Universitas - Issue 50.1 (Spring 2024)

Spring 2024 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University.

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spelling	sluoai_alumni-484 Universitas - Issue 50.1 (Spring 2024) Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University St. Louis University St. Louis University -- Periodicals; Universities and colleges -- Missouri -- Saint Louis -- Periodicals; Spring 2024 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University. 2024-04-30 2024 PDF 2020 LD4817 .S52 U5 Copyright Saint Louis University. All rights reserved. Saint Louis University Libraries Digitization Center text eng Saint Louis University Marketing and Communications SPRING 2024 THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y UNIVERSITAS THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY President’s message On March 21, 2014, I was intro-duced to you as Saint Louis University’s 33rd president. It was one of the most thrilling and humbling days of my life. On the 10th anniversary of that joyful day, I shared with the SLU community that I will step down from the presidency at the end of June 2025. As I ref lect upon the past decade, I am amazed at all we have endured and achieved together in St. Louis and in Madrid. We faced moments that tested us and revealed what defines this Jesuit university community. There were many times in the last 10 years when the challenges we faced felt insur-mountable. But together — grounded firmly in our values and trusting in the wisdom of this community — we found more than a way through. We created a new future for Saint Louis University. We have become a more diverse and more international community. Our research pro-file has grown beyond what we could have imagined. We have broken every institutional fundraising and enrollment record. We built state-of-the art campus facilities, and we are leading the dramatic transformation of Midtown St. Louis. Through it all, we have never strayed from our core focus: preparing our students to become the compassionate, ethical leaders our alumni are known to be. We have built on the Jesuit tradition of rigorous education and care for the whole person, advancing innova-tion in academic programs and investing in University-wide efforts to support student well-being. There is so much I will miss about this mag-nificent job. But just as I knew 10 years ago that SLU would be my home, I know that it is time for a new leader to take the first step into a new era. Between now and June 2025, there will be a robust national search for my successor and some period of transition. At the conclusion of my tenure as president, I plan to take a sabbat-ical. Then I hope to continue teaching, writing, and doing what I am asked to contribute to the success of the next leader of this remarkable university. There has not been a single day in my presi-dency when I did not thank God for the joy and honor of working for and with the entire SLU community. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of Fran and my family, I thank you for the strong support and generous goodwill you have consistently shown us since March of 2014. May God bless you and Saint Louis University. Dr. Fred P. Pestello President Reflecting on an Extraordinary Decade 2 ON CAMPUS Pestello to Step Down Women’s soccer Sweet 16 Topgolf Historic enrollment New rankings Monsanto Hall renovation Midyear commencement Chess League title 30 CLASS NOTES 32 Alumni Merit Awards 35 Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Marvin Langston (Grad PH ’12) — by Bridjes O’Neil 36 How I Got Here: Lauren (Lobosky) Sullivan (PC ’10) — by Jacob Born 38 IN MEMORIAM 41 THE LAST LOOK VOLUME 50, ISSUE 1 EDITOR Laura Geiser {A&S ’90, Grad ’92} ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amy Garland {A&S ’97} ART DIRECTOR Matt Krob CONTRIBUTORS Clayton Berry Jacob Born Catherine Kraemer Bridjes O’Neil ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES University Public Relations Billiken Media Relations ON THE COVER The O’Loughlin Family Champions Center 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 all mail to: Universitas DuBourg Hall 39 1 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63103 We accept email at: universitas@slu.edu Website: slu.edu/universitas Universitas is printed by Cummings Printing Worldwide circulation: 133,814 ©2024, Saint Louis University All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. FEATURES 10 Championing Student- Athletes Take a look inside SLU’s O’Loughlin Family Champions Center for student-athletes. 14 Ruined for Life Alumni who served as Jesuit Volunteers share their experiences. — by Amy Garland 20 Becoming Billikens SLU welcomes new students in the summer and well beyond move-in. — by Amy Garland 26 Nontraditional for 60 Years The School for Professional Studies marks a major milestone. — by Catherine Kraemer Graduates celebrate at midyear commencement on Dec. 16 at Chaifetz Arena. PHOTO BY SARAH CONROY 2 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 3 On campus Af ter a decade of t ransformat ive leadership, on March 21 , Saint Louis University President Dr. Fred P. Pestello announced that he has decided to step down at the end of June 2025. The announcement came on the 10th anniversary of his intro-duction as SLU’s 33rd president in 2014. “There is so much I will miss about this magnificent job,” Pestello wrote in an announcement to the SLU com-munity. “But just as I knew 10 years ago that SLU would be my home, I know that it is time for a new leader to take the first step into a new era.” Pestello’s era at SLU coincided with a particularly turbulent time for higher education in the United States, with colleges and universities across the country grap-pling with declining enrollments, increasing financial pressures, social upheaval and a global pandemic. Under Pestello’s leadership, SLU has successfully nav-igated these and other challenges, breaking institutional records for enrollment, fundraising and research funding along the way. Other noteworthy University accomplish-ments during Pestello’s tenure include: THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES, including the $43 million Spring Residence Hall, $71 mil-lion Grand Residence Hall, $50 million Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, $16 million Jesuit Center, and the recently completed donor-funded $20 million O’Loughlin Family Champions Center. A TRANSFORMATIVE NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH SSM HEALTH that led to the opening of the $550 mi l l ion SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and Center for Specialized Medicine in 2020, followed by a signifi-cant investment in SLU’s School of Medicine to expand research, training, and education as part of the 2022 inte-gration of the SLUCare physician practice with SSM. THE L AUNCH OF THE SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, which was estab-lished following a historic $50 million gift from Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield (CSB ’67) to accelerate research growth at the University and place SLU on the path to becoming a pre-eminent research university. THE FORMATION OF THE TAYLOR GEOSPATIAL INSTITUTE, a con-sortium of eight research and academic institutions led by Saint Louis University, which was made possible by a legacy investment from Andrew C. Taylor, executive chairman of Enterprise Holdings. THE CREATION OF THE MIDTOWN ST. LOUIS REDEVELOPMENT CORP., which has elevated SLU’s role as a catalyst for major devel-opment projects in Midtown St. Louis and advanced the University’s significant eco-nomic impact on the city and region. THE CONT INUE D GROWTH OF S LU MADRID — t he University’s campus in Spain — with record enrollments, ongoing expansion of classroom and lab spaces, addi-tional academic offerings, and new partnerships with education and cultural associations. Pestello began his tenure as the University’s first per-manent lay president on July 1, 2014. Just three months into his presidency, protesters peacefully occupied the SLU campus following officer-involved shootings of two Black young men in the St. Louis region. Pestello’s handling of the weeklong encampment was praised by then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Pestello also successfully led the University through the COVID-19 pandemic. While other colleges and uni-versities struggled to remain open during the fall 2020 semester and beyond, SLU continued with in-person learning and on-campus living without interruption. The University managed the health of the SLU community and administered more than 20,000 vaccine doses to the campus and region. PESTELLO’S ERA BY THE NUMBERS 15,204 total students enrolled in fall 2023, an all-time high for the University. 3,183 international students enrolled in fall 2023, by far the most in SLU history. $604 million raised during the Accelerating Excellence Campaign, the University’s most successful fundraising effort to date. $1.8 billion endowment, an 88.3% increase over the last decade. $82.7 million in annual research expenses in 2022, an 86% increase since 2014. $289.1 million in institutional aid in fall 2023, a 77.3% increase over the last decade. $2.02 billion in completed and planned projects in SLU’s redevelopment area. During his presidency, Pestello articulated a vision for SLU to become a global Jesuit university that is mission-focused, student and patient-centered, and research-driven w one that is working with the people of St. Louis to reimagine, transform and unify the city. “President Pestello is a transformational leader who has propelled our University forward in extraordinary ways,” said Joseph Conran (A&S ’67, Law ’70), chairman of SLU’s board of trustees. “The remarkable progress we’ve achieved is a testament to his inspiring vision, and on behalf of the Board, I want to thank him for his leadership and his steadfast commitment to SLU’s Jesuit mission and values.” Collaboration, communication and transparency have been hallmarks of Pestello’s leadership as well. Of note, the University’s first strategic, academic and campus master plans in many years — as well as a new core cur-riculum — were developed through open and inclusive processes involving hundreds of faculty, staff, students and other key stakeholders. “From President Pestello’s first days, he made a com-mitment to listen to and elevate the voices of the faculty,” said Christine E. Rollins (Law ’96), president of SLU’s Faculty Senate and a member of the School of Law faculty since 2002. SLU will conduct a nat ional search to ident ify Pestello’s successor. Following a sabbatical after he steps down, Pestello said he plans to continue teaching, writ-ing and supporting the University and its new president as needed. “There has not been a single day in my presidency when I did not thank God for the joy and honor of working for and with all of you — smart, compassionate, and ded-icated Jesuits, faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, donors, and partners,” Pestello wrote in his message to the SLU community on March 21. “As I reflect upon the past decade, I am amazed at all we have endured and achieved together in St. Louis and in Madrid.” Look for more on Pestello’s legacy in future issues of Universitas. Legacy of Visionary Leadership SLU PRESIDENT DR. FRED P. PESTELLO TO STEP DOWN IN 2025 By Clayton Berry SARAH CONROY Pestello in the lobby of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building 4 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 5 On campus Women’s Soccer Makes History For the first time, the Billikens made it to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship’s “Sweet 16.” Sixth-seeded SLU beat Indiana in the first round and then held off a late Georgetown rally to defeat the third-seeded Hoyas 2-1 in an NCAA Championship second-round game. The team then fell to Penn State in a heartbreaker in the third round of the championship. Second-seeded Penn State scored the equalizer in the 87th minute, then tallied the eventual game-winning goal in the first overtime session, defeating SLU 4-3. The Billikens’ historic season ended with a 19- 3-2 record. PHOTO BY JOE ROKITA A-10 CHAMPS YET AGAIN Women’s soccer earned its league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by capturing its eighth A-10 Championship title in SLU history and sixth in succession. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Caroline Kelly tallied two goals and an assist to lead top-seeded SLU to a 3-0 victory over La Salle in the final. Goalkeeper Emily Puricelli recorded her 39th career shutout to claim the Billikens’ record outright. The women also set school single-season records for goals (74), assists (70) and points (218). ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS Nine women’s soccer players merited 2023 Atlantic 10 All- Conference honors. Senior defender Lyndsey Heckel was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year, senior Puricelli was named Goalkeeper of the Year, and junior forward Emily Gaebe claimed Offensive Player of the Year accolades. Kelly and fifth-year midfielder Abbie Miller also joined the top unit. Senior defenders Sophia Stram and Katie Houck and redshirt-junior midfielder/forward Hannah Larson were selected to the All-Conference second team. Freshman midfielder Alyssa Bockius earned a spot on the All-Rookie team. Houck and Larson were voted to the A-10’s 11-member All- Academic team by the league’s women’s soccer sports information representatives. SLU has produced 55 All-Conference selections over the past eight seasons, including 37 first-team choices. HECKEL PURICELLI GAEBE BILL BARRETT BILL BARRETT BILL BARRETT BILL BARRETT LARSON The team celebrates their sixth consecutive A-10 Championship title on Nov. 5 at Hermann Stadium. 6 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 7 On campus Surge in International Students Leads to Historic SLU Enrollment This academic year, Saint Louis University enrolled more students than ever before, thanks to an unprecedented surge in interna-tional enrollment. According to the University’s official fall census, SLU’s total enrollment eclipsed 15,000 students for the first time in history. The num-ber of international students also reached record heights, more than doubling in a single year. “This is an impressive milestone in the his-tory of our University,” SLU President Dr. Fred P. Pestello said. “This achievement comes amid an incredibly challenging climate for higher education. I want to thank the students and families who have chosen SLU and recognize everyone at the University who made this accomplishment possible.” Contributing significantly to this record enrollment is SLU’s Global Graduate initiative, which launched in 2020 to attract interna-tional students to select graduate programs in technology, business and engineering. In the fall, SLU enrolled 1,427 new inter-national graduate students, a 325% increase over last year. More than 75% of international students at SLU are from India, where the ini-tiative debuted three years ago. “Our Global Graduate initiative has far exceeded our initial hopes and projections,” Pestello said. “The tremendous success of this initiative is a testament to SLU’s growing repu-tation for exceptional academics on the global stage.” To support the increasing number of Global Billikens at SLU, the University hired 30 new faculty and staff. SLU also invested millions of dollars in student scholarships as well as academic, language and career-readiness resources and programs. FALL 2023 ENROLLMENT AT SLU: BY THE NUMBERS Students cheer during a fashion show that was part of the International Services President’s Reception in September. The event, organized annually by the Office of International Services, encourages international students to mingle with fellow Billikens and learn about other cultures on campus. New Center Focuses on Global Catholicism Saint Louis University’s new Center for Research on Global Catholicism (CRGC) supports scholarship about Catholicism as a global religion. World-class researchers and area archivists will study the nexus of Catholicism and culture. “Our ambition is to make SLU a destination for research on global Catholicism,” said Dr. Mary Dunn, director of the CRGC and professor of theological studies at SLU. An interdisciplinary collective of researchers and scholars, the Center for Research on Global Catholicism will: Capitalize on scholarly expertise at SLU and in St. Louis to advance knowledge and understanding of global Catholicism. Facilitate connections between local archives and scholars. Support scholars by providing resources, community and opportunities for collaboration. The newest Topgolf location, situated between Saint Louis University’s north and south campuses, opened in October. Topgolf St. Louis-Midtown, which is the second to serve Greater St. Louis, has 102 outdoor climate-controlled hitting bays spanning three levels. Each bay has lounge-type furniture or tables for groups. Jason Hall, chief executive officer with Greater St. Louis Inc., said the new venue is estimated to draw 600,000 participants and generate $2 million in annual sales tax. Topgolf said the venue will bring approximately 500 new jobs. The land for the project was acquired from SLU and developed with oversight from the St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corp., a partnership of SLU and SSM Health. SLU Ranks as a Best Value, Top Catholic University Once again, Saint Louis University was recognized as one of the nation’s best values in higher education and one of the leading Catholic universities in the country. The University was named a “Best Value School” for the eighth consecutive year by U.S. News in its 2024 Best Colleges rankings for undergraduate education, released in September. SLU ranked No. 52 among 211 schools on the list, which the publication calculates by comparing a school’s academic quality and its net cost of attendance. Overall, SLU ranked No. 105 among more than 430 national universities that offer a range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doc-toral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates. Among the 523 business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, SLU’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business had three undergraduate programs in the top 20 nationally: international business (No. 15), entrepreneurship (No. 16) and finance (No. 17). The Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing ranked No. 67 out of 656 nursing schools with master’s or doctoral programs accredited by either the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. SLU also ranked No. 22 among the best ser-vice- learning programs in the country. POLL: How Do You Say ‘Missouri’? Politicians have crisscrossed the state for years, sharing their vision for Missour-ee or Missour-uh, depending on where they spoke. Now, Missourians have spoken about how they say their state’s name. In 2023, the SLU/YouGov Poll interviewed 900 likely Missouri voters, asking how they pronounced the name of the state in which they reside. The poll found that only 9.5% of Missourians say Missour-uh. More than 90% of those polled say Missour-ee. “After growing up in Missouri, I was surprised so few Missouri voters used the Missour-uh pronunciation,” said Dr. Steven Rogers, SLU/YouGov Poll director and associate professor of political science at SLU. “Using Missour-uh appears to be partly generational. Sixteen percent of voters who are 65 years old or older said Missour-uh, but only 3% of voters below the age of 29 said Missour-uh.” Pestello tees off at the new Topgolf St. Louis-Midtown after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Fore! Topgolf Opens Near SLU PRINCETON REVIEW In August, SLU was profiled in Princeton Review’s Best 389 Colleges, which includes only 15% of America’s four-year colleges. SLU ranked No. 9 on the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact list and No. 25 in the Students Most Engaged in Community Service category. NICHE In August, the rankings and reviews website Niche.com ranked SLU No. 111 among the 936 Top Private Universities in America and No. 10 among the 160 Best Catholic Colleges in America. -ee90% -uh 9.5% SARAH CONROY SARAH CONROY 6,702 GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 9 Academic Tech Commons Opens New Space In September, the third and final phase of Saint Louis University’s Academic Technology Commons in Pius XII Memorial Library opened. The lower level of the library, once a repository for collections, now includes an active-learning classroom and four tech-enabled spaces with digital white-board functionality. A Zoom room allows for a more integrated experience for those attending hybrid meetings. A recording studio is also in the works. Martha Allen, special assistant to the dean of libraries and museums and director of academic integrity, said the new space will house some of the 300-plus classes taught in the library. It will also be available for supplemental learning labs, study groups and professional development. Geospatial Gets New Director, Faculty The Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI), a consortium of eight research insti-tutions led by Saint Louis University, selected Dr. Nadine Alameh as its inaugu-ral executive director. A world-renowned geospatial expert, Alameh previously was the CEO and pres-ident of the Open Geospatial Consortium. She is a lso an appointed member of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee and a board member of the United Nations Geospatial Global Information Management Private Sector Network. In addition, SLU will hire 20 new fac-ulty members in core geospatial science and related fields. The new positions, to be filled over a three-year span, will be hired in collaboration with TGI. The effort will bring new faculty to SLU who apply geospatial tools, technologies and resea rch methodologies to specialt ies across a diverse range of fields from cli-mate science and agriculture to health care and national security. “Saint Louis University and the Taylor Geospatial Institute are committed to making the St. Louis region the nation’s academic leader in geospatial science research,” said Provost Dr. Michael Lewis. The new faculty will be part of TGI, the geospatial consort ium formed in 2022. Housed at SLU, TGI includes the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Harris-Stowe State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri, University of Missour i-St . Louis and Washington University in St. Louis. SLU Wins Collegiate Chess League Fall Title The Saint Louis Universit y chess team once again earned a championship. The Billiken squad finished the 2023 Collegiate Chess League (CCL) fall season with a dominant win over the University of Texas at Dallas. The victory means the Billikens claimed both the spring and fall CCL titles. The SLU squad wa s made up of Benjami n Bok, Bat suren Dambasuren, Robby Kevlishvili and Nikolaos Theodorou. Bok picked up 3.5 out of 4 points in the final, and Chess.com named him the tourna-ment’s MVP. On campus 8 University Announces New Leadership TRUSTEES Andrew Hoog (A&S ’98) Founder of NowSecure Arindam Kar (A&S ’98) Shareholder at the Polsinelli Law Firm Jessie J. Knight Jr. (A&S ’72) Managing director of Knight Angels LLC James B. Lally (CSB ’90) President and CEO of Enterprise Financial Services Corporation Joseph McShane, S.J. President emeritus of Fordham University Dr. Holden Thorp Editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals, former provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis Martha Uhlhorn Owner of Gourmet to Go and La Bonne Bouchee Wholesale Bakery Robert V. Vitale (CSB ’88) President and CEO of Post Holdings Paresh Vyas Founder and owner of SKAPS Industries DEAN Dr. Leslie McClure DEAN, COLLEGE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE McClure was associate dean for faculty affairs at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. VICE PRESIDENT Rob Reddy INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION MANAGEMENT Reddy served at Northeastern University as assistant vice president of enrollment management and dean of student financial services. Remodeled Monsanto Hall Reopens In November, Monsanto Hall, the home of the chemistry department, reopened after an $11 million renovation. The project was the final phase of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISE) project. When the ISE Building opened in 2020, space in Monsanto Hall was vacated. That area has now been converted into new research spaces and a new teaching lab. The outside of Monsanto Hall, which opened in 1965, was left untouched. Ring Award Winner Addresses Midyear Graduates Associate Professor of Aviation Science Dr. Stephen Belt (Grad Ed ’12), the 2023 Nancy McNeir Ring Award recipi-ent, delivered the commencement address at the 2023 Midyear Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 16 at Chaifetz Arena. Belt has been at Saint Louis University since 1998, when he joined the Department of Aviation Science at what was then called Parks College. He has served as department chair, flight training director, Parks College chief diversity officer, senior check airman, pilot and instructor. The Ring Award is SLU’s highest honor for teaching. It was initially established in 1966 by SLU’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, to acknowledge faculty members who display special dedi-cation to students. Belt advised the graduates to see the world how it is — faults and all — but said they should not focus on those aspects. “If I have one wish for you today, it would be for you to cultivate joy in your life,” he said. “Seek joy. Find joy in what you do and in who you are. Do not be afraid of difficult things, for joy encompasses the difficult things. Savor success and forgive failings — yours and others.” SARAH CONROY BELT ALAMEH SARAH CONROY PHOTO COURTESY OF NADINE ALAMEH Mark your calendar and plan for three days of fun on campus. Cheer on the Billikens, watch the annual fireworks and mingle with fellow alumni. MORE INFORMATION: slu.edu/hcfw 2024 Homecoming and Family Weekend: Sept. 27-29 SARAH CONROY Provost Michael Lewis (center, with scissors) cuts the ribbon to reopen Monsanto Hall on Nov. 2. PHOTOS BY LUKE YAMNITZ 10 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y WINTER 2023 11 There’s so much more to a successful NCAA Division I athletic program than what happens on the court or the field. At Saint Louis University, a brand-new, $20 mil-lion facility is providing a plethora of support services for Billiken student-athletes. The O’Loughlin Family Champions Center officially opened in October. “This state-of-the-art facility, shared among our more than 400 Billiken student-athletes across all sports, will be a game-changer for the University and our depart-ment,” said Chris May, SLU athletic director. “Our student-athletes put so much effort into our objectives, which are to educate, compete and build community. The O’Loughlin Family Champions Center is here to help them achieve their best in the classroom, in competition and in the community.” Construction of the 25,000-square-foot center, which is adjacent to Chaifetz Arena, began in May 2022. The goal was to provide a best-in-class facility to deliver programming related to academic advising, spiritual development, sports performance, nutrition, wellness, sports psychology and more. Athlete Amenities STUDENT SUCCESS SUITE The cornerstone of the O’Loughlin Family Champions Center facility and services, the suite features space for spiritual development, sports psychology, and academic, career, and student-athlete development programming. The combination is unparalleled in the NCAA. The Student-Athlete Development Program offers a comprehensive curriculum to enhance support services and provide development opportunities for student-athletes. Programming includes personal and leadership development and mentoring/ networking opportunities. PERFORMANCE NUTRITION CENTER Offering student-athletes healthy meal options on campus, the nutrition area focuses on personal performance targets, wellness and recovery. This space can be used for public events such as athletic alumni events and pre-game receptions. TEAM DINING SUITE Within the Performance Nutrition Center, there is space for team meals and other community-building opportunities. The space is equipped with leading-edge technology, so teams can break down game film during meals and meetings. BASKETBALL OPERATIONS SUITES This hub for the men’s and women’s basketball programs ensures the efforts in competition are being matched by necessary facilities outside of competition. TECHNOLOGY SUITES These suites equip coaches and programs with state-of-the-art technology to serve their student-athletes during film breakdowns and other team meetings. The Wool Family Lobby looking east The Wool Family Lobby looking west The Jim Kavanaugh and World Wide Technology Billiken Victory Room THE NEW O’LOUGHLIN FAMILY CHAMPIONS CENTER SUPPORTS WELL-ROUNDED BILLIKENS. CHAMPIONING STUDENT-ATHLETES Photos by Sarah Conroy 12 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 13 “The O’Loughlin Family Champions Center is a community investment in our University,” SLU President Dr. Fred P. Pestello said. “Our student-athletes have extraordinary demands put on their time. Having these services avail-able to them in a single location ensures we deliver on our promise to support our student-athletes as whole persons, preparing them to thrive in the class-room, in competition and after graduation.” The general contractor of the facility was St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos. Hastings+Chivetta served as the architect, and Perkins&Will completed interior design. The $20 million center was privately funded with a lead gift by the O’Loughlin Family Foundation. Additional donors included John Johnson (A&S ’90), the Centene Charitable Foundation, Michael and Noémi Neidorff, Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz (A&S ’75), Jim Kavanaugh (CSB ’86)-World Wide Technology, the Koman Family, Keith Phoenix (Law ’74), Mark and Joy Scoggins (VSN ’85), Floyd and Judith Crowder, and Linda and Alan Vogt (CSB ’69). “While I can’t claim Saint Louis University as my alma mater, I appreciate the central role the University plays in the ongoing success of the city and our region as a whole,” said Bob O’Loughlin, chairman and CEO of LHM and director of the O’Loughlin Family Foundation. “Our foundation’s gift to cre-ate the O’Loughlin Family Champions Center is our opportunity to give back to this great city. A robust and successful NCAA Division I athletic program in the heart of the city isn’t just great for Saint Louis University, it’s great for our entire community.” A student-athlete in the Billiken Nutrition Center Baseball players Will Bolinger (left) and Ben Cherico in the Wool Family Lobby Men’s soccer players (from left) Dylan Olson, Carlos Leatherman and Matthew Wrobel in the Sanctuary space In the foreground, cross country and track and field athletes Brianna Cummings (left) and McKenna Paulson study in the Centene Corporation Billiken Student-Success Suite. Swimmers Elijah Wilson (left) and Andrew Flight grab a smoothie and a snack in the Koman Family Fueling Station. SPRING 2024 15 hink back to when you were graduating from Saint Louis University. Did you have your first real job lined up, or an internship to get you there? Maybe you’d planned to travel abroad. Maybe you anticipated a typical summer, before heading to graduate, medical or law school. What if, instead, you’d decided to spend the next year serving? That’s what Jesuit Volunteers do. And what many SLU alumni choose. Saint Louis University is one of the top five produc-ers of volunteers who work with two Jesuit Volunteer organizations: the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and JVC Northwest. For these Billikens, service is a full-time job. They spend 40 hours a week doing direct service at more than 200 partner agencies that address a multitude of issues — from hunger relief to environmental stewardship to legal services. They receive a modest monthly stipend, as well as health insurance and housing. In their free time, they live with other Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) in reflective, coop-erative communities. They keep house together and meet weekly for spiritual and bonding activities. They focus on four core values: community, simple living, spirituality, and social and ecological justice. It’s service but also solidarity. “We don’t view ourselves as a ‘service program.’ We’re a service and formation program,” said Shivany Trujillo (A&S ’08), director of admissions for JVC. “You’re living with each other. You’re spending a lot of time on JVC values. And you’re tied to the communities you serve because you’re right there. Your clients might be your neighbors. You’re taking the bus; your clients are taking the bus. That’s a big part of the success of our program.” That kind of immersion obviously changes a per-son. To borrow a phrase from the founder of the Jesuit Volunteers, Jack Morris, S.J., a year as a JV will leave you “ruined for life.” “You’re going to be doing wonderful things, getting to know underserved communities and learning about justice in the world. But it’s also a way of discerning and figuring out what you really want to do with your life,” Dr. Bobby Wassel said. Wassel (Grad Ed ’09, ’17) is the director of SLU’s Center for Social Action. He’s worked on community engage-ment, service and justice issues at the University for nearly 20 years. Having done service after college with an organization that modeled itself on JVC, he knew first-hand the value of the experience and has promoted it to SLU students from his earliest days on campus. Every November, he helps coordinate SLU’s Year of Service Fair, bringing dozens of organizations to campus. “Participation in post-graduate service has dropped nationwide for many reasons, but Billikens continue to consistently choose this option,” he said. “I think it speaks directly to our mission.” Both JVC and JVC Northwest accept applications during four different rounds a year, with the earliest deadline in December. This academic year, the sibling organizations are offering a common application to streamline the process. Seven members of the Class of 2023 began their place-ments in August and will serve through July 2024. Then, they’ll join the network of more than 12,000 Former Jesuit Volunteers (FJVs). On the next few pages, meet four SLU alumni FJVs, and learn how they were “ruined for life.” Ruined for Life Jesuit Volunteers set out to and end up change the world changed themselves. By Amy Garland 14 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY The steeple on the chapel of SLU’s Jesuit Center PHOTO BY SARAH CONROY 16 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 17 JV Placement: St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana, 2006-07 St. Labre is a Catholic school that serves two Native American communities. I worked with one other JV in the high school dormitory, where about 60 students stayed. From 2 to 10 p.m., we tutored and mentored the kids. Why I Volunteered: Originally, I applied as a backup. The only graduate program I was interested in was at MIT, and I knew it was a bad idea to have just one risky option. However, the more I learned about JVC, the more taken with it I became. When else would I have the opportunity and the flexibility to take a year and learn so much about the social justice issues in our country — the real dynamics and realities on the ground? I was offered a scholarship at MIT but deferred it because I felt like JVC was something I needed to do. Real-World Problems: My very first client was a woman with 10 children, and her utilities were about to be shut off. If you lived in public housing, if utilities got shut off, you got evicted. I had been in Baton Rouge for three days — and it was my job to figure out how to help her with that serious situation. A Gift to Be Simple: I was lucky to live in a house of JVs who took the principles of JVC seriously, particularly living a simple lifestyle. Every one of us came from a reasonably wealthy family; we had credit cards in our pockets we could have dipped into, but we chose not to. We had “blackout night” once a week when we wouldn’t use electricity. This was partially to lower our bill, but since I was working with people whose utilities had been shut off, it was such a valuable experience. It gave me perspective on the experiences of the people I was trying to serve. What Was It Like? Very hard. We got paid $205 a month, which had to cover everything but rent: our utilities, food, transportation, all entertainment. I met my now-wife, Julie (Lynn) Finn (DCHS ’93), at SLU. Occasionally, we would meet halfway on weekends while I was in JVC. To do this, I had to sell my blood plasma for gas money. Again, a perspective on poverty I never would have had otherwise. The other JVs I served with, all three are in education and one is also an Episcopal deacon. Each of us went into a profession in which we are more concerned about helping others than making a bunch of money. It’s hard to know if that’s JVC’s impact on people or if those are the people that go into JVC — but no doubt JVC helped make us who we are. One Year: JVC is an incredible short-term opportunity to do something you’ll never be able to do so easily later — a chance to broaden your perspective on what you will do with the rest of your life. Whatever else you’re going to do, it can wait a year. Abe Grindle Aerospace Engineering, PC ’06 DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, CO-IMPACT, A GLOBAL PHILANTHROPIC COLLABORATIVE CHICAGO JV Placement: Catholic Community Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1993-94 I did emergency assistance work with people needing help with rent, utilities, etc. I also helped in a family homeless shelter and did prison ministry. Why I Volunteered: I didn’t know what I wanted to do, didn’t declare a major until I was a junior, and psychology was the only major I could still finish in four years. But what do you do with an undergrad degree in psychology? It doesn’t rule you out for any job, but it doesn’t get you many jobs either. I’d gone to a Jesuit high school, and I had been big into volunteering. JVC was a way of continuing that while deferring my student loans and giving myself another year to think. I knew I wanted to do something related to assisting people in poverty. It says a lot that JVC was my first experience working on the issue of homelessness, and I’m now the founder and CEO of an organization that oversees services for the homeless in greater Cincinnati. It’s my life’s work, something that I didn’t know anything about before JVC. Kevin Finn Psychology, A&S ’93 FOUNDING PRESIDENT AND CEO, STRATEGIES TO END HOMELESSNESS INC. CINCINNATI Service Co-op: I’d always felt a call and obligation to serve. And I wrestled with how to balance that with my passion for engineering and where my life seemed to be headed. This felt like a unique opportunity to explore that other path in a temporary setting. I’d done co-op programs — stints at NASA facilities, having a hands-on, immersive experience. And now I had the chance to have that type of experience in a service environment. I figured I should at least explore it: Is this actually more of my vocation than I thought? It was kind of a discernment process for me, in the classic Ignatian tradition. What Was It Like? Challenging but in a way that was, generally speaking, very healthy. Living with others and learning how to navigate compromise is hard. It’s actually great training for marriage — or any relationship! Personal growth is hard. It means learning things about yourself that you might not like or expect. Learning how policy and government affect people is also hard. It can be depressing, sad, difficult. But closing one’s eyes and staying away? I would argue that’s much worse. A Different Trajectory: I’m in a very different place in my life today than I ever imagined I would be, in significant part because of my JV experience. I did go on to MIT to do a dual-degree master’s in aerospace engineering and public policy. But I had this even deeper interest in the importance of public policy to address social justice challenges. Long story short, while I was at MIT, new career opportunities came into my field of vision, including this world of strategy and management consulting for social-impact organizations. Added Value: I served on the Jesuit Volunteer Corps national board for several years, and one of the other JVs on the board was a Goldman Sachs executive. He said, “When I’m hiring, this kind of experience is incredibly valuable and really sets applicants apart.” If I could do one thing to improve the U.S., it would be to have a mandatory year of service for everybody, where people are put in a place and with people who are different from them and where they come from. That lived experience — it’s phenomenal. There is no better holistic opportunity to form yourself as a citizen of this country and this world as JVC offers. Finn (right) and JVC friends in the fall of 1993 Grindle (third from top) and fellow JVs in 2006 18 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 19 JV Placement: Catholic Migration Services in Harlem, New York, 2019-20 I was essentially a legal assistant for the removal defense project team. I gathered research and translated documents, helping clients apply for asylum. Why I Volunteered: I found out about the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in high school, and then it was always in the back of my brain. When I was a sophomore at SLU, I went to the Ignatian Family Teach-In and got to lobby the U.S. Congress. My junior year, I started thinking, maybe this is something for after graduation; I don’t think I’m ready to go to grad school or to work. I’d been part of SLU’s service-oriented Micah Program learning community, and I’d done a lot of service at SLU — that was something I wanted to continue. And I’ve always been passionate about immigrant rights and migration to the United States. JV Placement: Christian Senior Services in San Antonio, Texas, 2012-13 I assessed homebound patients for Meals on Wheels and other services they could receive from the nonprofit. Why I Volunteered: I knew medicine was where I’d end up — but I wanted more than the direct route to being a physician. School can be very black and white, but life is in the gray. I felt fortunate to have a comfortable home and go to good schools; I wanted to experience the gray. I felt like JVC would help me provide for my patients later — not just the black and white of being a physician, but everything that comes with really caring for people. More Than a Job: My JVC job helped me become the physician I am; but how I feel about the world — I learned that through the community at the church where we lived in the convent. Six out of the seven of us JVs were raised Catholic. And it’s hard not to go to church when you can see it from your kitchen door. Every Sunday, a family cooked breakfast you could buy at church. If we helped, we got a free plate: home-cooked Mexican food! One of the other JVs was the social worker for the church and ran their youth group. We all went, whether they were shooting hoops in the backyard or had a field trip. I coached Catholic Youth Organization basketball. We picked our players up, put them in my LeSabre, took them to the games and back; their parents might not be able to. We were constantly doing stuff with people who we weren’t necessarily assigned to serve. Spiritual Awakening: I was raised in a quintessential Irish Catholic family. I had no experience with other religions prior to JVC. It was eye-opening from a spiritual standpoint. Halfway through, we decided to go to a different church to see what it was like. One of the other JVs was placed at a Presbyterian church that ran a teen home. Sometimes, we would go to church there with the teen moms. And we befriended other homes that were similar to JVC, a Mennonite home and an Episcopalian home. JVC awoke a spirituality in me. I believe in God, and I also believe in social equity and doing good for other people. How Do I Help? I was naive. I found people living in squalor; they live with people who are supposed to be taking care of them, but they’re not. I learned what people do to survive and why they do the things they do under certain circumstances. I left JVC with a lot of questions, especially trying to understand why there is inequality in the world. How do I help? Now I work in St. Clair County [in Illinois]. I feel like I make a better connection with patients because I can understand and empathize with why they’re doing what they’re doing. “Why aren’t you taking this medicine? We’ve talked about this.” What I witnessed in JVC helped me understand the why. And then I say, “Let’s meet in the middle.” What Was It Like? Eye-opening. I’m first generation American, half Filipino, half Guatemalan. My parents were immigrants. It was interesting to see people who have the same ethnic background as mine come to the United States. I went into JVC bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and then got into some tough stuff. Specifically, the women, the domestic abuse they endured ... I was not prepared for that. I would translate documents and read horrific stuff that people had gone through, gaining really intimate knowledge of people I didn’t know. It was challenging. Close Community: My community lived on the third and fourth floors of an old convent. We each got a room of our own, and we had a rooftop we could see Yankee Stadium from. It followed the JVC value of simple living, but it was still such a cool opportunity. I won’t ever be able to live in New York rent-free again! Living in community — those are the most intimate moments you have with people. Eight people is a lot for an intentional community, but every night, we made the effort to have a meal together. We had different schedules and were coming from different parts of New York, so we’d all have dinner at 9 p.m. It was nice to come home to people who knew what you were going through because no one else could; most of our friends were working or in school. But we had each other to lean on through tough days. Because we were in New York during the beginning of the pandemic, only five of us ended up staying the whole year. We stayed in the house most of the time — but luckily, we had the roof to go up to for fresh air. We built a lot of trust to support one another through that year. Making an Impact: One of the attorneys I worked for texted me not long ago: “Remember that application you prepped right before COVID-19?” I remember it vividly. It was announced that COVID was happening and that we may have to be gone for like two weeks. But the attorney wanted to get this application in, just in case. I stayed late to help, and I delivered it to the immigration office. And it finally got approved! The person received asylum, which is amazing. And the fact that the attorney circled back with me — it meant a lot. Dr. Katy Dominick Biology, A&S ’12 OB-GYN, HEARTLAND WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE OF ADVANTIA SHILOH, ILLINOIS Maria Garcia Health Management, PH ’19, Sociology, A&S ’19 OPERATIONS MANAGER, UCHICAGO MEDICINE CHICAGO Dominick (left) with some of her fellow JVs in the spring of 2013 Garcia (top right) and fellow volunteers in 2019 Becoming Billikens SPRING 2024 21 20 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y Each year, Saint Louis University welcomes more than 1,700 new undergraduates to campus. Coming from scores of countries and every U.S. state, they are mostly just out of high school, but not all of them. Many have relatives who attended SLU, but many also will be the first in their family to complete a college degree. They have their own achievements and challenges, preferences and pet peeves, and unique identities. The University wants each and every one to feel at home. To become part of the SLU community and to enrich its culture. To become, in a word, Billikens. On the next few pages, see some of the many ways the University helps students start their new life at SLU. Welcoming new students to campus is more than move-in. June 5 SLU 101 SUMMER ORIENTATION: These two-day overnight campus orientation visits, held in May, June and July, offer incoming undergraduates everything they need to prepare for their first semester. During a SLU 101 session last summer, Emily Tran (center) leads her peer group outside of Ritter Hall. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 18 / MOVE-IN: Orange-shirted helpers from the Oriflamme group play a key role in welcoming new students to campus the week before classes begin. These leaders bring enthusiasm and enough energy to get everyone — and all of their stuff — moved into the residence halls. Here, an Oriflamme member leads the way across Laclede Avenue near Grand Hall (left). Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 19 SPIRIT COMPETITION: Students go all out for the spirit competition during the soccer game. Here, a student holds a flag to display Billiken pride. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 19 NEW STUDENT CONVOCATION AND FAMILY WELCOME: At convocation, held in Chaifetz Arena, SLU administration, faculty, staff and students officially welcome new Billikens and their families to the campus community. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 17 / INTERNATIONAL ICE CREAM SOCIAL: International students dance during an ice cream social sponsored by the International Student Federation. The Office of International Services holds a special orientation before the start of the fall, spring and summer semesters. Last fall, with more than 1,500 international students new to campus, this orientation and other events for international students were bigger than ever. Photo by Cristina Fletes By Amy Garland 22 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 23 Becoming Billikens Aug. 22 COMMUNITY SERVICE FAIR: The Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement holds a fair for students to learn about becoming involved in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on and off campus. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 19 / PARTY ON GRAND: A student makes an illuminated putt at the post-soccer-game party along the West Pine Mall. The event includes SLU’s version of Carpool Karaoke, coloring and crafting, and more. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 22 / LIVE THE OATH: SLU’s Oath of Inclusion is a student-led initiative that sets the expectation for all Billikens to promote inclusion on campus. New students are required to attend the Live the Oath event at the beginning of the academic year. Here, Luella Loseille (A&S ’17, Grad Ed ’19), assistant director of the Cross Cultural Center for Global Citizenship, speaks during the event at Chaifetz Arena. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 24 MASS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Mass in St. Francis Xavier College Church helps mark the beginning of SLU’s new academic year. This Jesuit tradition dates to 1548 and is celebrated today by Jesuit schools around the world. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 23 FIRST DAY OF CLASSES: Students stream through the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering building on the first day of fall classes. Photo by Sarah Conroy 24 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 25 Sept. 9 STUDENT INVOLVEMENT FAIR: One of the surest ways to become a Billiken is to get involved. The Student Involvement Fair helps match students with more than 200 cocurricular opportunities, such as the Wilderness Adventure Club. Photo by Sarah Conroy Aug. 24 / WELCOME BACK PAJAMA JAM: Students dance during the Pajama Jam, which is held in Busch Student Center and hosted by the Student Government Association. Photo by Mariah Slaughter Aug. 25 / CU @ THE REC: Dancers from Phases of Motion perform during this Fall Welcome event that showcases SLU’s cultural dance teams. Photo by Michelle Peltier Becoming Billikens Aug. 26 / PAINT SLU: During this Fall Welcome favorite, a member of the paint staff pours neon yellow paint on the crowd. Don’t worry — it’s biodegradable and water-soluble! Students gather at the Olive Compton Garage, get painted and dance to a live DJ. Photo by Michelle Peltier Sept. 13 CURA PERSONALIS CLASS: D’Ashia Miller, Gian de Guzman and Tess Riley (FROM LEFT) learn about SLU’s Center for Global Citizenship during a Cura Personalis 1 class. A requirement of the University core curriculum, the class offers students guidance and support as they join the SLU community, explore vocations and plan for a purpose-filled life in solidarity with others. Photo by Sarah Conroy Sept. 6 / FRESH CHECK DAY: Students sign and color a banner during Fresh Check Day. The event introduces students to the mental health resources available on campus, in the local community and nationally. Photo by Sarah Conroy 26 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 27 It’s Homecoming and Family Weekend at Saint Louis University. The September air is warm and wel-coming, dusk is descending, and the University’s School for Professional Studies is celebrating its 60th anniversary. On the Grand Hall patio, faculty and staff min-gle with students. Graduates reunite. Kids weave between tables, checking in with their parents before getting a second snow cone. The crowd is beautifully inconsistent: a variety of ages, a mix of different backgrounds. It’s a snapshot of real life. And, as anyone familiar with the school will tell you, that’s what the School for Professional Studies, or SPS, is all about. SPS was founded in 1963 by then University President Paul Reinert, S.J., as Metropolitan College — an arm of the University that offered non-degree programs for working adults and one of the first schools for adult learners in the country. For SLU, it was a natural exten-sion of the University’s offerings and a new opportunity to embrace the Jesuit philosophy of educating the whole person: seeing the needs of a nontraditional learner and understanding that their educational fulfillment matters. “The model of the Jesuits is to take education to the people,” said Dr. John Buerck, who recently served as the interim dean of the School for Professional Studies. “Throughout our history, we’ve done that in different ways, but we’ve always been committed to making a SLU education accessible.” In 1972, Metropolitan College began offering under-graduate degrees, and in the coming years, the school grew, adding graduate programs and eventually chang-ing its name to the School for Professional Studies in 1996. Through SPS, students from all walks of life have found a way to weave the pursuit of a degree or certificate into their already busy lives, taking classes at night after a long day caring for children or on Saturdays at the end of a busy work week. “Our average student is between 30 and 36 years old,” Buerck said. “Most have a job. They’re working full time. They have a family. They have community activi-ties they’re involved in. They can’t just quit what they’re doing to come back to school.” Buerck (Grad Ed ’93) joined the School for Professional Studies in 1998 as the director of the Department of Computer Information Systems. He’s seen the school’s programs evolve to meet the unique needs of nontradi-tional students in today’s workforce — men and women of all ages who finally have the support they need to ful-fill a dream they’ve held onto for years. Nontraditional for 60 Years ILLUSTRATION BY STORYSET The School for Professional Studies marks six decades of accessible education for adult learners. – by Catherine Kraemer 28 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 29 For Buerck, seeing the pride that the students feel, in their accomplish-ments and in their alma mater, never gets old. “They’re proud to be obtaining a Saint Louis University education. They’re humbled. They’re excited. So are their families,” he said. As interim dean, Buerck has had a front-row seat to the school’s 60th anniversary and the future of SPS, watch-ing with his own sense of pride as the school continues to grow and expand its reach. One major source of growth is SLU’s Global Graduate init iat ive, launched in 2020 to recruit internat ional students for key busi-ness, technology and engineering programs. There a re cur rent ly more than 1,700 Global Graduat e s t udent s enrolled in SPS. Many of the newer SPS programs, includ-i n g t h e B r e w i n g Science and Operations Certificate and the new Cannabis Science and Operations Certificate, have been added to meet the unique needs of today’s workforce. “We’re a ver y work-force- dr iven school,” Buerck said. “Oftentimes, these industries come to SLU. They can’t find the professionals they need, and they ask us if we’ll consider starting a new program.” These direct connections with local and national corporations and the growing global student popu-lation have led to steady growth for SPS, which has, in turn, led to the need for more faculty. That’s next on Buerck’s list, and he’s happy to tackle such a good problem. “Sometimes people ask me what I do, what’s my job. I tell them that I have the best job in the world,” he said. “I get to work with faculty and staff who create curriculums that change people’s lives.” Not so long ago, Keith Willis (PS ’02) was one of those students. The son of teen parents, Willis had plans to be the first in his family to graduate from college, but life took a different turn. When he was a sophomore in col-lege, Willis was in a car accident that left his roommate paralyzed and Willis with a broken clavicle. Struggling physically, emotionally and financially, he dropped out. Life moved forward, but he always thought about going back. Then, in 1997, he got the sign he needed. “I’ll never forget, I was driving to work, and I heard a radio commercial for the School for Professional Studies,” Willis said. He called the number, made a plan with the help of his SLU advisor, and went back to school, taking classes on campus two nights a week. He was buoyed by the support of his wife, Ericca, and their children, and when he set foot in the classroom, he was heartened by the diversity of the participants. “Everybody comes from different backgrounds and different experiences. From my very first class, I knew I belonged there. I knew it was for me,” he said. Letting students know they belong and meeting them where they are is nothing new for the School for Professional Studies, but in 2008 school leadership took another major step forward in their mission by offering SLU’s first online degree program. “When you think about the evolution of education, we’re not building many new universities anymore,” Buerck said. “Instead, it’s about finding new ways to bring education to the people, and technology can help us do that.” By 2009, SPS was offering all of its degrees fully online, putting SLU ahead of the curve when the pandemic hit in 2020. “When COVID-19 hit, universities around the world had to move online quickly,” Buerck said. “By that time, we’d been online for years, so we were able to keep moving for-ward easily.” By offering all its degree programs online, SPS has also opened doors for a new generation of students for whom busy schedules and distance make in-person learning a challenge. “Getting my bachelor’s degree was something I dreamt about for a long time but never thought was possible,” said Tina Curtis (PS ’22). “I tried to get back to school numerous times, but with young children, going back into a classroom wasn’t going to work for me.” Then, in 2020, an online search led her to the SPS website. “I started doing the research, saw that they had 100% online learning, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is for me,’” she said. “I took a leap of faith. I applied that very same night and heard back from somebody early the next week.” Curtis took on a full-time course load as she worked toward her bachelor’s degree in general studies. Some nights, she’d sit down at the computer right after work. Other nights, she’d wait until after dinner, when every-one was settled for the evening. “It was a challenge, but with the help of my advisors, I had a path forward, and it was an enjoyable path because I was doing something to better myself,” she said. For both Curtis and Willis, a bachelor’s degree obtained through SPS opened professional doors. Curtis’ degree enhanced her skills and marketability as an accounts payable supervisor. In August 2023, she made the decision to return to SPS to earn a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development. Willis’ degree in nonprofit management gave him the credentials and confidence to apply for new jobs. But for both graduates, some of the greatest satisfaction was exemplified in the smiling faces of their families on grad-uation day. “I can remember looking up in the seats at my children and my wife and saying, ‘I did it.’ I did that for them,” Willis said. Taking Education and Training to the People SPS offers a variety of programs designed to give students and graduates access to the resources they need, including: JESUIT WORLDWIDE LEARNING In partnership with SPS, Jesuit Worldwide Learning offers a free online Bachelor of Arts degree in general studies to students in and around refugee camps in Kenya and Malawi. SLU provides courses, faculty and remote student support. The program will formally launch in March. TRANSFORMATIVE WORKFORCE ACADEMY The Transformative Workforce Academy (TWA) prepares and connects justice-involved job seekers with vetted second-chance companies willing to look beyond a candidate’s record. TWA provides résumé assistance and support, as well as training for employers. SUMMER AND EXTENDED STUDIES In addition to offering summer and winter-term courses, the Summer and Extended Studies Office delivers summer K-12 camps and academies and provides high school students, as well as visiting, non-degree-seeking and international students, the opportunity to take SLU courses year-round. WORKFORCE CENTER The Saint Louis University Workforce Center is one of the largest continuing education and professional development centers in the region, providing live training solutions to individuals, corporate teams and organizations worldwide. Willis Buerck Curtis PHOTO BY KELLY McMASTERS PHOTO BY KELLY McMASTERS PHOTO BY KELLY McMASTERS 30 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 31 Class notes 1962 DAVID LUECHTEFELD (A&S) has been a member of the Civil Service Commission since 2017. He is a former state senator, teacher and coach in Southern Illinois. DR. JAMES STEDMAN (Grad A&S ’62, ’66) published two articles: “Five Contenders for the Title ‘Philosophy of Psychology’” in the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology and “The Relationship of Concepts, Memory and Language in the Cognitive Psychology of Thinking” in The Journal of Mind and Behavior. He is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. DR. FRANK STRINGFELLOW (A&S) published his book, Where Neuroscience Meets Art: Pattern Recognition and Mirror Neurons, Implications for Mapping the Human Brain. He lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. 1963 GERALD ORTBALS (A&S ’63, Law ’66) received the 2023 Richard S. Arnold Award for Distinguished Service at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in July 2023. Ortbals retired from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in St. Louis in 2022 after a 50-year career as a litigator. He has been involved with St. Patrick’s Center, Loyola Academy, St. Vincent DePaul Society and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, and he served on the board for Mid America Transplant for 25 years. 1964 DICK WAGNER (SW) published a children’s fantasy book, Maple Lee Zucherman and Magic Junction Village, under the pen name Aven D’Brey. Wagner lives in St. Louis. 1971 MICHAEL SHAY (Law) wrote The Whites of Their Eyes: The Life of Revolutionary War Hero Israel Putnam from Rogers’ Rangers to Bunker Hill, which was released in October. It is Shay’s eighth published work of nonfiction. He is a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court three days a week. 1973 DR. DONALD ANTHONY BENTROVATO (Med) was honored by the Medical Society of Schenectady, New York, at a celebration of his 50th anniversary as a physician. He said his classmate, DR. DAVID ROCKWELL (Med ’73), also was honored for service to the community. Bentrovato retired from active practice but remains a clinical associate professor in the departments of surgery and urology at Albany Medical College and Center. He also mentors pre-med students, runs shadowing clinical experiences for students and is on the admissions committee. SUSAN CROCE KELLY (A&S) wrote Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton, a biography of an independent woman whose life followed the arc of 20th century feminism. It is Croce Kelly’s third book of American history. 1976 LAWRENCE ALTMAN (Law) published an article “Can School Violence Be Prevented?” in the spring 2023 issue of Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders. He lives in Overland Park, Kansas. 1977 DR. PAMELA WHITE CARAFFA (Grad A&S ’77, ’81) and DR. NANCY WILLIGER (Grad A&S ’83, ’87) began a creative expressive arts group with four others in 2011. The experience was so powerful that the group decided to write a book about it. Weaving Ourselves Whole: A Guide for Forming a Transformational Expressive Arts Circle was published in 2023. 1978 CHANDLER BOWSER (VSN) retired after 45 years as a registered nurse and nurse anesthetist. He has been married for 44 years and has three children and five grandchildren. He lives in Jefferson City, Missouri. FRED KNAPP (Law) received the 2023 New Jersey Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented annually to an attorney for consistent excellence in their career. VINCENT T. VOLPE (Grad CSB ’78, Law ’82), an associate professor of management at the Chaifetz School of Business, was elected president of the St. Louis Public Library board of directors. 1981 JEFFREY FISTER (A&S) is proud that his youngest (and eighth) child, Luke, entered SLU last fall, marking his family’s fourth generation. His grandfather attended SLU in the 1920s; his parents met there in the 1950s; and Fister met his wife, LAURA (ADAMS) (A&S ’83), on campus in 1980. Fister owns STL Programs, a publishing company. 1982 JOHN PETZ (PC) retired from the U.S. Navy in February 2023 after more than 40 years at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. Petz was a senior test and evaluation engineer for Navy and Marine Corps rotary wing aircraft. Upon retirement, he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the vice chief of naval operations. 1985 MATTHEW “FRITZ” MIHELCIC (Law) is the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), an organization of 1.5 million eligible veterans and military service members from all six branches of the armed forces. Mihelcic served in the U.S. Air Force Air National Guard from 1989-99 with the 131st Tactical Fighter Wing. He earned his VFW eligibility when he was activated for federal service in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a security policeman. He joined the VFW at Post 2698 in Sparta, Illinois, in 1991. DAVID WINSTON (A&S) published his second novel, Crossing the Rainbow, under the pseudonym A.L. Gomortis. He lives in Tucson, Arizona. 1986 MIKE ISAACSON (A&S ’86, Grad CSB ’96) received a Tony Award as a producer of the Broadway musical Parade, which won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical in June 2023. 1987 MICHAEL BECKER (Law) received the 2023 Michael R. Roser Excellence in Bankruptcy Award from the commercial law committee of the Missouri Bar. Becker has represented individuals and entities, including bankruptcy trustees, in every aspect of Chapter 7, 11 and 13 and served as receiver in numerous state court proceedings. He also mentors law students, including spearheading a bankruptcy law clinic at SLU. 1988 JEFF POZEN (A&S) was promoted to colonel in the Air National Guard. He serves as the state staff judge advocate, the senior lawyer for the State of Florida Army and Air National Guards. He lives in Jacksonville. 1990 PHILLIP TUCKER (Grad A&S) has written more than 70 books of history. He lives in Central Florida, where he writes full-time after more than two decades as a historian with the Department of Defense, mostly in Washington, D.C. COLLEEN (JOERN) VETTER (Law) is senior counsel in the St. Louis office of Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management. She joined Littler from Deloitte and previously served as director of the Workers’ Compensation Division at the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. 1991 RICHARD HEIN (A&S ’91, Law ’94) is president of the Hispanic Bar Association of St. Louis. 1993 BRIGITTE FOLEY (A&S) was appointed president of Mercy McAuley High School in Cincinnati in October. She previously worked in advancement at Mercy and elsewhere, including the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. KEY Following each alumni name in Universitas is an abbreviation of the college or school from which that alum graduated. Here’s a key to the abbreviations. A&S COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CSB RICHARD A. CHAIFETZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Includes alumni who graduated under the school’s previous names, the John Cook School of Business, the School of Commerce and Finance, and the School of Business and Administration DENT SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY DCHS DOISY COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES Includes alumni who graduated from the School of Allied Health Professions ED SCHOOL OF EDUCATION GRAD Used in front of other abbreviations to indicate a graduate degree IT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LAW SCHOOL OF LAW MED SCHOOL OF MEDICINE P&L COLLEGE OF PHILOSOPHY AND LETTERS PC PARKS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, AVIATION AND TECHNOLOGY PH COLLEGE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PS SCHOOL FOR PROFESSIONAL STUDIES S&E SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Includes alumni who graduated under the school’s previous name, the School of Social Service VSN TRUDY BUSCH VALENTINE SCHOOL OF NURSING Includes alumni who graduated from the School of Nursing From New York to San Francisco, Saint Louis University has alumni clubs in more than a dozen U.S. cities. Find an upcoming SLU event near you at alumni.slu.edu. HELP PLAN ALUMNI EVENTS IN YOUR CITY Contact the Saint Louis University Office of Alumni Engagement at 314-977-2250 or alumni@slu.edu. Join an Alumni Club Near You 32 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 33 Class notes 1995 ANN NAFFZIGER (A&S) took her 16-year-old daughter to tour SLU-Madrid while visiting a former Jesuit Volunteer Corps housemate in Spain. Naffziger lives in the Bay Area in California with her husband, Paul Canavese, and two daughters, Madeleine and Rachel. A spiritual director, Naffziger writes and edits spirituality and pastoral theology resources for The Pastoral Center, a small Catholic publishing company that she and Canavese own. She is also an avid biker, gardener and softball coach. 1996 ALEXANDRA JOHNSON (A&S ’96, Grad CSB ’01, Law ’02) is vice president of the Hispanic Bar Association of St. Louis. 1999 DR. MARK J. FESLER (A&S ’99, Med ’03) led the development of a bispecific immunotherapy program focused on advancing the treatment of blood cancer at St. Luke’s Center for Cancer Care in Chesterfield, Missouri. DAVID MCDONOUGH (Law) is a partner at Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman. Based in the firm’s Northern California office, David focuses on complex civil, construction defect and general liability litigation. 2000 HEATH ROSENBLAT (Law) is a partner in the business solutions, restructuring and governance practice at Morrison Cohen LLP. 2001 MANDY (LUEKING) NOWLIN (Ed), a math teacher and varsity assistant basketball coach at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, was recently honored as an influential teacher by a former student. Alumni Merit Awards These annual awards recognize the achievements of Saint Louis University alumni. Honorees were selected in early 2023 and celebrated at a dinner in May. ERIC M. BAILEY (GRAD PS ’16) As president and CEO of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, Bailey helps leaders overcome communication barriers and increase employee engagement. He created the “Principles of Human Understanding,” a leadership and communication methodology based on brain science and psychology. He is a best-selling author and an award-winning speaker. His clients include Google, the U.S. Air Force, the Federal Reserve and the City of St. Louis. NICHOLAS COLLINS (VSN ’11, GRAD PH ’14) Collins is the director of health engagement strategies for UnitedHealthcare (UHC) for employers in Missouri and Illinois. He also leads a team working with UHC employees nationwide to achieve healthier lifestyles. Previously, he was the company’s onsite wellness coordinator for St. Louis Public Schools, offering resources and counseling to the district’s nearly 5,000 employees. He continues to support SLU by mentoring public health students. DR. TERRANCE A. RUST (DENT ’67) An oral surgeon, teacher and entrepreneur, Rust opened his practice in 1970. He taught at the University of the Pacific Dental School in San Francisco and chaired the dental department at Shasta Regional Medical Center. He also volunteered with underserved patients in Jamaica and Honduras. An avid motorcyclist, he was director of the National Shasta Dam Grand Prix race for nearly 20 years. ALAN VOGT (CSB ’69) Vogt started at the brokerage firm Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. in 1969. Since 1990, he’s been at JAG Capital Management, where he is vice president and managing director of fixed income. He uses his success to help others, hosting SLU interns and mentoring alumni. He and his wife, Linda, are Billiken basketball fans and support students off the court with scholarships. SALLY PAVLOW JOHNSON (PC ’96) Johnson focuses on the communication of weather forecast-ing. After working with the National Weather Service (NWS), she became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration liaison to the Federal Emergency Management Administration headquarters. One of just a few female meteorologists to lead an NWS office — in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and then St. Louis — she now is deputy regional direc-tor for the NWS Central Region. DR. H. ERIC CLARK (GRAD ’99, GRAD ED ’14) For 15 years, Clark has been president of Loyola Academy of St. Louis, a Jesuit middle school for economically disad-vantaged, academically gifted boys. He learned about Jesuit education as a student at Saint Louis University High School (SLUH) and returned to SLUH as director of diver-sity in 1992. In 2008, SLUH’s president encouraged Clark to work for Loyola Academy. He mentors many, including SLU’s Billiken Teacher Corps. DEAN PLOCHER (LAW ’97) Plocher represents the 89th District (west St. Louis County) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected in 2015, and his term began on Jan. 6, 2016. He served as chair of the general laws committee and as majority floor leader before being chosen speaker of the House in 2023. He previously served as a municipal judge and a prosecuting attorney. In addition to his legislative duties, he practices law in Clayton, Missouri. DR. LATONIA COLLINS SMITH (GRAD SW ’98, GRAD PH ’99) Collins Smith is the 21st president of Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) and the first woman in the role. She joined HSSU in 2010 and became president in 2022. Since then, the university has raised $3.9 million for scholarships, endowments and grants — a more than 462% increase from the previous fiscal year. Previously, Collins Smith was a social work and public health practitioner. WILLIAM GIESE (A&S ’69, DCHS ’73) In 1969, as a medic in Vietnam, Giese read about the emerging field of physician assistants (PAs). After being discharged, he returned to SLU and graduated with the inaugural class of PAs in 1973. Giese spent most of his career in student health at Washington University in St. Louis but volunteered at SLU to proctor PA practical skills testing and interview prospective students. JUDITH H. CARLSON (GRAD VSN ’72, ’96) Carlson taught more than 6,000 nurses, including at least half of the SLU School of Nursing faculty, which she joined in 1973. In 1982, she wrote Nursing Diagnosis, a seminal work. She helped create a groundbreaking interprofessional education curriculum with the nursing school, medical school and Doisy College of Health Sciences. She retired in 2022 but continues to volunteer in SLU’s Nursing Skills Lab. HELENE BALLMANN DUDLEY (A&S ’68) After college, Dudley was in the Peace Corps in Colombia and, 30 years later, in Slovakia. In between, she worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, raised five children and built a career in Miami-Dade (Florida) County government. In 2000, she co-founded The Colombia Project, a micro-loan program helping people displaced by violence. The program became TCP Global (TCP-G) in 2015. DR. RAYMOND G. SLAVIN (MED ’56) Slavin has been treating allergy patients for nearly 60 years, mostly while serving as a professor and researcher with the SLU School of Medicine, where he educated more than 7,000 medical students. He remains a professor emeritus in the school’s division of allergy and immunology. In 2008, the school endowed a professorship in honor of Slavin and his late wife, Alberta. PIONEER AWARD WILLIAM L. CLAY SR. (A&S ’53) For more than 60 years, Clay has advocated for the underserved. He worked to end segregation on military bases and organized anti-discrimination picket lines. After five years as a St. Louis alderman, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first Black person to represent Missouri in Congress. He served for 32 years. MARK A. LEWIS, S.J. (GRAD P&L ’84, GRAD A&S ’84) Lewis is only the second American-born rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1980. From 1996 to 2004, he directed the Historical Institute of the Society of Jesus in Rome, coordinated a research team of Jesuit historians and taught at the Gregorian. He also spent nine years as provincial of the New Orleans Province. 34 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 35 Dr. Marvin Langston (Grad PH ’12) is an epide-miologist, a self-described “disease detective” who’s building a world where the word “can-cer” loses its power and a diagnosis isn’t a death sentence. Cancer is still the second leading cause of death in America despite progress made in recent decades. In August 2023, Langston became one of 11 researchers in the inaugural cohort of Cancer Moonshot Scholars, a pro-gram launched by President Joe Biden last year to support early-career scientists, researchers and innovators from diverse backgrounds in the biomedical, clinical, behav-ioral and social sciences research workforce. The Biden administration, through the National Cancer Institute, is committing $5.4 million in the first year of these multi-year awards to support the Cancer Moonshot Scholars. These emerging leaders in cancer research and innovation will use this funding to increase prevention and early detection efforts for patients from underrepresented populations, create new treatments for all Americans, and further the nation’s expertise in addressing hard-to-treat cancers. As a Black man, Langston aims to be at the forefront of understanding why prostate cancer disproportion-ately impacts his community. Langston, assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, studies the epidemiology of benign and malignant prostate conditions. He says mass screen-ing for prostate cancer has led to overdiagnosis and overtreatment in men. His project utilizes pros-tate- specific antigen (PSA)-based stratified screening to optimize early detection efforts. Under this approach, he and his research team will determine if screening should be initiated earlier and more frequently in men, partic-ularly Black men, with higher baseline age-specific PSA levels. “The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which is the preeminent screening guideline agency, has not yet recommended this approach because they say more long-term studies are needed to validate previous results. That’s where our project comes in,” he said. As an undergrad at the University of Notre Dame, Langston knew he wanted to do something in the allied health space, but he wasn’t sure what. His interest in epide-miology was piqued after a year studying abroad in France, where he observed stark contrasts between the country’s public health system and the one in the United States. Langston began his journey at Saint Louis University as a graduate research assistant at the Prevention Research Center, a collaboration between Washington University in St. Louis and SLU that bridges research, practice and policy to improve community health and achieve equity. After earning a master’s degree in public health, Langston went on to pursue a doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health and a post-doctoral fellowship in cancer prevention and control at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Langston was a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California before assuming his role in academia. Reflecting on the SLU faculty mentors who gave him opportunities to engage in research and his current posi-tion at Stanford, he said, “It’s crucial to have folks that look like myself in the academic setting, teaching and mentoring the next generation of epidemiologists.” – by Bridjes O’Neil A L U M N I S P O T L I G H T Marvin Langston DISEASE DETECTIVE: Langston aims to be at the forefront of understanding why prostate cancer disproportionately impacts the Black community. Langston became one of 11 researchers in the inaugural cohort of Cancer Moonshot Scholars. 2003 DR. JASON EBERL (Grad A&S) is the Hubert Mader Chair in Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. Since 2019, he has served as professor of health care ethics and philosophy, and director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at SLU. 2004 DR. MICHELLE KOVARIK (A&S), associate professor of chemistry at Trinity College, received the 2023 Centennial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from Iota Sigma Pi, the National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry. 2006 CHRISTINE (CAMPBELL) CARNEY (CSB ’06, Grad CSB ’08, Law ’09) was promoted to vice president and general counsel for Copeland. She supports more than $3.5 billion in commercial revenue across the Americas region for the St. Louis-based sustainable climate solutions provider. 2009 DR. BENJAMIN J. BRENKERT (Grad SW) wrote Ignatian Pedagogy for Public Schools. Brenkert is an adjunct associate professor of theology and religious studies at Saint John’s University and a tenured school social worker at the New York City Department of Education. He also wrote the memoir A Catechism of the Heart: A Jesuit Missioned to the Laity. 2010 MAX HUBER (A&S ’10, Law ’13) was promoted to counsel at Tucker Ellis LLP in January 2023. He focuses on civil litigation, including toxic tort, product liability and medical malpractice defense. 2012 KATIE CASTREE BENYO (PH) is a client account lead at Accumen, a nationwide consulting services company for hospitals and health systems. In 2023 she became a certified professional in health care quality through the National Association for Healthcare Quality, and she gave a podium presentation at the World Conference on Quality and Improvement. She and her husband, Brett, live in St. Louis. BRYAN SCHREMPF (Law) joined Danna McKitrick as senior counsel in April 2023. Leveraging his background in accounting, Schrempf focuses on the following areas of law: litigation; wills, trusts and estates; business and corporate counsel; and real estate. 2013 JOEL HERMANN (Grad Ed) was appointed to the Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis board of trustees. 2015 NEBU KOLENCHERY (PH) was recognized by the de Beaumont Foundation in its 40 Under 40 in Public Health Class of 2023 for his work at the St. Louis County Department of Public Health. In September, Kolenchery became chief revenue officer at Flourish and Thrive Labs, a consulting firm based in Grayslake, Illinois. 2019 JAIME CURRY (Law) is an associate attorney at Danna McKitrick. Curry focuses her practice on assisting individuals, families and business owners with navigating their estate and tax planning. 2021 DR. MARC MARTINEZ (Grad Ed) has been serving Catholic schools for over 25 years. In August 2022, he became the founding principal for St. Peter Catholic, the first Catholic career and technical high school in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (and in all of Texas). St. Peter’s inaugural year started in August 2023; the school plans to add another class of students each year, building to 12th grade. 2022 PETE LUCIER (Law) is the lead for strategic partnerships and allied organizations for Team America Relief. Since August 2021, the nonprofit has assisted thousands of Afghans, as well as American citizens, in connecting to resources to aid in relocation and safe passage from Afghanistan. A veteran U.S. Marine, Lucier has written on veteran issues, foreign policy and national security for The New York Times, Washington Post, America magazine and others. Class notes MAKE A MARK ON SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY With a gift of $100 or more toward any SLU fund, you can honor a loved one, commemorate a favorite faculty member or coach, or spotlight your family’s love of SLU with a customizable engraved brick placed in Chaifetz Arena’s Recognition Plaza. Mini replica bricks are available for an additional charge. LEARN MORE: giving.slu.edu/billikenbricks Submit Your Class Notes EMAIL: universitas@slu.edu ONLINE : slu.edu/universitas MAIL: Universitas Saint Louis University 1 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63103 SUBMITTED PHOTO 36 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SPRING 2024 37 HOW I GOT HERE Lauren (Lobosky) Sullivan (PC’10) TEAM PENSKE ENGINEER – by Jacob Born 1988 Sullivan is born in Walnut, California. 1999 Sullivan’s engineering journey begins: She builds a wind tunnel for a science fair project in fifth grade, winning a blue ribbon. 2004 After her family started a NASCAR super late model racing team in 1999 at Irwindale Speedway, Sullivan joins the pit crew. 2006 She enrolls at Saint Louis University, majoring in meteorology and then physics before deciding on aerospace engineering. Class notes 1998 Her mom and dad both have ties to racing. One notable moment during childhood is meeting racing legend John Force at a National Hot Rod Association race in California. “Growing up, my family had a NASCAR race on TV every Sunday.” SULLIVAN AND FORCE SULLIVAN (FRONT, LEFT) AND HER FATHER (FRONT, RIGHT) ON HER FIRST PIT CREW 2008 For a project in her differential equations class, Sullivan and her classmates build a “frocket,” a combination of a rocket and Frisbee. She earns an A in the process. “That was probably my favorite math class ever. When it came time to make the frocket, I was the only one with shop experience. That was a pretty cool moment, seeing what you’re learning come to life.” 2009 One of Sullivan’s favorite areas at SLU is the wind tunnel lab. She spends countless hours in the tunnel, both conducting tests and performing maintenance. “Because I had access to the wind tunnel, I learned stuff faster and was able to hone my skills sooner. It put me in front of people at Boeing who saw what I was doing, and they were impressed.” THE “FROCKET” SULLIVAN AND HER FIRST WIND TUNNEL IN THE WIND TUNNEL LAB IN OLIVER HALL AT BOEING’S POLYSONIC WIND TUNNEL 2015 She decides to pursue a career in motor sports, joining Team Penske’s NASCAR team as an engineer. Also this year, after meeting at SLU years ago, she marries Sean Sullivan (PC ’09) in St. Louis. “In aerospace, I was just always looking forward to the point in my life where I wasn’t going to have to work anymore. Working in motor sports, I ironically don’t see a finish line I’m trying to get to. I’m just having fun and taking every opportunity as it comes my way.” 2018 Supporting NASCAR driver Joey Logano, Sullivan wins her first NASCAR Cup Series Championship. She goes on to win two more championships, one in NASCAR and one in INDYCAR. 2010 Sullivan graduates from SLU and accepts a job with Boeing, testing fighter aircraft and weapons in wind tunnels. SULLIVAN (RIGHT) WITH JOEY LOGANO AND THE DAYTONA 500 TROPHY SULLIVAN AND HER HUSBAND ON SLU’S CAMPUS ON THEIR WEDDING DAY 2021 Sullivan is a part of the Paretta Autosport team, in a technical alliance with Team Penske, at the Indianapolis 500, which makes history as the crew with the most female members. “For any females interested in getting into engineering, motor sports, any STEM-related career: Society is changing, and you don’t need to fight for a seat. Just take it. You are wanted here.” THE PARETTA AUTOSPORT TEAM AT THE INDY 500 SULLIVAN (RIGHT) WITH DRIVER JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND THE WINNING INDY 500 CAR IN MAY 2023 38 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SPRING 2024 39 In memoriam ALUMNI 1943 Ruth (Springer) McDowall (VSN) 1945 Joseph Eagan, S.J. (A&S) 1946 William O’Meilia (MED ) 1947 John Genetti (CSB) Vivian (Simon) Kranzberg (A&S) Jane (Maginnis) Musick (A&S ) Dr. Paul A. Young (A&S ’47, GRAD ’53), professor emeritus of anatomy, died June 24, 2023, at age 96. He began teaching at SLU in 1957 and chaired the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology from 1969-2004. During more than six decades on faculty, he received numerous awards and honors, including having a campus building named for him. 1949 Shirley (Hepper) Thuet (A&S) 1950 John Ehrler (CSB) Janet (Semanek) Schemmel (VSN) Edward Sido Jr. (A&S) 1951 Paul Clark (PC) Lawrence Reuter (A&S) Robert Sweney (LAW) 1952 Daniel Mulhauser, S.J. (A&S) Charles Schaeffer (CSB) Stanford Towerman (CSB) 1953 Zachary Davisson IV (A&S) Richard Menke (MED) 1954 Lawrence Cronin (A&S ) Francis Heyer (ED) James Krebs (A&S) Charles Nigh (MED) Donald Shea (CSB) James M. Short, S.J. (A&S ’54, GRAD ED ’58), died April 29, 2023, at age 98. A Jesuit for 74 years, Short spent much of his early ministry in Belize, interrupted only by an assignment to the Jesuit community at Fusz Memorial in St. Louis from 1979-81. In 2005, he moved to Jesuit Hall in St. Louis and later to the Bellarmine House of Studies. Dr. Edward Wittgen Jr. (A&S ’54, MED ’58), former president for the med-ical staff at Saint Louis University Hospital and former faculty in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, died Nov. 18, 2023. He was 91 years old. A respected surgeon, he joined the SLU faculty in 1963. Julia Wolf (A&S) Norman Yang (DENT) 1955 Nicholas Colarelli Jr. (A&S) Theodore Esswein Jr. (IT) George Shaffrey Jr. (A&S) 1956 Stanley Augustyniewicz (PC) William Bub Sr. (A&S) William Burke Jr. (IT) John Carter (MED) Thomas French (CSB) Dolores (Ortgier) Grieve (A&S) Ernesta (O’Mara) Lonsway (A&S) Rosemary (Faust) Sweeney (DCHS) Aiden Victor (CSB) 1957 Eugene Franchett (A&S) Murray Germany (DENT) Richard Haffner (DENT) William Kester (CSB) Thomas McHale (A&S) James Yochem (A&S) 1958 Frank Apicella (MED) Dr. Joan (Haselman) Carter (VSN ’58, GRAD VSN ’62), pro-fessor emeritus and former associate dean at the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing, died May 11, 2023. She was 90. Carter began at SLU in 1956 as a student who lived and worked at SLU’s hospital as part of a service scholarship program. In 1964, she became an assistant professor and later helped develop standards of nursing care at the hospital. Donna Haanen (SW) David Hartenbach, S.J. (A&S) Glenn Horstdaniel (CSB) William Kennedy (MED) Lawrence Loftus (CSB) Mary (Deraita) Maher (A&S) Luis Medina (SW) Frank Spinner Sr. (CSB) 1959 Louis Deutschmann (A&S) Robert Hodge (CSB) James Maher (A&S) Robert Moynihan (A&S) Cecelia Nangle (ED) Dr. Roland Pattillo (MED), a gynecologic oncolo-gist, died May 3, 2023, at age 89. He was a lecturer, researcher and practi-tioner, but was perhaps best known for bringing attention to Henrietta Lacks, who died of cer-vical cancer in 1951 yet whose “HeLa cells” lived on and led to signifi-cant medical advances. Pattillo connected her family with Rebecca Skloot, who wrote the best-seller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Joseph Pauley (LAW) Clarence Prunty (PC) Louis Reichman (A&S) Joseph Schweninger Jr. (IT) George Souflis (A&S) George Wehrle (A&S) Raymond Worseck (A&S) 1960 Virginia Bathe (CSB) Robert Flynn (CSB) Carol Iverson-McIntyre (VSN) James Newport (PC) James Scott (DENT) 1961 Daniel Brady (CSB) Stanley Huck (CSB) John Klein Sr. (IT) Pierre Lapeyre (IT) Robert MacDonald Jr. (MED) Gabriel Mason, S.L. (A&S) James McCormack (PC) Reed Miller (A&S) Theresa Monaco (A&S) Peter Sheaff (MED) 1962 Edward Flaherty, S.J. (A&S) George Latinovich (A&S) Richard Munch (MED) Neal Olson (MED) Everett Pittman (PC) Leo Scanlon Jr. (PC) 1963 Leonard Brennan Jr. (MED) Norbert Burzynski (DENT) Mary (Hamm) Gronemeyer (A&S) William Guiot (CSB) Robert Hart (LAW) William Kristen (A&S) Michael Madden (A&S) Richard Meyer (A&S) Marion Panepinto (MED) Robert Schneider (CSB) Ronald Shelby (CSB) 1964 Noel Abkemeier (A&S) Charles Carroll (PC) Charles Davis Jr. (MED) Arthur Haynes (CSB) Arlo Jorgensen (DENT) Elizabeth (Riechmann) Leiber (A&S) Barbara (Bronn) Murray (SW) Merle Nolde, O.S.B. (A&S) Alan Stricker (ED) 1965 Theodore Biondo (IT) Joseph Boyle (SW) Wayne Bryant (A&S) Helen (Almason) Collins (VSN) Bill Hampton (ED) Patrick Hogan (MED) Velja (Souders) Lacey (A&S) William Mills (PC) John O’Neill Jr. (MED) Michael Rinaldi (MED) John Vatterott Sr. (A&S) Patrick Woods (CSB) 1966 David Coats (A&S) Neil Darr (CSB) Luke Hoschette, O.S.B. (PH) Edwin Kertz (IT) Alvin Klein (A&S) Curtis Kohring (ED) Arthur Mees Sr. (CSB) Glenn Mueller, S.J. (A&S) William Petri (CSB) James Sullivan Jr. (DENT) Arthur Zinselmeyer Jr. (A&S) Joan (Schneeberger) Brefeld (DCHS) 1967 Barbara Cella (ED) Gilbert Daniell (A&S) Stuart DuPen (MED) Louis Fraas (A&S) Donald Levin (CSB) Jacqueline Sturm (CSB) Charles Wuller Jr. (A&S) 1968 James Corrigan Jr. (A&S) Patricia (Neary) Dugan (A&S) Vincent Jansen (CSB) Raymond Ker (DENT) Howard LeClair (SW) Terry MacHisen (ED) Roy Maurer (IT) William Moran Jr. (CSB) Dale Nieman (A&S) Mary (Meier) Otto (SW) Robert Sullivan, S.J. (A&S) Donald Swortfiguer (ED) Edmund Tonkel Jr. (CSB) Donald Williams (PC) 1969 Elsa (Ogle) Cook (ED) James Gilliland Jr. (DENT) Kenneth Koller (CSB) Frank Majka, S.J. (A&S) Moira (Linehan) Ounjian (A&S) Gabrielle Rowe, A.S.C. (ED) Robert Scott (LAW) John Seibel (CSB) Claire Slama, C.P.P.S. (A&S) Joseph Vanderholt, S.J. (A&S) 1970 John Mancuso (A&S) Michael Pulaski III (CSB) Michael Reap (LAW) Barbeau Roy (LAW) Herman Schmidt III (CSB) John Schwartz (CSB) 1971 John Bohrer (PH) William Brandt Jr. (A&S) Joan Dyreks, O.S.F. (ED) Patricia Haarmann, F.S.M. (DCHS) Edward Hingle III (CSB) Carol Jokerst, C.C.V. (ED) Paul Kirk (LAW) Marta (Schmoll) Kohne (A&S) Stephen McCormick Sr. (A&S) John Purcell Sr. (CSB) Stephen Scheuerman (A&S) Dennis Seyer (ED) Walter Sidney, S.J. (A&S) Gerald Siems (PC) Stephen Wobbe (PC) 1972 Robert Clay Jr. (CSB) Christine (Monrotus) Erickson (A&S) Stephanie Helfrich, O.S.U. (A&S) Mary (Sullivan) Maschmeyer (CSB) Cynthia (Nachtman) Merkel (VSN) Jean Patterson (ED) Joy (Nixon) Rigot (SW) Ronald Rubbelke (A&S) 1973 Charles Berry Jr. (A&S) Kenneth Butler (LAW) Jeanne Maffet, O.S.C. (DCHS) N. Patrick McCracken (ED) Virginia O’Hare (ED) Gail (Peisker) Schafers (A&S) 1974 Thomas Bennett (A&S) Jeffrey Bourne (MED) Dr. Virginia Herrmann (MED), a breast cancer specialist and former School of Medicine faculty member, died Oct. 16, 2023, at age 73. Herrmann joined the SLU faculty in 1980. She served in several leadership positions, including vice chair of the Department of Surgery. She left the University in 1998. In recent years, Herrmann focused on caring for patients with high-risk breast cancer syndromes. George Koob (CSB) Terrence Mehan (A&S) Gerald Nadler (LAW) Stanley Rea Jr. (LAW) 1975 Peter Carrillo (MED) Joan (Chesnick) Jordan (VSN) Philip Macarthy (A&S) Dorothy (White) Ricketts (ED) Murali Sundaram (MED) Bernard Wolfe (CSB) 1976 William Lawton Jr. (CSB) James Livingston III (A&S) Richard Oertli (LAW) 1977 Evelyn (Patenaude) Armstrong (VSN) Jan Evelyn Dunn, R.S.J. (A&S) James Phfistner (SW) 1978 Dianna (Schaeffer) Adorjan (SW ’78, GRAD SW ’79) Jane Johnson (A&S) Kristine (Heise) Singleton (SW) 1979 Thomas Gosebrink (A&S) William Lauman (CSB) Kirk Packo (MED) Robert Shively (MED) 1980 Gene Overall (LAW) Alan Thal (CSB) 1981 Gary Bindbeutel (CSB) Harold Deuser Jr. (CSB) Richard Hill (CSB) Roger Kramm (PS) James McEnroe (A&S) Helen Rosenthal, R.S.C.J. (A&S) Robert Withington (LAW) 1982 Scott Albers (A&S) SPRING 2024 41 PONTIFF VISIT When Pope John Paul II visited St. Louis in January 1999, he took part in a youth rally, led an ecumenical service at the New Cathedral and celebrated Mass with 104,000 people at the Trans World Dome (now the Dome at America’s Center) — the largest indoor Mass in the United States. SLU ON STAGE Saint Louis University featured prominently in the papal visit. The campus became a staging area for the clergy and many others who participated in the Mass. Nearly 400 members of the national media worked from Busch Student Center and reported live in front of St. Francis Xavier College Church. Classes were canceled so students and faculty could attend papal events. CRUISING BY CAMPUS The pope stayed at the home of Archbishop Justin Rigali near the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. To get to and from downtown events during his 30-hour visit, the Holy Father rode in the popemobile east and west on Lindell Boulevard — right past campus. Thirty miles of orange fencing lined the papal route. PRE-POPE PREP The papal visit got an early start with a conference, “A Celebration of the Thought of John Paul II,” sponsored by Saint Louis University Faculty and Staff for Life, which attracted 700 participants. The evening before the pope arrived, Campus Ministry hosted a prayer vigil in College Church and invited students from five neighboring colleges and universities. IN HARMONY Seventy students from SLU’s 10 p.m. Sunday Mass choir joined with students from Washington University in St. Louis and Kenrick Seminary to form a 105-member ensemble. They were one of seven groups that performed during the “Light of the World” Papal Youth Gathering. SLU distributed 800 tickets for the event; 21,000 attended. LIFELONG EFFECT Dignitaries in town to see the pope included President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Stan Musial and Rosa Parks. Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan later commuted the death sentence of a convicted murderer to life without parole, citing a personal plea from Pope John Paul II. The last look 40 UNIVERSITAS / THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY In memoriam This list of deceased alumni was compiled by SLU’s Office of Research and Development Services. If you have a question or would like more information about an “In Memoriam” listing, please send an email message to devupdates@slu.edu. Duane Benson (A&S) Merry Chandler (VSN) Ethel (Shuster) Wertman (SW) 1983 Lawrence De Moor (SW) Jane Hosch (ED) Mary Ann (Lubbe) Medler (LAW) Frederick Nix (A&S) Ann (Jones) Ziegenmier (VSN) 1984 Dr. Celerstine Briggs Johnson (GRAD ED), former associate vice provost, died Oct. 23, 2023, at age 89. Johnson worked for SLU for nearly 30 years, starting as director of the Student Educational Services Center. The first Black female associate vice president for enrollment and academic services, she founded SLU’s Black Alumni Association and created the Dr. Celerstine Johnson Book Fund. She retired in 2008. Mary Moloney (A&S) 1985 Martin Luepker (CSB) Doras Paez (LAW) 1986 Peter-Gregory Anastasis (A&S) Diane (Loosmore) Gutierrez (CSB) Edward Morris (CSB) Patricia Neuses (PH) Brian Wiethop (MED) 1987 Eugenia “Jeanie” (Geiser) Huelsman (CSB) 1988 Ramon Trice (A&S) Leah (Hahnenkamp) Vandergriff (A&S) Karen (Grib) Weaver (DCHS) 1989 Mary Hart (VSN) 1990 Charles Jellinek (A&S) 1991 Curtis Davis (LAW) Kellee (Moore) Doniff (A&S) 1993 David Amador (DCHS) Daniel Brown (A&S) Eric Evans (LAW) Andrés Gallegos (LAW), chairman of the National Council on Disability and SLU’s 2022 spring com-mencement speaker, died Dec. 1. He was 62. When not working with the NCD, Gallegos was a partner of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., focusing on disability rights, busi-ness and health care law. Gallegos also spent 14 years with the U.S. Air Force. Arthur Shivers (LAW) 1994 Elizabeth Hoyt (LAW) 1995 Mary Albrecht (CSB) Joyce Bayliss (SW) Riley Maynard (A&S) Stephen Swisher (MED) 1996 Kristine Ockuly (SW) 1997 George Graham (LAW) Rhonnie Hemphill (LAW) Robert Young (LAW) 1998 Suzanne (Foppe) Mondello (CSB) 1999 Peter Howard (LAW) 2002 Victoria Mintu (LAW) 2005 Maureen Landgraf (VSN) 2006 Mark Bansbach (CSB) Tia Kingsbury (SW) 2007 Joseph Nonnenkamp (CSB) 2008 Barbara (Diamond) Bentrup (LAW) 2009 Mina Overton (ED) 2017 Maureen Polasek (ED) 2018 James Heitman (LAW) FACULTY AND STAFF Dr. Alberto Galofré, pro-fessor emeritus of internal medicine and former associate dean with the School of Medicine, died May 10, 2023. He was 85. A native of Chile, Galofré came to SLU in 1978. He also served as a consul-tant for the Pan-American Health Organization in Washington, DC., and for the World Health Organization. He retired from SLU in 2003. Roger Goldman, law school professor and administrator and police reform advocate, died July 29, 2023. He was 82. The Callis Family Professor of Law Emeritus, he worked for decades on the issues of police decertification and accountability. His scholarship had wide-spread impact and was referenced in President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. In 2017, Goldman was inducted into the School of Law’s Order of the Fleur de Lis. Dr. Alice (Bourke) Hayes, SLU’s first female provost, died Sept. 24, 2023, at age 85. Hayes came to SLU in 1989 to be vice president of academic affairs and provost — the first layper-son to do so at a U.S. Jesuit university. In 1995, she left to become president of the University of San Diego, where she served until 2003. Paul Hotfelder, former assistant professor of criminology and crimi-nal justice, died May 30, 2023. He was 73. Hotfelder worked with the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole from 1973 until he retired in 2006. During that time, he was an adjunct professor at SLU. In 2014, he joined the faculty as an assistant professor, teaching criminal justice, corrections, ethics and theory. He retired in 2020. Dr. George Terzis, associ-ate professor of philosophy, died Aug. 27, 2023. He was 71. In 1985, he joined the faculty at SLU, where he served for 38 years. Terzis studied the intersection of neurophysiology, biology and psychology, and devel-oped a course, “Biology and Mind,” which he taught for decades. He also published a book, Information and Living Systems: Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives. Dr. Thomas C. Westfall, chair emeritus of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, died Oct. 13, 2023. He was 85. Westfall was department chair from 1979-2013. In 1990 he became the first William Beaumont Professor and Chair. He was inducted into the Academy of Educators at SLU in 2015. In 2021, he published The History of Pharmacology and Physiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ST. LOUIS, MO PERMIT NO. 134 1 N. GRAND BLVD. ST. LOUIS, MO 63103 giving.slu.edu/BeTheReason first-generation students can focus on their studies instead of working to cover tuition and living expenses. first-generation students can focus on their studies instead of working to cover tuition and living expenses. Almost 20% of SLU’s 2023-24 freshman class will be the first in their family to complete a college degree. These students disrupt generational barriers to higher education and are an inspiration to others who dream of attending college. Your financial support makes it possible. Make a gift to Saint Louis University to create opportunities for future SLU students. St. Louis University (St. Louis, Mo.), http://www.geonames.org/4407081 http://cdm17321.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/alumni/id/484

Universitas - Issue 50.1 (Spring 2024)

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