Universitas - Issue 46.2 (Summer 2020)
description: Summer 2020 issue of Universitas: the magazine of Saint Louis University. This is a special issue on SLU's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
description: SLU Responds to COVID-19 Editor’s Note Most of the content in this issue of Universitas was written and designed in May and early June 2020. It went to press on June 29. All attempts were made to ensure the content was accurate and as up-to-date as possible at the time of publication. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the status of certain projects and initiatives may have changed by the time the magazine arrives in readers’ homes. For the latest Saint Louis University news, please visit slu.edu. VOLUME 46, ISSUE 2 EDITOR Laura Geiser {A&S ’90, Grad ’92} ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amy Garland {A&S ’97} ART DIRECTOR Matt Krob CONTRIBUTORS Jeff Ackels {A&S ’17, Grad A&S ’20} Carrie Bebermeyer {Grad A&S ’06} Marie Dilg {Grad SW ’94} Amelia Flood {Grad A&S ’18} Jeff Fowler Sarah Hilgendorf Maggie Rotermund Michael Rozier, S.J. {A&S ’03} Nancy Solomon ON CAMPUS NEWS STORIES University Public Relations Billiken Media Relations ON THE COVER St. Francis Xavier College Church and DuBourg Hall in the foreground with Griesedieck Hall’s windows lit in a cross pattern in support of health care providers and frontline workers Photo by Justin Barr 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 Breese Printing and Publishing Worldwide circulation: 123,557 © 2020, Saint Louis University All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Newspapers pile up…
description: UNIVERSITAS
description: THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y SUMMER 2020
description: 3 ON CAMPUS SUMMER 2020
description: 3 U.S. News Ranks Graduate Programs at SLU Among the Best for 2021 More than 30 programs at Saint Louis University have been ranked in the U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools for 2021, including a No. 1 ranking for SLU’s health law program for the 16th year. The rankings were released March 17. The Center for Health Law Studies in the School of Law has been listed as a top program since the rankings were first published. Three graduate programs in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business — entrepreneurship, international business and supply chain management — were ranked in the top 15. Among SLU’s medical and health professions programs, occupational therapy and physical therapy were ranked in the top 50, while medical primary care and medical research ranked in the top 75. In rankings for best education programs, SLU’s School of Education ranked No. 162 on a national list of 393 schools. Below are SLU’s Top 50 U.S. News graduate rankings for 2021. RANKINGS Wall Street Journal Ranks SLU on Top Midwestern College List Saint Louis University ranks No. 8 on the 2020 Wall Street Journal’s list of the top 10 colleges in big Midwestern cities. Once again, the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education list also ranked SLU No. 7 among the top 10 Catholic universities in the country in the annual ranking. The assessments were based on student outcomes, which include debt burdens and graduate salaries
description: academic resources for students
description: student engagement
description: and diversity. SLU Named Best Value College, Best Impact School by Princeton Review Saint Louis University was recognized by the Princeton Review as a 2020 Best Value College in its top 200 list announced Feb. 4. The Princeton Review chose the 200 schools based on its surveys of administrators at 656 colleges in 2018–19. Survey topics covered academics, cost, financial aid, career services, graduation rates, student debt and alumni support. SLU was also ranked No. 4 on this year’s “Top 25 Best Schools for Making an Impact” list. The ranking is based on student ratings and responses to survey questions covering community service opportunities at their school, student government, sustainability efforts and on-campus student engagement. LAW 1 HEALTH LAW 37 PART-TIME LAW HEALTH 34 PHYSICAL THERAPY 42 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY BUSINESS 10 ENTREPRENEURSHIP 11 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 13 SUPPLY CHAIN 39 PART-TIME MBA 40 ACCOUNTING Undergrad Core Curriculum Approved In March, faculty approved the first University-wide core cur r iculum for undergraduate programs. Rolling out to students starting fall 2022, the core will offer a common intellectual experience for undergraduates and faculty, regardless of college, school or campus. SLU’s University Undergraduate Core Committee is working to implement the new approach to the undergraduate experience. Chief among the goals is to prepare “all students to be intellectually flexible, creative and reflective critical thinkers in the spirit of the Catholic, Jesuit tradition.” The committee says the new curriculum also will “nourish students’ minds, hearts, souls and well-being, and guides them in discerning how to use their talents for the good of others and find God in all things.” “We are not doing core reform, but core inven-tion,” Dr. Ellen Crowell, director of the University Core, said. “We worked together to build something from scratch. [The fact that] we all came together and adopted a shared structure is a testament to how much th…
description: members of Oriflamme, the group of student leaders she advised for many years
description: and University President Dr. Fred P. Pestello. “Mary, wherever you are in the world, you will always reside within the hearts of those bold enough to don the fleur de lis, share the gratitude of Oriflamme and proudly proclaim, while winking, that they are a Billiken,” Pestello said in his toast. Bruemmer (A&S ’42, Grad Ed ’60), an administra-tor and unmatched University supporter for decades, received birthday wishes, exchanged stories with friends, students and colleagues, and thanked those gathered for their birthday wishes. Just 18 months into the public phase, the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University, is almost 80% to the $500 million goal. The campaign aims to propel SLU to national prominence as a world-class research university through strategic investment, focusing on academic excellence, scholarships, health sciences, athletics and business education as the top priorities. However, for the foreseeable future, the campaign is pivoting to focus on scholarships and student emergency relief efforts in response to COVID-19. The pandemic has created many financial hardships for SLU students and their families, and the Saint Louis University community is called to help. Returning to SLU this coming fall will be a challenge for many of our students. National trends indicate students could need an average financial aid increase of 5% to 7%. To bridge this unforeseen $22 million demand on the University’s resources, donors are encouraged to support SLU’s Accelerating Access Fund, which provides scholarship aid to the students most in need, or the Student Emergency Relief Fund, which provides support to students experiencing unexpected financial need beyond tuition costs. To support funds like these, please visit giving.slu.edu/oneslu. PHOTO BY LUKE YAMNITZ 4
description: 5 ON CAMPUS As work continues in Prospect Yards near Saint Louis University, a few locations have new completion dates as well as updates about what to expect when construction is finished. A. THE ELEMENT BY WESTIN HOTEL The Element by Westin is set to open in September. This extended-stay facility, just a short walk from campus on Forest Park Avenue, will cater to travelers and families. It will feature a Motion Fitness Center, an all-natural saline pool, a bike borrowing program and a rooftop bar. Developed by Midas Hospitality, the six-story hotel will not only include some traditional hotel features, but also allow groups to spend time together in a private setting. The Element by Westin’s 153 suites offer spa-inspired bathrooms and the Westin’s signature Heavenly Beds. Each suite includes four guest rooms that share a fully equipped kitchen and a living room area. The hotel will begin taking reservations later this summer. B. THE NICHOLAS BUILDING At the corner of Park Avenue and Grand Boulevard, the Nicholas Building awaits consideration for a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. When the five-story building was constructed in 1913, it contained shops on the first floor and offices on the upper levels. The building also was home to the SLU Doisy College of Health Professions until 1998, when the new Allied Health Building opened. Although the Nicholas Building has undergone renovations over time, it has maintained historic plaster ceilings, sills, casings and window trim. The rehab will provide space for a variety of tenants, including restaurants, coffee shops, offices and even apartments. C. CITY FOUNDRY STL One of the most anticipated developments near SLU, the City Foundry STL will comprise a food hall and entertainment venues, such as Punch Bowl Social, as well as office space. The development is located at Forest Park and Vandeventer avenues. Office tenants are anticipating moving in this summer, with entertainment and food venues to follow.…
description: 7 A FEW WEEKS INTO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DR. FRED P. PESTELLO COINED THE TERM “OneSLU.” It was his way of describing the way members of the SLU community were sensitive to one another’s hardships and supportive of each other during the crisis that changed the way SLU — and every institution — operated. “I think that those who live through historical events are seldom aware of it in the moment,” he said in a message to campus in May. “It is only years after the fact upon further reflection that we realize we were part of a once-in-a-generation event. “When historians inquire how SLU responded to this pandemic, I hope that they will discover what I have witnessed in all of us — a community that, when faced with endless opportunities to turn inward and allow fear to consume us, chose a different path,” he con-tinued. “We chose the path of kinship, generosity and service. Upon hearing about the boundless uncertainty, suffering and moments of joy, they will see that we chose the path of responding with a resounding, ‘we feel that too.’ “Historians will not have to look long to understand the meaning of OneSLU.” In this interview with Universitas, Pestello offers insights on deci-sions he led and shares his thoughts on SLU’s future in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you discuss SLU’s general response to the health aspects of the crisis? Like most universities, we began sharing tips with the SLU commu-nity for avoiding all viruses back in January: wash your hands, don’t touch your face, disinfect surfaces and more. As our understanding of the virus spread and evolved, so did our messaging. We also shared CDC guidelines and travel alerts as they started to become prevalent. But one of the most important actions we took early on was talking and meeting with our Chinese students and scholars, mak-ing sure they had the support they needed as the virus was, at that point, wreaking havoc on their home country. Of course, we also stayed in cl…
description: 9 Those challenges were also present for our faculty, staff and med-ical providers. Suddenly, we are not just seeing our colleagues and patients during our virtual meetings. Rather, we get cameos from their children, partners and pets. It was, and in many ways contin-ues to be, a time when we needed to lean on the grace, flexibility and goodness of every member of the SLU family What refunds and financial assistance did SLU offer students? When we sent our students home in March, we announced a 50% refund for housing, dining and parking charges for the spring term. Sensitive to the financial hardships many families were facing, we processed those refunds in a matter of weeks. We compensated student workers who couldn’t continue working on campus during the pandemic, offering grants and, when possible, opportunities to work remotely. To this day, I am struck by the generosity we heard from families during that time. Remarkably, some students and parents asked if they could direct their refunds to those most in need. Those guiding questions led us to shift our fundraising focus and elevate our efforts to support students and employees in need. (For more, see page 2.) SLU also received aid through the federal stimulus package to benefit our students and their families. Through the CARES Act, we received $5.14 million. Half of that amount went directly to our students who need it the most based on unexpected changes and expenses. The other half helped SLU recover the nearly $10 million that we refunded for room and board. Ultimately, we were able to connect more than 5,000 SLU students in need with about $2.8 million in aid. That includes the CARES Act funding we received and aid from our emergency relief fund. Students received an average of $600 each. Through the funding request process, we heard from roughly 2,300 students who reported that either they or their parents have lost their job. This devastating statistic reminds us of how important it is for SLU to contin…
description: other times they were more thoughtful and reflective
description: and occasionally, they were just down-right humorous to provide some much-needed levity. In every case, we did our best to respond to the needs of our community. Can you look forward to the fall semester and discuss why face-to-face instruction is so important? Since mid-March I have been virtually meeting with a representative group of approximately 45 University leaders, including faculty, staff, students and administrators. Over a series of thoughtful discussions, this group clearly agreed that our mission and vision are best advanced through the power of face-to-face instruction and the strong interper-sonal bonds found at the center of our residential campus. This grows directly out of our faith and the charism of the Jesuit Order. Our work takes place in community, and the richest form of community is built on relationships created and sustained through face-to-face interactions. across higher education during the spring semester. Feedback from the SLU community led to these decisions, and I am confident both initiatives helped relieve some anxiety during these challenging times. Commencement has been postponed until next May. What are your thoughts on moving the ceremony back a whole year? No one loves commencement more than I do. I am heartbroken to have to postpone the opportunity to witness one of the most joyous days for our graduates and their families. But with so many uncertainties about how we can safely gather in the months ahead, we felt that our wisest choice was to reschedule the cere-mony for spring 2021 to give us ample time to prepare for an event that can more closely follow the format of our traditional commencements. The fallout of COVID-19 has affected the financial health of all types of institutions, including higher education. And SLU is no exception. What are the implications of the pandemic on SLU’s budget? I do not wish to sugarcoat how difficult the financial hit of COVID- 19 has been for SLU, but I also feel compelled to address tha…
description: 11 x DR. SARAH GEORGE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY SLU’S RENOWNED SCIENTISTS ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF COVID-19 VACCINE DEVELOPMENT GEORGE IN HER LAB HOFT (LEFT) WITH RESEARCHERS IN HIS LAB PHOTO BY ELLEN HUTTI PHOTO BY ELLEN HUTTI 12
description: 13 Past Pandemics GEORGE: I’ve been an infectious disease specialist for more than 20 years, and this is at least the fourth pandemic I’ve seen in the last decade. We had the flu pandemic in 2009. We get a new flu pandemic every 10 to 15 years so that was expected, and we’re due for another. Then we had the Ebola pandemic in 2014, which caused a global health scare because there were cases spreading to all parts of the world. Fortunately, we never had sustained transmission in the United States for a variety of reasons. In 2015, we had the Zika outbreak — the mosquito-borne virus that caused birth defects in babies. We’ve also had other outbreaks that haven’t hit the shores of the United States but have caused problems globally, such as yellow fever and chikungunya virus. Now we have the COVID-19 outbreak. I have to say this wasn’t a surprise. Certainly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was concerned something like this might happen, and it came to pass. This is the largest pandemic I’ve seen because of its sustained transmission. HOFT: We’ve had three events caused by coronaviruses in the last 20 years or so: SARS-coV 1 in 2002, MERS-coV in 2012 and now SARS-coV 2 – what we’re call-ing COVID-19. It’s made its way throughout the world, while the other two were completely or mostly contained. COVID-19 appears to be more infectious than the others, and it likely will be seasonal. Many other coronaviruses do circulate season-ally and cause the common cold. COVID-19 is not common, and it’s more dangerous. COVID-19 Antibodies HOFT: We don’t have sufficient information to know whether people who have con-tracted COVID-19 are immune from contracting the virus again. Most researchers, however, believe that infection itself will induce a protective immune response in most people. Otherwise, you wouldn’t clear it. Already we’ve seen in multiple places throughout the world where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks…
description: 15 They were busy wrapping up and heading separate ways before their week away. They didn’t anticipate that their accounting midterm would be the last time they’d sit with those classmates in that particular classroom. Or that they had swiped their student ID for the last time to get into Pius XII Memorial Library. Or that they’d pulled an all-nighter with their sophomore roommate in Grand Hall for the last time. They were busy students at this point in the semes-ter. Most of them heard that a novel coronavirus was making its way around the world, ending many of their friends’ study abroad programs. But few could have anticipated the impact it would have for them at Saint Louis University. On Tuesday, Ma rch 10, University President Dr. Fred P. Pestel lo not if ied the community that SLU was suspending in-person courses temporar i ly. As spr ing brea k cont inued, Pestello reached out, over and over, with the latest news from campus as plans quickly changed. First, spring break was extended a week, to March 23. Then, the plan was to teach remotely until at least April 30. Then, remotely through the end of the spring semester. By Friday, March 13 — the Friday of SLU’s original spring break — Missouri’s governor had declared a state of emergency, as had the president of the United States. As information spread around the globe about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes — COVID-19 — SLU’s administration acted swiftly to keep students, faculty and staff safe. “We pivoted very quickly when we realized how seri-ous this condition was,” Interim Provost Dr. Chester Gillis said. “Fortunately, our decision coincided with spring break initially, so that gave us a little time. And then we extended that another week after spring break, to make sure that the faculty were fully equipped for this, and so that students could move out of the residence halls at the same time.” Students made plans to be on campus for one last time during the spring semester to collect their th…
description: 17 The center also added sections of its “Introduction to Online Teaching” course, a digital seminar that for-mally prepares faculty in online pedagogy. The center will offer more of those going forward — both the typical four-week course as well as a new, intensive two-week option that includes all the same content. Merys acknowledged that even with the Reinert Center’s help, moving a course from in-person to online is a big challenge. “We have faculty who are top experts in their field, most of whom are already outstanding, award-winning teachers. But many of the things that we rely on face-to- face have to be done differently online,” she said. “But we have an extremely dedicated group of educators who did their best in a very, very short time frame to completely rethink the way that they think and teach.” How did they do it? “Unquestionably, the Jesuit tradition shaped how we’ve done this,” Gillis said. “President Pestello articulated across the board, down to the students, that because we are a Jesuit, Catholic institution, our priority is to support individuals. We are about your success. This is cura personalis in action.” Dr. Simone Bregni, associate professor of Italian, took this idea to heart. He started by assessing the new normal for his students. “When my students crossed the threshold of class on the first day, each of them also became my responsibility. It’s a commitment I feel is necessary in this country of great opportunities, but also of profound economic, social and cultural gaps — which, I imagined, this virus would make even more marked,” Bregni explained. “Only after I got confirmation that everyone was fine and that everyone had adequate access to the internet, could I focus on how to modify my teaching to respond to this crisis.” It was a common sentiment across the University. “I had multiple professors send a survey to better understand each student’s situ-ation and the barriers they may be facing during this time, from a lack of WiFi, to…
description: about 40% of the class showed up. “We watched each other play, and there was a little bit of trash-talking,” he said. “It was a chance to learn and interact in a less formal way, which felt good.” Law and computer science are subjects that obvi-ously can be taught from a distance, though. What about courses that typically require hands-on work? Dr. Kim Levenhagen (DCHS ’88, Grad DCHS ’07), an associate professor of physical therapy, described a modified approach to a hands-on assignment, which had students submit videos of themselves teaching someone a home exercise program. “It was an assignment long before our move to online teaching. Before, students used their classmates out of convenience, but this year they used family members who were unaware of the assignment or physical ther-apy terms,” Levenhagen said. “It was the first time the assignment ended with a hug. There are a lot of proud parents out there.” Proud professors, too. McCormick and others said despite its awful impetus, this experience is bound to result in lasting lessons that could serve students well. “Law school is notorious for being demanding, throwing students in the deep end to quickly teach them critical thinking and how to figure things out on Acknowledging this unequal playing field, some professors reevaluated their class requirements. “Many people, including me, revamped policies on late work,” Letscher said. “I told my students, ‘Of course you can have a few more days. Just get it to me.’” Similarly, the administration determined widespread changes were necessary to address grading during this highly unusual time. Most courses ended up allowing for a pass/low pass/no pass grading option, should a student choose that path. Interim Provost Gillis explained the complicated decision. “On the one hand, we understood that students may not perform as well as they normally would in this environment. With compassion, we wanted to extend to students possibilities to put less pressure on them to p…
description: 19 Dr. Matthew Zimmie came to Saint Louis University in January 2020, joining the staff as an assistant vice president in Information Technology Services and the chief medical information officer for SLUCare, SLU’s academic medical practice. Little did he know what he would face just mere months later. By March, Zimmie was pivoting SLUCare online as the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, forced the closure of SLUCare doctor’s offices and the cancellation of elective medical procedures at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. In a matter of weeks, SLUCare transformed most areas of the practice, transitioning to telehealth appointments. “Medicine is a little bit behind the times on this,” Zimmie said. “There was always the question of reim-bursement from the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), which sets the federal rate. You add in very busy physicians, with very busy practices, and it wasn’t a priority before this to learn how to hold tele-health appointments.” Zimmie said the federal government moving to pay practitioners the same rate for in-person or virtual vis-its incentivized a move forward with telehealth. “People saw how serious this was,” Zimmie said. “With COVID-19, we now had the time to learn the technology, the need to keep patients and practitioners safe, and the government and insurance companies moving forward to make telehealth work.” Zimmie said while the health care industry ramped up to make telehealth work, patients were wondering why it hadn’t happened sooner. “If you pivot and look at this from a patient perspec-tive, you think why didn’t we do this sooner,” Zimmie said. “We do so much online anyway. You could already go online and schedule an appointment or communi-cate with your doctor. This was the natural next step.” SLUCare was aided in it s t ransit ion by the University’s move to online learning. SLU announced in March that students would f…
description: THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y 20
description: 21 CARING FOR STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY In one month, everything had changed. People were craving information. In no time, SLU-Madrid’s online updates were reaching a worldwide audience, with more than 255,000 visits to the campus’ news webpage during March alone. For the tight-knit community, where hundreds of students each semester are an ocean away from family, campus staff focused on making sure students got home safely. “We were in close contact with the U.S. Embassy and with the students,” Vita said. While many of the flights back to the United States were delayed or re-routed, every student returned safely. On their return, the students were required to go into self-isolation for 14 days because clearly — both by the time some of them left Spain and en route back to the United States — they were at a high risk of being exposed to COVID-19. Classes weren’t the only thing to shift to a remote format. Counseling and advising support shifted, too. Students were dealing with anxi-ety and the stress of travel. Plus, the sudden change from the freedom of mobility — strolling through the streets of Europe — to quarantine in one’s bedroom back at home showed that students needed support. “Throughout this situation, SLU’s students impressed me,” Vita said. “They were responsible and mature and faced tough, real-life decisions. My sense is that the students studying abroad in spring 2020 learned more about themselves and their connec-tion to global issues than any other group could.” As staff worked to assist students and faculty adapted to online teach-ing, SLU-Madrid’s commitment to service shined through. After the campus began virtual instruction, Dr. Tania de la Fuente, program director for health sciences, spearheaded an effort to donate the gloves, goggles, antibacterial gel and disposable labo-ratory coats used in the SLU-Madrid laboratories for use at Cottolengo del Padre Alegre, an assisted living facility and nursing home for eco-nomically disadvantaged adul…
description: 23 But while the global pandemic has necessitated increased physical separation, these unprecedented circumstances have drawn many in the SLU com-munity closer than ever to the University’s mission. In a typical year, SLU students, faculty and staff spend more than a million hours serving others — just one of the reasons the University is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top universities for making an impact. Although this year has proven far from typical, members of the SLU community con-tinue to embrace the Jesuit call to be men and women for and with others, relying on the versatility, com-mitment and compassion that are hallmarks of what it means to be a Billiken. For example, in early April, SLU made some unoc-cupied residence hall space available to SLUCare and SSM Health providers — as well as essential University employees. This gave those who had con-tracted COVID-19 or who were exposed to a patient an alternative to isolating at home with, potentially, at-risk family members. “I am proud that we are able to serve those who serve our community, selflessly, every day,” Dr. Fred P. Pestello, SLU president, said. “This pandemic reminds us how critical it is to serve however we can.” The stories on the following pages highlight just a few of the ways the SLU community recently has stepped up to help. BILLIKENS FIND NEW WAYS TO SERVE DURING COVID-19. Coursework has shifted from classrooms to remote instruction, students have returned to hometowns, and routine appointments and milestone events are postponed. – By Staff Writers PHOTO BY KELLY PALADIN 24
description: 25 Caring for the Caregivers Hotline Supports Frontline Health Care Workers Saint Louis University clinical psychologists are helping those fighting to save lives endangered by COVID-19 by creating a new hotline for frontline health care workers at SSM Health hospitals. The hotline allows those on the front lines of the pandemic to care for their own psychological and mental health. The Psychological Support Hotline was established by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in SLU’s School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute to offer support to nurses, faculty and resi-dent physicians and other health care workers at SSM Health Saint Louis University, SSM Health St. Mary’s and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospitals. Dr. Lauren Schwarz (Grad A&S ’04, ’07), professor and clinical psychologist, explained that the free hotline is being staffed by clinical psychologists from the psychiatry and psychology departments, as well as a volunteer clinical psychologist from the wider St. Louis community. A licensed clinical social worker and nurse clinic manager also are facilitating hotline operations. The hotline’s 12 volunteer staffers are providing referrals to St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute for those callers who would benefit from more ongoing care. Staff chats associated with the hotline consistently have been attended by 20 to 30 people, and the line is avail-able for individual callers. “As mental health pro-fessionals, we are acutely aware of the mental health needs that may arise in a time of crisis,” Schwarz said. “We want to be able to provide support for individuals who have been and will be acutely affected by the COVID pandemic. In order to be able to provide care for others, we must truly care for ourselves as well. “This tele-support line exemplifies cura personalis – caring for the whole person,” Schwarz continued. “We wan…
description: THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT MAGA ZINE LOUI S UNIVERS I T Y SUMMER 2020
description: 27 Some teachers tell their students, “There’s no such thing as a bad question.” The statement is likely aimed at giving students permission to take risks in engaging the material. I don’t say it, though, because I don’t think it is true. Even those who claim all questions are good will certainly admit that there are better questions and worse ones. And in a strange way, this pandemic presents a chance to ask some very good questions. The Questions on Our Minds The questions early in the pandemic became part of nearly every conversation for months. How does it spread? What are the symptoms? Does wearing a mask protect me from it? These questions place the virus at the center of the story. They are nec-essary to answer, but it soon became clear that those kinds of questions could only take us so far. The questions soon became less about the virus itself and more about our reac-tions to it. Is it worth the risk to go out to a restaurant or travel on an airplane? How should political leaders safeguard our health and our economy? Can we protect those most vulnerable from the insecurities and dangers wrought by the disease? Like the previous set, these types of questions have rightly become part of daily conversations. Still, this particular moment invites us to something more. The best questions from this moment will relegate the virus to a secondary charac-ter. Instead, we will consider ourselves both individually and collectively, and we will ask how we want to live, whether we find ourselves in a pandemic or not. What are my highest priorities in life? How responsible do I feel for my neighbor? How can we best organize society to ensure everyone has a chance to flourish? These are not the kinds of questions that get asked early in a pandemic when there are more pressing inquiries, such as where to find toilet paper. Yet, questions about a life well lived have always been with us. Now we have an excuse to talk about them more openly. This pandemic has shown us how qui…
description: however, we now find ourselves using these phrases and many more as if it were second nature. Soon enough, I suspect we’ll all be talking about antibodies and contact tracing with the same ease. This occurs because we come to believe that these ideas are essential to survival. At the same time, what if we had the same collec-tive commitment to ideas that go beyond mere survival and tap into what it means to thrive? Imagine if we could as quickly become comfortable speaking about vocation and community as we have become about key concepts in public health. The Answers Aren’t Easy There have clearly been disagreements about how to respond to the virus. There is nothing inherently wrong with people deciding they have different pri-orities or preferences. That is the beauty of public discourse in a free society. Yet, this crisis has forced us to face the falsehood that all answers are equally acceptable. That wasn’t true before COVID-19 made its leap into humankind, but it was easier to ignore. A pandemic requires that we admit we are bound more closely than we have been led to believe. My answers matter to you, and your answers matter to me. My students already know that I believe there are bad questions, but they also know I believe good questions have the power to reshape our lives. The realities of this disease are going to last for a while. If we haven’t already, at some point we should find ourselves considering how this moment helps reveal who we are and who we want to be. I am not suggesting that practical questions aren’t important. We all need to know when it is safe to recon-nect with friends and family. What I am suggesting is that we cannot afford to stop there. We must allow our-selves and encourage each other to consider what deeper questions we now have the opportunity to ask. The best questions right now have little to do with the pandemic itself. As we ended this past semester, my students needed no convincing as to why the material we covered was impo…
description: THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y CLASS NOTES 1977 George Lange {LAW} became a partner in Seed Funders Tampa Bay, which provides pre-seed and seed funding for startups across Florida. Additionally, he was appointed to the board of directors of Florida Humanities. 1978 Timothy F. Noelker {LAW} was appointed general counsel of the Peace Corps. 1980 Carol (Griffin) Murphy {A&S ’80, GRAD A&S ’85} was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 2002 and still actively serves. She retired from the Air Force in 1991. After losing her husband of 45 years in 2017, she remarried in November 2019. She lives in Satellite Beach, Florida. 1981 Dr. Ann Hayes {DCHS ’81, GRAD DCHS ’07}, an associate professor in SLU’s Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, received a 2019 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award as one of the top educators in the St. Louis area. 1982 William Buchholz {LAW} was appointed to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. He lives in St. Louis. Dr. Jeannette (Batz) Cooperman {A&S ’82, GRAD A&S ’84, ’96} was honored as the 2019 Writer of the Year by the City and Regional Magazine Association. She lives in Waterloo, Illinois. 1983 Gregory Magee {PC} is a captain with Delta Air Lines. He served for 28 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard before retiring in 2011. He lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. 1984 Brian E. Birdnow {A&S ’84, GRAD A&S ’87, ’00} had his third book, The Subversive Screen, nominated for the Ellis Hawley Prize, an award given by the Organization of American Historians for the best new work of American history. He lives in St. Louis. Dr. Laura Kroupa {MED}, chief medical officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, was honored by FedHealthIT magazine at the “Leading for Impact: Women in Leadership” conference in Arlington, Virginia, in October. She lives in Clayton, Missouri. 1985 Rex Alexander {PC} is president and executive director of…
description: his 20th was titled U.S. Army Twin Beeches. He also writes magazine articles, including five about Parks Air College for the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society. Love lives in Shawnee, Kansas. 1973 John “Ian” Dargin III {PC} received a U.S. patent in December for a spacecraft design to address the growing problem of space debris near Earth’s orbit. He also presented a paper at the first International Orbital Debris Conference in Sugar Land, Texas. He lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Edward Ritterbusch {GRAD ED} is in his 50th year of teaching high school mathematics. Thirty-five of those years were spent teaching math and computer science in a public high school in Wisconsin. He now works part time at a private school in Milwaukee, teaching advanced math and AP calculus. 1974 Wendell “Woody” Hall {DCHS} retired from the Veterans Administration after 35 years as a physician assistant hospitalist. Additionally, he completed 26 years in the U.S. Air Force (active and reservist) as a corpsman and physician assistant. He and his wife live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 1975 Edward J. Blake Jr. {CSB ’75, LAW ’78} is the managing partner of Blake Behme Gilbreth Links, a law firm principally located in Belleville, Illinois. Susan Block {LAW}, an attorney at Paule, Camazine and Blumenthal, was appointed to serve on the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund board. Block formerly served as a circuit judge and administrative judge of the Family Court of St. Louis County. She is a member of the Missouri Supreme Court Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness. John Cullen {A&S} retired after a 35-year career in aerospace management, space and earth science, international diplomacy, and U.S. licensing and export reform. His career included work with the U.S. Congress, NASA, the Department of the Interior, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Reconnaissance Office, and the U.S. aerospace and consulting industries. He participated…
description: the Hubble Space Telescope first servicing mission
description: founding of the U.S. National Land Imaging program in 2007
description: drafting of the 2010 U.S. National Space Policy
description: and membership on the National Intelligence and National Security councils. Dr. Paul Martin Midden {GRAD ED ’75, ’79} wrote Riley, a psychological suspense novel. Midden is a retired psychologist who has published five previous novels. While in practice, he worked in multiple settings, including hospitals and residential care centers. In 1992, he founded an independent treatment center that provided broad-based treatment for many psychological and behavioral disorders. 1976 Mary Jo (Blazek) Jakab {GRAD SW} became a professor emerita of human services in September 2019 following her 32-year teaching career at the University of Maine at Augusta. During her tenure, she was instrumental in developing mental health and human service courses online and through statewide interactive television. She lives in South Portland, Maine. Dr. Suk Kim {GRAD CSB}, a professor of finance at University of Detroit Mercy, and his son, Dr. Kenneth Kim of SUNY at Buffalo, published Global Corporate Finance: A Focused Approach, 3rd Edition. VIRTUAL ALUMNI EVENTS The Office of Alumni Engagement is hosting a variety of events and programs to connect graduates and create a sense of community during this time. From virtual beer tastings to online spiritual reflections, to webinars featuring faculty experts, there are many opportunities to stay engaged with the University and SLU family. For more information, visit alumni.slu.edu. Homecoming and Family Weekend Sept. 25-27 slu.edu/hcfw SUMMER 2020
description: 29 DO YOU RECEIVE EMAILS FROM SLU? If not, be sure to update your email address so you can find out about upcoming events, programs and services that are exclusive to SLU graduates. alumni.slu.edu/email Stay Connected to SLU Dargin with his wife, Betty 30
description: THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSIT Y CLASS NOTES SUMMER 2020
description: 31 I N MEMORIAM Dr. Joseph Link {DENT ’40} Mr. Fred Sackbauer Jr. {CSB ’40} Mrs. Mary (O’Neil) Stewart {A&S ’40} Dr. Victor Reilly {A&S ’41} Mr. Joseph Muench {PC ’43} Mr. Dale Nicholls {PC ’43} Fr. Bernard J. Coughlin, S.J. {A&S ’44, GRAD A&S ’49, ’56}, first dean of SLU’s School of Social Work, died Jan. 28 at age 97. In 1961, Father Coughlin became an instructor at SLU’s School of Social Service, and in 1964, he became dean. In 1974, he left SLU for Gonzaga University, where he served as president from 1974 to 1996, and then chancellor until 2016. Mr. Nick Machos {CSB ’44} Dr. Ralph Onofrio {MED ’46} Mrs. Pat (Browne) Randolph {A&S ’46} Mrs. Charlotte (Davison) Reynolds {A&S ’46} Mrs. Bernadette (Costello) Bauman {DCHS ’47} Ms. Kathryn Monroe {VSN ’47} Dr. Milton Eilbaum {DENT ’48} Mr. Alfred Fowler {PC ’48} Mr. Robert Lingeman {CSB ’48} Mr. Granvil Sewell Jr. {CSB ’48} Mrs. Patricia (Gibbons) Budin {A&S ’49} Mr. William Deveikis {PC ’49} Miss Alice Attridge {SW ’50} Mr. Jack Burr {IT ’50} Dr. John Hawk {DENT ’50} Dr. Doris Phelan {A&S ’50} Dr. Gregory Sprafka {MED ’50} Mr. Maurice Bone {LAW ’51} Dr. James Criscione Sr. {MED ’51} Mr. Luis Davila-Aponte {PC ’51} Mr. Thomas Ebanues {A&S ’51} Mr. Lee Erb {PC ’51} Dr. James Lowry {MED ’51} Mrs. Mary (Thomson) Ries {ED ’51} Mrs. Rosalie (Kohl) Buckley {A&S ’52} Dr. Gerald Grawey {MED ’52} Ret. Col. Joseph Hillner Jr. {A&S ’52} Mr. Edward Higgins Jr. {A&S ’53} Sr. Dorothy Loeb, R.S.M. {VSN ’53} Sr. Lois Martin, O.S.F. {PH ’53} Mr. Hardy Tuegel {CSB ’53} Mr. Thomas Wolfanger {SW ’53} Dr. Edward Bajorek {MED ’54} Mr. William Cento {A&S ’54} Mr. Patrick Hogan {CSB ’54} Mr. James Kovarik Sr. {IT ’54} Dr. Gordon Muchow {A&S ’54} Mr. Richard Ogden {PC ’54} Dr. Ariel Rodriguez {MED ’54} Mr. Thomas Ruoff {A&S ’54} Mr. Harold Arnold {A&S ’55} Dr. Leo Biehl {DENT ’55} Dr. Peter Ivanovich {MED ’55} Mr. Thomas Keating {LAW ’55} Mrs. Kathleen (Beyers) McGovern {A&S ’55} Mr. William Slattery Jr. {CSB ’55} Mr. Rudolph Stippec {LAW ’5…
creator: St. Louis University
source: Missouri Hub
date: 2020-07
language: English