29886 Voices Magazine - Benedictine University · 18 • Alumni Focus: A Tale of Two Mayors 19 • Giving Back: Barbara A. Leiber 20 • Meet Your Alumni Board 5 - 9 • Playing On

Winter 2006

Playing on the global stage.

1 • William J. Carroll, President Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

3 • Monastic PerspectiveEvolutionist, Creationist, Theist or What?

Contents

university news

21 • Benedictine Hosts Students From The Middle East

• The Jim Ryan Symposium On Public Affairs

22 • Responding to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster

• $2 Million Grant Received to ExtendFirefighter Education Program

23 • Largest Freshman Class, Jump in Transfer Students Contribute to Record Enrollment

• Catholic Perspective on Faithand Politics

24 • $350,000 Grant Received to UpgradeScience Laboratory Facilities

• Benedictine Offers Bachelor’s Programin Management at Decatur College

25 • Fast Facts

class/faculty notes

26 • Class Notes

28 • A Look at the Past

29 • Faculty/Staff Notes

eaglescenter

31 • Benedictine, Village of Lisleto Host Women’s Lacrosse Finals and NCAA III Track and Field Championships in 2006

32 • Time Out: Sports Highlights

St. Benedict’s Rule for Monks begins with a powerful imperative: Listen. And atBenedictine University, we believe in theimportance of listening to one another. We therefore have named our magazineBenedictine Voices. We pledge that within these pages, members of the Benedictinecommunity will speak with candor aboutissues facing our University and our world. We cordially invite you to enter into dialogue with us.

Winter 2006 | Volume 34 | Number 2

Executive Director of Public RelationsMercy Robb, M.B.A. ’02

EditorLinda A. Hale

WritersPhil Brozynski Linda A. HaleWilliam J. Carroll Fr. David Turner, O.S.B.Rita A. Dougherty

ContributorsPina Arnone Krystal HimesBrian Bartoz, C05 Demetra LeRoyDave Beyer Alfred Martin, Ph.D.Sharon Borowicz, Ph.D. Julie NelliganBrad Carlson Roger Rose, Ph.D.Nadia Darwish Debbie SmithIrene Gendel Peter Sorensen, Ph.D.Allan Gozum Therese Yaeger, Ph.D.Deanna Harley, C06

PhotographersH. Rick Bamman Jeff KnoxBrian Bartoz, C05 Julie NelliganPhil Brozynski Mercy RobbNadia Darwish Debbie SmithKrystal Himes

Art DirectorMary Kay Wolf, Wolf Design

Address Corrections: For address corrections, pleasecontact Advancement Services at (630) 829-6099.

Benedictine Voices is published three times a year bythe Office of Public Relations. Reproduction in wholeor in part without written permission is prohibited.Distributed free to alumni, students and friends of the University.

Opinions expressed in Benedictine Voices are notnecessarily those of Benedictine University, itsadministrators, faculty or students.

Letters to the Editor must be signed, and letters not intended for publication should be so indicated.

Please address all mail to:Benedictine VoicesBenedictine University5700 College RoadLisle, IL 60532

Benedictine

The News From Benedictine University

philanthropy

10 • Educare Scholarship Ball — 40 Yearsof Making Dreams Come True

12 • PhoneStrong Striving for $100,000 Goal

• Thanks for the Opportunities

13 • Scholarships Make a Big Difference inthe Lives, Careers of Recipients

• President’s Associates RecognitionDay Event

alumni news

14 • Homecoming 2005

15 • Upcoming University Events

16 • Alumni Briefs

17 • Alma Matters: Douglas R. Hoffman

18 • Alumni Focus: A Tale of Two Mayors

19 • Giving Back: Barbara A. Leiber

20 • Meet Your Alumni Board

5 - 9 • Playing On The Global Stage• Benedictine‘s M.S.M.O.B and Ph.D.

Programs Influence the World• A History of The M.S.M.O.B./

Ph.D. Programs• A Look at the Program Today

and in the Future

“It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thoughtwithout accepting it.”

— ARISTOTLE

“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing

because he could only do little.” — EDMUND BURKE

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man

reflects man.” — PROVERBS 27:19

Values

Vitality

Vision

Winter 2006 1

In my 10 years at Benedictine University, I have often looked back on the contributions of each Abbot, rector/president

and Benedictine monk as historically the school grew and expanded into a prime higher learning institution. I used to walk

the corridors of old Benedictine Hall and could almost hear echoes of seminarians, monks and young men rushing through

uneven corridors to learn Catholic and Benedictine values, as well as other learning that prepared them for life.

Every Benedictine monk who taught here and/or worked here contributed to the growth of this institution. It is important

that we recognize their contributions, as well as those of the last three living presidents who watched over this institution.

In the Spring 2005 Voices I reflected on retired Archbishop Daniel Kucera, O.S.B., and his contributions in two terms as president.

In the Fall 2005 issue, I reflected on the contributions of Fr. Roman Galiardi, O.S.B., appointed president in 1965. Toward the end

of his watch, the monks voted to change the name of St. Procopius College to Illinois Benedictine College (IBC). Fr. Roman guided

IBC until Spring of 1971, when Fr. Daniel Kucera, O.S.B., returned as a second-term president. Fr. Daniel (now retired Archbishop

of Dubuque) stepped aside in 1976 to become chairman of the Board of Trustees and to guide a Capital Campaign.

In June 1976, the Board of Trustees selected RichardC. Becker, Ph.D., a three-yeartrustee of the college, as theinstitution’s first lay president.Becker had spent 17 years in an international businesscareer. He was also a scientist,electronics engineer andentrepreneur. In his first year,the College celebrated the75th anniversary of theopening of the Lisle campus,the 50th year of its basketballseason and launched the firstvarsity swimming team.

In the span of Becker’s 18-year presidency, IBC developed into acomprehensive, privatecollege. Among his manyachievements was the 1986decision to absorb fourgraduate programs fromGeorge Williams College

when that college closed. Inthe first quarter of that newexpansion, 225 graduatestudents enrolled in fourprograms: ExercisePhysiology, Public Health,Counseling Psychology and Management andOrganizational Behavior.

For the Fall quarter of 1987-88, IBC added its sixth and seventh graduateprograms: Master of Sciencein Fitness Management andMaster of ManagementInformation Systems. Beckeremphasized a commitment to teaching and to strongacademic standards. This wasevident in the national rankingof the undergraduate scienceprograms. “For three yearsprior to my presidency, Iserved as a trustee of theCollege and observed �

Standing On The Shoulders Of GiantsPART THREE IN A SERIES

William J. Carroll,President

“It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thoughtwithout accepting it.” — ARISTOTLEVision

Top row, left to right: Abbot Hugh Anderson, O.S.B.; Richard C.

Becker, Ph.D., the first lay president of Benedictine University;

and Fr. Roman Galiardi, O.S.B. Bottom row, left to right: Abbot

Thomas Havlik, O.S.B.; Fr. John Cherf, O.S.B.; and Archbishop

Daniel Kucera, O.S.B.

2 Benedictine Voices

growth, change and progressthat occurred over the pasttwo decades,” Becker said.

During his presidency, the

College nearly doubled its

enrollment from 1,400 to 2,700

undergraduate and graduate

students. Joseph F. Kindlon,

chairman of the Board of

Trustees at that time said,

“Dr. Becker’s presidency

crystallizes the realization of

the modern, comprehensive

college. His legacy will

be a defining moment in

the history of Illinois

Benedictine College.”

The first Master of BusinessAdministration degree wasconferred in December 1978,and the following year, thecollege added bothInternational Business andComputer Science as newundergraduate majors.

In 1980, the NationalEndowment for theHumanities awarded IBC achallenge grant to stimulate a $1.46 million, three-yeareffort to support thehumanities programs. Laterthat year, the college receiveda grant from the Arthur J.Schmitt Foundation to furthersupport that challenge.

A Scholars Program wasadded in 1981-82, aimed at the annual selection of 16 highly motivated freshmenseeking a liberal arts educationwith a global perspective. That quality programcontinues today.

A minor in gerontology, calledLifeSpan, was established in1982, the first such programin the area that related toaging. Among lead gifts forthe Capital Campaign was abequest from the estate of the late trustee John Krasa,M.D. Other gifts included ascholarship fund from theArthur J. Schmitt Foundation,and a four-year gift of fundsand services from the monksat St. Procopius Abbey.

On October 24, 1986,ground was broken for the Krasa Center, a $4.7million student center. Thecurrent building has been re-configured and now houses almost all student services.

Aside from the broadeningand deepening of academicprograms, Becker’s presidencywas characterized by a markedcommitment to communityservice. “Ladders forLearning” was an award-winning business/educationpartnership where IBCstudents tutoreddisadvantaged junior highschool students. The HughesScholars program, under a$500,000 grant, unitedminority students desiring ascience career with the

College’s nationallyrecognized science program.

His leadership was alsoinstrumental in establishingseveral consortia of collegesand universities: the Councilof West Suburban Colleges,West Suburban RegionalAcademic Consortium and the West Suburban PostSecondary Consortium. This placed small, privateinstitutions on an equalplaying field with publicinstitutions.

One of Becker’s finalcontributions as president wasthe development of the Ph.D.program in OrganizationDevelopment. The program isnow ranked as one of the topin the nation. (See story onpage 5).

Upon reflecting on his

presidency years, Becker said

he is reminded of the many

dedicated individuals with

whom he worked and all the

school has achieved. “Having

had some small part in IBC’s

achievements has provided

me with a wonderful sense of

satisfaction and fulfillment,

combined with the knowledge

that IBC (now Benedictine

University) is building a

confident future,” he said.

One wonders what wouldhave happened to BenedictineUniversity if the monks hadnot accepted tremendouschallenges, and if the lastthree living presidents had notmade decisions that insuredour glorious history.

William Carroll honors

Richard Becker during a

ceremony, circa mid-1990’s.

In the last three issues of Voices, I have shared with you the changes and

growth at the University under these remarkable men. I salute the hard

work they did while here.

Philosophers speak of “permanence amidst change” while searching for

the reality that grounds all things in permanence. Benedictine University is

“grounded” in its Catholic and Benedictine tradition. That will never change,

because we keep moving forward as we stand on the shoulders of giants. �

Evolutionist, Creationist, Theist or What?

Over the past few years, the campus community has, in anumber of ways, tried to articulate clearly its mission, itsvision and its values. Our Vision Statement is simple, pointedand direct: “Benedictine University is a Catholic university in

the Benedictine tradition that provides a values-centered liberal artseducation enriched by our excellence in science.” The University prepares

its “undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial andreligious backgrounds . . . for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible

citizens and leaders in the world community.”

Sometimes people ask what we mean by the “Roman CatholicTradition.” In our published materials, (especially our booklet Mission,Vision, Values) we explain that this tradition “fosters a dialogue between

religious and secular cultures while promoting ecumenical andmulticultural understanding.” Within this environment, “religious faith and

science are both directed toward the pursuit of truth, and both are strengthenedthrough research and study.” Thus, the Catholic intellectual tradition properly

encourages open, informed and intelligent discussions of controversial issues.

A challenge sent our way by the editor of Voices brought the two of us together to focus on a “hot” topic, the current debate going onbetween creationists and evolutionists and others in between. One needonly refer to the October 20, 2005 issue of The New York Review ofBooks or the August 15, 2005 issue of Time magazine to encounterreports on the status of the various discussions involving both faith andreason. We at Benedictine use both in the pursuit of truth and we wishto share this integrated search with our readers to further stimulate theircuriosity and desire for lifelong learning — elements that we hope wereinstilled in all during their days on campus.

Since we are frequently asked what might be the “Catholic” approach to this question, it seems important that we clarify at the outset that theCatholic Church has no formal “doctrine” on evolution, any more thanthe Church has doctrinal decrees on gravity or plate tectonics. Matters of science are beyond the Magisterium (teaching office) and are quiteirrelevant to questions related to salvation, which is the Church’sprimary focus for humanity.

However, this does not preclude Catholic theologians, scientists andphilosophers, or for that matter the Pope himself, from discussing the issue of

evolution from their own bases and competencies as scholars. In Pope John PaulII’s now famous letter to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1966), the late HolyFather stated that evolution could no longer be considered as just “a hypothesis”

because so much data have been collected to support and confirm the concept. �

THE

mon

asti

cperspective

b e n e d i c t i n e Vision

by Fr. David Turner, O.S.B.,

Ph.D., Assistant to the

Provost for Institutional

Mission, and

Alfred Martin, Ph.D.,

Professor, College of

Science

Winter 2006 3

Examining the cover of theAugust 15, 2005, issue ofTime magazine, we see thecover designer taking a detailfrom Michelangelo’s“Creation of Adam” from the Sistine Chapel in theVatican — the scene when the finger of God reaches out in creation — though on this cover it points to achimpanzee. The quote fromthe article’s author doeschallenge our thinking: “Thepush to teach ‘intelligentdesign’ raises a question: Does God have a place inscience class?”

Bishop McDonald noted that while some Catholicshave formed Catholiccreationist societies, they are hardly “thinking with the Church,” especially since a variety of decrees (e.g., from the Pontifical BiblicalCommission) indicate that itwas not the sacred writer’spurpose to teach eitherscience or history.

Generally, Catholictheologians do not findevolution inconsistent withany number of theologicalapproaches, as long asevolution is understood to be within the boundaries ofscience and does not attemptto address ultimate and non-scientific issues such as thesignificance of human life orthe meaning of the universe.As one Catholic theologian,Fr. Edward T. Oakes, S.J.,associate professor ofsystematic theology at theUniversity of St. Mary of theLake, Mundelein, Illinois putsit, “If evolution simply means‘descent with modification,’then I would agree thatevolution must be regarded asconfirmed by scientific fact.”Fr. Oakes points out thatattempts to apply Darwinianprinciples outside the sphereof science has been “massivelydisconfirmed by history.”Regarding the often heateddebate over evolution, Fr. Oakes recommends“everyone just take a


For most biologists, evolutionis the biological process,common to all living things,by which populations oforganisms change and exhibitdiversity over time. This wayof evolution is based ondifferential survival andreproduction of geneticallyvariable individuals within apopulation, caused byenvironmental influences(natural selection). Generally,Catholic scholars do not seethe process of evolution asbeing in conflict with theconcept of a creator God.God created the progenitorsof matter and energy fromnothing (ex nihilo) and God also created processes(physical laws) — hence the evolving universe.

deep breath and cool off for a while.”

From the viewpoint of the“ordinary Magisterium” ofthe Church, we always needto remember that we humansare intelligent, free andgraced, and are the recipientsof God’s revelation that isgiven to no other creatures onthe earth. Pope Pius XII, inhis encyclical letter HumaniGeneris, stated that “theteaching authority of theChurch does not forbid that,in conformity with thepresent state of humansciences and sacred theology,research and discussion on thepart of men, experienced inboth fields take place withregard to the doctrine ofevolution.” [H. Denzinger,Enchiridion symbolorum,3896] The Pope spoke of thehuman body as havingoriginated from “preexistentand living matter,” and thatthe Genesis account is a“popular description of theorigin of the human race insimple and figurative languageadaptable to the mentality ofa people” living in a non-technological culture.

Pope John Paul II, in adiscourse to the PontificalAcademy of Sciences(October 22, 1996),reiterated the teaching fromHumani Generis on the directcreation of the human soul byGod. We must always takeinto account what we knowabout human nature: we aremade in the image andlikeness of God. The latePope John Paul II taught soclearly: “the theories ofevolution which, because ofthe philosophies which inspirethem, regard the spirit eitheras emerging from the forcesof living matter, or as simplyepiphenomenon of thatmatter, are incompatible withthe truth about man. Theyare therefore unable to serveas the basis for the dignity ofthe human person.”[“Discourse,” 5].

As people who are dedicatedto this pursuit of truth, wemust always be very carefulnot to believe at first glancereports that we may read inthe newspapers. In manyinstances of reporting, we willfind that journalists frequentlydistort stories about theChurch’s teachings and willcause misunderstandingsamong biologists, atheists andothers who may hold a varietyof theological views. Forexample, Cardinal ChristophSchönborn, the archbishop of Vienna, wrote an opinionpage article that waspublished in the July 7, 2005issue of the New York Times.

Two days after his opinionpiece appeared, the Timespublished a front-page articlewith the headline: “LeadingCardinal Redefines Church’sView on Evolution.” Oneneed only read the originalarticle carefully to understandthat this is something thecardinal clearly did not do. So much depends ondefinitions, and it is here that we cannot be simplistic in our approaches.

As many of us learned whentrying to answer questionsposed by our philosophyprofessors of the past, sooften we must say, “Well, itdepends.” Science and faithcannot conflict when each,with its methodology andgoals, is properly understood.Fr. Oakes pointed out “if aneurologist were to say that,because consciousnessdepends on brain activity,there is no such thing as asoul — that would be aninvalid conclusion.”

As we all look to ourUniversity as a place wherecontroversial questions can beexamined and discussed, wedo hope that we can, as Fr.Oakes suggested, “approachthis controversial subject withthe same serenity and robustconfidence that Pope JohnPaul II adopted when he tookup the topic of evolution.” �

One fundamental

problem with the current

popular use of the term

“intelligent design (ID)”

is that it is often simply a

new epithet for positing

a literal six-day creation

belief, discounted by

science, and an approach

that Bishop Andrew

McDonald of the Diocese

of Little Rock, Arkansas,

while a witness at a

state hearing on

evolution, claimed that

there was no chance that

the Catholic Church

would join this cause

(creationism).

This fall, the Master of Science in Management and Organizational BehaviorProgram (M.S.M.O.B.) and the Ph.D. Program in Organization Development(O.D.) began a celebration of 40-, 30-, 20- and 10-year milestones. These milestones included:• 40 years since the start of the M.S.M.O.B. Program headed by

Peter Sorensen, Ph.D.• 30 years of Contemporary Trends in Change Management Lecture Series • 20 years of the M.S.M.O.B. Program at Benedictine University• 10 years since the start of the Ph.D. Program

These programs are among the top programs of their kind in the world. This has given BenedictineUniversity a global influence that can be easily measured by the many accolades from top universitiessuch as Harvard, Stanford and Case Western Reserve University, by the more than 100 professionalawards and special recognitions both nationally and internationally, and by having one of the largestnational and international alumni networks involving executive leadership at major organizations, suchas Motorola, McDonalds and GE Capitol.

According to a September 10, 2005 article in The Economist, “Today, ‘excellence’ is taking over from ‘expansion’ as the mantra of higher education.” Higher education systems of today may be verydifferent from those of tomorrow. In addition, there is an increased demand for higher educationthroughout the world, as not only a source of economic growth, but as the building blocks ofcorporate growth in a global marketplace. Benedictine is on the leading edge of this new Universitylook by offering excellence over girth, and by understanding that being global means being on top.

This special section takes a look at these amazing programs, how they came to be at Benedictine, what drives their powerful success and where they hope to take the University in the future.

Benedictine’sM.S.M.O.B.and Ph.D.ProgramsInfluencethe World

O N T H E

G L O B A L

PLAYING

Winter 2006 5


TSomething To Celebrate

STAGE

experience in providing major O.D.education, the review team proposed thatthe major contribution that BenedictineUniversity could make to the field ofO.D. was to establish a doctoral program.

10 years Ago: The Start of Something Big —Benedictine’s First DoctoralProgramIn August 1996, the first cohort of 17students began work on their doctoratedegrees. This group would become thefirst doctoral graduates in 1999.

Part of the continued growth of theprogram included award-winning actionresearch projects and the developmentand implementation of on-site executivedevelopment programs for major Chicagocorporations including John Deere,Motorola and McDonald’s.

Graduates of the M.S.M.O.B. and Ph.D.programs hold major O.D. positions insome of the largest Chicago-based globalorganizations, such as Abbott, Boeing,Kraft, Motorola, McDonald’s and otherFortune 500 organizations such as TexasInstruments, GE and General Motors.

These early graduates helped to set the stage for the Ph.D. program thatthrives today, including a sixth cohortbeginning in 2006.


I am most proud of our students and alumni who are shaping the future oforganizations globally.

Peter Sorensen, Ph.D., director,M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D. programs

A History of The M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D. Programs

40 years Ago:A Revolutionary Idea — The Beginning of the M.S.M.O.B. ProgramApproximately 40 years ago, with onlyfive students, the M.S.M.O.B. program,under the direction of Peter Sorensen,Ph.D., (now director of the M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D. program at Benedictine) began at George Williams College.

The program was based on a relativelynew idea that 40 years later would seeevery major business in the world takenotice. Its success was characterized by a number of innovations:

• The initiation of weekendprogramming and the concept of compressed-time education

• One of the first international studies of organization development and power within organizations

• Award-winning studies oforganizational change and turnaroundat major corporations

• The establishment of a relationshipwith the Copenhagen Business School(CBS), one of the largest businessschools in Europe and Scandinavia — arelationship which continues on today

The early years of this revolutionaryprogram also included the initiation ofinternational seminars in collaborationwith CBS which involved visits and work with some of the leadingorganizations in the world includingEricsson (telecommunication), the DanishFederal Reserve Bank (government),Saab-Scania (automotive), ScandinavianAir Systems (airlines) and many others, all representing innovative work in thefield of O.D. and change management.

30 Years Ago: Something To Talk About — TheContemporary Trends in ChangeManagement Lecture Series

Thirty years ago the ContemporaryTrends in Change Management LectureSeries was initiated. By this time theM.S.M.O.B. had become an established

program with substantial enrollment andwas frequently referred to as a “mecca forO.D.” The first series featured RobertBlake and Jane Mouton, founders of theManagerial Grid, one of the most popularand widely used approaches to change in the management and O.D. arena. This approach is an applied academicdiscipline related to positive constructiveorganizational change involving thecreation of high performanceorganizations, individuals and groups.

The Lecture Series continues today as a vehicle for bringing the best minds inthe field to Benedictine University and to the Chicago O.D. community. Theseries has hosted more than 50 of themajor O.D. contributors in the world,including Clayton Alderfer, Rutgers/Yale University; Dick Beckhard, MIT;Michael Beer, Harvard Business School;W. Warner Burke, Columbia University;and David Bradford, Stanford University.

20 years Ago: A New Home — The ProgramMoves to Benedictine UniversityDuring the initial years at BenedictineUniversity, the program worked closelywith professional and academicassociations in bringing the best in thefield to the Chicago O.D. community.These opportunities included conferenceson “Chaos Theory” with Nobel Prize-Award Winner Murray Gellman, and theO.D. Institute Conference with DonaldCole, Ph.D., in 1987. During this decade, the program continued tobecome a major contributor to the fields of Organizational Behavior andOrganization Development.

Several years after moving theM.S.M.O.B. program to Benedictine, the program underwent its first external review. Members of the reviewteam included faculty and administrators from Northwestern University, Case Western Reserve University, the O.D. Institute and Benedictineundergraduate faculty.

Based on its reputation at the time as one of the top six O.D. programs in the country and its extensive

Winter 2006 7


Today — One of the Top Programs in the WorldBenedictine’s Ph.D. program has created major newopportunities for contributions in the field. It continues to work closely with major academic and professional associationsincluding the Academy of Management, the RegionalAssociations of the Academy of Management, the O.D. Institute, the O.D. Network and ProChange International.

The quality of the program is reflected in awards and specialrecognition. The program, faculty and students have receivedmore than 100 awards including Best Student Project Awardsfrom the O.D. Network, O.D. Consultant of the Year Awardsand several Best Projects and Paper Awards from the O.D.Institute, among others.

Academic contributions include several hundred articles and more than 12 books bythe programs’ faculty and students. Thesepublications are used at such major collegesand universities as Harvard, Stanford, Berkley,Case Western and others.

The programs offer professionals theopportunity to study with literally the bestfaculty in the world, including top O.D.leaders, award-winning Ph.D.s with majorleadership positions, and leading international scholar-practitioners from MIT, Harvard and Stanford, among others.

These awards, published works, studies and prime faculty all play a major role in establishing the quality of theprogram as one of the leaders in the field. They placeBenedictine on a global stage as a leader, an innovator and a resource for universities and businesses worldwide.

The Future — Where Does An International Leader Go From Here?Today the program is preparing for, and providing, initiative incollaboration with the Organization Development & ChangeDivision of the Academy of Management, and the ResearchCenter associated with the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3 inFrance, to create the first international meeting of doctoralstudents in fields of O.D. and management for the start of acommunity of current and future scholars.

The programs are already a major research/practice center forcutting-edge concepts in the field, such as Appreciative Inquiryand International Organization Development. They will continuethis leadership role into the future.

With more than 1,000 graduates from the M.S.M.O.B.program and nearing 100 Ph.D. alumni, these programs atBenedictine play a major role in the field and the world.Benedictine has positioned itself for a growing role in thefuture of global business. The future trends in O.D. havebeen predicted and Benedictine is prepared to lead them. �

A Look at the Programs Today and in the Future

M.S.M.O.B./O.D. faculty,

students and alumni gather

to celebrate the programs’

40-30-20-10-year anniversaries.

The Benedictine University program is not only broadening the larger boundaries of the O.D. field, it is reinventing it with cutting-edge concepts such asOrganizational Resilience, OrganizationAesthetics and Global Appreciative Inquiry.The program has developed not onlygraduates, but life-long researchers.

Therese Yaeger, Ph.D., associatedirector, M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D. programs(Pictured with Benedictine PresidentWilliam Carroll and Peter Sorensen,Ph.D., programs director.)


Social ConstructionWith the increase in social construction as a major new model for organizationalchange and the growth of Appreciative Inquiry (A.I.) applications, BenedictineUniversity, along with Case Western Reserve University, will become one of themajor centers for A.I. research and application in the world.

Global/International ContextThe program is currently working to publish pioneering work involvingorganizational change in Japan, China, Thailand, Brazil, England and Scandinavia.The Ph.D. program continues to increase its role in the understanding oforganizational change within a global and international context.

Strategic O.D.A third area where O.D. will play a continually increasing role is in the developmentand implementation of strategic change. Here again Benedictine alumni and studentswill play an important role through their positions in executive management andO.D. in lead corporate and not-for-profit organizations.

The O.D. field will play an increasingly important role in international and globalchange and the creation of a future community of organizational scholars. It willcontinue work on major global issues of our time, such as the United ReligionsProject, and work with many socially and environmentally responsible corporations.

Being part of the global future places Benedictine University in the forefrontof positive corporate and global change. It provides an international networkof influential alumni in positions that provide a network for future Benedictinestudents, and provides significant resources for continued organizationalresearch. �

The Future — Where Does an International Leader Go From Here?

Congratulationson the success of the

Benedictine University O.D. program. Your

students are making major contributions as

scholar-practitioners in this increasingly

complex world to manage.

Rami Shani, Ph.D., professor, California Polytechnical State University, FENIX and Stockholm School of Economics

We at the O.D. Network have watched the Benedictine University program grow from its transition at George Williams College to Benedictine and become one of the preeminent programs in the field. Congratulations on the significant and wonderful contributions made to the O.D. field.Maggie Hoyer, executive director, national O.D. Network (the largest and most prestigious of the O.D. professional associations)

Peterand Therese,

you have developed a state of the art

program second to none. I am proud to

work with you as we continue to be the best

we can be. I continue to be in awe of the breadth

and scope of the program. Thank you for all you do for Benedictine.

William J. Carroll, Ph.D., president, Benedictine University

Yours is truly a program that is built on the shoulders of giants in the field.I will always remember your honoring of Dr. Robert Blake. It is always good to be with you at Benedictine University.Warner Burke, Ph.D., chair of the O.D. program, Columbia University — Recipient, O.D. Network Lifetime Achievement Award

Congratulations on your years of achievement and best wishes in yourefforts to reinvent O.D. David Bradford, Ph.D., professor,

Stanford University

congratulations!

For 40 years your program has had an incalculable influence on Organization Development. Peter F. Sorensen, Jr., and the faculty over the years have, through their research, greatly added to our field’s knowledge. The students have gone on,both in practice and academia, to make outstanding contributions in practice and research. I have personally attended many of the lecture series starting in 1979. Not only have we attendees gained tremendous knowledge, but many times these true “O.D. giants” have used their lecture as a “pilot test” for their new ideas, using the feedback they received to fine-tune their future models. The O.D. field is truly indebted to Benedictine University’s

Organization Development program. I congratulate

you on your incredible success and truly look

forward to what the coming years will bring.

Thomas Head, ProChange International, and the Amoco Professor of International Business at Roosevelt University

Theaccomplishmentsof the past aresimply a preludeto the future. Thepast has beengreat; the futurewill be incredible.Peter Sorensen, Ph.D., director,M.S.M.O.B./Ph.D. programs

Deborah Ariel Pagel, M.S.M.O.B. ’92World Headquarters Senior Organization Development Advisor, Boeing Corporation

I realized early on in the program that this information was justwhat my corporation (Commonwealth Edison, at the time) needed.The theories, the assessment tools and the insights were going tomake the organization a better place to work.

I am now involved in O.D. projects at Boeing for both thecommercial aviation and the defense divisions. I am presently doing international O.D. work in Asia/China, Australia and the Middle East.

One of my recent transformation cases, that was presented at aworld conference this past year in Cyprus, has been nominated for the O.D. Institute’s Silver Bowl award by the audience in attendance.

Creating partnerships, working relationships, and creating and earning trust are thefoundations of doing any O.D. work. I was able to bring all the knowledge, skills andexperiences that I had accumulated at Benedictine to my career.

Philip T. Anderson, Ph.D., Organization Development ’05Director, Organization Development for Abbott Laboratories

The degree helped me advance to my current position. Not only was the education invaluable and relevant, it exposed me to othersuccessful professionals that freely shared their experiences in anumber of areas. Later in the program, I had an opportunity toteach others, helping me gain an even deeper understanding of myprofession. The chance to learn from noted scholars from all overthe world was extremely valuable. On top of that, the professorsreally seemed to care about me as a person. They created anatmosphere that I now try to emulate in my career.

Linda D. Sharkey, Ph.D., Organization Development ’99Vice President of Organization Development and Staffing, GE Capitol Solutions

The ability to earn a Ph.D. while working full-time was invaluable to me. The cohortnature of the program built relationships. The business focus, academic rigor and keyleadership encounters all made this an outstanding experience for me.

The global impact of the program had a significant impact on me and on my career. GE employs more than 15,000 people and has a net income of $1.76 billion a year. It isthe largest commercial financial services company in the world. I have been able to applylearned concepts on the job in a positive, tangible way. It helped me develop an Executive Development and Process Program at GE that won a Best Practice award, as well as other change culture initiatives.

Ulf Bengtsson, M.S.M.O.B. ’03Organization Development Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Motorola

When I was an undergraduate student I knew I wanted a job inO.D., but knew it would be difficult to achieve without a master’sdegree and with no job experience. I knew Benedictine’s programoffered the best solution for me.

I worked closely with the faculty throughout my time at Benedictine(in fact, Peter Sorensen — one of the most respected individuals inthe field — took the time to mentor me — a 20-something year oldkid from Sweden). This taught me a tremendous amount of relevantinformation and opened up countless opportunities to gain practicalexperience in organizations. The relationships I developed with my fellow students were also invaluable.

I’m proud that at the age of 27, I have achieved an O.D. management position for aFortune 100 company. �

Winter 2006 9


Congratulations on a remarkable 40 years of achievement and for your leadership inthe field of O.D.Don Cole, Ph.D., president, O.D. Institute

I wish you all the best — congratulationson the long-term contributions to the field of O.D.Michael Beer, Ph.D., professor, Harvard Business School

On behalf of the Academy of Management,I heartily congratulate the Benedictine University Program in Organization Development on its 10-20-30-40 celebration.Thomas G. Cummings president, Academy of Management

Congratulations on an incredible program. For

many years at many levels the Benedictine

University program deserves O.D.’s

congratulations.George Roth, Ph.D.,

professor, MIT

SP

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Information on these programs is available online at ben.edu/odhome and

ben.edu/mobhome.

On Saturday, November 5, the

Benedictine University campus came

to life to celebrate “Fields of

Dreams,” the 40th anniversary of

the Educare Scholarship Ball. The

Krasa Center had searchlights flaring

and the Sports Complex was aglow in

lights. While inside the Krasa Center,

two levels of transformation took

place to welcome the Ball attendees

with luxury and festivities.

Values “Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothingbecause he could only do little.” — EDMUND BURKE

During the cocktail hour in the Fireside Lounge, the“Benedictones” (comprised of Benedictine community membersAlicia Cordoba Tait, Ph.D., Tim Marin, Craig Broeder, ChrisHutchinson and Gus Gomez) played the smooth sounds of jazz. Scattered throughout the area were displays of alumni over the past four decades who have “achieved their dreams”through the education and financial support of BenedictineUniversity and student scholarships. These displays included their testimonials, photos and other events that occurred oncampus during that time.

The second floor dining area was filled with beautiful flowerdisplays and decorative lighting to enhance the experience forapproximately 400 guests. The evening consisted of a liveauction, led by auctioneer Peter Burchard, with six wonderfuland sought-after items, including: a wine tour in California;sunset yacht cruise in Naples, Florida; dinner for four at CharlieTrotter’s Restaurant in Chicago; golf at Rich Harvest Farms;three nights at a luxury condo in Vail, Colorado; and the everpopular monks dinner, served by Fr. David Turner, O.S.B., andFr. Becket Franks, O.S.B.

The silent auction consisted of more than 75 items including: aMichael Jordan jersey; a baseball signed by the World Serieschampion Chicago White Sox player Joe Crede; many golfpackages; holiday items, including Waterford ornaments; andmuch more. New this year was the grand prize raffle of threeitems — a hot air balloon ride, party for eight at the HiltonLisle/Naperville and an iPod®. In addition to the raffles, theMarshall Vente Band provided dancing and entertainment at this popular event.

Benedictine President William Carroll, Ph.D., and his wife,Marietta, were honored during the festivities for their 10 years of service to the University. Also honored were past Benedictinepresident, Richard Becker, Ph.D., and his wife, Lynn, as well asLorayne Flynn and Archbishop Daniel Kucera, O.S.B. C45, forhelping start the Educare Scholarship Ball 40 years ago in aneffort to raise scholarship money for students.


Educare Scholarship Ball

40 Years of

Making Dreams

Come True

Valuesp h i l a n t h r o p y

Approximately $150,000 was raised at this event for studentscholarships. This will help many students achieve theirdreams in the Benedictine spirit of giving back.

Special thanks go out to all the attendees of the Ball as well as the Platinum sponsors of the event: Calamos Investments;First DuPage Bank; Chairman of the Board of Trustees Will Gillett and his wife, Dayle; Dan and CarolGoodwin; Mike and Marian Hobbs; Joseph andBess Kindlon and Paul and Colleen Lehman.

The University also wishes to thank all theGold, Silver and Bronze Sponsors of the event as well as Sodexho Food Services andDecorative Accents. Without each and everyone of these participants, this event would not be the great success that it was.

To learn how you can help student’s achievetheir dreams through the Educare ScholarshipBall, please contact Julie Nelligan, alumnirelations director, at (630) 829-6077 [email protected]. �

Opposite page:

The Benedictones

entertaining at the

cocktail reception.

This page, clockwise

from top, left: Bill

and Marietta Carroll honored

by Trustee Chairman Will

Gillett for 10 years of service;

Bill Carroll, Archbishop

Dan Kucera, O.S.B., C45 and

Trustee Dick Lamb; Laura

and Gerry D’Souza (Trustee),

Trustee John Calamos and

Mae Witkowski; Mark Ouimet,

Donna Hrozencik, M.D., C82

and David Rausch, Ph.D., C62;

Auctioneer Peter Burchard

and Fr. Becket Franks, O.S.B.;

Trustee Paul Lehman, C78 and

his wife, Coleen; Mr. and Mrs.

Jack Basso; Silent auction and

cocktail reception.

Above: One of the Ball displays depicting

the 40 years of Educare.

Winter 2006 11

Values p h i l a n t h r o p y


PhoneStrongStriving for$100,000 GoalBenedictine University’sannual fund raising via phoneevent is underway. Phonathonstudents began calling alumniin September 2005. This year,there is a large group ofenthusiastic and motivatedstudent callers on staff to helpthe University reach its goal of $100,000 in donations bythe end of Spring.

In the first three weeks thecallers raised more than$17,000 for the generalscholarship fund, President’s21st Century fund andacademic programs asspecified by the donor. Inaddition to the pledge successfrom loyal alumni, numerousinformation packets andunspecified pledge requestshave been sent out with thehope that they will bereturned with a gift.

William Crawford was the top student caller this fall, raising more than $3,000of much needed funds. Hewas followed closely by theambition of studentDominique Wilbon.

The theme of the 2005-06Phonathon is PhoneStrong to represent the courageouslife of Lance Armstrong andhis Tour de France wins. The phonathon staff hasincorporated his “LiveStrong” motto into theprogram to provideinspiration to help achieve this ambitious annual goal.

This is an important fund-raising event that givesstudents the chance to helpraise money for fellowstudents and Universityprograms in the Benedictinespirit of giving back. Considermaking a contribution thisyear. More information isavailable by calling the Office of Advancement at(630) 829-6072. �

Above, left: Julie Glade

and Trustee Gerry

D'Souza — The

Trustees’ Scholarship.

Above right: Heather

Bugter and James

Baker, M.D., ’89 —

Bishop Daniel Kucera,

O.S.B., Scholarship.

Right: Lorayne Flynn,

Lauren Zuro, David

Zuro, Pat Flynn and

Jean Zuro, C78 —

Philip F. and Lorayne

M. Flynn Scholarship.

Scholarship Appreciation Dinner

Thanks for the Opportunities“Thanks” to the generous donors who make scholarships possible and “congratulations” to the students who received them. These were the themes for the Annual ScholarshipDonors’ Recognition Dinner this past September. Eighty-two guests attended the dinner,including donors, students and parents.

The event enabled donors who fund scholarships to meet the students who benefit fromthem. It is an experience enjoyed by all, as the donors are able to get acquainted with thestudents and learn more about the students’ interests and aspirations.

For the students, meeting the donors is quite an opportunity. Many times the studentsreceiving scholarships do not realize that their scholarship is named for an individual who is still very much alive and very interested in the student’s success. The students are veryinterested to learn about the donors’ reasons for creating the scholarships and whatBenedictine was like when they were students here.

Benedictine President William Carroll welcomed the guests, emphasizing the importance of the scholarships to the students both in terms of recognition, financial assistance and the generosity of those who made the scholarships possible.

Jeff Ptacek, a senior with a double major in social science and philosophy, gave a formalpresentation, describing the personal and financial significance of receiving the Arthur J.Schmitt scholarship and his growth as an individual while at Benedictine University.

To learn more about starting a scholarship to aid students, contact the Office ofAdvancement at (630) 829-6362. �

Valuesp h i l a n t h r o p y

Winter 2006 13

August 19 was a wonderful day for a ballgame — andfor recognizing the generous President’s Associates at aspecial event at Benedictine University’s new SportsComplex. Guests were greeted by, and receivedexpressions of appreciation, from BenedictineUniversity’s President William Carroll and ChancellorAbbot Dismas Kalcic, O.S.B.

President’s Associates are donors who gave at least$1,000 during the 2004-05 academic year. They were treated to drinks and dinner in the Skybox,followed by a professional women’s National ProFastpitch softball game featuring the Chicago Banditsand the Arizona Heat.

“We have never held a President’s Associatesrecognition event in a manner such as this before,” said Brad Carlson, chief development officer. “Theevent was more low-key. But the donors really came out and enjoyed themselves. We had twice the numberof guests as usual for this annual recognition event.”Carlson said planning for next year’s event is underway.

If you would like to learn how you can become a

President’s Associate, please contact Brad Carlson

at (630) 829-6362 or [email protected]. �

Mary Ann Bobosky, Ph.D., William Carroll and Brand

Bobosky, J.D., C61, enjoyed the view from the Sports

Complex’s skybox at the event recognizing the

President’s Associates donors.

President’s AssociatesRecognition Day Event

Scholarships Make a BigDifference in the Lives, Careers of Recipients

Christina Zelek, C95“Receiving the scholarship money each year helped me achievemy goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree and helped to ease mymind about meeting my yearly tuition expenses,” said ChristinaZelek, E-Payment services manager for The Pampered Chef, Ltd.

The Pampered Chef, Ltd., headquartered in Addison, is a directseller of essential kitchen tools and serves more than 12 millioncustomers annually.

“Benedictine University enabled me to achieve some of mydreams by helping me to become a more confident individualand helping me realize my true academic potential,” she added.“Supporting the scholarship fund is a great way to make itpossible for future generations to achieve their dreams.”

“The personal attention I received in my classes and thefriendships I formed with some of my professors while atBenedictine greatly enriched my college experience,” she said.“Benedictine also offers a ‘close-knit’ community that I wouldencourage others to experience.”

Aheed Siddiqi, M.D., C98“As a past scholarship recipient and now as a current scholarshipdonor, I realize that the aid students receive is invaluable,” saidAheed Siddiqi, M.D. “Many times, it is the difference between a good student continuing his or her studies, transferring toanother institution or dropping out of school altogether.

Siddiqi benefited from the generosity of alumni and friends whocontribute to Benedictine University’s scholarship fund. Hereceived approximately $7,500 each year toward his tuitionthrough the University’s Scholar’s Program.

“The scholarship was immeasurable,” Siddiqi said. “Without it, I would not have been able to afford tuition. The scholarshipremoved any stress regarding financing my education, andallowed me to concentrate on my studies.”

Following graduation fromBenedictine, Siddiqi wasaccepted by NorthwesternUniversity’s Feinberg School ofMedicine. He is now aradiology resident atNorthwestern MemorialHospital in Chicago.

“Benedictine provided me withan excellent education, thisallowed me to do well as amedical student,” he said.“Benedictine is committed tothe student and helping him orher achieve their goals.” �

The EducareScholarship Ball is theUniversity’s largestfundraiser of the year.Proceeds from the event go directly to the University’sscholarship fund.

For more informationon the Ball, contact the alumni office at(630) 829-6080. For more informationon starting a studentscholarship, contact theadvancement office at(630) 829-6362.

Values a l u m n i n e w s

Ho

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20

05 A Walk in the Clouds

This years Homecoming theme, “A Walk in the Clouds,” was not far off from the inclement weather on October 22,but that did not dampen alumni spirits at the event.

Things were off to a good start with the men’ssoccer alumni winning their game. Tailgaters,including alumni, students and friends, gathered in the Krasa Center parking lot before the footballgame for food, kids activities, games and fun.

At 3:00 p.m., the Benedictine Eagles took thefootball field at the new Sports Complex to meet theMacMurray College Highlanders. It was an excitinggame from beginningto end and landed theEagles a 49-22 victory.During halftime,student-athletes whocarry a grade pointaverage of 3.0 orhigher were honored.

The alumni tent wasbusy all afternoon withmany friends stoppingby to meet fellowalumni for food, gamesand laughs. After thegame, the classes of1965, 1975, 1985 and1995 gathered in theFireside Lounge in theKrasa Center to renewold friendships and to watch the Chicago White Sox in the first game of the World Series.

Planning for next year’s Homecoming activities is underway. To get involved, contact Julie Nelligan at (630) 829-6077 or [email protected]. �

Stay connected to your alma mater.

February 4Alumni Sweetheart Club Dinner/Dance

March 7Alumni “After-Hours” Fitz’s Pub — Elmhurst

April 18Downtown Loop Alumni “After-Hours” Event

May 11 General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)

For ticket information call (866) 468-3401 or www.ticketweb.com.

May 21Golden Eagles Reunion

May 21Commencement

July 17President’s Invitational Golf Outing

September 23Homecoming

November 4Educare Scholarship Ball

Welcome to the new Millennium. The Department of Advancement’s new database software, Millennium, hasbeen upgraded to offer better capacity and efficiency forrecord keeping of alumni, fund raising and mailing efforts.

This is the perfect opportunity to update your information.If you have a new address, e-mail account or employmentinformation you would like to pass on, please call (630) 829-6099. �

Time To Change Your Mailing Or E-mail Address?

Valuesa l u m n i n e w s

Winter 2006 15

Stay ConnectedUpcoming University Events

Attention Parents: There is a fast

and easy way to find out what is going on around campus.

Go to the parent page of the University’s Web site at:

http: / /www.ben.edu/parents

Homecoming 2005 — Alumni Fun

Alumni Yellow PagesLast spring, all Illinois alumnireceived a request for updated workinformation including businessname, address, city, phone, e-mailand type of business. The alumnirelations office compiled all thedata to create the first edition ofthe Alumni Yellow Pages.

The yellow pages will contain areaalumni contact information, including workand home numbers, their business nameand type of work they do. This informationwill be listed in a directory by threecategories; name, location and occupation.

“The idea is for Benedictine Universityalumni to utilize the services of fellowalumni rather than just finding a randomname in the phone book. It helps bothalumni offering the service as well asalumni looking for help,” said University President William Carroll.

For more information on the Alumni Yellow Pages, contact Julie Nelligan at (630) 829-6077 or [email protected]. �

Benedictine Heritage 2003Vintage Wine Has ArrivedIt’s here — the 2003 Vintage of theBenedictine Heritage Wine has arrivedand is available for sale. This sangiovesevarietal is famous in Italy for providingthe backbone for wines from Chianti,Tuscany and Brunello. The elegant winehas a smooth texture and medium spice,raspberry, cherry and anise flavors. It pairs well with most any dish.

This limited addition wine is $30 per bottle or $350 per case andis available by contacting Julie Nelligan at (630) 829-6077 [email protected]. Toast yourself for supporting Benedictinefund raising efforts. �

Benedictine University Sweetheart ClubThe Benedictine University’s Sweetheart Club will hold it’ssecond annual event on February 4, 2006. This year, the dinnerdance will celebrate all of the alumni who met their special oneon the Benedictine campus. Last year, there were more than 25 couples that celebrated the first Sweetheart Club reception. If you met your husband or wife at Benedictine and want toreceive information about this annual event, please contact Deb Smith at [email protected] or (630) 829-6080. �

continued on page 17 �



Even After You Graduate, You Are Still Connected HereThere are many ways to get involved, and stay involved,

in the Benedictine community. Contact Alumni Relations

Director Julie Nelligan at (630) 829-6077 to learn more.

Math and ScienceReunion Honors Ed FerroniOn September 16,approximately 60 math andscience alumni gathered fordinner and a reunion to honortheir instructor, mentor andfriend, Edward Ferroni, Ph.D.For more than 20 years,Ferroni has been a dedicated

faculty member in the College of Science. David Rausch, Ph.D.,C62 and Don Taylor, Ph.D., dean, College of Science, had fun“roasting” Ferroni by making comments about everything from“the fun experiments in his classroom” to “his difficult tests.”

Everyone shared laughs and enjoyed each other’s company. �

Alumni Day at the Cubs GameAlumni and friends boarded a luxury bus at the Krasa Centerparking lot on July 31 for a trip to Wrigley Field. Once at thepark, the group met up with other alumni to total 100 attendees.The group watched the Chicago Cubs play the ArizonaDiamondbacks. It was a very hot day, but the seats were greatand everyone had a good time.

Although the Cubs lost, the game was exciting until the end.During the bus ride back to campus, plans were made to set upanother alumni trip next summer. Check your Spring Voices formore details or contact the alumni office. �

New Freshman BBQThe Office of Alumni Relationshosted a new freshman BBQwelcoming the Fall 2005freshman to the University.The event was held on August28 on the north lawn of theKrasa Center. Burgers, brats,chips and ice cream sundaeswere enjoyed by more than 30 freshmen. Although theywere a bit nervous to start theirfirst day of school, the studentswere also very excited andlooked forward to their new challenges. �

a l u m n i b r i e f s


Winter 2006 17

For alumnus DouglasHoffman, coming back to BenedictineUniversity to serve on

the Board of Trustees in May2004 was something he knewhe needed to do. He becamea Trustee because he wantedto be involved with somethingexciting and dynamic and hewanted to make a differenceat his alma mater.

“I was a fallen-away alumnus,”Hoffman explained. “Mysupport of the University was minimal and the littlesupport that I gave was givengrudgingly at best. In fact, I only gave out of a sense ofobligation because I knewthat tuition covered onlyabout 66 percent of the truecost of my college education.The rest was subsidizedthrough gifts and grants madeby others to the institution.So, I ‘gave back’ by givinglittle. It helped ease myconscience.

“At first, I did not want to be all that closely connectedto Benedictine. I thought theplace had changed andabandoned me. In retrospect,it may have been me thatabandoned Benedictine.

“The school is much thesame as when I attended.The Benedictine monks arestill here and their valuesremain the values of theUniversity. In fact,maintaining a Benedictineidentity is something theTrustees take very seriously.I don’t see that everchanging. It is true that theplace looks different fromwhen most of us were here,

but it is fundamentally thesame. It promotes the samevalues it promoted when I was a student; it has adedicated faculty, it hassmart, friendly studentswho will actually speak withan old guy like me; and it is still the place where astudent can get a greateducation. When I finallycame to that realization, I just knew I had to getinvolved with the placeagain and in a big way,”explained Hoffman.

Hoffman believes being analumnus and a Trustee putshim in a unique andworthwhile position.

“As a Trustee, I am constantlymeeting men and womenwho are dedicated to themission of the institution.They serve Benedictine in avariety of ways. I see the samelevel of engagement comingfrom my fellow Trustees. I have seldom seen a group of people…be as engaged as they are. Their enthusiasmis infectious,” he said.

“Benedictine has a legacy ofvery gifted alumni, my guessis that many of their giftswere honed at Benedictine. It would be great if theUniversity could be thebeneficiary of a small part ofthese gifts by having morethan one of its alumni serve as a Trustee. When analumnus serves as a Trustee,Benedictine directly benefitsfrom its own outstandingwork. For the alumnus, it is a great way to pay backothers for their investment in his or her education at

Benedictine,” concludedHoffman.

Hoffman has many goodmemories of his time as astudent at Benedictine. “Iremember that I worked hardand had a great time alongthe way. I particularlyremember commencement. It was not a completely happyoccasion because it meantleaving my home and friends.I understand that many oftoday’s students have thissame experience,” he said.

Currently, Hoffman lives inChicago and practicescorporate and commercialinternational law.

“Benedictine has had aprofound impact on my life;but it did not make me who I am. This is a good thing.Education is not aboutmaking something ofsomeone. It is aboutinforming. It is aboutteaching someone how tolearn and how to thinkcritically. Benedictine did agood job of that as far as I am concerned,” he said.

“While I was at Benedictine, I learned that life is messy.Benedictine helped me honethe skills that are required toevaluate the stuff that makeslife real and to put someorder to the messiness.

“The long and the short of it is that my experience atBenedictine is something thathas never left me. It is part ofme and it is invaluable,”Hoffman concluded. �

m a t t e r sa l m a

continued from page 16

Swim/DiveAlumni ReunionOn October 28,approximately 80 alumni,friends and familymembers of BenedictineUniversity swim teamgathered for the Swimand Dive Reunionsponsored by the Officeof Alumni Relations.

Prior to thereunion, everyonewatched the teambeat North CentralCollege in anexciting meet.Afterward, allgathered for pizzaand a renewal offriendships.

Katie Phelps, C97,said, “Thanks foranother greatevent. It gives me a chance to see alot of people that I don’t normallyget to see on a regular basisbecause I live in St. Louis. Pleasecontinue to have this event . . . everyoneenjoys it.”

The next Swim and Dive Reunion will be held this fall. �

al

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Douglas R. Hoffman, C79Benedictine University Trustee



“My experience at

Benedictine helped in my

life. Benedictine has had a

tremendous impact on me. I

value the education I received

there. My overall experience

at the school has enlightened

my understanding, instilled

a more perceptive

comprehension and imparted

an insight beyond the scope

of books and lesson plans,”

said Krajewski.

Krajewski’s current position as mayor of Downers Grove is the result of a culminationof events, experiences andencounters. After graduatingfrom Benedictine, he enteredlaw school. Upon graduation,he worked for one of the bigeight international accountingfirms, Deloitte & Touche.While at Deloitte, hecontinued his education atnight and earned a master’s inlaw (L.L.M.) in taxation.

After working eight years forDeloitte, he started his ownlaw and accounting practice in Downers Grove.

In addition, he becameactively involved in severalcivic organizations. As alifelong resident of DownersGrove, he became concernedwith the state of the village.“My concern took shape as Irealized that I could make adifference by seeking publicoffice. Once the opportunitypresented itself, I did nothesitate to accept thechallenge. My communityand civic involvement werefactors in this decision, as I always believed in givingback to the community,” said Krajewski.

“One of the reasons I ran foroffice was my concern aboutthe current state of the village

I had lived in my entire life.Our downtown was a ghosttown and the overall villageseemed stagnant. Some of theother western suburbs likeNaperville and Elmhurst wereenjoying a much moreprogressive level. Over theseven years I’ve spent asmayor, I have enjoyed thechallenges presented and themany accomplishmentsDowners Grove hasachieved,” he said.

With a complete rebuilding ofthe downtown infrastructure,the area is now vibrant withmany new businesses and anew parking deck. A coupleof years ago, the ChicagoTribune ranked DownersGrove as one of the top 10downtowns in the Chicagoarea. The reconstruction ofthe downtown also won thenational award from the

Brian J. Krajewski,Accounting/ComputerScience, C84

Mayor, Village of Downers Grove, Illinois

Joseph J. Broda, Institute forManagement, C82

Mayor, Village of Lisle,Illinois

Joseph Broda’s path to

Benedictine began in 1978.

He was being passed over for

promotions into management

mainly because he didn’t have

a college degree. The higher

up he got, the less his

experience seemed to count.

His manager advised him to

go back to college (he had an

associate’s degree from DeVry)

and his company suggested

he attend the Institute For

Management program at then

Illinois Benedictine College.

“I started in the fall of 1978,and six months later I waspromoted to management.Just knowing that I had madea commitment to the four-year program to further myeducation spoke volumes. By the time I graduated in1982, my career hadcontinued to advance. Theprogram also helped me withmy burgeoning venture inlocal politics,” said Broda.

“I’m very proud ofBenedictine University, bothas mayor of its hometown,and as an alumnus.Benedictine has been a part ofLisle for more than 118 years,and it was an honor to be apart of that kind of tradition.An even prouder moment wasseeing my oldest daughtergraduate from the Universityin 1989,” said Broda.

His journey to become themayor of Lisle began in the late 1970s as well,when he was involved with his homeowner’s association as a committee member andlater as president.

In 1986, he was approachedby then Mayor GeorgeVarney, asking if he would be willing to accept anappointment to the VillageBoard as a Village Trustee for one year. Broda washesitant at first, but the mayor

explained that he neededsomeone who really caredabout the community. Hethought about his work withthe homeowner’s association and how important it was to him, and decided that hecould extend that to thevillage at large.

He was elected as a VillageTrustee in 1987 and reelectedin 1991, 1995 and 1999. In2001, residents were callingfor new leadership in Lisleand encouraged him to runfor mayor against a 12-yearincumbent. He was elected in 2001 and re-elected for asecond term in April 2005.

The office of the mayor in the Village of Lisle is usually a part-time job, but sinceretiring from his 31-yearcareer with Lucent in July 2001, Broda has been able tomake it a full-time job.

a l u m n i f o c u s A Tale of Two Mayors


Winter 2006 19

Barbara Leiber did not have totemporarilyleave her job at

Benedictine University and uproot her life tohead to Mississippi in theaftermath of one of theworst hurricane’s to hitAmerican shores . . . she chose to. She chooses to becalled on to help otherswhenever it is deemednecessary, whenever hereducation and experience canmake a difference during adifficult time.

Before joining Benedictine, Leiber was the director of the Department of Social andHealth Services for the Villageof Downers Grove for 18 years.Upon retiringin 2004, shewas invited tojoin a team ofmental health response specialists who are a part of theNational Disaster Medical System (NDMS). NDMS consists of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT), whose role itis to be among the first responders to disasters, either naturalor terror.

NDMS is an agency that functions under the FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA) and ultimatelyunder the Department of Homeland Security. In order toqualify to be a part of an NDMS team one must be licensed in his or her specialty by the state in which they practice.

The team Leiber belongs to provides “force protection” to those first responders on the scene of any disaster. Forceprotection, as defined for the mental health specialist, is toassist first responders in the awareness of their needs andchallenges to their well-being physically, emotionally and mentally. First responders include medical, fire and policepersonnel. It is the goal of Leiber’s team to contribute to thehealth of the first responders in a manner that allows them tofunction optimally for as long as it takes to do their job.

Leiber was deployed twice in 2004 to the hurricanes in Florida, where her team supported the FEMA employees in the Disaster Relief Centers as well as other DMAT’s. �

Helping Those Who Help Others

American Public Works Association for HistoricalPreservation.

“As mayor, I strive to makeour village desirable for bothresidential and businessinterests. Over the last severalyears, the property values ofresidential homes haveskyrocketed due to therevitalization and progress of our community, in additionto the high quality of ourschools. I’m proud that wehave developed a very strongbusiness mix which in turnkeeps our village residentialtax rate one of the lowest in DuPage County,”Krajewski said.

“One of the most enjoyablethings in my job is gettinginvited by students to attendtheir classes and speak aboutthe job of the mayor. I alwaysspeak about the importance of

education and working hardin school. I always include adiscussion about myeducation at Benedictine,” he added.

While at Benedictine,Krajewski was involved inathletics as a member of thebasketball team. Today, hetries to return to campus towatch men’s basketball gameswhen he can, in addition toevery couple of yearsreturning to play in an alumnibasketball game. He resideswith his wife, Mary, and heenjoys coaching youth sportsincluding, boy’s baseball andgirl’s basketball at St. Mary’s.

“I am definitely proud to be

a graduate of Benedictine

University. It prompted my

journey into the real world

and revealed endless

possibilities for the future,”

he concluded. �

“One of the things I enjoymost about being a full-timemayor is that I can beavailable for the many village activities that happenduring the day. I’ve had anopportunity to meet so manyresidents at these and otherevents, and I also find it easierto interact with the businesscommunity. I started “Coffeewith the Mayor” on the firstTuesday of every month,which has been a greatsuccess. Being able to sitdown with residents and thebusiness community and talkabout the issues affecting us iswhat it’s all about. Openingup the village government likethis has been a big focus forme. Lisle is my home too, soas mayor, it means so much tome to be a part of shaping thefuture,” said Broda.

As mayor, Broda has been

involved with many

Benedictine events. “I’m

honored to be involved with

Benedictine. I have a great

working relationship with

the president and his staff.

Being a part of the team

that brought the new Lisle/

Benedictine Sport Complex

to fruition, which was a

proud moment for me, and

seeing my alma mater and

hometown come together

[has been very fulfilling],”

he said.

He and his wife, Joanne, have lived in Lisle for morethan 27 years. They havethree daughters and severalgrandchildren. “Throughoutmy time in Lisle, I have been an active member of St. Margaret Mary Church,serving as a greeter and as acommittee chairman forparish Men’s Club events. My history in Lisle andinvolvement with thecommunity, along with theexperience from my careerand education, have madebeing mayor an enriching and fulfilling experience,”concluded Broda. �

Barbara A. Leiber, M.S., L.C.P.C.Lecturer in the Master of Science in Clinical Psychology Program, BenedictineUniversity

g i v i n g b a c k



Aheed Siddiqi was born in Hyderabad, India andmoved to the United States just before beginninghigh school. He chose to attend BenedictineUniversity for many reasons. First and foremost

was the education. He knew he wanted to get a strongeducation in the premedical sciences. He also wanted toattend a university where there were small classes taught by professors and not teacher assistants.

“The feeling of being in a community at Benedictine wasunmatched by other schools I visited. Finally, I got intoBenedictine’s Scholars (Honors) Program, and as a resultreceived a sizable scholarship. That sealed my decision toattend the University,” said Siddiqi.

Upon graduating, Siddiqi attended Northwestern Universitymedical school. He is currently in residency in radiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, to be followed by aone-year fellowship in MRI. He and his wife, Shama Ahmed,live in Chicago.

“Upon starting medical school, I realized that I fared verywell as far as my premedical education was concerned whencompared to colleagues who had attended Harvard, MIT and Northwestern for their undergraduate education,” saidSiddiqi. “Since Benedictine has done so much for me and my career, I have been looking for ways to give back to theUniversity. Medical school didn’t offer much free time, but Imanaged to come out to Benedictine for the health care fairto talk to pre-med students about medical school. My friend,Omer Sultan, and I also started the Muslim AlumniEndowed Scholarship for deserving Muslim students atBenedictine. I also joined the Alumni Board to be involvedand informed of the activities going on in the University, and at some level have an input in the direction of theUniversity,” he said.

“In the future, I will continue to look forward to gettingmore involved, especially in the College of Science, wheresomeday I would like to visit as a guest lecturer and talk tostudents about medical school and show them interestingradiology images,” concluded Siddiqi. �

Ihad grown up hearingabout then St. ProcopiusCollege’s high academicstandards, wonderful

campus atmosphere and thesuccessful reputation of itsgraduates. Unfortunately, theschool was all-male at the time,making my enrollment there animpossible dream. When theschool did open up to women,I applied immediately. I endedup attending during my junioryear,” said Rizzi.

Rizzi worked with Br. SebastianKuhn, O.S.B., in the mailroomand got to know the facultyand staff as well as fellowstudents. She felt the schoolhad a community spirit thatwas truly special.

After graduating, she worked inthe insurance industry and isnow a sales account managerwith Insurance Services Officein Lisle.

“Working on the Alumni Board is my way of giving back to the University for the gifts of a wonderfuleducation, wonderful friendsand a sense of community andconnectedness that I wouldnever have received at a largerschool,” concluded Rizzi. �

Joan Carberry-RizziSocial Sciences, C73

“

Aheed Siddiqi, M.D., Biology, C89

Leiber: continued from page 19

“I was deployed to Mississippiafter Hurricane Rita tosupport a DMAT and aDisaster Mortuary Team(DMORT). In this capacity I worked with the team thatwas identifying victims of thehurricane and working torecover corrupted cemeteries.My role primarily was toprovide stress managementsupport and assist the DMATteam in monitoring safetystandards. My deploymentlasted two weeks and I wasrotated out. This experiencewas challenging,” said Leiber.

“I believe the most importantcontribution I made was myability to provide a safe placefor disaster workers to tell thestory of their experiences,while maintaining thecommitment of respect anddignity in which theyaccomplish their work,”Leiber concluded.

As a member of NDMS,Leiber trains at least once ayear with DMAT’s from allover the country.

“I believe that my life-longcareer in the not-for-profitworld of social serviceprepared me very well for the work in NDMS. The Master of Science inClinical Psychology(M.C.P.) program atBenedictine continues tocarry on the tradition ofhigh standards in thetraining of new clinicians. Iam very proud to be a partof that tradition by helpingto prepare a new generation to serve those in need,” said Leiber.

If you know of someone who has given of him or herself tohelp others in the Benedictinespirit of giving back, please e-mail [email protected]. �

Meet Your Alumni BoardContinuing profiles of those who serve on the Alumni Board.

The Jim Ryan Symposium On Public Affairs:

China: AwakeningSuperpower, InfluentialAlly, Potential Adversary?

The latest symposium in Jim Ryan’spublic affairs series was held onthe Benedictine campus inOctober. The featuredspeaker was U.S. Rep.Mark Kirk (R-10th),who brought hisinsight on thecurrent politicalsituation withChina.

Kirk is a member ofthe powerful HouseAppropriations Committeeand serves on its subcommittees includingForeign Operations and Science, State,Justice and Commerce. He is also a U.S.Naval Reserve intelligence officer.

China’s growing economy and militarybuildup present opportunities andchallenges for the United States in the21st century. China’s economy hasdoubled in the last decade and is expectedto do so again in the next 10 years. They are also an influential ally, with theability to stem North Korea’s growingnuclear ambitions.

The symposium panel analyzed theUnited States trade imbalance withChina, the outsourcing of American jobs,competition over energy resources andChina’s threat to U.S. security.

During the event, Kirk made the case for establishing a primary diplomaticrelationship with China that will protectboth American interests and avoid future conflict.

To learn more about this speaker series,contact the Department of PoliticalScience at (630) 829-6460. �

Winter 2006 21

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man

reflects man.” — PROVERBS 27:19

VitalityDemocracy In A Diverse Society:

Benedictine Hosts Students From The Middle EastBenedictine University was one of three universities in the United States that hosted student-leaders from the

Middle East for a six-week “Study of the U.S. Institute” this past July and August. The program, funded by the

U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Bureau of Education and Cultural

Affairs, focused on the theme, “The Challenges of Democracy in a Diverse Society.”

The program included class sessions on political, economic and societal issues in theUnited States as well as public service and citizen involvement.

The program’s academic director, Roger Rose, Ph.D., associate professor of politicalscience, called the program “a terrific opportunity for the future leaders of the MiddleEast to develop an understanding of our society, politics and culture. It also presentedan opportunity for the Chicago metropolitan community to share American culture andthe challenges that America faces as a diverse society.”

The 21 students, selected from a large number of applicants, came from Bahrain, Egypt,Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the West Bankand Yemen.

The program also emphasizes developing the students’ leadership skills. Jim Ludema,Ph.D., associate professor of organization development, designed the leadership training component of the institute. Students heard from several Chicago-area leadersduring visits to McDonald’s, General Motors, the University of Chicago Hospitals and World Vision.

Tammy Sarver, Ph.D, assistant professor of political science, accompanied the studentsto San Francisco for one week. The students’ trip also included a visit to the easternUnited States before they returned to the Middle East.

Several Benedictine students also assisted as program escorts and cultural partners. “I like seeing things from other people’s point of view,” said cultural partner SharifHassanein, C07, a politicalscience major. “By seeingother people’s point ofview, you see where theyare coming from.”

“It was an intensive six weeks, but one that we believe will have left a positive impression of our area and country,”Rose said. �


Benedictine Universityhas received a $2million grant from the

federal government to extendits First Responder Program,an unparalleled educational

degree program that provides affordable and quality highereducation to all eligible police and fire personnel in DuPage,Kendall and Kane counties.

The grant was secured in part through the efforts of U.S.representative Judy Biggert (R-13th). Biggert was on hand for ceremonies marking the grant award on October 13 at theKrasa Center.

“We are ecstatic that we will be able to extend our firefighter education program

to fire and police departments throughout the western suburbs,” said Benedictine

University President William Carroll. “These men and women deserve our

gratitude and our help, and this grant will allow us to demonstrate both.”

Under Carroll’s direction, the University originally instituted a$15,000 firefighter scholarship to cover the cost of one year’stuition or several part-time enrollments.

Benedictine developed associate of arts and bachelor of

management programs that are offered at the firehouse.

A master of business administration program is offered on

campus. More than half of the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District’s

103 employees applied to the program.

The first classes commencedin February 2002. There areno tuition costs. Firefighterspay only for their textbooks.

“In today’s world, a degreededucation is becomingessential. [The degree allows]you to learn problem-solvingand organizational skills youcannot always learn on thejob,” said Lisle-WoodridgeFire District Bureau Chief

Terry Vavra. “Also, by thetime most firefighters reachtheir 40s, the job becomesvery difficult physically. Adegree opens other careeroptions when that becomesnecessary.”

Three additional firedepartments — Naperville,Downers Grove and St.Charles — as well as the LislePolice Department

$2 Million GrantReceived to ExtendFirefighterEducation Program

Naperville fireman ChuckGros, a bachelor of arts inmanagement student atBenedictine. “Television doesnot do it justice. It was likestanding in the middle of aneighborhood 20 blocks by 20 blocks and every housewas destroyed.

“You would drive for a coupleof miles and think to yourself that it would have to getbetter as you went along, but it got worse,” he added.“I have never seen anythinglike it. Miles and miles ofdevastation. It’s amazing howmuch area the devastationcovered.”

“The first 24 hours we’d fightany fires that occurred, thenext 24 hours we didhumanitarian work,” Gros

In the first week after thedisaster, Benedictinefaculty and staff

contributed $2,300 toCatholic Charities USA.Benedictine also partneredwith the DuPage Chapter ofthe NAACP to collect soap,bandages, personal hygieneproducts and other neededitems that were shipped toBaton Rouge, La.

In more personal terms, six students displaced by the hurricane enrolled atBenedictine University underan offer by President WilliamCarroll to allow students who have paid tuition at theiroriginal institutions to attendBenedictine at no cost.

“The Association of CatholicColleges and Universities(ACCU) put out a request for help,” Carroll said. “Thesituation in many schools was dire. The disaster causedme to wonder what wouldhappen to us if we were facedwith such a tragedy.”

Carroll issued a statement

saying Benedictine would

accept at face value

temporarily displaced students

from a Katrina-stricken school.

Students who came to

Benedictine would pay what

they would pay at their home

school with those monies

being sent to the Katrina-

stricken institution. Students

who had already paid tuition

would not incur further costs.

Among the students displacedby Hurricane Katrina whofound a new home atBenedictine was Lissie Mo, a native of Norway who wascompleting graduate work atTulane when the storm hit.After spending two weeks in a church-sponsored shelter inDallas, she flew to Chicagoand enrolled at Benedictine.

Upon her arrival in Chicago,Mo was taken in by theNaperville family of KatieCase, also a student fromTulane and a graduate of

Benet Academy who earlierenrolled at Benedictine.

The Director of CommunityDevelopment at Benedictine,Barbara Dwyer, and a facultymember in the master ofscience in clinic psychologyprogram, Barbara Leiber (see story page 19), bothvolunteered two weeks oftheir time to help those inneed in the hurricane afflictedareas of Louisiana andMississippi.

Several firefighters enrolled in

the “First Responders”

program (see story below) at

the University, a program that

provides a free education for

firefighters and public safety

employees in DuPage, Kane

and Kendall counties, were

among those deployed to

New Orleans immediately

following Hurricane Katrina.

They returned with stories of unbelievable devastation.

“It was a lot worse than youcould imagine,” said

Vitality u n i v e r s i t y n e w s

Responding to the Hurricane Katrina Disaster True to the Benedictine value of concern for each person, Benedictine University community members responded quickly to aid those people whose lives and livelihoods were devastated when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005.

DavidCochran,Ph.D.,professor of

politics at Loras Collegein Dubuque, Iowa, wasthe latest speaker inBenedictine University’sVisiting Scholar inCatholic Thought seriesthis past October. Headdressed the challengesposed by the encounterbetween Catholicismand contemporaryAmerican politics andspoke about howCatholicism can developand articulate a moreeffective critical voice in American politics.

The main challenge,according to Cochran, is to apply the Catholicfaith to politics or toresolve the tensionbetween religion andpolitical action. Hesuggested that thesolution was to maintain a balance in the Catholictradition during our lives on earth.

Cochran advised young adults who wish to play anactive role in resolving the conflict between religion and politics to take both of them seriously and “let your conscience be your guide.” He stressed the importance of playing a religious role as well as fulfilling obligations as citizens, admitting that it is always a tension to find a balance.

“You can’t take religion out of politics and politics outof religion . . . religion can be a source of politicalwisdom,” said Cochran. Although he firmly believes inthe separation of church and state, Cochran believes that you cannot take the morality out of politics.

Cochran also stated that people could not addressproblems like hunger and poverty without politics or a political structure.

“The role of religion is not to run the government, but to be a conscience to the people,” he said.

Cochran’s book Catholics, Politics & Public Policy:Beyond Right and Left can be found athttp://www.ben.edu/LibraryClub.

For further information on the Visiting Scholar series,contact Fr. Philip Timko, O.S.B., at (630) 829-6266. �

CatholicPerspectiveon FaithandPolitics

by Deanna Hartley, C06

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Vitalityu n i v e r s i t y n e w s

were added following theprogram’s inception. Thegrant will allow theUniversity to extend theprogram even further.

Benedictine has also made a cohort program inmanagement andorganizational behavior,one of eight master’sprograms offered by theschool, available to firechiefs in DuPage andKendall counties. TheUniversity hopes toeventually extend themaster’s program todepartment chiefsthroughout Illinois. �

said. “The New Orleansfirefighters who respondedright after the hurricane hit didn’t have a chance to go home. So we helpedthem do whatever we could whether it wascleaning up their homes,removing furniture orrepairing roofs.”

Gros was forced towithdraw from one of his classes at Benedictinewhen he was deployed, but will be able to make it up. Dwyer and Leiberwere given the approval of the Benedictineadministration totemporarily leave their jobs to help others in need.

Rebuilding the lives

shattered by Hurricane

Katrina will not be easy,

but helping to give back

to others is a good start. �

The largest freshman class in school history and asignificant increase in thenumber of transfer studentshave contributed to a recordenrollment at BenedictineUniversity.

There are 1,670 studentsenrolled in traditionalundergraduate programs at Benedictine University this fall, according to DavidSonnenberger, associateprovost for Academic Affairs.That is approximately a 5 percent increase from a year ago.

There are 315 freshmenregistered at Benedictine thisfall, more than the previousrecord number of freshmenwho registered in 2003 and a 2 percent increase over thenumber of freshmen enrolledin 2004. The University alsowelcomed 246 new studentswho transferred from otheracademic institutions.

“An essential part ofBenedictine’s growth can be attributed to its academicprogram . . . an academicprogram that appeals to bothtraditional and non-traditionalage students,” saidBenedictine UniversityExecutive Vice PresidentCharles Gregory.

Gregory also attributed therise in BenedictineUniversity’s traditionalundergraduate population tothe University’s reputation asa place where students of allfaiths, colors and creeds areable to meet in a universalpursuit of truth andknowledge.

Overall, enrollment intraditional, part-time, adultand graduate programs is 3,400. �

Largest FreshmanClass, Jump inTransfer StudentsContribute toRecord Enrollment

University, local and state

leaders gathered for a

collection drive sponsored

by the DuPage chapter of

the NAACP.

Winter 2006 23

Vitality u n i v e r s i t y n e w s


$350,000 Grant Received to Upgrade ScienceLaboratory Facilities

Benedictine University has been awarded $350,000 fromthe U.S. Department of Energy to acquire sciencelaboratory and research equipment. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) came to campus this past fall to

make the official announcement to faculty, staff and students.

The grant was part of $210 million in funding for Illinoisprojects approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“These funds will allow our faculty and students to keep pacewith the profound changes occurring in the biomedical sciencesas a result of the completion of the Human Genome Project by providing new instrumentation and other laboratoryenhancements,” said Benedictine President William Carroll.

The science curriculum at Benedictine features a strongcollaborative, interdisciplinary student and faculty researchprogram that builds upon shared interests in biology, chemistry,physics and computer science. This program enables studentsfrom a range of scientific disciplines to work with faculty oncollaborative research problems.

The grant will make new instrumentation available that will be required for common core laboratory experiences andundergraduate research programs related to the structuralinformation encoded in the human genome, and theadvancements that are being made daily in applying thatinformation toward solving medical problems.

Benedictine University is also planning to seek funding toestablish a Center for Biophysics, Biochemistry and MolecularBiology (BBMB). The money will be used for additionalequipment and staff development.

“People in the field have likened the explosion in genomics,proteomics and bioinformatics in the biomedical sciences to theinformation technology boom of the late 20th century,” saidDonald B. Taylor, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Science atBenedictine University. “Right now there is a revolution inbiotechnology and medicine, and this grant will help ourstudents catch the wave of that technology.” �

The Illinois Board of HigherEducation recently approved a proposal by BenedictineUniversity to begin offering a Bachelor of BusinessAdministration (B.B.A.) in Management andOrganizational Behavior at Richland CommunityCollege in Decatur, Illinois.

The B.B.A. in Managementand Organizational Behavioris designed to providestudents with a thoroughgrounding in business andeconomic principles as well as direct application of theseprinciples to the nationaleconomy and business world.

“We are committed todeveloping quality academicprograms in the heartland ofIllinois,” said William Carroll,president of BenedictineUniversity and SpringfieldCollege in Illinois (SCI). The

two schools formed a strategicalliance in January 2003 tobring Benedictine programsto the Springfield area.

Benedictine University already offers a number of four-year degrees inSpringfield includingbachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education,Business and Economics,Psychology and Managementand Organizational Behavior.Benedictine also offers amaster’s program inManagement andOrganizational Behavior at the SCI campus.

For more information aboutthe program, contact the SCI admissions office at (217) 525-1420, ext. 210. �

Benedictine Offers Bachelor’sProgram in Management at Decatur Area College

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) came to campus to announce the

U.S. Department of Energy grant.

he 30th anniversary ofBenedictine University’sMaster of BusinessAdministration

(M.B.A.) program ushered inthe highest enrollment figuressince fall of 1998, with totalenrollments up 20 percentfrom a year ago. The programattributes the high enrollmentto many factors, including: thesuccessful launch of cohorts two and three in Shenyang,China; more studentschoosing dual M.B.A. degrees(M.B.A./ M.I.S.;M.B.A./M.S.M.O.B.; andM.B.A./M.P.H.); more

U.S. M.B.A. acceleratedcohorts starting in Fall 2005;and the new cohort at theSpringfield campus anticipatedin January 2006.

Perhaps the most dramaticincrease in enrollment can be seen in Benedictine’s fully online M.B.A. program,WebFlex. One year ago, itcomprised barely 20 percentof enrollments. TodayWebFlex makes up more than42 percent of the enrollments,experiencing a growth of 74 percent.

WebFlex is a highly interactiveonline format. One of themost exciting aspects of theprogram is the ability forstudents to network withcolleagues from all over the world.

tadministrators,” said DonaldE. Fouts, Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Higher Education andOrganizational Change.

Designed For WorkingProfessionalsThe Ed.D. program atBenedictine is a three-yearprogram, consisting ofprofessional core courses,research methodologies,independent research and thecompletion of a dissertation.

Designed for the workingprofessional, the Ed.D.program is taught in anexecutive format featuring acohort group consisting of no more than 25 students that meets for approximately16 weekends per year.

Upon completion of theprogram, graduates will have acquired a strongfoundation in and commandof knowledge reflective ofresearch and theory in the field; understanding about the governance ororganization of institutions of higher education; and the skills to manage such organizations.

Special opportunities forcollaboration, research,internships and courses will be available at StanfordUniversity and the Universityof California system office.

For more information about the program, call (630) 829-6280. �

Vitalityu n i v e r s i t y n e w s

Winter 2006 25

Four New CertificateProgramsThe M.B.A. departmentrealizes it is important forworking professionals andalumni to maintain theircompetitive edge, so some new opportunities havebeen brought to the table.

Four new certificate programsare now being offered inaddition to the popularaccounting and businessadministration certificates.Entrepreneurship, FinancialManagement, Marketing andOperations Managementcertificates allow professionalsto stand out from the pack.Courses can be taken in thetraditional evening/weekend,on-campus format or online.

Women’s LeadershipBreakfastThis past September, thedepartment hosted the firstWomen’s Leadership BreakfastSeries (WLB). WLB bringsBenedictine alumni togetherwith graduate students andprofessional women from local businesses to share ideas and experiences, as well as celebrate each other’saccomplishments. Featuredspeakers are some of the most prominent women inbusiness today.

The faculty of the M.B.A.department is dedicated tooffering students and alumnieducational opportunities so they can maintain theircompetitive advantage,achieve personal excellenceand become effective leaders.

For more information onopportunities with the M.B.A. department, call Sharon Borowicz at (630) 829-6219. �

ED.D. PROGRAM PREPARES EDUCATORS TO MEET DIVERSECHALLENGES

f a s t f a c t s

igher education faces a number of challenges —funding shortfalls,government

mandates, rising health carecosts, labor-managementissues, emerging technologiesand changing studentdemographics.

Benedictine University iscommitted to preparingprofessionals to meet thosechallenges.

The new Ed.D. in HigherEducation and OrganizationalChange is designed to equipadministrators with theknowledge and skills neededto play a leadership role in thiscomplex higher educationenvironment.

Training PractitionersThe program provides a solidacademic grounding in coretopics such as organizationaltheory and research methodand design. But the program’sprincipal purpose is to trainpractitioners.

As such, it emphasizes thedevelopment of practical skillsto meet real-world challengesin human resourcemanagement, budgeting,communications, costcontainment, admissions,revenue growth, governmentand community relations,labor relations, conflictresolution and litigation.

“The program is primarilyintended for those who planto be mid- and senior-leveluniversity, college orcommunity college

h

A GROWINGTREND:RISING M.B.A. ENROLLMENTSAND ALUMNIOPPORTUNITIESNumbers On The Rise

Vitality c l a s s n o t e s

Class of ’88Richard Anderson, M.D.,

Biochemistry, has made the “40Leaders under 40 List” of IBIInterbusiness magazine of thegreater Peoria area for the Class of 2005. Anderson is assistantprofessor of clinical surgery at theUniversity of Illinois College ofMedicine at Peoria/Peoria SurgicalGroup Ltd. The list is a celebrationof the best and the brightest youngtalents who contribute their skillsto the region's businesses andcommunities.

Class of ’91Joe Binter, Computer Science,earned his M.S. in ComputerScience from DePaul University in March 2005. Binter resides in Batavia.

Class of ’93John T. Reavleyer, Political Science,was promoted from director ofsales to business manager in 2005at Unisource Worldwide. Reavleyerand his wife, Audra, have twochildren, John III and Madeline.They reside in Oswego.

The “happy students”

pictured in the Fall 2005 issue

of Voices are the 1981-82

Resident Hall Association

(RHA) Board.

They are Paul Hannan, Nancy

Bonczyk, Peggy Whalen and

Kathy Conversa.

I think this picture was taken

in the lobby of Neuzil Hall.

Thanks for giving me a reason

to go through my old

yearbooks. What a flashback!

Sincerely,

Nancy (Bonczyk) Coyne, C84


picture identified

class notesClass of ’65Michael Hickey, EngineeringScience, is retired and enjoying lifein Florida with his wife, Renata.He sails Tampa Bay on “Leah,” a Com-Pac 23 sloop. He also raceson a friend’s sailboat once a weekfrom Davis Island Yacht Club inTampa. Currently, he’s learning the Internet auction business byusing eBay®.

Daniel Kuhn, Political Science andPre-Law, is a partner in the lawfirm Kuhn, Mitchell Moss, Morkand Lechoqicz, LLC. He has lived in Naperville with his wife, Jo Anne, since 1968. He has fourchildren and two stepchildren, plusfive grandchildren. His oldest son,Ted, is married and in the SpecialForces. He served two tours inAfghanistan and three in Iraq sofar. His other son served in theU.S. Navy. His daughters served inthe Peace Corps in Madagascar andboth are married. Meg attends Yale

University and Kate resides inLondon and has been accepted to King’s College of Medicine.

Class of ’80Michael A. Overstreet, History,works as the food service managerfor Chicago Baseball LLC. Hewrites that he is “in charge offeeding 40,000 Chicago White Sox fans.” He is also a volunteerfor Vital Bridges food bank in Chicago.

Class of ’82Kirk Silver, Sociology, recentlyretired from the Army after 21years of service and is currentlyworking for Boeing in Chicago.

Class of ’86Laura (Cusack) Spathies, Businessand Economics, and her husband,George, have recently started theirown company — Spathies FamilyInsurance Agency. They have twochildren, Daniel and Rebekah. Thefamily resides in Elmwood Park.

Bill CallahanReceives Hallof Fame Award

Fr. David Turner, O.S.B., traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska this past

fall to present alumnus Bill Callahan, C78, with the Benedictine

University Hall of Fame Award. (Callahan was unable to attend

the original ceremony on campus due to an illness.)

As head coach, Callahan took the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to the

Super Bowl in 2002 and is currently the head football coach for

the University of Nebraska.

AttentionAlumni:Refer aStudentIf you know someone

who would make a

good addition to the

Benedictine student

community, help them

complete the alumni-

referred prospect

student form online at

www.ben.edu/referral

and their application

fee will be waived.

For more information,

contact the Enrollment

Center at (630) 829-6300

or [email protected].

Vitalityc l a s s n o t e s

Winter 2006 27

Class of ‘95Si Pun Lau, Marketing, is thedirector of Million ConceptTechnical Development Ltd. inHong Kong. He lives with his wife, Wai May Lam, and their two children.

Class of ’96Kate Loritz, CommunicationArts, M.S.M.O.B. ’00, recentlyreturned to Chicago for apromotion at Praxair, Inc. afterliving in Minneapolis for threeyears. Her current role is using Six Sigma and change managementmethods to optimize select keycentralized processes. She’s also a distance triathlete and rides inendurance road cycling eventsacross the Midwest.

Bridget (O’Reilly) Winz, ElementaryEducation, is currently a testingcenter assessment specialist atWaubonsee Community College.She and her husband, Jim, reside in Cortland, IL.

Class of ’98Timothy D. Birky, M.B.A., waspromoted to director of the NewYork District for Graybar ElectricCo. Inc. in October 2004. Birkyand his wife, LeAnn, reside inNewtown, PA with their children,Austin and Melinda.

Jamie Hoberg, Molecular Biology,graduated from the University of Virginia with a Ph.D. inBiochemistry and MolecularGenetics in June 2005. He hasrelocated to Boston, MA and hasjust started working at PartnersHealthcare Organization as alicensing associate.

Class of ’99 Mary (Costello) Carde, Sociology,currently works for ModusMarketing Groups as a contractedwriter focusing on interesting,entertaining and thought-provoking news. She and herhusband, Jonathan, reside inAugusta, GA.

Class of ’04Lindsey Michelle Keigley

McMahan, Elementary Education,is currently a second grade teacherat Serena Elementary School. Sheis married to Bryan McMahan,

Business and Economics ’04. Theyreside in Serena, IL.

BirthsHeather (Matusiak) Baranivsky,

Marketing ’96 and her husband,Greg Baranivsky, Finance ’94,welcomed their daughter, IvannaSophia, in August 2005. Ivannawas welcomed by her big sister,

Anastasia. The family resides inShorewood, MN. Greg ismanaging director of key accountswith First American Funds.Heather works part-time fromhome for Prewett Hosiery Sales.

Paul Baranivsky, Marketing ’95,and his wife, Michelle, welcomedtheir first child, Andrew Paul, inMay 2005. Baranivsky is currentlya vice president at Morgan StanleyInvestment Management. Thefamily is healthy and happy in theSt. Louis area.

Annie (Pipal) Bohutinska,

Literature and Communications ’92, and her husband, Vilem, had a baby boy, James RobertBohutinsky in June 2005. Shecurrently resides in the CzechRepublic and is on maternity leave.Her husband is a distributor forKremlin-Rexon.

Melody Connors-Murphy, Businessand Economics ’91, and herhusband, Bill, welcomed GavinQuinn in August 2004. He joinsbig sister Gabrielle Shannon athome. She is currently an eighthgrade math teacher at KinzieElementary School in Chicago. �

Howdy

pardner?

Why?

If you know these alumni, contact us at [email protected].

What was your favoriteBenedictineUniversityactivity while on campus? Submit your

memories to

[email protected].

Class NotesWinnersFrom Fall2005 IssueIf your name is listed here,then you have won a prizefrom the Office of Alumni Relations. Congratulations!

In each issue three peoplewho appear in the classnotes section of the alumnimagazine will be randomlychosen to win an alumniprize. (See inside back cover for more details.)

If you are one of the lucky winners, pleasecontact Julie NelliganBEFORE March 1

to collect your prize.*

Bridget Cale, C98

Jill Pelka-Wilger, C83

Wayne Chlumecky, C01

Good luck and keepsending in those classnotes!

*one prize per person during

duration of this promotion.

Accepting NominationsThe Alumni Association is accepting nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Recognition

Awards for 2006. The awards are Distinguished Alumni Award, Alumni Service Award and the

Benedictine Spirit Award. Submit nominations to the Office of Alumni Relations, Benedictine

University, 5700 College Rd., Lisle, IL 60532 or at www.ben.edu/alumni/awards.

let us know

Why so sad?

Vitality


c l a s s n o t e s

a look at the past

MemoryBoxDo you

have a

favorite

memory of your

time on campus?

A funny story? A

great experience?

Would you like to

share it with fellow

alumni? Help bring

back memories of

your time at

Benedictine.

Send one of your

favorite memories

to [email protected].

Get Your Benedictine Alumni Items Today.

Select items are available

on the bookstore Web site at

ben.bkstore.com. For a greater

selection visit the store in

the Krasa Student Center.

Show

You

r Sc

hool

Spi

rit

Sheri (Kratochvil) Fioresi, Biology’95, M.S. Exercise Physiology ’03,and her husband, Brian Fioresi,

Marketing ’95, welcomed twingirls, Hallie Marie and Riley Ann,in August 2005. The girls joinsiblings Abby and Joey in theirOswego home.

John Puetz, Philosophy ’88, andhis wife, Michele, welcomed Allene(Allie) in June 2005. She waswelcomed to their Leawood, KShome by siblings John, Chloe andJoseph. Puetz is a senior vicepresident and chief operationsofficer for Benfield North Americawhere he runs operations forNorth America for a globalreinsurance broker.

C.J. Smith, D.O., Biology ’94, is currently a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Ft. Leonard, MO. His wife, Lara, is a family physician at St. John’s/Mercy Clinic. Their second child, Emery Cora,was born in August 2005.

Erin (Hartman) Weber, Sociology’97, and her husband, John Weber,

M.O.B. ’96, welcomed theirsecond daughter, Katherine Joan,in August 2005. Erin is a juvenileprobation officer for PorterCounty. John is the director ofathletics and head baseball coach at Purdue University NorthCentral in Westville, IN.

Warren Alferez, Music ’97, passedaway on November 9, 2005.

Tony Manfre, ’69, passed away inOctober 2005.

Julie McCauley, ’76, passed away.

Daniel L. Mueller, Psychology ’71,passed away in August 2005.

Rev. Francis J. Oborny, Philosophy’25, passed away.

Frances Stefanski, M.O.B. ’03 and M.P.H. ’04, passed away inOctober 2005. �

� in memory

b e n . b k s t o r e . c o m

April, 1958: North Central

Association of Colleges and

Secondary Schools grants

St. Procopius College full

accreditation. Reading the official

document (above, left to right)

are: Fr. Adolph E. Hrdlicka, O.S.B.,

president; Rt. Rev. Ambrose L.

Ondrak, O.S.B., chancellor;

Fr. Daniel W. Kucera, O.S.B.,

dean of studies. Left, Fr. Adolph

in his office.

Summer 1987

June 1986

Vitalityf a c u l t y / s t a f f n o t e s

Winter 2006 29

Preston Aldrich (Biology)attended the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Austin, Texas in August. He presented the poster“Molecular genetic variation in U.S. populations of the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima(Simaroubaceae).” This ongoingresearch funded by the U.S. ForestService has involved severalBenedictine University studentsincluding summer researchersCaitlin Ondracek (HHMI fellow)and Derek Shiao (Forest Servicesupport).

Roosevelt Chappel (CampusServices) was named a regionalwinner of the “2005 Spirit ofSodexho” award. The awardrecognizes Sodexho employeeswho excel in the areas of“Customer Satisfaction” and “Client Retention.”

Tim Comar, Ph.D. (Mathematics)and Al Martin, Ph.D. (Biology)participated in the computationalbiology workshop from June 31 to August 6 at Harvey MuddCollege in Claremont, California.The workshop emphasized theintegration of biology andmathematics curricula and was ajoint project of the MathematicalAssociation of America (MAA) and the National ComputationalScience Institute (NCSI),sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Kevin Doyle (BusinessAdministration) presented“Software Development Process Changes in theTelecommunications Industry” to the International Symposium on Management, Engineering and Informatics in July in Austin,Texas. The paper, a joint work withRob Janek of Lucent Technologiesand Dave Long of Tekelec, wasselected as best in the session.

Patrick Flynn (Philosophy), Al

Martin (Biology) and Jean-Marie

Kauth (Humanities) participated in the last installment of the three-year, NEH-ACTC “Bridging theGap” seminars held at St. Mary’sCollege in Moraga, California inJune. The theme of this year’sworkshop was “Technology, Art,Values and the Problems ofTechnoscience.”

Jack Fritts (Library) began a one-year term as Chair of the DistanceLearning Section of the Association

of College and Research Librariesin July.

Mardelle Fortier (Literature) wonthree poetry prizes in the Poetsand Patrons of Chicago annualcontest. Fortier received an awardin the following categories: FormalVerse, Religious and SocialConscience. The winning poetsattended a banquet and awardsceremony in Chicago at the HaroldWashington Library in October.Fortier also recently reviewed threepoetry books. Her review appearsin a recent issue of the literaryjournal “Bibliophilos.”

Vincent Gaddis (History)participated in Boston University’sCenter for CongregationalResearch and Development’s“Sustaining Urban PastoralExcellence” program. Gaddispresented on “The Impact ofViolence on Communities: ASupernatural Perspective” inSeptember at Boston University.

Chuck Gahala (Business andManagement) made twopresentations at the GatewayCredit Conference in September in St. Louis, Missouri. Thepresentations were titled: “Beta?Lambda? Sigma? Zeta? It’s AllGreek to Me!” and “What DoCredit Managers Do for JobAdvancement?” Gahala alsopublished “What Do CreditManagers Do for InitialEmployment?” in the August issueof Business Credit. The data for thisstudy was gathered at Benedictineat a spring Association of CreditManagers conference. The studycompares the opinions of studentsenrolled in advanced managerialfinance to the opinions ofcorporate credit managers from several industries. Gahalapublished an article titled “TheLambda Index: A Better Measureof Liquidity” in the October issueof Management Today.

Sandra Gill (College of Business),Sharon Borowicz (M.B.A.Program), Cindy Atchley (Webflex)and Jane Crabtree (BusinessAdministration) attended the 13thannual conference of the Instituteof Behavioral and AppliedManagement in October inScottsdale, Arizona. Gill andBorowicz presented a paper titled “Achieving OrganizationalChange in ProfessionalOrganizations: Lessons fromScholars-Practitioners.” Borowicz,

Atchley and Richard Magner(National Louis University)presented a panel discussion titled“What are online courses doing to develop virtual team skills intomorrow’s workforce.” Crabtreepresented two papers: “Building aGlobal Community Using ThirdCountry Nationals” and “ASporting Adventure: How toRetire in Style.” Gill, Crabtree and Borowicz also presided aschairs for several of the sessions.

Cheryl A. Heinz (Biology)attended the annual meeting of the Ecological Society ofAmerica jointly held with the IX International Congress ofEcology (INTECOL) in August in Montreal, Quebec. Heinzpresented a poster titled,“Suitability and acceptability ofnative hosts to a native butterfly”based on work done at BenedictineUniversity.

Nona Jones (Marketing) presenteda paper “Integrating Local SmallBusinesses into the MarketingStrategy Class” at the MarketingManagement Association (MMA)Fall Educators’ Conference inSeptember in Kansas City,Missouri. Jones’ paper gave anaccount of a project she devised for her Spring 2005 MarketingStrategy class in which groups ofstudents developed comprehensivemarketing plans for three smallbusinesses in the Lisle/Napervillearea. Applying concepts learned inthe class, the students conductedextensive analyses of thecompanies’ situations and thenrecommended strategies and tacticsthat two of the companies havealready made plans to implement.Jones also served as chair of thesession during which shepresented. �

faculty notes

Philanthropic LeadershipAward for GillettWill Gillett, chairman of Benedictine’s Board of Trustees,

(pictured here with Benedictine President William Carroll)

was recognized with the Philanthropic Leadership Award

at the West Suburban Philanthropic Networks Award

luncheon in May 2005.

He was honored for his leadership, funding and time

promoting not-for-profit organizations such as Benedictine

University and Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and

Clinic, where is also the chairman of the board. �

Phot

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: Die

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Vitality f a c u l t y / s t a f f n o t e s


Sharon Nelson (Library) has been appointed to EndeavorInformation Systems’ “Bon VoyageGrants Selection Committee.” Thecommittee, composed of librariansfrom the United States andAustralia, is charged with selectingindividuals and/or institutionseligible to receive a total of$10,000 in grants to be appliedtowards the cost of attendingEndeavor’s annual conference inChicago in 2006.

Sue Peterson (Library) is aparticipant and Benedictine is arecipient in a statewide collectiondevelopment grant focused onstrengthening Illinois’ access tomaterials in the area of globalbusiness. Ten schools collaboratedon this grant, and each participantreceived $2,500. Benedictine’s areaof collection for the grant will bematerials on transnational andMiddle Eastern business. Access toall materials purchased under this

grant is being shared across the state through the Voyagerdatabase. A complete list of titlespurchased will be published at theconclusion of the grant period.

Fannie Rushing (History)organized a conference in Octoberat Roosevelt University in Chicagoon the origin and development ofthe Chicago Area Friends of theStudent Non Violent CoordinatingCommittee and the role it playedin the Chicago civil rights

movement between 1960 and1965. One of the goals ofRushing’s project is to providecurrent and future generations withthe knowledge of the significanceof the contemporary Civil RightsMovement and its impact on thepolitical and socio-economiclandscape in Chicago. A Web site has been established atwww.chicagosncc.org.

Margaret Salyer (ClinicalPsychology) gave a presentation on creating healthy relationships at Peace Lutheran Church in GlenEllyn in September. Salyer speaksfrequently to community groupsand is a favorite speaker at parenteducation programs throughoutDuPage County. She was featuredas the keynote speaker at theCommunity Unit School District200 Parent University in Wheatonin October. She addressed parentsin Hinsdale in November. She haspreviously presented a program atLyons Township on managinganger to an audience of more than 400 people. She has beeninvited back for the fourth year to present workshops at DownersGrove South’s Parent University in February.

Lisa Townsley (Mathematics)attended the focused researchconference “Workshop:Cohomology of Finite Groups:Interactions and Applications” inSeptember at the MathematischesForschungsinstitut inOberwohlfach, Germany. Theinvitation-only conference in theBlack Forest featured 55 of the top mathematicians in thediscipline of group cohomologyand related interactions. Townsleyalso delivered three presentations at the national “Mathfest” inAlbuquerque in August. She wasan invited presenter on theFundamental Theorem of Calculusand also spoke on the success ofthe Benedictine UniversityMathematics Department inrecruiting mathematics majors. In addition, Townsley presentedinformation on the new CollegeLevel Examination Programprecalculus exam, which she helped to create. �

SpotlightOn FacultyIf you know of a faculty

member who deserves a

moment in the spotlight,

please let us know.

E-mail suggestions

to [email protected].

in September. The gift, facilitatedby folk art collectors Bill and RuthGlennon of Huntley, was made inrecognition of Fr. Michael’sinterest in American folk art. Theartwork is displayed in the Josephand Bess Kindlon Hall of Learning.

Ralph Meeker (Computer Scienceand Information Systems), Kevin

Doyle (Business Administration)and Dan Nohl (Computer Scienceand Information Systems) attendedthe annual Midwest regionalmeeting of the Consortium forComputer Sciences in Colleges, inSeptember at Millikin University in Decatur. Doyle presented“Improving Performance andRetention in CS1,” and Meekerpresented “Comparative SystemPerformance for a BeowulfCluster.” Both papers were basedon work done at BenedictineUniversity and were published inthe October issue of The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges.Nohl participated in a panelpresentation on “Computing forthe Non-CS Major” along withfaculty from Olivet Nazarene andDominican Universities.Undergraduates Phillip Rymek,Geoffrey Schnorr and RusselZagorski accompanied the facultyand participated in the StudentProgramming Contest.

Daniel J. Julius (Provost and VicePresident for Academic Affairs),John Kevin Doyle (BusinessAdministration) and Alicia Cordoba

Tait (Fine and Performing Arts) led a panel discussion during theNotre Dame Center for Ethics andCulture 2005 Annual FallConference, “Joy in the Truth:The Catholic University in theNew Millennium” on September29-October 1 at the University ofNotre Dame in South Bend, Ind.The conference brought togetherhundreds of Catholic, Christianand secular scholars representing allthe main academic fields to discussa broad range of issues relating tothe way that a Catholic universitycan best respond to the call by thelate Pope John Paul II for arenewal of Catholic institutions ofhigher learning. The session, titled“The Active Embrace of Ex CordeEcclesiae: The Case Study of aSmall Liberal Arts University,”explored how the dialoguebetween faith and reason is beingapproached at BenedictineUniversity, ongoing challengesassociated with the embrace of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, and how thoselessons might be applied elsewhere.

Larry Kamin (Biological Sciences)gave a speech in October to theDuPage Chapter of the Wild Onesat the Willowbrook Wildlife Centerin Glen Ellyn. The speech was onthe Jurica Tallgrass Prairie projecton the Benedictine Universitycampus. Kamin’s three gardens oncampus were also part of the yardtour for the DuPage Chapter ofthe Wild Ones organization in July.

Fr. Michael Komechak, O.S.B.

(Curator of University artcollection) visited the SlovakRepublic on a group tour inSeptember in celebration of hisGolden Jubilee of Profession ofVows as a Benedictine monk of St. Procopius Abbey. Fr. Michaelwas also honored by the Folk ArtSociety of America during thegroup’s four-day conference inChicago by the presentation of apainted metal, eight-foot roosterby Kentucky artist Minnie Adkins

Voluntary Subscriptions Support MagazineThe cost of publishing and mailing Benedictine Voices, the alumni magazine, continues to increase.

Your tax-deductible gift of $15 helps defray these mounting costs during difficult budget times.

This is strictly voluntarily. You can enclose your donation in the attached contribution envelope.

In Memory

It is with deep sympathythat the Universityannounces the passingof faculty memberCharlotte Ross, Ph.D.She was a long-standingmember of the Collegeof Education andHealth Services. Rossdied this past October.

Benedictineat the NewLincolnMuseum inSpringfield

Dan Nohl (Computer

Science) visited the

new Abraham

Lincoln Presidential

Library and Museum

in Springfield this

summer and noticed

that Benedictine

University was listed

on the donors wall

under the heading

“Rail-Splitter.”

Benedictine donated

the historically

accurate “Lincoln

Funeral Train”

exhibit that was

once on display at

the University and

was created by

former faculty

member Wayne

Wesolowski.

Nohl also

took some

time from

his hectic

tourist

schedule

to pose

with a

former

Illinois political figure (a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln) who

is said to have achieved some fame on the national level.

Y ou can add two more events to theburgeoning resume of the SportsComplex at Benedictine University

in Lisle: the NCAA Division II Women’sLacrosse Championship on May 13 and 14 and the NCAA III Track and FieldChampionships on May 25-27.

The consortium of the Village of Lisle,Benedictine University and the LisleConvention and Visitors Bureau earned theright to host the sixth annual championship in NCAA II women’s lacrosse — as well as theNCAA Division III track and field meet — byoffering a combination of outstanding facilities,hospitality and a commitment to a qualityexperience for the participants.

“We are in a unique position to bring adiverse slate of activities to Lisle simply by utilizing The Sports Complex as thecenterpiece of these efforts,” said WilliamCarroll, president of the University. “This, in turn, can have many other benefits to ourcommunity in terms of social and economicvalue, as well as generating a tremendousamount of exposure for both our campusand the Village. We are committed to doing everythingwithin our power to make this a memorable and funexperience for all of the participants.”

Lisle Mayor Joe Broda echoed Carroll’s sentiments. “I have nodoubt that the community will embrace these athletes duringtheir championship visit to Lisle.”

This will be the first time that the NCAA Division II Women’sLacrosse Championship has been played anywhere but at anEast Coast site.

Lacrosse is now the fastest growing high school sport for girlsin the United States, with a large percentage of that growthoccurring with the addition of new high school lacrosseprograms in the Midwest and West. This tremendous growthand popularity of the sport has carried into Division IIwomen’s lacrosse, which is the fastest growing NCAA divisionin terms of athletic programs offering the sport. �

Vitalitye a g l e s c e n t e r

Winter 2006 31

Benedictine, Village of Lisle to Host Women’s Lacrosse Finals and NCAA III Track and FieldChampionships in 2006

Vitality e a g l e s c e n t e r


The Benedictine University volleyball teamclaimed the 2005 Northern Illinois-IowaConference (NIIC) championship by going5-0 in the NIIC regular season andfinishing second in the league’stournament. The NIIC combines the regularseason league matches and post-seasontournament results to determine itschampion.

The Eagles (24-14) edged Aurora by one half point (11 to 10 1/2) in theoverall final NIIC standings. The NIICchampionship was the 23rd conferencecrown — and seventh in the past eight seasons — for the Eagles’ program. Benedictine also won the NIIC title in 2004.

Two-thirds of Benedictine’s starting lineups — four players in all — werealso honored by the NIIC on its all-conference teams.

The quartet of honorees was led by senioroutside hitter Jessica Tuchowski (OrlandPark, Ill.). Not only did Tuchowski earn hersecond All-NIIC award in as many years at

Benedictine, but she was also selected asthe NIIC’s “Player of the Year” for the2005 season.

Tuchowski did a little bit of everything forthe Eagles during their championship runof 2005. She ranked fifth in the NIIC inboth service aces (0.58 a.p.g.) and digs(6.08 d.p.g.), while also finishing sixth in the league for kills per game (3.62 k.p.g).

Joining Tuchowski on the All-NIIC first teamwere sophomore Danielle Mikos (Burbank,Ill.) and junior Liz Fredlund (Warren,Mich.). Senior Jill Burton (Lemont, Ill.)capped her Benedictine career by beingtabbed as NIIC honorable mention. �

The Benedictine University

Eagles volleyball team won its

second-consecutive Northern

Illinois-Iowa Conference

championship in 2005. Team

members included: (back row)

Jennifer Abel, Danielle Mikos,

assistant coach Brette Bower,

head coach Jennifer Wildes,

Katie Dotson, Liz Fredlund;

(middle Row) Rachel Sypole,

Sierra Griffin, Jamie Atkinson,

Angela Vitto, Jessica

Tuchowski, Jillian Burton;

(front row) Amanda Distasio,

Stephanie Denny, Stephanie

Bonic and Jackie Gonzalez.

Former WIU PlayerNew Women’s Tennis Coach Megan Weemer, a former standout playerat NCAA Division I Western IllinoisUniversity, was named as the head coachof the Benedictine University women’stennis team in time for the Fall 2005season. Weemer, a native of Sterling Ill.,previously served as an assistant coach atEastern Illinois University.

During the 2005 season, Weemer led theEagles to a runner-up finish in the NorthernIllinois-Iowa Conference.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunityto coach tennis at Benedictine,” Weemersaid. “I’m looking forward to working withan outstanding group of student-athletes ata great university in a small schoolenvironment.”

As a player, the former Megan Baker wasa three-time Most Valuable Player and atwo-time first-team All Mid-ContinentConference performer at Western Illinois,helping the Westerwinds to four straightrunner-up finishes in the Mid-ConTournament. She compiled a singles recordof 55-42 and a doubles mark of 50-35 inher four-year career (1995-99).

Weemer, her husband, Steve, and theirson, Payton, live in Oswego. �

by Tony Hamilton

Volleyball Team WinsNIIC Championship;Tuchowski Named“Player Of The Year”

The Chicago Bandits will be back at theSports Complex at Benedictine Universityin Lisle for the 2006 season.

The Bandits led the National Pro Fastpitch(NPF) softball league in attendance whilecompiling a league-best 41-7 record duringthe regular season. The Bandits lost 6-5 ineight innings to the Akron Racers in theNPF championship game August 28 in Lislethat was televised nationally on ESPN2.

Locally, the Bandits’ 40 league homegames and exhibitions attracted more than55,000 fans.

The team has received a verbalcommitment from star hurler Jennie Finchfor the 2006 season.

“This sets the tone for a bright future ofprofessional softball in Lisle and thesurrounding community,” said CharlesGregory, executive vice president atBenedictine University. �

Bandits Will Return To Sports Complex In 2006

by Phil Brozynski and Dave Beyer

The Office of Alumni Relations and your fellow alumni want to know what is new in your life. Tell us what you have been up to; what you do in your career; interesting travel; a new job,promotion or award; family news; and more.

Your Class Notes Can Win You A Prize

What’s new in your life? A marriage or a child? A new job or promotion?Have you been published or honored? Let us know!

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Please clip and mail to:Benedictine UniversityDebbie Smith/Alumni Association5700 College Road, Lisle, Illinois 60532

or fax (630) 829-6313e-mail [email protected]

For a limited time, we willrandomly choose threewinners out of the class notessection in each issue of Voicesmagazine. Share your newswith us and you are eligibleto win a Benedictine alumniprize. (Please note one winper person.)

Look for your name toappear in a special noticewithin the magazine andcontact alumni relationswithin the set amount of time to claim your prize.

Remember, even after you graduate, you are still connected here.

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Stay Connected. Visit our award-winning Web site — www.ben.edu

Join the

Benedictine

community on

May 11, 2006 in welcoming

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) as the

next speaker in the Great Issues–Great

Ideas Lecture Series. The former Secretary

of State (2001-2004) will give a

presentation at 7:30 p.m. and all are

welcome to attend.

For ticket information please call

(866) 468-4301 or www.ticketweb.com.

This event is presented in association with

Calamos Investments and media sponsor

Sun Publications.

Great Issues–Great Ideas,

bringing the world to Benedictine.

February 4Alumni Sweetheart Club Dinner/Dance

March 7Alumni “after-hours” Fitz’s Pub — Elmhurst

April 18Downtown Loop Alumni “after-hours” Event

May 11 Great Issues – Great Ideas Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)

May 21 Golden Eagles Reunion

May 21Commencement

July 17President’s Invitational Golf Outing

September 23Homecoming

November 4Educare Scholarship Ball

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