, Grad ’68, ’74), and Dan Schutte
(A&S ’72), who were featured in the fall 2005
Universitas, were recognized for their 30 years
of ministry to the Church.
U N I V E R S I TA S w w w. s l u . e d u U N I V E R S I TA S S UMME R 2 0 0 6
Community service tops 750,000 hours
Members of the Saint Louis University community continue to live the institution’s
mission as 14,602 students, faculty and staff contributed 753,808 hours of com-munity
service and outreach during 2005, according to a recently released University
report. This is the second year in a row that members of the University have performed more
than 750,000 hours of service. According to the report, more than 1,270 organizations and
events benefited from SLU faculty and staff volunteerism, up from 1,110 in 2004. Faculty and
staff spent 71,903 hours performing community service in 2005, a drastic jump from 41,533
hours previously. Student service also is intensive. Through academic courses, internships and
campus organizations, students committed more than 76,768 hours to outreach.
SLU students spend
spring break in service
During spring break in March
more than 50 Saint Louis Uni-versity
students participated in
rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Of
the group, 39 SLU students assisted Ser-vice
International with the demolition of
buildings that were flooded or destroyed
by Hurricane Katrina. After demolition,
the students helped with power washing,
sanitizing and rebuilding efforts. Another
15 SLU students worked with Operation
Helping Hands, where they helped remove
debris in neighborhoods and assisted with
light carpentry, as well as construction and
restoration of homes and buildings.
This year, about 150 SLU students partic-ipated
in spring break mission trips not only
to New Orleans, but other U.S. locations as
well as sites in Mexico and El Salvador.
Social justice magazine
debuts on campus
Current SLU students from various cross-cultural and social
justice groups on campus have collaborated to produce a
student-led, student-run magazine that aims to raise aware-ness
about international social justice issues. Based upon the Jesuit
mission, One World focuses attention on men and women around
the world who are in dire need of help. Whether it’s poverty and
starvation in the developing world or genocide in Sudan, SLU stu-dent
writers explore humanitarian issues in an effort to make read-ers
realize that they have capacity and responsibility to get involved.
To view the magazine online, visit www.sluoneworld.com. Or to
order a copy of the 40-page magazine, send your request and 5 contri-bution
to: One World c/o Donna Bess; Busch Student Center, Suite 237; 20 N. Grand Blvd.; St.
Louis, MO 63103. Make checks payable to Saint Louis University.
AHarvard University team recently won the
Urban Land Institute Gerald D. Hines
Student Urban Design Competition,
which was held March 31 at Saint Louis Univ
Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University
No full textSpring/Summer 2003 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis UniversityT H E M AG A Z I N E O F S A I N T L O U I S U N I V E R S I T Y
S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 0 3
SLU &
Midtown
By Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
Saint Louis University President
It’s official: After extensive research and planning, Saint
Louis University is moving forward on plans for two excit-ing
projects — an arena and a research building. You can read
more about the details elsewhere in this issue, but I wanted to
share my perspective on these monumental undertakings and
what they mean for SLU.
Let’s start with the arena. This project has generated much
discussion over the years, especially among our Billiken faith-ful.
Although SLU has been eager to put the pieces in place
for a top-notch athletic facility for some time now, funding
proved to be a major obstacle. We also maintained that a
new arena should serve much more than our Billiken men’s
basketball program.
Yes, we envision a 13,000-seat basket-ball
venue with a cozy atmosphere, a true
college feel and a potentially exhilarating
home-court advantage. But with a new
arena, we are adding yet another compo-nent
to the overall Saint Louis University
experience. This project will provide a
facility that is easily accessible to our stu-dents
for commencement ceremonies and
other special engagements, thereby
becoming a multipurpose events center.
(For more details, see page 13.)
We plan to construct our new facility
near the Grand Center arts and entertain-ment
district. As we strive to strengthen
our community, a new arena will be yet
another beacon for Midtown. We remain
committed to creating a true “college
town” atmosphere with shops, restaurants
and entertainment, ultimately making
Midtown a place where people go to live,
to socialize and to learn.
Of course, there are direct benefits for our athletic pro-grams.
A new arena will allow us to avoid scheduling conflicts
at Savvis Center, the current home of our men’s basketball
team, and will help us in recruiting student-athletes.
Finally, we believe a new arena will better cater to our fans
— even those not living on campus. We came to this con-clusion
thanks to a marketing study, which also indicated that
once built, an arena could provide the University with new
sources of revenue from premium seating, advertising and
sponsorship. This revenue would allow us to operate the
building without drawing on SLU tuition dollars or dipping
into our endowment.
This “budget neutral” concept for the arena project also is
providing a model for our other major endeavor, a research
building. Candidly, as excited as I am about the arena, my
first and foremost priority is the research building.
The need for a dedicated research facility has become a
necessity as external funding for SLU research has expanded
significantly and successfully during the past decade. The ini-tiative
for a new research building at our Health Sciences
Center is part of an overall 80 million investment in new
and renovated research space that will represent the largest
single building project since the University’s founding in
1818. (For more details, see page 2.)
The new research building will provide state-of-the-art
facilities for health sciences research that directly touches lives
while providing additional services to the community. The
facility will allow for the consolidation of laboratories scat-tered
in different locations at the Health
Sciences Center. This unification will
strengthen the thematic areas of research
through collaborative interactions. In addi-tion,
the new research building will aid in
the retention of experienced biomedical
investigators, assist department chairpersons
in recruiting outstanding faculty
researchers and enhance the development
of new research and degree programs.
The building also will expand the
University’s research efforts and strengthen
our ability to compete for important exter-nal
funding. This, in turn, would increase
the prestige of Saint Louis University as a
major research center and aid in the
recruitment of students.
Pursuit of truth and scholarly inquiry
into new and better understandings of our
world have been part of the Ignatian tradi-tion
for hundreds of years. Research is an
integral part of our mission, a strong com-ponent
of our faculty endeavors and an
unparalleled educational tool for our students. As we move
forward on this important initiative, I look forward to the
future benefits we will reap from this important investment
in research.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all of those people
involved in both projects and invite everyone in our Saint
Louis University community to spread the word about these
two important developments. It is an exciting time to be part
of our Saint Louis University family as our destiny of becom-ing
the finest Catholic university in the nation continues to
take shape.
UNIVERSITAS
Volume 29, No. 2
Editor
Laura Geiser (A&S ’90, Grad ’92)
Assistant Editor
Chris Waldvogel
Intern
Billy Brennan
Contributors
Marie Dilg (Soc Ser ’94)
Katie Hanson (A&S ’02)
Matt Shaw
Bob Woodruff
Photo Credits
David Altman, 6
Bill Barrett, 7
Steve Dolan, 25
Kevin Lowder, 4, 14-17, 20-21
Kristen Peterson, 3
John Vieth, 9, 11, 12
James Visser, cover, 9, 10
Design
AKA Design Inc.
Art Direction: Richie Murphy
Design: Stacy Lanier
UNIVERSITAS is published quarterly by
Saint Louis University. Opinions
expressed in UNIVERSITAS are those of
the individual authors and not neces-sarily
those of the University adminis-tration.
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 publica-tion
should indicate that fact. The
editor reserves the right to edit all
items. Please address all mail to
UNIVERSITAS, DuBourg Hall 39, 221
N. Grand, St. Louis, MO 63103. We
accept e-mail at [email protected] and fax
submissions at (314) 977-2249.
Address fax submissions to Editor,
UNIVERSITAS.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
UNIVERSITAS, Saint Louis University, 221
N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103.
World Wide Web address:
www.slu.edu/pr/universitas.html
UNIVERSITAS is printed by Universal
Printing Co. and mailed by Accurate
Business Mailers Inc.
Worldwide circulation: 109,325
© 2003, Saint Louis University.
All rights reserved.
On the Cover: The Continental
Life Building. Its renovation is a
sign of the resurgence of SLU’s
neighborhood. For more on
Midtown St. Louis, see page 8.
IIN MEMORIIAM AALLUUMMNNII nnootteess
2
23 32
28 30
SPRING/summer 2003
8
A Grand Plan
Saint Louis University’s neighborhood
is undergoing a Renaissance.
14
Jesuit Treasures
Take a peek at the newest exhibit
at the Saint Louis University
Museum of Art.
18
Are You What You Eat?
SLU nutritionists share their tips
for healthy living.
C O N T E N T S
2
Research building
slated for Health
Sciences Center
Saint Louis University’s
board of trustees has
authorized the SLU adminis-tration
to proceed with the
design and site selection
for a new research cen-ter
at the Health
Sciences Center, part of
an 80 million invest-ment
in new and reno-vated
research space. This
is the largest single build-ing
project since the
University’s found-ing
in 1818.
Last spring, University
President Lawrence Biondi,
S.J., identified the new
research center as his top pri-ority.
The building has been
in the planning stages for sev-eral
years.
Dr. Joseph Weixlmann,
who as provost is the
University’s chief academic
officer, said SLU has several
areas of emphasis on its
research agenda, including
biodefense, infectious dis-eases,
virology, cardiovascu-lar,
cancer and liver disease.
“This initiative is critical to
our success in attracting top-notch
researchers and to
compete for external fund-ing,”
Weixlmann said. “The
new structure will contain
basic and clinical science
research in focused areas.”
The University has identi-fied
several possible sites for
the building. Details will be
announced in the coming
months. Bonds will be issued
to finance construction of the
center. In addition, raising
money for the building is part
of the University’s 300 mil-lion
“Campaign for Saint
Weixlmann
named provost
Saint Louis University has a
new provost, but the per-son
assuming the post is not
new to the job. Dr. Joseph
Weixlmann — who served as
interim provost since replac-ing
Dr. Sandra Johnson in
May 2002 — has been named
Louis University: Where
Knowledge Touches Lives.”
“An opportunity exists
for a donor to make a
major gift and name the
building,” said Don
Whelan, vice president
for development and
University relations.
“We are actively
pursuing this.” or edited five books and pub-lished
50 articles and book
chapters, mostly on American
and African-American literary
topics. He earned a master’s
degree and doctorate from
Kansas State University.
A committee has been
formed to begin the search
process for a new dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences,
Weixlmann’s previous posi-tion.
Mike May, S.J., (A&S
’81) has served as interim
dean of the college since last
June. The chairman of the
department of mathematics
and mathematical computer
science, May is expected to
continue in his role as interim
dean through the upcoming
academic year.
provost. The appointment
follows a nationwide search.
Weixlmann was appointed
dean of SLU’s College of Arts
and Sciences in March 2001.
Prior to that appointment, he
was dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences at Indiana
State University.
As provost, Weixlmann is
the University’s chief acade-mic
officer and also oversees
information technology and
student development. “Very
few universities evidence the
depth of commitment to
learning, research and service
outreach that can be seen
today at Saint Louis
University,” Weixlmann said.
“I am extremely pleased to
assume a key leadership role
in moving forward the
exceptional team of faculty,
students, administrators, staff,
alumni and friends working
collaboratively to make SLU
America’s finest Catholic uni-versity,
and indeed, America’s
finest university, period.”
Weixlmann’s familiarity
with Jesuit education began at
an early age. He attended a
Jesuit high school and col-lege,
Canisius High School
and Canisius College, both in
Buffalo, N.Y. He has written
Weixlmann
CENTER OF ATTENTION: Progress continues on the renovation and expansion of Busch
Student Center, which is scheduled to open in early August. The architectural rendering pic-tured
above shows what the finished building will look like from Grand Boulevard. The project
includes 51,000 square feet of new construction and 100,500 square feet of renovation.
NEWS BRIEFS
By The Numbers
214 SLU students who studied
abroad during the 2002-03 acad-emic
year in countries such as
Spain, France, the Netherlands,
Belgium, El Salvador, Australia,
Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Poland
and England.
7,874 Parking spaces at SLU,
2,727 of which are at the Health
Sciences Center.
29,952 Pieces of candy stuffed
into 7,484 Easter eggs hidden at
SLU for the annual alumni Easter
Egg Hunt. In all, 926 children
attended the April 19 event.
30,671 Meals prepared by
SLU’s Campus Kitchen from
October 2001 through April
2003. SLU volunteers cook and
deliver meals to those in need in
the St. Louis area. In all, 22,096
pounds of food have been res-cued/
received from campus din-ing,
and 9,730 hours of
community service have been
completed by those involved.
Dr. Paul G. Schmitz (Grad
’66), professor of internal medi-cine-
nephrology, received the
2002 Governor’s Award for
Excellence in Teaching, which
recognizes outstanding faculty
members from Missouri colleges
and universities and is presented
annually to one faculty member
from each of the state’s two- and
four-year institutions. … Dr.
Raymond G. Slavin (Med ’56),
director of the division of allergy
and immunology at the School of
Medicine, received the Fellows
Award from the Academy of
Science of St. Louis. The award
recognizes an active scientist who
excels in communicating to col-leagues,
future scientists and the
general public. A leading
spokesman and researcher, Slavin
is an expert on allergies and asth-ma.
… Dr. Eleonore A.
Stump, the Robert J. Henle, S.J.,
Chair of Philosophy, presented the
Gifford Lectures at the University
of Aberdeen in Scotland in March.
Established as early as 1888, the
lectures are among the world’s
foremost intellectual events. Past
Gifford lecturers include Nobel
Prize winners Niels Bohr, John C.
Eccles and Albert Schweitzer. …
In March, the SLU Women’s
Commission celebrated its 30th
anniversary with a reception and a
presentation that outlined the pre-sent
climate for women at SLU.
The report was based on a survey
of 1,301 women, and results will
guide the commission’s activities
and programs.
New deans named
for AHP, Parks
The Doisy School of Allied
Health Professions and
Parks College of Engineering
and Aviation soon will be
under new leadership. Dr.
Charlotte Royeen has accepted
appointment as dean for the
Doisy School of Allied Health
Professions and officially will
begin her duties July 1.
Royeen will come to SLU
from Creighton University,
where she has served as associ-ate
dean for research in the
School of Pharmacy and Allied
Health Sciences and was a
founding member of
Creighton’s Research Council.
She holds a doctorate from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University and a
master’s degree in occupational
therapy from Washington
University’s School of
Medicine.
Dr. Bjong Wolf Yeigh will
be the dean of Parks College.
Yeigh’s appointment also is
effective July 1. He joins SLU
from Yale University, where
he is assistant provost of sci-ence
and technology, a post he
has held since 1999. Yeigh
Sword goes to
Joyner-Kersee
Saint Louis University has
bestowed its highest honor
for individual achievement ––
the Sword of Ignatius Loyola
–– on Olympic champion
Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The
award was presented to her at
the University’s DuBourg
Society Recognition Dinner
Dec. 8. Joyner-Kersee is often
regarded as the best all-around
female athlete in the world and
the all-time greatest heptath-lete.
A native of East St. Louis,
Ill., Joyner-Kersee has won
several Olympic medals and is
noted for her contributions to
the community. The Sword of
Ignatius Loyola is named for
the founder of the Society of
Jesus, Inigo Lopez de Loyola.
Symbolic of the Ignatian vision
of service, the sword is award-ed
to those who have given
themselves to humankind for
the greater glory of God.
Arena project
OK’d by trustees
The Saint Louis University
board of trustees has
approved the construction of
a new SLU arena contingent
upon raising an estimated 45
million in private donations.
The arena would be built in
Midtown St. Louis, where
SLU’s campus is located.
Michael F. Shanahan Sr.
(B&A ’61), chairman and
CEO of Engineered Support
Systems Inc. and SLU trustee
emeritus, is leading the fund-raising
effort for the project.
For more details, see page 13.
Service hours at
an all-time high
Members of the Saint
Louis University com-munity
have answered the
call to be “women and men
for others” as 11,591 people
contributed 617,911 hours of
service during 2002. The
numbers — which were
taken from a recently released
University report — are up
drastically from 2001, when
8,778 participants contributed
489,505 hours of service. The
reported number of students
participating in community
service and volunteerism
went up from 4,217 in 2001
to 5,079 in 2002 — an
increase of 20 percent.
Faculty and staff who
responded to the survey also
increased 11 percent (from
659 in 2001 to 731 in 2002).
From left: Joe Adorjan, chairman of SLU’s board of trustees;
Joyner-Kersee; and University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
received a master’s degree in
mechanical engineering from
Stanford in 1987 and a doctor-ate
in civil engineering and
operations research from
Princeton in 1995. Dr. Charles
Kirkpatrick will step down as
dean this July after nine years
of service. He will continue his
SLU career as a full-time facul-ty
member in the department
of chemistry.
4
Grad School ranks
first in doctorates
Saint Louis University’s
Graduate School ranks
first in number of doctoral
degrees granted from
Catholic universities for the
2001 academic year, accord-ing
to data compiled by the
Graduate School and the
National Research Council.
During that period, the
Graduate School granted 105
Ph.D.s and 41 Ed.D.s for a
total of 146 doctorates. The
Graduate School has ranked
among the top five Catholic
universities in doctoral
degrees granted since 1987,
the first year SLU officials
began compiling that data.
Only Notre Dame joins SLU
in that distinction.
SLU gets largest
research award
Protecting babies and a
woman’s reproductive
health are among the major
goals of the largest research
award in Saint Louis
University’s 185-year history, a
$36.8 million NIH contract to
combat herpes. SLU will lead a
four-year herpes vaccine study
involving 7,550 women across
the United States for the
National Institutes of Health.
When herpes is passed from
a mother to a child during
birth, the disease is life threat-ening
for the child and leads to
birth defects. “A successful
vaccine to fight this disease
would represent a major public
health triumph,” said Dr.
Robert Belshe, the national
study chair and Adorjan
Professor of Internal Medicine
and director of the Center for
Vaccine Development at the
School of Medicine.
“This is the largest clinical
trial we’ve organized and has
the potential for making a sig-nificant
contribution to
SLU lab makes
cancer discovery
Alab headed by a Saint Louis
University researcher has
made a major breakthrough
that could lead to a better mol-ecular
understanding of cancer.
Results published in the jour-nal
Molecular Cell by Dr. Ali
Shilatifard and his colleagues
show for the first time how a
protein known to be involved
in the development of cancer
functions in normal cells. “This
opens the door for further
Information
initiative launched
Aproject under way at Saint
Louis University will rev-olutionize,
enhance and
expand the delivery of infor-mation
to students, faculty,
staff and alumni. Called
“Gateway: the information ini-tiative
of Saint Louis
University,” the project will
plug SLU computer users into
significant facts, figures and
data. Making use of recently
purchased computer hardware
and software, Gateway will
integrate information from
both the administrative and
academic aspects of the
University and reformulate the
way information is cataloged
and stored. Student records,
financial aid, alumni databases,
University financial data and
human resources information
all will move over to the new
system. The shift will take
approximately 36 months for
the entire University.
GLAD GRADS: Approximately 1,800 students graduat-ed
from Saint Louis University during annual commence-ment
exercises May 17 at Savvis Center. The graduating
class is larger than those in recent years. Last year, 1,508
students graduated from SLU. Pictured above with this
year’s commencement speaker Bill McClellan (left), a St.
Louis Post-Dispatch columnist, are (from left) honorary
degree recipients Frank Reale, S.J., (A&S ’74) provincial
of the Jesuits of the Missouri Province; Martin L.
Mathews, co-founder of St. Louis’ Mathews-Dickey Boys’
and Girls’ Club; and Emily Rauh Pulitzer, founder and
president of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.
study of this protein in the reg-ulation
of gene expression,”
said Shilatifard, an associate
professor of biochemistry and
molecular biology. “Once we
understand the normal, we will
have a better understanding of
where something is going
wrong.” This, in turn, could
lead to ways to block the path-way
and ultimately could stop
cancer development, he said.
Also participating in this
research was the lab of Dr.
Mark Johnston at Washington
University School of Medicine.
women’s health,” he said. The
study will be conducted at 16
U.S. locations, with Saint
Louis University as the nation-al
coordinating site. SLU’s
Vaccine Center will enroll
approximately 500 people.
Check out smoke-free
dining online
Smoking in restaurants is still
legal in St. Louis, but that
doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. The
School of Public Health
recently assembled a list of 100
percent smoke-free restaurants
in the St. Louis metro area.
More than 200 local establish-ments
appear on the list,
including Bevo Mill, Café
Napoli, Lemon Grass and all
locations of the St. Louis Bread
Co. For a look at the list, visit
www.breatheeasymo.org.
25
Nurses prepared
for terrorism
Nurses who want to learn
how to handle the after-math
of a terrorist attack
began their studies Feb. 3,
when the School of Nursing
launched a one-of-a-kind
certificate program. “Our dis-aster
preparedness certificate
program is based upon what
we learned when we visited
Israel to find out how nurses
there deal with terrorism,”
said Dr. Dotti James (Nurs
’71, Grad Nurs ’74, ’94, ’97),
associate professor of nursing.
Four SLU educators — two
from the School of Nursing
and two from the Center for
the Study of Bioterrorism and
Emerging Infections in the
School of Public Health —
traveled to the Hadassah
Medical Organization in
October to see what Israeli
health care professionals do
after a terror attack. Students
working toward SLU’s cer-tificate
will participate in 10
sessions. The curriculum is
available through distance
learning on the Internet and
is offered at Saint Louis
University.
AHP introduces
two new degrees
Two new degree programs
are under way at SLU’s
Doisy School of Allied
Health Professions. The
University has created the
first and only five-year degree
in the country that blends a
bachelor of science in health
information management
with a master of health
administration. The Doisy
School and the School of
Public Health are offering the
joint degree
- …
