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Spring 2005

Even After You Graduate, You Are Still Connected Here

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

2 • Monastic PerspectiveWhere Was God During The Tsunami Disaster?

Contents

university news

20 • Pope John Paul II

• Catholic Perspective On EcologyAnd The Environment

• Student Newspaper Wins BigAt ICPA Convention

21 • Benedictine Offers Graduate Programs In China

22 • Benedictine Library Garners AwardFor Innovative Use Of Technology

• Benedictine Hosts Workshop Presenting Research Conducted At Poles

• Benedictine Helps To Deliver Sign OfGrowth And Development In Bellwood

23 • Students Earn M.B.A.s Online

• Professionals Benefit From CertificateIn Executive Coaching

24 • New Concentration In SportsCommunication

• New Program Introduces Students ToRapidly Growing Field Of SportsManagement

25-26 • Fast Facts

27 • King Annual Breakfast BringsPeople Together To Celebrate Diversity

28 • The Mission May Have Changed, But Abbot Hugh Continues To Charge Ahead

• Many Still Choose To Reject The World’s Chaotic Pace To Pursue Monastic Life

class/faculty notes

30 • Class Notes

32 • Faculty/Staff Notes

• Benedictine Celebrates First National Philanthropy Day, Creates Employee Legacy Garden

33 • David Swanson, 2005 Recipient Of The Benedictine Life Award

eaglescenter

35 • End-of-Season Winter HonorsFor The Eagles

35-36 • 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 withinthese pages, members of the Benedictinecommunity will speak with candor aboutissues facing our University and our world.We cordially invite you to enter intodialogue with us.

Spring 2005 | Volume 33 | Number 3

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

EditorLinda A. Hale

WritersBrian Bartoz, C05 Linda A. HalePhil Brozynski Tony HamiltonWilliam J. Carroll Fr. David Turner, O.S.B.Rita A. Dougherty

ContributorsPina Arnone Joan HenehanBrad Carlson Julie NelliganJulie Cosimo Debbie SmithNadia Darwish Christine Van DykCharles Gahala Therese Yaeger, Ph.D.Alan Gorr, Ph.D.

PhotographersH. Rick Bamman Julie NelliganBrian Bartoz, C05 Debbie SmithNadia Darwish

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

11 • Alumni Phonathon Night

• Students Celebrate A Chance To Say Thank You

• Sonntags Bring Print Studio To Life

12 • Alumni Board Donates Funds To FinishKrasa Conference Room

• Endowment Scholarship Ensures Daughter’s Memory Lives On

alumni news

13 • Alma Matters: Maryellen Lissak Giger

14 • Alumni Briefs

16 • The Haddad Alumni LifetimeAchievement Award

• Alumni Profiles: Carrie Johnson and Kimberly Skarr

17 • Giving Back: Partrick Blaney, D.D.S.

19 • Sweetheart Club Celebrates First Reception

4 - 10 • Many Ways To Stay Connected• A Look At Alumni Relations• Opportunities To Serve• Why ‘Giving Back’ Is Important To Everyone• Career Development Services• Focus On job Search: Alumni Talk About

Their Experiences• Focus On Job Search: Employers Explain

Themselves

Vision “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” — GOETHE

Values “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” — ROMANS 12:10

Vitality “The best educated human being is the one who understandsmost about the life in which he is placed.” — HELEN KELLER

Spring 2005 1

Throughout its history, the

transitions at Benedictine

University have been

impressive. It benefits

us occasionally to take a good look

at who we were and who we have

become. As the 19th Century faded

and the 20th Century dawned, the

school moved from Chicago to Lisle

because the monks sought space in

which to grow. As each rector took

over at St. Procopius College, they

built on the work of predecessors.

In this issue and the next two issues

of Voices, you will hear about the last

three living presidents, who continued

moving this University forward. The

first of the three living presidents is

Archbishop Daniel Kucera, O.S.B., who

was president of St. Procopius College

from 1959 to 1965, and then again

from 1971 to 1976. Fr. Roman

Galiardi, O.S.B., was president from

1965 to 1971, and he will be featured

in the fall issue. In the winter issue,

we will focus on Richard Becker, Ph.D.,

who was president from 1976 until

1994. Each of these men deserves

our grateful appreciation.

BENEDICTINEFR. DANIEL KUCERA,academic dean, becamepresident and started movingSt. Procopius College into themainstream of the academicworld. Right before hisappointment in April 1959, aLay Advisory Board becamethe first College Board ofTrustees. Harold Moser, nowdeceased, an early trustee andpatron of the University,would later spearhead thedecision to create a Master of Business Administration(M.B.A.) program. TedLownik, after whom LownikHall is named, was an earlychair of the Board andprovided excellent leadership.Other Trustees lent expertisein checking plans andmonitoring construction asthe institution expanded. Asecond residence, KohlbeckHall, was constructed in1960. That same yearenrollment reached the 500mark and 85 percent of thestudents were from within a30-mile radius of the campus.

“I was involved in theUniversity’s critical periodafter World War II,” saidArchbishop Daniel, “as theChicago suburbs began awestward expansion. Thepeaceful countryside of Lislewas falling prey to suburbansprawl, and eventually a seriesof major decisions had to be made by the monks —decisions that were

courageous, farsighted and timely. When I becamepresident in 1959, we had onebuilding, Benedictine Hall.Everything — the abbey,residence areas, seminary,college, academy, classroomsand offices were in the onebuilding. The college andacademy were really ‘monasticschools’ staffed almost entirelyby monks of the Abbey.”

Benedictine University could not have become the institution it is today iftough growth and expansiondecisions had not been made.The monastic chapterapproved the merger of St. Procopius Academy withSacred Heart Academy andBenet Academy was born. The monks built an Abbeyacross College Road, allowingthe college to expand itscurriculum and enrollment asit moved into the three-floorwing where some teachingmonks had lived since 1916.North Central Accreditationwas made possible when thecollege and academy were nolonger on the same campus.

As the school expanded, itbecame clear that the monkscould no longer fully staffboth the university and thehigh school. Talented,dedicated lay teachers werehired and welcomed into aclose-knit college family.Summer sessions wereintroduced in June 1961,

construction of a new libraryin 1962 and the first Board ofTrustees dinner to raise fundsfor the College was held onMay 10, 1963. In 1964, Fr. Daniel was elected the fifthabbot of St. Procopius Abbey,while remaining president of St. Procopius College for one year. The abbot isautomatically the chancellor of the University and BenetAcademy, so these twopositions kept him quite busy.

Fr. Daniel returned to St. Procopius College aspresident when Fr. ThomasHavlik, O.S.B., became thesixth abbot of St. ProcopiusAbbey in 1971. The Collegeenrollment hit a milestone of 1,022 students inSeptember of that year. There were 303 female and 719 male students — 900 of them were full-time. �

Standing On The Shoulders Of GiantsPART ONE IN A SERIES

William J. Carroll,President

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” — GOETHEVision

2 Benedictine Voices

continued from page 1

A grant from the SchollFoundation equipped amicrobiology laboratory,dedicated and named inmemory of WilliamScholl, M.D., in 1974.That same year a capitalcampaign with a goal of$5.6 million was initiatedto provide a physicaleducation learning center,administrative offices inBenedictine Hall andscholarship funds. In1976, Fr. Daniel steppedaside as president andbecame chairman of theBoard of Trustees todevote full-time to thecapital campaign. He waslater appointed auxiliarybishop of Joliet, thenBishop of Salina, Kansas,and finally, Archbishop ofDes Moines, Iowa, fromwhich he is now retired.

“Perhaps all of this seemslike ancient history topresent students andalumni,” he said. “Butone has to wonder whatwould have happened toBenedictine University inits several reincarnationsfrom St. ProcopiusCollege to IllinoisBenedictine College toBenedictine University, if the monks of St.Procopius had notaccepted a tremendouschallenge and madedecisions that ensured thepresent and future of thisUniversity. It is a glorioushistory, and I am proudto be part of it.”

In the next issue of Voices you

will read about the “Roman

Period” — Benedictine Fr. Roman

Galiardi, president, 1965 to 1971.

Indeed, this institution has been

built on the shoulders of giants. �

THE

mon

asti

cperspective

Some 47 years ago,when I was a juniorat St. ProcopiusCollege, our

philosophy curriculumincluded a course in“theodicy,” a course thatcould well be described as “the philosophy of God.” I recall so well howMonsignor Elias Denissoffstressed that the “God of the philosopher was not the God of revelation.” I have enjoyed dealing withtheodicy questions ever sincecompleting that course, andthe excitement it generatedled me to write my bachelor’sthesis on a theodicy question.

About two years later while studying theology, Iencountered a marvelous littlebook, Your God is Too Small,written by J. B. Phillips, anAnglican minister who is wellknown for his New Testamentin Modern English. At thevery outset of his book,Phillips sets as his purpose “to expose the inadequateconceptions of God which stilllinger unconsciously in manyminds, and which prevent ourcatching a glimpse of the trueGod; and to suggest ways inwhich we can find the realGod for ourselves.” Phillipsdeals with 13 “unreal gods.”

He describes, among others,the resident policeman, thegrand old man, managingdirector and perennialgrievance. The second part ofhis book attempts to give thepicture of “an adequate God,”a picture that is the result oflistening to what God has said of God’s own self.

Relative to the title of thisarticle, we see that a great deal of ink has been spilledand much radio time has been spent asking people ofdifferent faiths to interpret thetsunami and its devastation. In one of the written pieces,Benedictine Sister JoanChittister claimed, “Thequestion looks theological but it may be a dodge.” Sheexplained, “I never liked thequestion about God’s roleduring a tsunami because to me the answer seemedobvious, even if not easy: God was exactly where Godwas when Job’s friends, in theface of the collapse of hishealth, his wealth and hisreputation, demanded thatJob ask, too, how is it that thegood suffer and God doesnothing about it? ClearlyGod, the life force behind alllife, was allowing that life,both human and natural, to

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

Where Was God During The Tsunami Disaster?

INDIA

PAKISTAN

IRAN

SAUDI ARABIA

YEMEN

OMAN

SOMALIA

MALDIVESEARTHQUAKEEPICENTER

SRI LANKA

BANGLADESH

BURMA

THAILAND

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

Sumatra

Phuket

BandaAceh

Spring 2005 3

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

proceed unrestrained. It wasthat simple.”

In a similar way, ArchbishopSean Brady of Armagh,Ireland, claimed that we areasking age-old questions “not adequately answered bysound bites, pious phrases orshort articles.” Sister Joancontinued the discussion bystating the issue as: “Notwhere was God in thistsunami? The question is,Where were we? And why?”

A good number ofcommentators tried to insist that God does notmicromanage the universe.From a Catholic viewpoint,Civiltà Cattolica, a Romandaily that reflects a good bitof the thinking of variouspeople at the Vatican,suggested that we learn threelessons: the precariousness ofhuman beings, the need forsolidarity and the need forconversion. An editorial spokeplainly: “. . . to see divinepunishment in naturaldisasters is an error which puts God, as revealed by Jesus Christ in the Gospel,into question.” The editorialattempted to remind people“God can draw good for maneven from the most painfuland tragic situations.”

in a special way on the path of suffering. St. Paul in his letter to the Galatiansexplained quite simply: “Bearone another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law ofChrist” (Gal 6:2).

The encyclical reminds thereader that the Bible is a greatbook about suffering. From aChristian perspective, we cansay that with the passion ofChrist, human suffering hasfound itself in a new situation.While we can focus on being a sharer in the sufferings ofChrist, we can at the sametime go forward “through thethick darkness of humiliation,doubts, hopelessness andpersecution” and answer thequestion, “Where is God in all this?” Depending on howwe show our love and care forothers, the question mightnot even need to be asked.The presence of God will beexperienced through the loveof people for others. Much as we see in Chapter 25of the Gospel of Matthew:“Whatever you did for one ofthese least brothers or sistersof mine, you did it for me.”

The suggestion was made thatthe Asian tragedy was a “callto solidarity” and the fact that“the real problem of thecountries hit by the tsunami is that of reconstruction.”Attempting to get ourcontemporary world to faceroot problems, one writerquestioned why “enormoussums of money are wasted by the search for, andconstruction of, ever moreterrible and deadly weapons as if the already existingimmense arsenals of nucleararms, which can destroy theplanet many times over, werenot sufficient.”

It might be good for us to go back to J. B. Phillips andrecognize that our God is too small. We limit our ideasto the various stereotypessuggested by Phillips thatmake God something thatGod is not. At the same time,it would seem that we are in a unique position to act inloving ways to help needysisters and brothers and makethe true love of God flowthrough us. In 1984, PopeJohn Paul II issued anencyclical letter titled “On theChristian Meaning of HumanSuffering.” He stressed that itis the task of the Church tomeet the people of the world

This ideal finds its way intothe Rule of St. Benedict:“Care of the sick must rankabove and before all else, sothat they may truly be servedas Christ” (RB 36:1). As wemay participate in variousprograms that may provide aid to the tsunami victims, our focus needs to go beyondthe purely philanthropic toseeing that we are part of thesuffering of others throughour love and care.

Pope John Paul II ended hisencyclical rather strongly:“In the terrible battlebetween the forces of goodand evil revealed to our eyesby the modern world, mayyour suffering in union with the cross of Christ bevictorious.” The questionmay continue to be asked,“Where was God during thedisaster?” We sincerely hopethat our presence, care andaid to others will answer that question. “God is trulypresent in their midstthrough our love.” �

As of February 22, 2005, government agencies and the United Nations said the death toll stood at 169,752 with 127,294 people listed as missing.


S t a y c o n n e c t e d

A L U M N I &

s e r v i c e s

c a r e e r

The Office of Alumni Relations servesBenedictine alumni on many levels. Even afteryou graduate, you are still connected here.Being an alumnus of Benedictine means you arefamily, a part of a community that welcomesyou back while encouraging you to moveforward with your life. We are a community

that wants to hear about your successes andyour life experiences. We want you to live theBenedictine values in your everyday life so you can be a positive instrument in this chaotic world. Benedictine is proud to call you one of our own.

Spring 2005 5


President’s Invitational Golf Outing for alumni to bringbusiness partners together for a day of golf while helpingraise funds for much needed student scholarships.

The Alumni Web site contains up-to-date information on events, benefits, reunions and more. (Go towww.ben.edu/alumni for alumni information.)

Educare Scholarship Ball for alumni to enjoy an evening of food, dancing and other entertainment while raisingmoney for student scholarships.

Several opportunities for alumni to give back by attendingand/or volunteering at alumni related events.

We hope you are able to takeadvantage of the services/eventslisted above to bring you closer tothe Benedictine community, as wellas to help you grow personally andprofessionally. �

a L o o k a t a l u m n i r e l a t i o n s

Serving Benedictine’s Alumni Family

Here are some opportunities the alumni relations office provides:

Anniversary class reunions to renew and reconnect with classmates.

Workshops with Career Development to enhance your career goals.

Homecoming activities to enjoy tailgating, football and friends.

Affiliations offering benefits for alumni to utilize (current list on alumni Web site).

A new Alumni Directory to keep you connected with otheralumni (delivery scheduled for early 2006).

Networking to help alumni find other alumni (old roommates,special friends, etc.).

The Alumni Board that offers a fair representation of thealumni population in matters such as activities, fund raisingefforts and visibility.

Special programs such as mentoring of other alumni incareer transition, career searches, relocation and careeradvice (Alumni mentors are utilized for currently enrolledstudents as well.).

Communicating campus updates, alumni news and more, through such mediums as Voices magazine,e-mail, Web site and mail.

Even after you graduate, you are

still connected here.

Why ‘Giving Back’ Is Important ToEveryone


Benedictine alumni come from many backgrounds and

walks of life, but all have one thing in common — after

graduation they have a Benedictine base to pull from in

both their personal and professional lives. The values

learned along with their education will always be a part of each graduate.

Because of this richbackground, we want you to share your lives with us.We want you to stay a part of the University in any way that you can. Whether it is through volunteering,financial donations, attendingalumni events, participating in campus events or justcontacting us and letting usknow where you are and what you are doing, it’s all part of “giving back.”

It is a human tradition tocarry on experiences andstories to the next generation.To look forward without ever stopping to look backand reflect is to miss out onmany fulfilling moments inlife. We are only as strong asthe generation before us. Weneed to help those that comeafter us, as those before usensured our successes.

Alumna Holly Wehmeyer,C94, a literature andcommunications major,contacted the alumni officelast year wanting to organizea “scholars reunion.” Shesaid, “We became so closewhile we were in school thatit would be a shame to losethat bond.” A couple morealumni were willing to help,

and together they arranged avery successful event of about25 attendees. What came outof the event was renewedfriendships and a bond thatwill never be lost again.

During the 2004Homecoming activities, the class of 1969 wanted tohave an “off year” reunion, so they contacted the alumnioffice. Together with acommittee of about fiveclassmates, reunion activitieswere formulated andapproximately 40 peopleattended the event. Many had not been back to campusfor a long time, so it wasexciting for them to see themany changes and greatprogress the University hasmade. Again, friendships wererenewed, as well as a sense ofpride among the alumni tohave been a part of this greatUniversity and to be able toshare that with their families.

The Benedictine Universityswim team wanted to bringalumni back to campus aswell. In 2003, the group helda reunion after a swim meetand 17 alumni attended. In2004 there were 50 inattendance. At that reunion,alumni brought their families

MentoringOne of the services alumni relations

provides that involves helping others

is the mentoring services of Alumnet.

This is for alumni who want to mentor

other alumni in job searches, relocation,

continuing education and more. We are also looking for

alumni who would be willing to mentor current students

in such areas as curriculum choices, job opportunities

or dealing with academic challenges. It is a wonderful

opportunity to stay connected and to give back to others

with your time and knowledge.

For anyone interested in volunteering, please go to

www.ben.edu/alumni/alumnet to fill out the form,

or contact Julie Nelligan, alumni relations director,

at (630) 829-6077 or [email protected].

Alumni Association BoardAlumni Board members have been

featured in Voices magazine over the

last several issues and we hope you

have enjoyed reading about your fellow

alumni. These individuals contribute

a great deal to the University through their volunteerism

on the Board.

The Alumni Board represents the alumni as a whole. The

Board makes decisions that affect alumni in positive ways,

such as the approval of additional alumni benefits, volunteer

opportunities, Homecoming/reunion activities and

continuous financial support to the University. The Board

raised $50,000 for a room in Kindlon Hall and more

recently, supplied the funds necessary to complete the

construction of a conference room in the lower level of

the Krasa Center. This room will serve the Board for their

meetings as well as other departments in the University

who require meeting space.

The Board is made up of 24 members and includes

representation from the alumni relations office and the

Abbey. Meetings are held quarterly on campus and new

members are always welcome. If you are interested in

serving approximately a three-year term, contact Julie

Nelligan at (630) 829-6077 or [email protected]. �

opportunities to serve a l u m n i

OfferingAlumni Life-longCareerSupport

Spring 2005 7


to enjoy a swim meet and afterwards spent timetalking with friends andstudents. Several alumni askedhow they could help to bringeven more people to thegathering next year.

These are just a few examplesof the pride alumni feel whenthey “give back.” Bringingtheir children to campus tosee where they went toschool, which residence hallsthey lived in and where theyworked brings a sense ofpride. There is a bond thatexists here that isn’t found at a large university. AtBenedictine we encouragealumni to care about eachother because, after all, theyare family.

We invite you to take sometime to come back for a visit,a special event or to help outwith a simple e-mail to astudent in need. We need you to keep the Benedictinepride alive and well. Thesecret of “giving back” is that it enriches the human soul — and that is a benefit for everyone. �

Career Assessment Tools —A variety of inventories areavailable to alumni to assist incareer-related self-exploration.There is a $10 fee for thisservice.

Career Resource Library —Career Developmentmaintains a comprehensivelibrary that includes careerand job search-related booksand handouts, free magazines,Web links, graduate schooland company information.

Job Fairs — CareerDevelopment co-sponsorsCareerFest and TeacherFestannually with the IllinoisSmall College PlacementAssociation (ISCPA). ISCPAis a consortium of smallprivate colleges in Illinois of which Benedictine is amember. In addition, CareerDevelopment sponsors aCollaborative Internship Fairin the fall and a Career Fair inthe spring for those seekingfull-time career opportunities.

On-Campus Recruiting —Employers interviewBenedictine students andalumni on BenedictineUniversity’s campus or on the campus of anothermember school of the ISCPA.For a schedule of interviewsand to read about otherservices of the ISCPA, visitwww.iscpa.org.

Networking Opportunities —Alumnet: A network ofBenedictine alumni who areinterested in assisting fellowstudents and alumni withcareer-related needs.

Local Job Clubs: CareerDevelopment often refersalumni to local job clubs.

Resume Referral — CareerDevelopment will forwardqualifying resumes toemployers upon their request.

Alumni may register withCareer Development for this service.

Job Opportunities — CareerDevelopment posts full-timedegree required positions andinternship positions on theISCPA’s Web site. Visitwww.iscpa.org and clickISCPA Jobs to view the jobs.

Career Seminars andPrograms — CareerDevelopment hosts an“Alumni Career Series” which features three programs per year on different career topics. For information on theseevents and other careerseminars, please visit the Web at www.ben.edu/careerdevelopment and lookunder “Coming Events.”

Individual Career Counseling — The CareerDevelopment staff can offerindividual assistance with avariety of topics related to the career developmentprocess. Topics include careerexploration, career transitions,resume writing assistance,mock interviews and jobsearch techniques.

Employers — CareerDevelopment has relationshipswith many area employers.Visit the Web for a sample ofemployers who have recruitedon campus, attended our job fairs or hired Benedictinestudents, graduates andalumni for internship and full-time positions.

This is another way for alumni to stay connected to the Benedictine family. If you would like to make an appointment to find out more information, call(630) 829-6040 or e-mail [email protected]. Visit the Web site at www.ben.edu/careerdevelopment. �

The Career Development Office

offers comprehensive services to

assist alumni in developing,

implementing and evaluating

career and life plans. Many people

think the services are offered only

to students, but in fact, the office

provides a life-long source of

career guidance and information

for all alumni. Following is a

comprehensive list of services

offered to alumni of Benedictine

University. (All services are free

to alumni except the career

assessment tools.)

c a r e e r d e v e l o p m e n t s e r v i c e s

p r i d e


How did you find your currentposition and how long did it take you?

I was a walk-in applicant atthe Naperville Target store.The employment process took two months andinvolved several interviewswith store and districtmanagers as well as requiredbackground checks.

In preparing for my jobsearch, I researchedprogressive corporations inservice industries. My pastwork history revealed that I was most successful in team focused, fast-paced work environments withinprogressive serviceorganizations. Target’s fast,fun and friendly culture wasthe best fit for my lifestyle.

How did your education prepareyou for your current position?

I credit my education andwork experience withpreparing me for my currenthuman resources managementand development position. My education has providedme with a broad knowledge ofglobal business operations aswell as the expert knowledgeof employment laws andhuman resources operations.

During my graduate studies, I expanded my knowledge ofdomestic and global businessoperations. I have a solidunderstanding of why andhow organizations mustchange in response to internaland external environmentalfactors, business trends andstakeholder expectations.

What job search resources did youuse for securing your position?

I used Benedictine’s CareerDevelopment job searchresources — including apractice interview — andonline job search resources. I also used popular job searchbooks from the library, whichguided me in preparing a self-assessment and personalmarketing plan as well asidentifying industries andemployers with businesscultures that complement my lifestyle.

What advice do you have forsomeone currently exploring the job market?

I would advise anyoneexploring the job market tocomplete a self-assessment:Know who you are, what you can offer an employer and how you will directlycontribute to the productivity

Rosalind R. Neal, C04M.B.A., HUMAN

RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT

CONCENTRATION

employer: Target

title: Human ResourcesManager/ExecutiveTeam Leader – Human Resources

a n s w e r s

q u e s t i o n s &

focus on job search Alumni

Talk

About

Their

Experiences

Spring 2005 9


and profitability of anorganization. Then, identifyand select careers in industriesthat complement your lifestyleand values; be committed tomanaging your personal andprofessional development;partner with personal andprofessional mentors who willchallenge you to be your best;and celebrate continuousimprovement while enjoying a life with purpose.

If you could, is there one thing you would have done differently in your job search?

I would have partnered more with my personal andprofessional mentors topractice answering behavioral/situational interview questionsin a team interview or insocial settings. �

Edith Fulgencio, C04SPANISH AND BIOLOGY

employer: DevryUniversity Online

title: Student ServicesCoordinator

David Wenke, C03MANAGEMENT AND

ORGANIZATIONAL

BEHAVIOR

employer:Castle Metals

title: Buyer/Inventory Analysis


Eight months through theBenedictine CareerDevelopment Center.


My education prepared me forthe different types of positionsavailable and also how towork with fellow employees.


Career Builder, IHSA CareerFest and BenedictineDevelopment Career Center.

What advice do you have forsomeone who is currently exploringthe job market?

The best advice someone gaveme was to talk to people youknow who are in a similar type of field. Sit down with afamily member, family friendor close acquaintance and askthem what their typical day islike at the job. This will help

you determine which type of career you would like topursue. In my case, I knewthat I wanted to pursue abusiness/corporate positionbut was unsure which one.My position allows me to deal with each aspect of thecompany. There is a great dealof marketing, finance, salesand economics involved. Thisexperience will help point mein the right direction towardmy career goals.


I would have started earlier. Iwould have talked to parentsof friends and family friends to see what they do for acareer. Then I would try tofind an internship in thatrelated field. Toward the endof my education, when it wastime to start searching for ajob, I would have gone backto those same people to see ifthey knew anyone hiring forthat position. �

training job. Apply well beforegraduation and do not simplyapply once and move on…bepersistent. Be picky, but alsobe careful not to be too picky.Set goals in reference to typeof job and time frame ingetting hired. This will serve as a form of self-motivation.


When I was job hunting, I failed to practice what I now preach — preparation. Ididn’t prepare myself well forthe employment search. �


It took me about eightmonths to find my position. Posting my résumé onMonster.com led to myemployment.


Benedictine teaches at a well-rounded level.The interaction with professors andsmall classescontributed a lot to my educationalpreparation.

I believe I possess a well-rounded set of skills that Iapply in my position.


I secured my position throughonline résumé posting. I dorecognize however, it ishelpful to know someone thatcan walk your résumé throughthe employment door. It’sabout networking.

What advice do you have forsomeone who is currently exploring the job market?

If possible, obtain aninternship or some type of

a n s w e r s

q u e s t i o n s &

Employers

Explain

Themselves

For more information on potential employers and job search techniques,contact the Office of Career Development at (630) 829-6040. �

company: Target Corporation


company: Castle Metals(as answered by

Sharon Gilbert, recruiter)

Business Profile for your company:

Castle Metals is one of thenation’s largest and mostrespected steel service centers.In business since 1890, CastleMetals provides warehousing,distribution and value addedservices to customers in manyindustries.

Please explain what your company does.

We are the middle-man in the steel industry. We get themetals from the steel mills, do whatever our customersneed done with it and then we ship it to them.

Why is your company a good place to work?

We offer great opportunity foradvancement, the people hereare dedicated and we havegreat benefits.

What do you look for in candidatesfor a position?

Good communication andorganizational skills.Professional presentation (in dress, speech and writtencommunication). A real desireto work and learn, more than

being primarily concernedwith what the company willdo for the job seeker.

Why do Benedictine Universitygraduates appeal to your company?

Because they meet the above criteria.

Do you anticipate hiring morecandidates for the remaining 2005 year?

Yes, definitely. We areexpanding our traineeprograms and have begun an internship program.

What advice do you have for peoplewho are looking for a job?

Know what you want to do.Don’t sound wishy-washy.Investigate the companybefore the interview. Dressappropriately for theinterview. Be able to sellyourself — give me goodreasons why I should hire you. Have an idea of the skills needed for your chosencareer and be able to sell meon those skills in you. �

Business Profile for your company:

Target Corporation is theparent company of TargetStores — America’s secondlargest general merchandiseretailer. Our other keybusinesses include Target.com,Target Financial Services,Associated MerchandisingCorporation and TargetCommercial Interiors.

Please explain what your company does.

Target is an upscale discounterwith an eye on high-quality,trend-right merchandise andthe basic stuff every familyneeds — all at affordable prices.When guests shop here, they’lldiscover a fast, fun and friendlyenvironment where shopping isa convenient and enjoyablebreak in the day.

Why is your company a good place to work?

We are a company living a clearvision: to be the best. In everyaspect of what we do, in everyarea of the company. We want

to be the favorite place toshop. To achieve this, wemust have the greatest team. A team with uniqueexperiences and differences aspeople, willing to bring theirpersonal best every single day.Employees also receive one of the best compensationpackages anywhere.

What do you look for in candidatesfor a position?

Intern Position: We arerecruiting college juniors and seniors from all areas of study who are strongcommunicators, people-oriented, leaders, open tolearning, decision-makers andstrong planners/organizers.

Executive Team Leader andExecutive Team Leader Assets Protection: Collegegraduates with exceptionalcommunication skills, abilityto develop self and others,who can champion and drivechange and have an opennessto learning.

focus on job search

WWilliam and Susan Sonntaghave given generously toBenedictine to enrich the Fine Arts program.

The Sonntags gave a generousdonation of $35,000 for thepresses in the Print Studio.This included an etching pressand the Plucked ChickenPress, as it is called, both ofwhich are important additionsto the department.According to WilliamScarlato, professor of fine arts,the presses were an importantaddition to BenedictineUniversity’s art programs,enabling significantcurriculum expansion and

offering more opportunitiesto students.

They also gave a generous giftof $10,000 with a matchinggift of $5,000 from WilliamSonntag’s former employer,the Ford Motor Company.This gift was for thecompletion of the Art Studioin Scholl where the pressesare housed.

The Sonntags have twodaughters who attendedBenedictine, KatherineKlamerus, C85, and Jane Richmond, C86.Benedictine’s art curator, Fr. Michael Komechak,

O.S.B., is Susan’s brother. “I wanted to give back toBenedictine University for allit has done for my family,”said Susan Sonntag. �

B

Spring 2005 11

Values “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” — ROMANS 12:10

Benedictine Universityhonored generous donorswho funded numerousendowed scholarships at aspecial commemorative dinneron February 16.

The students who receivedthe scholarships and theirparents were present toreceive recognition andexpress their appreciation tothe donors. Senior BrianBartoz, the KelloggScholarship recipient, spokeon behalf of his fellow

scholarship recipients.“Individuals such as thescholarship donors heretonight make all thedifference in helping studentsafford a college degree,” saidBartoz. Indicating howimportant the opportunity isto students, he added, “Thecollege experience involvespersonal growth anddevelopment,” referring tocampus activities, researchopportunities and interactionswith faculty and peers.

Chairman of the Board ofTrustees Will Gillett, who isalso a scholarship donor,attended the event, as well asTrustee Douglas Hoffman.President William Carroll,who presided over the event,recognized each donor byname and explained thehistory of each scholarship.

To learn more about donatingto, or establishing, a studentscholarship, contact the Office of Advancement at(630) 829-6008. �

Students Celebrate A Chance To Say Thank You To Scholarship Donors

Susan and William Sonntag.

O

AlumniPhonathonNight

On March 15, alumni

volunteered to work a night

in the phonathon room. They

were assigned to call fellow

classmates from their

graduating class and ask for

donations for the annual fund.

These efforts raised $1,100.

“We are so grateful for

everyone who took the time

to help bring in necessary

funds to the University and

to all the generous people

at home who said ‘yes,’ ”

said Julie Nelligan, alumni

relations director.

If you are interested in being

a part of the next alumni

phonathon, contact alumni

relations at (630) 829-6077. �

Sonntags Bring Print Studio To Life

T h a n k Y o u

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


family has also purchased a bench that will be placednear the tree to provide aplace to reflect and remembertheir daughter.

Robert, Pamela andChristopher Cebrzynski,Cindy’s parents and brother,despite their grief, havechosen to celebrate theirdaughter’s life and thedifference she made not onlyon the Benedictine campusbut in the lives of so many.Cindy had a passion forhelping people and a love forlearning. She was activelyinvolved in a variety ofcampus clubs and activities.

Cindy truly impacted theBenedictine community inmany ways. Therefore, the

Fr. Michael Komechak,O.S.B., to select artwork for the room’s walls.

The Alumni Board decided to donate funds toward theconference room project at its November 2004 meeting.The Board’s revenue from a MBNA BenedictineUniversity affinity credit card program and aninsurance affinity programwith Liberty Mutual providedthe funds for the project. The programs contribute aportion of the cardholder’s or policyholder’s purchases to the Alumni Board.

In the months prior to the establishment of theconference room, the Board

met in an open area of theKrasa Center’s lower level.This new room will providemany groups with a moreconducive environment for meetings.

Kucia sees the project asanother way for the AlumniBoard to contribute to futuregenerations of students.“We’re always looking foropportunities to give back to the University,” she said.

For more information aboutthe Alumni Board, theMBNA or Liberty Mutualprograms, contact JulieNelligan, alumni relationsdirector, at (630) 829-6077or [email protected]. �

Benedictine University’sAlumni Board donated$3,000 toward arecently finished

conference room in the KrasaCenter. The conference roomwill serve as a regular meetingplace for the Alumni Board.

“We have a home now,” said Patrice Kucia, Alumni Board treasurer, during the Board’s February meeting held in the newconference room.

The donation allowed crewsto install carpet and drywall to finish the space. Futureplans call for purchasingfurniture from additionaldonations and working with

Alumni Board Donates Funds To Finish Krasa Conference Room by Brian Bartoz, C05

Endowed Scholarship Ensures Daughter’s Memory Lives On

Cebrzynski family decided one way to honor theirdaughter/sister, while helpingothers, was to create anendowed scholarship. Thisscholarship will ensure thatCindy’s memory and legacywill live on in the BenedictineCommunity in perpetuity.Each year the scholarship will be awarded to anundergraduate student whohas declared a major in eitherhealth science or biology, whohas an intent to pursue a

career in nursing, who hasbeen actively involved onthe Benedictine campusand who has a minimumgrade point average of 3.0. The Cindy CebrzynskiEndowed Scholarship willfirst be awarded in the2005-2006 academic year.

For more informationabout creating ascholarship or thescholarship program, pleasecontact Tracy Schultz at(630) 829-6072. �

by Joan Henehan

When tragedystrikes, it isnatural forpeople to feel

the need to do something.This call to action is a wayto cope and begins thehealing process. Themembers of the StudentGovernment Association are no exception. Whentheir friend and classmatedied in an automobileaccident last fall, thestudents immediatelydecided to purchase amemorial tree as a way tocelebrate the life of CindyM. Cebrzynski. Theydecided to plant the treenear the student rock byLake St. Benedict, on thesouthwest corner of thecampus. The Cebrzynski

Cindy M. Cebrzynski and her parents Robert and Pamela.

Valuesa l u m n i n e w s

Spring 2005 13

journal articles), is listed asthe inventor/co-inventor onapproximately 25 patents, andserves as a reviewer for variousgranting agencies includingthe National Institute ofHealth and the U.S. Army.Giger is an associate editor for Medical Physics and IEEETransactions on MedicalImaging and is a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and the American Institute of Medical and BiologicalEngineers.

Her résumé is lengthy, withnumerous other notableachievements and distinctions.This in itself has given Giger a huge impact on herprofession, but she has goneone step further by workingto improve mammograms to

One of Maryellen Giger’s current priorities pertains to the ability of radiologists to properly interpret images of

cancer in mammograms. The ability of radiologists to read mammograms varies widely. Therefore, radiologists

sometimes miss a mammogram’s positive test results. Giger is a proponent of, and a researcher on, developing

the use of computers to serve as a “second opinion” to help ensure that mammograms showing indications of

cancer are not misinterpreted.

help patients get moreaccurate and life-savingdiagnoses.

Giger credits her career in part to her time atBenedictine, where she metmath instructor Rose Carney,now professor emeritus.Carney was instrumental not only in Giger’s pursuit of math and physics, but also in helping her obtain aresearch summer internship at Fermilab and a Rotaryfellowship for graduate studyin physics at Exeter Universityin England. These experiencespiqued Giger’s interest andhelped form some importantpersonal relationships thatfurthered both her futureeducation and career inradiologymedical physics.

Giger is proud to be aBenedictine alumna claiming“IBC [now BenedictineUniversity] gave me a solideducation that was rich inBenedictine tradition, as wellas multiple opportunities,both within coursework andextracurricular activities, tobroaden my horizon.”

She is married to anotherBenedictine alumnus, CharlesGiger, M.D., C78, whospecializes in internal medicineat Elmhurst MedicalPhysicians. They have fourchildren, Megan, 18, Jennifer,17, Charlie, 14, and Eric, 8.

Maryellen Lissak Giger is analumna who is making animportant difference in theworld and helping to carryout the Benedictine values. �

Photo: the Giger Family:

Charles, C78, Eric, Maryellen,

C78, Megan, Jennifer and

Charlie.

One graduate who is making adifference isMaryellen Lissak

Giger, M.D., C78. Giger ispresently professor ofradiology at the College at theUniversity of Chicago (UIC).She is also the director of theGraduate Programs in MedicalPhysics at UIC (serving aschair of the Ph.D. degreegranting Committee onMedical Physics). She alsoserves as chief of radiologicalsciences and associate chair forresearch in the Department of Radiology at UIC. Giger is considered one of thepioneers in the developmentof computer-aided diagnosis(CAD). She has authored or co-authored more than240 scientific manuscripts(including 120 peer-reviewed

Maryellen Lissak Giger, C78

Helping To

Improve

Life-Saving

Technology

m a t t e r sa l m a

Benedictine University

is proud to have many

accomplished graduates

in the sciences. All

Benedictine graduates

are encouraged to go out

into the world and make

a difference for the better,

help those in need and

make the most of their

chosen profession.

Even After You Graduate, You Are Still Connected Here

There 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.

Benedictine UniversityAlumni Day With The Cubs Come join us for a funSunday afternoon at WrigleyField in Chicago on July 31.We have a limited number oftickets in the reserved outfieldfor Benedictine Universityalumni. Cost is $32 per ticket,limit four per alumni andincludes transportation on an air-conditioned bus to and from the park.

We will meet oncampus in the

Krasa Centerparking lot at 10:30 a.m. andpromptly leaveat 11:00 a.m.

for the game. We will board the

bus after the gameand return back to

campus. The Chicago Cubsare playing the ArizonaDiamondbacks at 1:20 p.m.

To order your tickets, contact Julie Nelligan at (630) 829-6077. Please do not e-mail your requests. A confirmation of your orderwill follow via e-mail. Hurryand get in on this great deal — tickets are limited. �

A Special Occasion: 40th Anniversary Of Educare Scholarship BallBring your friends and celebrate 40 years of the EducareScholarship Ball with us. On Saturday, November 5, thecampus will be transformed into a “special surprise” as wegather not only to celebrate this special occasion, but to raisemoney for student scholarships.

We are asking for your support through sponsorships, gifts inkind and attendance. If your class is celebrating a special year,purchase an entire table and you will receive recognition duringthe evening’s festivities.

For more information or to support the ball, contact DebbieSmith, assistant alumni relations director, at (630) 829-6080 or [email protected].

It’s a very special year for this important fund raiser, please callyour fellow classmates and join in the fun. �

BenedictineHeritage WineIf you haven’t purchased yourbottle, or better yet, a case ofthis fabulous wine, do so now.There is still some availablewith the exclusive labelbearing the rendering ofBenedictine Hall. Thesebottles won’t last muchlonger, so take advantage of this offer now.

David Rausch, Ph.D.,professor emeritus ofchemistry, personally selectedthis wine from northern Napa County, California. It is a full flavored wine with a lot of fruit on the forwardpalate. The many alumni who have purchased the wine can attest that it is excellent.

Stop by the Office of AlumniRelations in the Krasa Center

Values a l u m n i n e w s

14

Benedictine University/MBNA Credit CardOffers New BenefitMBNA has successfullylaunched its AmericanExpress-branded credit cardprogram with NO annual fee. It will be offered onlyto Benedictine alumni. The offer also includes the following benefits:

Exceptional Rewards —

rewards for every purchaseplus double points for traveland dining charges untilJanuary 1, 2006.

Special Privileges — freeadditional cards, personalconcierge services and special merchant offers for great savings.

Travel Security — peaceof mind with the 1,700American Express traveloffices in more than 130

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

March Alumni After Hours At Fitz’s PubIt was a great time for alumni who gathered at Fitz’s Pub in Elmhurst on March 10 for an evening of networking, fun, food andrefreshments. Alumni Jim Friel, C82, andTerry Fitzharris, C67, own the Pub and havehosted this March alumni after hours for anumber of years. �

On March 22, alumna Micki Lewis, C00, presented a workshoptitled “Packaging Yourself.” This interactive workshop includedmarketing strategies, targeted tactics, tools for success andpersonal action steps. More than 30 people attended theworkshop, including community members, alumni, students and staff. One attendee said, “I wasn’t sure what this workshopwould be about, but I have learned so much tonight. I’m veryexcited to use the information I received.”

Career Development/Alumni Relations Workshops are offeredapproximately two times per year to assist students and alumni in professional development.Contact the alumnioffice for informationon upcomingworkshops. �


Spring 2005 15

Nominations for Alumni Awards

Career Development/Alumni Relations Workshop:“Packaging Yourself”

today to purchase a bottle for $35 or a case for $400. You can enjoy this wine whileknowing you are supportingstudent scholarships. Foradditional information, call (630) 829-6077. �

The Alumni Association is now accepting nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Recognition Awards. All Benedictine University alumni and friends are invited to submit nominations. The three awards, which are conferred at Commencement each year, are:

Distinguished Alumni Award — In recognition of outstandingachievement in a career field or personal endeavor.

Alumni Service Award — In gratitude for current or past service to the University and/or the Alumni Association. Given to an alumnus/a who has made significant donations of time and talent to Benedictine.

Benedictine Spirit Award — Presented to an alumnus/a who has exemplified the Benedictine values of service, hospitalityand dedication to a given cause in their personal and/orprofessional life.

All nominations will be evaluated by a subcommittee of theBoard of Directors of the Alumni Association, which will make recommendations to the president of the University, the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the director of alumni relations for final selection.

Submit nominations to the Office of Alumni Relations,Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL 60532 or at www.ben.edu/alumni/awards. �

MAY 22

Commencement

Golden Eagles Reunion

JUNE 22

African American

Alumni Reunion

JULY 18

President’s Invitational

Golf Outing —

Cress Creek County Club

JULY 31

Chicago Cubs

Alumni Game

AUGUST 28

New Freshmen/

Alumni BBQ

SEPTEMBER 23

Math/Science Reunion

OCTOBER 22

Homecoming

NOVEMBER 5

40th Anniversary

Educare Scholarship Ball

Stay Connected

Your Ticket to 2005

University Events

countries, and AmericanExpress travel and rental car insurance.

Retail Assurance — fraudliability and extended warrantyprotection against theft anddamages for your security.

World-Class Service —

MBNA’s unmatched 24-hourcustomer service.

This offer is being madeavailable exclusively toBenedictine Universityalumni. Upgrade to theMBNA American ExpressCard and/or carry it as acompanion to your existingMBNA cards. This is also afund raising opportunity: a portion of card purchasesbenefits the University.

More information will bemailed to you, but if you want to sign up now call(630) 829-6077 or send ane-mail to [email protected]. �



Kimberly Skarr also was involved in many activities while a student at Benedictine. She was aresident assistant and servedon the Student GovernmentAdvisory Board (ExecutivePresident 99-00). She starteda chapter of AmnestyInternational and was involvedin the Coalition on Women’sIssues, the MarksvilleLouisiana Service Trips(Summers of ’98 and ’99), the Sci-Fi Club, the ModelUN, the Springfest Chair1999, the Game Day Team,Programming Council andnumerous conferences.

“Benedictine is a smallcampus, so it was easy to

get involved. Sometimesfellow students, faculty andstaff members roped me into activities as well. Theseusually became the best ofexperiences, such as thesummers I spent in Louisiana.There, I was able to do reallygreat work for a lower incomeCatholic grammar school. It was truly inspiring.

“Not only did I make life-long friends on campus, beinginvolved also offered manyopportunities throughout the country. For instance, Itraveled to New York City forthe Model UN and I was ableto network with people fromaround the world from manydifferent colleges. [Another

great moment for me was]when I was a student leader, I was able to have dinner withArchbishop Desmond Tutu.That was one of the mostmemorable days of my lifeand I will always be gratefulto Benedictine for theexperience,” said Skarr.

Skarr is currently working at Kendall College inChicago. “My experiences at Benedictine have followed me and I hope to be able to work in different colleges and universities throughoutmy career to help create great possibilities for otherstudents,” concluded Skarr. �

If you were a student leader while at Benedictine let us know how it has helped you in your life

and/or career. E-mail information to [email protected].

The HaddadAlumni LifetimeAchievementAward

p r o f i l e sa l u m n i

On January 26,2005, a new awardwas conferred on a

Benedictine Universityalumnus. This award will begiven to those alumni who“foster the Benedictinespirit of community anddemonstrate the Benedictinevalues of stewardshipthrough their generosityand lifelong learning.”

The first recipient of thisaward, and for whom theaward was named, is Dr.

Elias Haddad,C69, for hismany years of support toBenedictineUniversityand to thecommunity.Haddad, alongwith his wife,Donna, alwaysattendedalumni events.He alsoassisted inorganizing his

class reunions. Both ofHaddad’s sons, Laitham,C01, and Eric, C05,attended the University.

Haddad passed away onFebruary 22, 2005, but he left a legacy to theUniversity in the form of a scholarship, the Mtanisand Ajia Haddad MemorialScholarship in the NaturalSciences, in honor of hisparents. Donations to thisscholarship may be made at (630) 829-6362 [email protected].

Benedictine is honored tohave had Haddad and hisfamily as a part of theUniversity community. Hewill be dearly missed. �

Student Leaders Then and Now

“Benedictine offered a widerange of terrific studentactivities, including the schoolnewspaper. I doubt if I hadattended a larger school that I would ever have had achance to immerse myself inas many new experiences asdeeply as I did during my fouryears in Lisle. Those programsintroduced me to new ideasand to friends I cherishtoday,” stated Johnson.

Johnson is currently a businessreporter at the WashingtonPost, where she coverscorporate scandals and theSecurities and ExchangeCommission. Some of thecases she has reported in thepast few years include theprosecution of the former

leader of Tyco InternationalLtd., various guilty pleas andindictments of former EnronCorporation executives andthe ongoing criminal trial ofthe former chief executive ofHealthSouth Corporation.

“Having a solid backgroundin journalism dating back tomy days at Benedictine is acontinuing source ofprofessional strength andsupport for me. Often in myjob, I am forced to quickly get up to speed on anunfamiliar topic. The liberalarts education I received from IBC [BenedictineUniversity] became animportant foundation onwhich I continue to build,”concluded Johnson. �

Carrie Johnson, C94 — From The Candor to the Washington Post

Kimberly Skarr, C00 — From having great experiences to trying to provide them for others

Carrie Johnson graduatedfrom Benedictine Universitywith a bachelor of arts inliterature and communication.She also earned a master ofarts in mass communicationfrom the University ofWisconsin-Madison in 1996.

While at Benedictine, she was the editor of The Candorstudent newspaper and hadalso served as the sports editorand an assistant editor. Sheparticipated in the ScholarsProgram, the Peer TutoringProgram, the Model UNProgram and explored variousother student activities,including studentgovernment, during her senior year.

Portrait of

Dr. Haddad.

Artist:

Irene O’Neill.


Spring 2005 17

Most of ustake ourdental carefor granted.When weneed a

cleaning or have a problem,we simply call our local dentistand make an appointment.Many people also have thebenefit of insurance that helpsto offset the cost of such care.Unfortunately, in many partsof the world there is no localdentist. There usually isn’t a dentist anywhere to befound. In fact, even if it were readily available, mostpeople in underprivilegedareas couldn’t afford theservice anyway.

Alumnus Patrick Blaney,D.D.S., realized this manyyears ago and decided to dosomething to help peoplewithout insurance and in areas without dental care. Hegraduated from BenedictineUniversity with a bachelor’sdegree in science in 1976. He went on to dental schoolat Northwestern and nowruns his own practice inWestmont, Illinois.

Blaney has been involved incharitable work for years.Here at home, he has workedat the DuPage CommunityClinic and the Pacific GardenMission in Chicago to helppeople who were unable toafford dental care. He has also gone to Jamaica with the Christian Dental Society.“Benedictine University andBenet Academy played a rolein helping me mature in myfaith. I actually consideredjoining the monastery. I havea great admiration for theselfless service of the priestsand monks,” said Blaney. “I was taught ‘Jesus has nohands but ours.’ I believe weshould treat others as if theywere Jesus himself. A Catholiceducation helped me to keepthinking about my priorities.”

In the past, there have beentwo medical trips a year toBoudin, Haiti in June andJanuary. Blaney plans onadding a third by going everySeptember with a team he has helped put together. Thiswill give the people in thisarea more chances to be seenby doctors. “Despite theuncomfortable parts of thetrip, I came away with a desireto help these people and acompassion I can’t describe. I have an appreciation for alot of things I previously had taken for granted. Ifanyone wants a real adventurethere are a lot of missionopportunities out there,”concluded Blaney.

If you know someone who has

given of him or herself to help

others in the Benedictine spirit

of giving back, please e-mail

[email protected]. �

g i v i n g b a c k

Patrick Blaney, D.D.S., C76

Bringing Dental Care And Hope To Haiti

Blaney with three of the Little Sisters of St.Therese

of the Baby Jesus who teach at the school.

Above, Blaney with Haitian

friends in front of their home.

Below, some young friends.

The trip Patrick Blaney took to Haiti was different than the rest. “The poverty

and living conditions in Haiti are unreal. I felt like I was having a dream, that

it couldn’t be real. I had never seen people in such dire need,” Blaney

explained. As part of a team of medical and dental doctors, he volunteered to

spend a week among the poorest of the poor in Haiti to help relieve some of

their physical discomfort. He aided approximately 200 people in need of

dental care during the trip, but there were many people who required care

still on the waiting list. “Although it was depressing, it made me feel better

to know we did some good. One of the Haitians told a nurse that the fact

[doctors and nurses] kept coming back [to help] gave the people hope,

because they knew they were not completely forgotten,” recalled Blaney.

“After I graduated I continued to support our athletic events and

volunteered my time in student affairs. I always knew I wanted to

keep in touch with the University.The Alumni Board is voluntary

so I knew that the people who were involved would share a

similar passion about Benedictine that I did. As one of the

younger members, I feel that I can help more recent graduates

become connected with the University. I receive great satisfaction

giving back to the University that helped me achieve the

professional and personal success I have today. Interacting with

the staff at a new level gives me a chance to appreciate how

much of a passion they have for Benedictine,” concluded Parker.

Ron Paryl came to Benedictine University (then St. Procopius College) to studymusic education. He met Fr. Albin while sitting in on some rehearsals with thejazz band and found the priest very influential in getting him back on the righttrack with his education. Today Paryl works at Ovalstrapping, Inc. as the

Midwest account manager in the graphic arts division.

He and his wife Christine (Markiewicz) C73, M.A. ’03, have lived in Lisle sincegraduation and stay active in the University and community through many of the music performances and education programs in the music department. He also enjoys staying involved through the Alumni Board.

“It is always a pleasure for us to attend the Fireside concerts and

hear what the faculty and students are performing. We still perform

with the Naperville Municipal Band. Someday I hope to see the

revitalization of the Fine Arts at Benedictine with a new

performing arts center,” said Paryl. �



John Parker has beenworking as a loan officerfor more than two years.As of January he began a

new position with NeuMarkMortgage, where he islicensed in writing residentialmortgages.

While at Benedictine heparticipated on the baseballteam, where he was namedcaptain. That same year, theteam earned a NCAA post-season bid.

“I take great pride in havinghad the opportunity torepresent Benedictine inathletic competition. Underthe leadership of Coach John

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

John ParkerC01, Business Management and Organizational Behavior

Ostrowski and Coach DaveSwanson, we were not only ateam but also a close-knitfamily. They say that you areonly as good as your leaders.That statement holds true atBenedictine. Many of my life-long memories includebaseball adventures andcampus life. I lived on campusall four years of attendance.There were so many greattimes that took place atBenedictine. My time thereprovided an excellentfoundation for my success inthe business/professionalworld. It helped mold myfuture and for that it holds aspecial place in my life,” saidParker.

As part of the Alumni Board,Parker has assisted at thealumni tent at homecoming,donated a hole sponsorship atthe annual President’s GolfOuting and attended theEducare Scholarship Ball thispast November. He resides inFox River Grove. �

Ron Paryl C73, Music Education, M.B.A. ’83

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/resources/parents.asp.

Sweetheart ClubCelebrates First ReceptionOn February 5, more than 50 alumni gathered for the first of what will become an annual event, the Benedictine University Sweetheart Club reception. This club consists of Benedictine University alumni who married Benedictine alumni.

A bottle of Benedictine Heritage Wine was awarded to thecouple married the longest, which was Allan, C70, andNoreen, C71, Oleksiak, and the couple married the mostrecently, which was Christine, C02, and Robert, C01,Retzer. Other couples who became engaged on campusreceived a Benedictine Hall brick. Fr. Michael Komechak,O.S.B., attended the event to bless everyone’s marriages.

The Sweetheart Club is planning a dinner/dance to be heldon campus in February 2006. If you would like moreinformation regarding the club, contact Julie Nelligan,alumni relations director, at (630) 829-6077 or [email protected].


Born and raised inChicago, Al Nunezlooked at variousuniversities to attend

but enjoyed the size,atmosphere and people ofBenedictine University. He became involved invarious activities on campusincluding a student job in the admissions office. Thispositive experience lead to his career as an admissionscounselor upon graduation.

Nunez worked in admissionsduring the time he completedhis M.B.A. He is currently the associate director ofinternational admissions atIllinois Institute ofTechnology where he recruitsinternational students.

“My tenure with the Alumni

Board has allowed me to

continue my involvement

with the University and

become an integral part of

a team of alumni who have

the same passion about

Benedictine as I have.

Through our efforts we

continue to support

Benedictine. Many of my

long time friends are alumni

and I find that I continue to

promote Benedictine to them

and others,” said Nunez.

Nunez lives in Naperville with his wife, Suzanne, C90,and their children, Alyssa and Tony. �

Al NunezC84, International Businessand Economics, M.B.A. ’87

Sweethearts, clockwise

from top of page:

� Jonelle (Mrozek)

Fedinec, C94, and

Dr. Joseph Fedinec, C92.

� Julie (Wysocki) Thomas,

C98, and Mark Thomas, C97.

� Justyna (Sylvia) Lagman,

C00, and Rolly Lagman, C96.

� Left to right: Russ Pavlock,

C78, Justine (Salick)

Pavlock, C78, Marie

(Stablein) Osborne, C78,

John Osborne, C78.

Spring 2005 19

POPE JOHN PAUL II

1920 – 2005

Benedictine University joins

men and women of faith

throughout the world,

in celebrating the life and

mourning the death of

Pope John Paul II.

It was with deep sorrow

that we heard of the death of

the Holy Father.

Pope John Paul II had been

a dynamic leader of the

Roman Catholic Church

for so many years.

We give thanks to God for his

teaching, his example and his

love for all God’s people.

We pray that God

be merciful to him and

raise him up to heaven’s

eternal banquet. �


French gave several examplesof how the U.S. could reduceits reliance on fossil fuels, suchas encouraging energyefficient technology, a $2-per-gallon tax on gasolineto discourage auto usage and conservation knowledgefor developing countries,where environment hazardssuch as deforestation arecommonplace.

For more information on this series, contact Fr. Philip Timko, O.S.B., at (630) 829-6266. �

United States wheredevelopment patterns pushgrowth toward the boundariesof developed areas. Hereferred to this as living in an “auto city” where peopleare almost completelydependent on automobiletransportation. The costs of such an existence issignificant, according toFrench, indicating Americantaxpayers subsidize the oilindustry through thedeployment of American naval forces to the MiddleEast to ensure a secure andsteady flow of oil back to the States.

“The best educated human being is the one who

understands most about the life in which he is placed.” — HELEN KELLER

Vitality

WilliamFrench,Ph.D.,professor of theology at Loyola

University, was the finalspeaker in Benedictine’sVisiting Scholar in CatholicThought series this February.He spoke to students andguests in several lectures onthe topic of environmentalresponsibility.

French spoke of theramifications of continuingbusiness as usual here in the

Catholic Perspective On Ecology And The Environment

Greeting the faithful in

Rome. Having reigned as

Pope for almost

27 years (1978-2005),

Pope John Paul II was one

of the longest reigning

Popes in Church history.

Benedictine’s student newspaper, The Candor, won the first-place award for general excellence among non-dailysmall college newspapers at the Illinois College PressAssociations (ICPA) 22nd Annual Convention in Chicago on February 19.

Staff members received 13 individual awards, includingfive first place awards in such categories as news, featureand sports writing, columns, photography, layout designand cartooning. Three second-place, three third-placeand two honorable mentions also were awarded. Noprevious Candor staff has ever taken so manyindividual awards at the ICPA event.

A number of Candor editors received first-placeawards including Scott Martin, former editor-in-chief, Kay Newby, editor-in-chief and Mario Parker,flux editor. Second-place winners included ThadPaskert, former art editor and Brian Bartoz, news editor. �

Student Newspaper Wins Big At ICPA Convention

Benedictine Offers Graduate Programs In China

Students pursuing a Master of Business Administration

(M.B.A.) or Master of Science in Management Information

Systems (M.S.M.I.S.) degree from Benedictine University may

want to pack one more item before heading off to class . . .

a passport.“Chinese teaching methods

are still more quantitative

than behavioral,” Cicero said.

“Chinese students must learn

to think in critical and creative

ways. China needs mid- and

upper-level managers who are

familiar with Chinese culture

and business practices, yet

can interact and compete

with their international

counterparts.”

Benedictine University alsohas a history of providingeducation opportunities forstudents from all racial andethnic backgrounds, andUniversity officials view thispartnership as an opportunityto build a strong bondbetween Benedictine and theuniversities in Shenyang.

“This partnership will provide

Benedictine University an

opportunity to impact China’s

future, to provide our faculty

with international teaching

experience and to create an

opportunity for our students

to visit China while

pursuing their degree,”

Cicero said.

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

Spring 2005 21

“We will send some of ourown professors to China fortwo weeks at a time,” Cicerosaid. “Eventually, we wouldlike to be able to send someof our own students to Chinato take a class for two weeks.”

Benedictine University isextending its graduateprograms to China inresponse to new restrictionsthat make it difficult forforeign students to obtain U.S. visas. Those restrictionshave dissuaded many studentsfrom applying. According to a survey of the Council ofGraduate Schools released inSeptember, the number ofstudents from China applyingto American graduateprograms for the Fall 2004term plunged 45 percent.

Nevertheless, the Chinesebelieve that American businessprograms can best train their future employees tomeet the needs of anincreasingly sophisticated and complex society.

The Benedictine M.B.A.program will be offeredthrough Shenyang Universityof Technology while theM.S.M.I.S. program will beavailable through ShenyangJianzhu University (formerlyShenyang Architectural andCivil Engineering University).

The M.B.A. program atBenedictine University has prepared students formanagerial roles in corporateand human serviceorganizations for more than 25 years by conveyingpractical knowledge andessential skills in such areas as management, accounting,economics, finance, strategyand marketing.

The M.S.M.I.S. program at Benedictine Universityprepares professionals forrapid advances in technology,intense global competitionand more complex businessenvironments by emphasizingthe practical application ofvarious business managementtheories and technical tools toa variety of hypothetical andreal-life information problems.

For more information about the BenedictineUniversity M.B.A. andM.S.M.I.S. programs, call (630) 829-6300. �

The North CentralAssociation approved aproposal by BenedictineUniversity to offer M.B.A.and M.S.M.I.S. programs inChina. The University earlierreceived permission from theChinese Central Board ofEducation to partner with twouniversities in Shenyang, a cityof about 4.8 million people innortheast China.

“This is a tremendous

opportunity for the University,

our faculty and our students,”

said John Cicero, Ph.D., dean

of the College of Business,

Technology and Professional

Programs at Benedictine

University. “We are the only

American university approved

by the Chinese Central

Government to offer these

programs in northeast China.”

The courses will be taught byboth Benedictine and Chineseprofessors using Benedictine’scurriculum. Students willprogress through thecurriculum in groups of 30-40students and attend class fourhours per day for two weeks.They will also be expected tospend an additional four to six hours per day studying the material.

Each group of 30-40students, or “cohort,” willcomplete the entire course of study in 16 months.

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


There are few limits tothe lengths to whichscientists will go to

study the world in which welive. They are even willing to endure months of isolation,blinding storms and windchills that can reach minus-148 degrees.

Benedictine University’s JuricaNature Museum hosted aworkshop in March forelementary and middle schoolteachers on some of theresearch that is being done at the Earth’s polar regions.

The workshop featured threescientists who presented theresearch they are currentlyconducting at the poles. Ateacher participating in the

Benedictine LibraryGarners Award ForInnovative Use Of Technology

T he Benedictine University Libraryhas been named the recipient ofthe WebJunction Award for

“Innovative Content and Use ofTechnology for 2004-05” for thedevelopment of a Virtual Library Club.

The Virtual Library Club allowsBenedictine Library patrons to enjoymany activities provided by the librarywithout actually being in the library. The Virtual Library provides virtualexhibits — including a celebration ofthe Benedictine community’s militaryheroes and a collection of Christmascrèches — and streaming videopresentations of the library’s popularbook chats.

“The Virtual Library Club has greatlyenhanced the library’s visibility oncampus and beyond,” said BenedictineUniversity Library Director Jack Fritts. “In addition, it offers the opportunity forour patrons to explore the recreationalaspects of our collection while fosteringa spirit of community on our campus.”

WebJunction’s annual awards programhighlights the extraordinary work oflibraries in North America that arecommitted to providing public access to technology and information in theircommunities. Awards are selectedquarterly in one of four categories, which are based on the number of patrons a library serves. �

The signage for BenedictineUniversity in the Village ofBellwood speaks to passersbyand motorists on MannheimRoad of new growth anddevelopment. Opening in May 2005, this new satellitecampus will have twoclassrooms with computer labsand office space and will beused primarily for the adultaccelerated cohort degreeprograms.

Working adults highly valuecontinuing education classesclose to where they live andwork. Having this campus at

405 North Mannheim will enable many suburban residents to take advantage of top tier education.

Corporations and area governments have encouraged Benedictine University to house a permanentcampus in Bellwood. To date, the success of the degree programs held at the Bellwood Village Hall has been tremendous. Adult students recognize the contribution that Benedictine has made to the community and to their individual career opportunities. For more information, call (888) 501-9191.

More Growth: Degree Program Offered In BurbankBenedictine University has formed a partnership with Burbank’s Queen of Peace High School toprovide adult accelerated cohort degree programs in business administration. Classes will be held at the school in the evening so that working adults will be able to go to class one night per week to earn a degree in about two years. Classes for the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administrationbegan in March.

For more information on these programs call (888) 501-9222. �

BenedictineHelps ToDeliverSign Of Growth AndDevelopmentIn Bellwood

Benedictine Hosts Workshop Presenting

Research Conducted At The Poles

Topics that were discussed atthe workshop included theIceCube project studyingneutrinos at the South Pole;the ANDRILL (ANtarcticDRILLing) project thatstudies the Antarctic’s role inglobal climate change; andmicrobial research conductedin the Dry Valleys region ofthe Antarctic. �

Teachers ExperiencingAntarctica and the Arctic(TEA) project followed each presentation by sharing some hands-on,classroom inquiry activity that parallels the scientists’ work.

The TEA program issponsored by the NationalScience Foundation to provide opportunities forclassroom teachers toparticipate in scientificresearch. Approximately sixteachers are selected in anational competition to takepart in the program for eachpolar region. Following a brief orientation period, theyspend three to eight weeks in the field.


Spring 2005 23

This is a six-week certificateprogram. Classes are held ondesignated weekends once amonth for six months. Theprogram also features apracticum that includes 65 hours of face-to-facecoaching and 10 hours ofsupervision. Clients for thepracticum will be provided by Benedictine University.

For more information about or to apply to theExecutive CoachingCertificate program, call (630) 829-6003 or [email protected]. �

From her seat in an airport lounge,Jennifer Housewardprepares to go to class.Using a common

dialup modem to connect tothe Web, this Benedictinemaster of businessadministration (M.B.A.)student reads lectures, jumpsinto voice-over PowerPointpresentations, posts questionsand responds to classcomments. Across thecountry, her professor reviewsher assignments, posts a testand notifies her of her grades.

The Benedictine WebFlexM.B.A. program allows adultslike Houseward to earn aquality M.B.A. from arespected, established programwhile still meeting thedemands of a busy life. Notonly does it make allowancesfor hectic work and travelschedules, it also makes itpossible for alumni across thecountry to earn a degree froma university they already knowand trust.

As the Demand for SkilledManagers Grows, So Do The Rewards

According to the Bureau ofLabor Statistics, job openings for individuals who plan anddirect the activities ofbusiness, government andother organizations areexpected to increase by 2.1 million, or 13.6 percent,by 2010. That means there’sroom at the top for moreM.B.A. graduates.

Not only is the demand for an M.B.A. degreegrowing, so are the payoffs.In fact, the U.S. CensusBureau reports those with amaster’s degree earn anaverage of $10,000 moreper year than employeeswith only a bachelor’sdegree. Over a lifetime, thatadds up to more than$300,000.

Learning Format Options andSpecialized Concentrations

With the Benedictine WebFlexM.B.A., students complete allcoursework online.

“WebFlex M.B.A. has offeredthe flexibility of taking myclasses on the road while stillbeing connected to myclassmates and instructor,”Houseward said. “WebFlexhas made it easier to earn myM.B.A. while continuing towork full-time.”

In addition to a generalM.B.A., students of the onlineM.B.A. program also have achoice of several specialized

concentrationsthat allow them to focus their degree: MarketingManagement, FinancialManagement, HealthAdministration andInternational Business.

The WebFlex M.B.A. isdesigned for self-motivatedadults looking to advancetheir careers. Students receiveone-on-one career counseling,professional financial aidadvisement, and online techsupport. For information onthe program and how toenroll, call (866) 295-3104 or visit www.onlinemba-benedictine.com. �

Today’s business leaders face unprecedented pressureto deliver innovation and cost-savings in an environment ofcontinuous change, shrinkingstaff sizes and budgetary belt-tightening.

Executive coaching equips and encourages corporateleaders to meet thosechallenges by helping them to develop self-awareness oftheir behavior patterns andpassions; cultivate awarenessof how others perceive them;

capitalize on their leadershipstrengths and bridge gaps;acquire new leadershipstrategies and tactics; anddeliver and surpass theirbusiness goals.

The Executive CoachingCertificate program atBenedictine University’sExecutive Coaching andDevelopment Instituteprepares adult professionals to become executive coachesqualified to providebehaviorally sophisticated and sound managementcoaching services.

Professionals To Benefit From Certificate In Executive Coaching

The executive coaching certificate

curriculum is designed to give

participants the knowledge,

background and experience to

become professional coaches.

Specific courses address the tactical

and strategic nature of the executive

role, the psychological foundations

of corporate behavior and group

dynamics. Students also encounter

coursework dedicated to helping

them build and market their

coaching practice.

Students Earn M.B.A.s Online by Christine Van Dyk

New Program IntroducesStudents To Rapidly GrowingField Of Sports Management



marketing; finance; budgetingand commerce. Every studentwill have the opportunity tointern at the Sports Complexon campus or at a sports orleisure-related facility in theChicago area.

Internship opportunities willbe available with the DuPageDragons baseball team, thenewest entry in the CentralIllinois Collegiate League(CICL). Students will havethe opportunity to manage all aspects of the team andfacility, and work withcoaches, field managers and facilities managers.

Similar internshipopportunities will be availablefor other Benedictine sportsteams and at health andfitness clubs, arenas andrecreational facilitiesthroughout the area.

“Students will have theopportunity to work alongside professionalmanagers who havesuccessfully developed leagues and facilities,” Cicero said.

The concentration could leadto a career in facilities, teamor marketing managementand includes courses inmanagement-labor relations,managerial finance andorganizational behavior. The courses are intended for students in their juniorand senior years and aredesigned to supplement their existing major.

For more information aboutthe Sports ManagementConcentration, call theEnrollment Center at (630) 829-6300 or visitwww.ben.edu. �

The sports business industryis one of the largest andfastest-growing industries inthe United States. Last year,the size of the sports industrywas estimated at $213 billion. It is more than twice the size of the auto industry and seven times the size of the movie industry.

According to Street & Smith’sSports Business Journal, peoplespent more than $25 billionon sporting goods and $26billion on tickets, concessions,parking and on-sitemerchandise last year.Advertisers spent $27 billionand facility and eventmanagement generatedanother $6.75 billion.

To help introduce students tothe rapidly expanding sportsand leisure-related industry,Benedictine University willoffer a Sports ManagementConcentration beginning in

the fall of 2005. Althoughintended for all majorsinterested in understandingthe dynamics of sportsmanagement, it is particularlydirected toward businessmajors and minors.

“Sports are ingrained inAmerican culture,” said JohnCicero, Ph.D., dean of theCollege of Business,Technology and ProfessionalPrograms. “For many, sportsare more significant andbetter understood thaninternational events. TheSports ManagementConcentration will examinethis phenomenon and theimpact it has on the fiber of American society.”

The concentration willaddress the various aspects of the sports and leisureindustries, including: facilitiesand player management;economics; culture;

The Sports CommunicationConcentration at Benedictine,available beginning fall of2005, is designed for studentswho have a passion for sports and an interest incommunicating that passionto others.

“The primary focus of this program is forcommunication arts majorswho want to tailor their skills toward a career insports,” said Peter Seely, chair of the Department ofCommunication Arts. “Thisconcentration should allow the graduate to pursue avariety of career options.”

The concentration will helpstudents develop the basicwriting, reporting, research,design and production skillsnecessary to participate in the field of sportscommunication. Theconcentration will benefitstudents planning to pursuecareers in sports information,sports administration andcommunity relations.

The concentration will addressthe various aspects of sportsculture including the moral,social and economic impact of sports in America. Specific courses will alsoaddress sports journalism,

sports broadcasting, publicrelations writing, writing for electronic media and will include an internship.

“For the student interested insports communication, this isan ideal choice,” Seely said.“A person who comes intothis program will be able to target a great deal of

their coursework andextracurricular activities intotheir focus of the career oncethey enter the department.”

For more information aboutthe Sports CommunicationConcentration, call theEnrollment Center at (630) 829-6300 or visitwww.ben.edu. �

New Concentration In Sports Communication


Spring 2005 25

he Association of Credit Executives (ACE) groupconsists of high-level corporate credit managers who havemade contributions to the profession. Each member isfrom a different industry with no duplication of industry

representation. The discussions often have an academic thrustbut then delve into practitioner-related applications. Benedictinefaculty member Charles Gahala is the only ACE member with an academic background.

The March 2005 ACE meeting was held at Benedictine to allowstudents to learn from the experience. The focus was to delveinto a long listing of tasks that Gahala has developed throughrecent research. The research was published in the January 2005issue of Business Credit. Practitioners were asked to identify thetasks essential for initial employment in business credit positionsto help to define entry-level business credit positions. The ACEmeeting was closed to the academic community except for thestudents from Gahala’s advanced managerial finance class.Students sat in at the meeting and had the opportunity to learn more about the job skills required to secure positions in the field and job opportunities available from the experts inthe profession. �

he Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program is a national program that provides income tax assistance to low-income taxpayers. Benedictine works with members of the Notre Dame Club in the program.

This is the fourth year in which Benedictine has been involved in this program.

Approximately 30 students per yeardonate their time and talent to thisenriching program. This experience notonly hones work skills for the students,but also provides the reality that thereare many people in DuPage Countywho are in a negative financialsituation. Students use their talents and skills to provide the help thatallows initial taxpayers to properlyreceive significant tax refunds.

f a s t f a c t s

t

t

e-Click It:BENEDICTINE’S E-MAIL FOR LIFE

or the past severalyears, BenedictineUniversity’s Master of Public HealthProgram (M.P.H.)has supplied student

interns for Healthy DuPage, acommunity-based coalition oforganizations interested inpromoting and advocating forthe health of the community.Now Healthy DuPage hasdissolved for lack of funding.One of the more significantprojects of this organizationhas been a project calledDuPage Tapestry. This is acompendium of health dataand interpretation that maybe used to guide communitydevelopment and healthplanning decisions.

Benedictine M.P.H. studentshave been active in theconceptualization anddevelopment of this worthyproject. As part of a

thoughtful dissolution ofHealthy DuPage, DuPageTapestry has been taken overby the DuPage Mayors andManagers Conference whowill maintain the Tapestry asan evolving body of workposted online. BenedictineM.P.H. students will continueto provide research andeditorial input into theTapestry.

Soon the Tapestry will belinked to the M.P.H. sectionof the University’s Web site.According to Alan Gorr,Ph.D., chair of the M.P.H.program, “This is acommunity project thatrepresents DuPage county’seconomy, transportation,nature, education, family,community diversity, health,arts and leisure. It is animportant resource that thecommunity will continue tobe proud of.” �

f

M.P.H. PROGRAM TO CONTINUEDUPAGE TAPESTRY’S IMPORTANT WORK

The students work in teams

using TurboTax, which is

installed on laptops. Tax

experts from the Notre

Dame Club then check over

the tax returns. Benedictine

students have generated

more than $50,000 per

year in tax refunds for the

low-income taxpayers who

come in for assistance.

FINANCE NEWS

National VITA Program Enriches Students And Helps Those In Need

Benedictine Hosts ACE Meeting of CreditManagers To BenefitFinance Students

mail for life is a program that has been developed to give alumni an @ben.edu e-mail account. Alumni can keep this e-mail address for life, as long as they follow the University’s

Acceptable Use Policy and other rules that govern the e-mail usage.

Having a ben.edu account will allow alumni to better keep intouch with their classmates and will connect current students toalumni. It will also allow the University to more efficiently notifyalumni about upcoming events.

Alumni interested in joining the program should fill out the form located on the Information Technology Web site atwww.ben.edu/it, under alumni, and then e-mail for life.�

Another initiative tostrengthen Benedictine’sglobal presence is the Ph.D.program’s involvement at the National Academy ofManagement. Benedictinefaculty are participatingand/or chairing three majorsessions on International O.D.

International Publicationsand PapersThe third edition of the“Appreciative Inquiry” bookby David Cooperrider, PeterSorensen, Therese Yaeger andDiana Whitney includes anentire section devoted toglobal and international work,much of which has been done with the BenedictineUniversity doctoral program.This appreciative inquiryreader has been used at more than 70 colleges anduniversities including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia,DePaul, George WashingtonUniversity and University of Michigan.

Doctoral students in theprogram presented at theMidwest Academy ofManagement and theSouthwest Academy ofManagement on InternationalOD projects. Internationally,doctoral research is also beingpresented in Germany andFrance in October 2006.

Global Visiting ScholarsThe Ph.D. program will alsooffer an advanced Ph.D.course with two preeminentinternational scholars, DavidCoghlan, Ph.D., from TrinityCollege in Dublin, Ireland,and Abraham (Rami) Shani,Ph.D., of Cal-Poly and theFENIX Program of theStockholm School ofEconomics in Sweden. This course, anchored byBenedictine’s Sorensen,Ph.D., director of the Ph.D.program, and Yaeger, willpresent cutting-edgedevelopments on actionresearch and socio-technicalsystems globally.

Program GrowthThe M.S.M.O.B. programalso continues to establish apresence in Springfield,Illinois in preparation forrecord cohort programattendance. In an effort tocultivate program growth, in St. Louis, Missouri,Sorensen and Yaegerpresented “A Review of O.D.:Yesterday, Today andTomorrow,” attended bymore than 50 executives andOD professional from morethan a dozen major St. Louiscorporations.

To learn more about these exciting and trend-setting programs, call (630) 829-6208. �

s the Ph.D. in Organization Development (O.D.)

and Master of Science inManagement andOrganizational Behavior(M.S.M.O.B.) programsbegin their 20th year atBenedictine University, theycontinue to strengthen theirmajor global presence withgroundbreaking initiatives.Significant international andglobal activities currentlyunderway include a strongpresence at international and academic conferences, in international publicationsand papers and among globalvisiting scholars.

International and AcademicConferencesOne of the major initiativesfor international growth is the creation of the firstinternational doctoralcolloquium in Lyon, France.Leading the BenedictineUniversity charge is ThereseYaeger, Ph.D., associatedirector of the Ph.D.Program. The 2006conference is expected toinclude a number of U.S. and European doctoralprograms, many of whichcurrently have relations withBenedictine M.S.M.O.B. andPh.D. programs.

O.D. ANDM.S.M.O.B.PROGRAMS

STRENGTHENGLOBAL

PRESENCE

umanities 101students and their facultycollected more

than 250 pounds of food andhousehold supplies to benefitthe Lisle Township FoodPantry at the First-YearSeminar Capstone Event in December.

During this event,Humanities students wereencouraged to give back tothe community and were ableto interact with alumni whoreflected on their experiencesat Benedictine. AlumniNe’Keisha Green, Susan Ross,Laura Singer and BrianWellner spoke to studentsabout work, life and service intheir own lives after their timeat Benedictine.

Gary Moores, commoditiesand food pantry administratorat the pantry, sent a letter tothe University stating, “If itwere not for thoughtful andcaring people such as you, wewould not be able to meetthe needs of our clients. Yoursupport of our pantry is verymuch appreciated.” �



hSTUDENTS COLLECT 250 POUNDS OF FOOD FOR NEEDY

fa

st

fa

ct

s

a


Spring 2005 27

Taking advantage ofeducationalopportunities andgetting to knowindividuals of other

races are essential steps toachieving success, FreemanHrabowski, Ph.D., toldapproximately 500 guests in a packed Krasa Center diningroom during the 10th annualRev. Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. Breakfast on January 17.

In his keynote address,Hrabowski, president of theUniversity of Maryland,Baltimore County (UMBC),said more needs to be done to create a culture whereeducation is valued and “asense of excitement aboutlearning” thrives. “Largenumbers of children of allraces are not getting theeducation they need,”Hrabowski said. He said thatin the United States, a four-year achievement gap existsbetween black students andwhite students. A blackstudent in 12th grade, forexample, has the skills of awhite student in eighth grade.

“To succeed in our societytoday, people need to read and think critically.”Proficiency in reading, he said,gives students an advantage inlearning math. Re-segregationof schools has become anadditional problem.

A diverse population is anasset, Hrabowski said. Herecalled a conversation that hehad a number of years agowith German and Japanesedelegates at a conference.After the delegates praised theUnited States for its wealthand productivity, he said theyasked him whether the UnitedStates’ diversity would lead toits downfall.

Hrabowski has never shiedaway from overcomingadversity. At age 12, he wasarrested for protestingsegregation in his hometownof Birmingham, Alabamaduring an event that becameknown as the Children’sMarch. While in jail, herecalled, King visited theyoung marchers and conveyedto them the importance oftheir sacrifices on behalf ofcivil rights for all Americans.“What you do this day,children, will have an impacton children who have not yetbeen born,” King said.

As an educator, Hrabowskico-founded the UMBC’s

“Crazy Afrikan” by Sharon Davis (2004)This beautiful quilt was displayed during the Rev. Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr. Breakfast at Benedictine. Several Afro fabrics

were used, transforming a very ordinary pattern into an

extraordinary king-sized quilt. Adinka symbols representing

“Welcome,” “Peace,” “Good Fortune” and “Long Life” were

stitched into the borders of the piece.

Top: Award-winning essays

earned scholarships for

Benedictine University

students Adam Winchell and

Mario Parker. Above:

Benedictine President William

Carroll and keynote speaker

Freeman Hrabowski, Ph.D.,

president of the University of

Maryland, Baltimore County.

Hrabowski responded that the United States’ diversity is a strength, not a

weakness, a position he reaffirmed before his audience. “It has been our

diversity that has made us who we are today,” he said. He added that

individuals should venture out of their “comfort zones” and get to know

individuals of other races.

King Annual Breakfast Brings People Together To Celebrate Diversity by Brian Bartoz, C05

Meyerhoff Scholars Program,which provides intensiveacademic training in the hard sciences.

During the breakfast, co-sponsored by BenedictineUniversity and College ofDuPage, William Carroll,Ph.D., BenedictineUniversity’s president, andSunil Chand, Ph.D., presidentof the College of DuPage,also recognized fivescholarship recipients for theiraward-winning essays aboutKing’s importance in theirlives. Benedictine’s recipients,Mario Parker and AdamWinchell, each received a$1,000 scholarship. �

Abbot Hugh Anderson,O.S.B., director ofUniversity Ministry atBenedictine University,was born in Ohio, Ill.,

a small town 20 miles southof Dixon. He participated in football, basketball andtrack and was a fun-lovingyoung man.

Anderson’s parents toleratedtheir son’s gregariousness.However, they did ask him to attend a Catholic collegefor at least two years. Hefound his way to the all-maleSt. Procopius College(Benedictine University) in Lisle.

Anderson says he was notacademically inclined, butreceived good marks andpursued a course of study in pre-veterinary medicine.He participated in band,chorus and athletics, butadmitted to being a quieterperson in college.

While playing football, hebroke his ankle and was in acast up to his hip. There was

no elevator in the main building (Benedictine Hall) at that time,so he was moved into the infirmary that overlooked the backentrance of the monastery wing. There, he often watched themonks come and go and felt a real sense of peace among them.

After his sophomore year, Anderson decided to enter theBenedictine order. He advanced to the priesthood in 1965.When applying to graduate schools, he looked for anassistantship that would allow him to support himself and found one at Indiana University.

Like most monks at that time, Anderson wore many hats. Before attending graduate school, he worked as director of admissions in the registrar’s officeat the college. He also served as director of aresidence hall. After returning from graduateschool, Anderson became assistant principal at Benet Academy.

Anderson was elected Abbot of St. ProcopiusAbbey in 1985. He served as the abbey’s spiritualand temporal leader for nearly 18 years. However,according to the laws of the American CassineseCongregation, he submitted his resignation when he celebrated his 65th birthday.

Anderson’s retirement from the role of abbot could hardly becalled a retiring experience. He took a year sabbatical and studiedat the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri, livingin a Benedictine monastery there. The year was spent in study,

He often strides across campus in his

red Benedictine jacket and cap. He is

a man on a mission — a mission that

changed many times over the years.

The MissionMay HaveChanged, But Abbot HughContinues To Charge Ahead



Many StillChoose ToReject World’sChaotic Pace To PursueMonastic Lifeby Rita A. Dougherty

In today’s chaotic world,

some men look beyond

power, money and

prestige, and wonder

about its frenetic pace.

Looking deeply into their

own well of faith, they often

turn to a very different kind

of lifestyle — a life lived with

a sense of prayer, values

and purpose.

This same puzzlement occurred

hundreds of years ago when a

young man, dissatisfied with

the values that society upheld,

turned his back on society and

became a hermit. He studied

scripture each day and pursued

a depth of life with Christ.

The man’s name was Benedict.

The year was 530 A.D.

Other men were drawn to

Benedict’s lifestyle, so he wrote a

guide for a Christian life which

incorporates an awareness of

God, a life lived in balance,

hospitality, community,

stewardship, prayer and

meditation. This guide, the

Rule of St. Benedict, outlined

his vision of an ideal society.

This rule continues to intrigue

and beckon young men today.

prayer and reflection with a concentration onspiritual direction.

In July 2003, his successorat the abbey, Abbot DismasKalcic, O.S.B., appointedhim to lead the office ofUniversity Ministry atBenedictine. UniversityMinistry is an integral partof student development andcampus life, providingprograms and services thatassist in the spiritual growthof students, staff andadministration.

In a quiet discussion about Catholic teaching,Anderson commented thatprior to the Second VaticanCouncil, Catholics learnedabout faith and the churchby memorizing facts fromthe Baltimore Catechism.After Vatican II, theemphasis was placed onformation and little on information.

“We lost generations ofCatholics who did notunderstand their faith’stradition,” Anderson said.

Anderson recentlyestablished a series ofSunday lectures titled,“What the Catholic Churchhas to say about…” Eachlecture deals with adifferent aspect of theCatholic Church — faith,the Holy Trinity, the

human person,forgiveness of sin,etc. They aredesigned to helpCatholics betterunderstand theirfaith. The lecturesstarted inSeptember 2004and ran throughApril 2005.

The mission may have changed

over the years, but the young

man with the broken ankle is

still charging forward. �

by Rita A. Dougherty

Another young Benedictine,32-year-old Br. Kevin Coffey,O.S.B., made his finalprofession this past summer.After graduation from highschool in Maryland, theformer restaurant chef, painterand wind surfer moved toPittsburgh to work with an iconographer.

There, he met a monk fromSt. Procopius Abbey. He readsome information about the

abbey and the Benedictines, and a feeling that his life was aboutto change came over him.

“I’ve always been kind of prayerful, so my parents were notsurprised by my interest in the Benedictines,” Br. Kevin said.

Br. Kevin entered the community in 2001. Since monks are answerable to each other, he believes that living incommunity is a solemn responsibility.

“If you aren’t doing your job, you’re letting others down,” he said.

He is a senior at Benedictine University majoring in studio art.His mother, an artist and an art teacher, introduced him topencils and crayons at the age of three. Some of Br. Kevin’spaintings are displayed in the lower level lobby of the KrasaStudent Center.

“I like to paint ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” he said.

After graduation, he hopes to teach at Benet Academy andattend graduate school to further his art studies.

As the monks who founded Benedictine University performed simple but

arduous tasks — clearing a cornfield to construct a classroom building

and establishing a farm to raise their own food — and lived according

to the Rule of St. Benedict, so too do today’s modern monks. The outside

world is much more complex, but they balance their daily tasks with the

same kind of prayer, purpose and fervor as their predecessors. �

Gregory Murphy wasstudying economics at theUniversity of Chicago whenhe began to think seriouslyabout what he wanted to do with his life. He prayed,but admits he “was not close to God.” He then began an investigation intohis faith and wondered howhe could commit to it.

Murphy heard of St. Procopius Abbey

from a classmate, and decided to make a retreat. He told themonks from the onset that he was there only to pursue a spiritual introspective, but a few days later he asked for entrance into the community.

After graduation from the University of Chicago, Murphy wasaccepted by the Benedictine community and chose the nameAustin. After studying at Benedictine University and the Abbey,he completed his solemn vows and went to the DominicanHouse of Studies in Washington, D.C. He earned master’sdegrees in theology and divinity and was ordained a priest in July 2004.

Fr. Austin, now 30 years old, considers Christ’s presence as witness to his life, and describes himself as “a front-burnermonk and a back-burner priest.” He serves as chaplain andreligion teacher at Benet Academy.

Among the vows that Benedictines take is one of stability,promising to remain in the community for their rest of theirlives. That is the biggest challenge facing those who chose themonastic lifestyle, Fr. Austin said.

“Living with someone for life is different than other relationships,” he said. “It’s the central thread that runs through all aspects of life. You get along better with some than others, and that is the challenge.”


Spring 2005 29

“Thanks for another good

memory about life at

St. Procopius College.You

will probably hear from one

of the Spades pictured in the

Winter 2005 Voices but these

members of the Class of ‘69

deserve recognition.

My guess is that those in the

picture are (top row) Bob

Enderle, Irv Neltner, John

Sanders, Jack Walsh and

(bottom row) Terry Kalina, Mike

Murray, James O’Grady and Jim

Urbanski. Wish I had seen more

of them at the reunion last fall.”

Sincerely, Frank Liebentritt, C69

“After receiving the

Benedictine Voices Winter

2005, I came across the photo

of the “Spades” on page 19.

My recollection is that they

were all part of the class of

1969. I believe the photo was

taken in the 66/67 school

year.The names are as follows

with my percent of certainty

for the names:”

Back Row starting left:

Bob Enderle (100%), Irv

Neltner (80%), John Sanders

(80%) and Jack Nelson (90%).

Front row from left: Ray Kalina

(95%), Ernie Kosciuk (70%),

Jimmy O’Grady (100%) and

Jim Urbanski (95%).

From: Greg Klabisch

Identities: Bob Enderle, Irv

Neltner, John Sanders, “Red”

Nelson. Kneeling:Terry Kalina,

Mike Murray, Jim O’Grady and

Jim Urbanski.

From: John Makarowski, C69

Thomas Collette, C69, alsoresponded with severalnames. �

hardworking “spades” identified

Fr. Austin Murphy, O.S.B. Br. Kevin Coffey, O.S.B.

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!

First Name Middle/Maiden Last Name Major Class Year

Address City State Zip

Home Phone E-mail Address

Your Title/Company Name Work Phone

Job Description

Spouse’s Name Major Class Year

� Check here if you are interested in mentoring students or helping fellow alumni through

the Alumnet program.

Vitality c l a s s n o t e s

30

Ryan, of Elmhurst, said he willcontinue teaching and lecturing athis alma mater, BenedictineUniversity, where his efforts havedrawn political speakers such asformer Gov. Jim Edgar and U.S.Senator Barack Obama.

Class of ’74Rev. Larry Snyder, MusicEducation, became president of Catholic Charities USA onMarch 1. In 1999, he became thechief executive for the CatholicCharities of St. Paul andMinneapolis. He is also a memberof Archbishop Harry Flynn’sCabinet, overseeing communityservices; a chaplain at the Collegeof St. Catherine; a weekendassociate at St. Thomas the ApostleChurch in Minneapolis; a formerassociate pastor of the Nativity ofMary Church and EpiphanyChurch; and is a former highschool music and German teacher.

Class of ’78Bill Lisowski, English Languageand Literature, was recentlypromoted at Sears to manager,facilities services. His team of 12supports the capital replacement,repairs and preventativemaintenance activities in all Searsretail locations, approximately2,000 buildings. He and his wife,Susan, reside in Naperville.

Tell my classmates that . . .

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

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

we want your class notes

Class of ’62Jim Beaupre, Ph.D., Physics, wasnamed to Teledyne BrownEngineering, Inc.’s EngineeringFellows Program. This programwas established to honoremployees for their outstandinglifetime achievement and orcontributions in their field ofengineering and science. Beaupre,currently Senior Scientist atTeledyne Solutions, Inc., has madeseveral important contributionssince joining the company in 1974.The most far reaching has been inadvancing the technical boundariesof Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)through infrared opticalphenomenology analysis andmodeling and simulation. He isrecognized for co-developing theOptical Signatures Code (OSC).He also led the DOT and QueenMatch flight test data project. Hecurrently resides in Huntsville, AL.

Nick Passino, Ph.D., Physics, wasnamed to Teledyne BrownEngineering, Inc.’s EngineeringFellows Program. Passino’s 33-yearcareer has made a lasting impacton America’s ballistic missiledefense efforts. Important personalaccomplishments includecontributions to the OpticalSignatures Code; contributed toand reviewed several major ArmyBMD flight programs andparticipated in many national

high-level Army investigationssetting milestones for research inballistic missile defense. Passinowas the first president of TeledyneSolutions, Inc. (TSI) and iscurrently employed part time atTSI. He and his wife, Marilyn,reside in Huntsville, AL.

Class of ’66Glen Gabert, Ph.D., PoliticalScience, was appointed to Budgetand Advocacy for New JerseyHigher Education. He is also amember of the New JerseyFacilities Committee forCommunity Colleges. Currently,he is the president of HudsonCounty Community College.

Paul L. Whiting, Political Science,was elected to the TECO Energy’sBoard of Directors. Whiting hasmore than 35 years of experiencein finance and administration andcurrently is chairman of the Boardof Sykes Enterprises, Inc. and is onthe board of directors for TheBank of Tampa.

Class of ’68 The Hon. James Ryan, PoliticalScience, has joined the firm thathis son, Jim Ryan Jr., and partnerManos “Mace” Kavvadias operatein Naperville. It will be part-time,and the senior Ryan will handleonly select criminal andgovernmental relations cases.

Attention All AlumniFrom History,Philosophy OrReligious Studies

The History, Philosophy andReligious Studies departments arerequesting e-mail addresses fromalumni who graduated with amajor or minor in these studies.

Please send your e-mail addressand name to [email protected] make sure to note that you are responding to this specific request. �

Winter 1988

Summer 1989

a lo

ok a

t th

e p

ast class notes

Vitalityc l a s s n o t e s

Spring 2005 31

Class of ’87Bill Nowacki, M.B.A., was appointed to lead the IRIEnterprise Solutions Group. He is focused on the continueddevelopment and expansion ofIRI’s enterprise solutions andprofessional services offerings forthe company’s retail and CPGcustomers. He has had 20 years of experience in developingbusiness lines and markets and a broad range of consultingexperience spanning operations,strategy and business supportfunctions for organizations.

Class of ’92Matthew L. Kamin, D.O.,

Psychology and Health Science,was recently awarded the AmericanMedical Student AssociationGolden Apple Award for teachingby Olympia Fields/MidwesternUniversity and the Educator of the Year Award.

Class of ’93Pamela Kelley, M.S.M.O.B., waspromoted to director of humanresources at Bridgestone/FirestoneDiversified Products. She currentlyresides in Carmel, IN.

Andreas Papakostas, PhysicalEducation, is the owner of SomaHolistic Center. This companyworks in advanced clinical andwellness massage therapy, nutritionand weight loss and is located ineight countries. He and his wife,Laureen, have three children andreside in Plainfield.

Class of ’96Andrea Mary Ahlsen, M.S.M.O.B.,has recently accepted a position atCIMCO Communications as asenior training specialist. CIMCOis an integrated communicationsprovider. She will be developingand facilitating personaldevelopment programs, mentoring,sales training, leadership andproduct training with certification.She has also been elected to the2005 CISPI Board. She and herhusband, Albert Mall, currentlyreside in Batavia.

Class of ’97Pat Keiner, Music, works withpipelines and sanitary sewers withOak Lawn’s department of publicworks — a part-time college jobthat became full-time six years ago.He also works as a musician. Bynight, he is a guitarist in a band,playing some of Chicago’s well-known venues such as the Houseof Blues, The Metro and Schubas.His band, Seven Day Run, hasbeen together for five years. Theband has recorded two CDs and is working on a third. The bandhas also played on WGN-TV’smorning show.

Class of ’98Brady Carlson, Social Science, willsoon complete his master’s degreein media arts from EmersonCollege in Boston, with a focus onaudio production. He is working atWKXL-AM, a community talkradio station in Concord, NH, asthe host/producer of a daily talkshow about health and wellness.He and his wife, Sonya, currentlyreside in Newmarket, NH.

Joe Coots, Sociology, is currentlytouring in the cast of “The FullMonty.” Coots is cast in thecharacter of Dave Bakatinsky.Recent roles include the characterof Sonny in “Grease” and theElvis-like Pharoah in “Joseph and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat” as well as commercialsfor Edge Shaving Gel, BushBrothers Beans and a guestappearance on the television show,“Third Watch.”

Class of ’03Christine M. Cliff, M.P.H.,presented her research thesis atIDA Spring Assembly 2004 and atFCNE 2003 in San Antonio. Sheand her husband, Stephen,currently reside in Naperville.

MarriagesRyan Piech, Health Science ’00,was married to Lina Cepenas, onOctober 29 in Chicago. Thecouple resides in Chicago.

BirthsMelissa Trok-Albear, D.P.M.,Health Science ’87, and herhusband, Dr. Paul Albear,announces the birth of their second child, Christopher Ramon,in April 2004. He was welcomedto their Tampa, FL home by bigbrother, Paul.

Meghan (Horton) Burton, HealthScience ’98, and her husbandMichael, welcomed Rachel Virginiain October 2004. The family is athome in Elgin.

Christine (Vechiola) Grobart,

International Business andEconomics ’99, and her husband,Jeffrey, welcomed Louis Henry

Grobart in February 2004. The family currently resides in Lombard.

Holly Juday, International Businessand Economics ’89, and herhusband, David Bielanski, Ph.D.,announce the birth of theirdaughter, Julianna Irene, inJanuary 2004. She was welcomedto their Dedham, MA home by big brother Josef. The family will be relocating for a two-yearassignment to Paris in the summerof 2005. Juday will take on thehuman resources aspects of anexpansion across continentalEurope and India for a FidelityInvestments operation currentlybased in France and Germany.

Colleen (Nissen) Kowalewski,

Psychology ’98, and her husband,Michael Kowalewski, Sociology’97, welcomed Riley Elizabeth inMay 2004. The family currentlyresides in Bartlett.

Nadine Rannin Loy, Business andEconomics ’92, and her husband,Craig, welcomed their thirddaughter, Grace, in January 2005.Grace was welcomed to theirAurora home by big sisters Rachel and Allison.

Tony Michels, Accounting ’96, and his wife, Kim, welcomedAbigail Rose in September 2004.They are at home in Peru, IL.

Sarah Pappas, Psychology ’98,after helping open and manage the nation’s largest Christiannightclub (Club 3 Degrees) indowntown Minneapolis, is now astay-at-home mom and works as anindependent health and wellnesscounselor. She and her husband,Mike, welcomed Mikayla Rose inJune 2004. The family resides inMinneapolis, MN.

Sue (Hopf) Rericha, ElementaryEducation ’92, and her husband,Tim, welcomed their fifthdaughter, Jamie Theresa, inOctober 2004. Jamie waswelcomed to their Macomb, ILhome by big sisters Lortyn, Katie,Shannon and Edy.

Show YourSchool Spirit

Get Your Benedictine

University Logo

Items Today.

Select items are available

on the bookstore Web site

at http://ben.bkstore.com.

For a greater selection visit

the store in the Krasa

Student Center.

Netali Sanghvi, Psychology ’95,M.C.P. ’98, M.B.A. ’02, and herhusband, Kamlesh Sanghvi,

Computer Science ’01, M.I.S. ’03,M.B.A. ’03, welcomed their babygirl, Angali, in October 2004.

Rebecca (Wilczek) Simpson,

Clinical Laboratory Science ’96,and her husband, Daniel Simpson,

Accounting ’96, welcomed theirsecond daughter, Natalie Helene,in December 2004. The familyresides in Woodridge. �

Good FriendsOr A ChorusLine?If you know,

contact us at

[email protected].

let us know

Vitality


Sharon Borowicz (BusinessAdministration, M.B.A.) attendedthe Association for theAdvancement of Computing inEducation’s E-Learn Conference inNovember in Washington, D.C.Borowicz presented her paper,titled “The Effect of SynchronousChat on Student Performance inan Undergraduate IntroductoryAccounting Course,” and presidedover a discussion focused on thetraining and support of collegeprofessors entering the onlineeducation arena.

Jane Crabtree (UndergraduateBusiness) and Alicia Tait (Fineand Performing Arts) performedHandel’s “Messiah” with theNaperville Chorus at NorthCentral College’s Pfeiffer Hall in December.

Luann DeGreve (Library) is amember of the Illinois LibraryComputer System OrganizationUsers Advisory Group’s NeedsAssessment Working Group.DeGreve is representing theEndeavor End Users InstructionCommittee, on which she also serves.

Kevin Doyle (BusinessAdministration, Computer Science and Information Systems)presented a paper titled “Does a‘Pre-Introduction’ Course ImproveSubsequent Performance in‘Introduction to ComputerProgramming?’ ” at the 2005College Teaching and LearningConference in Orlando, Florida inJanuary. Doyle’s paper was selectedas best in his session.

Fr. James Flint, O.S.B. (History,Philosophy and Religious Studies)published an article titled “HelenTurrell’s Dilemma: Pride andHumility in Rudyard Kipling andMichael Casey” in the Winter 2004issue of Magistra: A Journal ofWomen’s Spirituality in History.Magistra focuses on “feminine”spirituality as understood in abroad sense practiced by women orby men within a variety of religioustraditions. Fr. James also publishedan article, “The Builders of theCommunity: The Lay BrotherVocation at St. Procopius Abbey,”in the December 2004 issue of theAmerican Benedictine Review.

Mardelle Fortier (English andLiterature) participated in a panel

at a national writers’ conference inFebruary at the Wyndham O’HareHotel. Fortier spoke on writingand publishing short fiction,explaining her experiences gettingnine of her short stories in print.Fortier also had a poem publishedin the February 2005 issue ofByline, a national magazine forwriters. The poem was titled “MyNormal Night.” Fortier had threepoems published this fall. Twopoems appeared in a journal ofpoetry and art called Seeding theSnow. Another poem, “A Rare Visitto Texas,” was published in thePrairie Light Review throughCollege of DuPage.

Vince Gaddis (History, Philosophyand Religious Studies) has beenappointed chairperson of thedepartment of History, Philosophyand Religious Studies. Gaddis wasalso invited to participate in theLilly Summer Faculty Seminar May16-June 10 at Rosemont Collegein Rosemont, Pennsylvania. Thetopic is “Power and the NewAmerican Century: ChristianRepresentations.” Presentersinclude Ambassador NancySoderberg, Bishop Thomas J.

T his past November for National Philanthropy

Day, Benedictine recognized faculty and staff

who have volunteered their time, talent and

treasure for the greater good of the University.

Perennials were given to faculty and staff who have

financially contributed to the University. The flowers

were then planted in the new Employee Legacy Garden.

This garden will bloom for years to come in recognition

of employee generosity. After the event, all employees

were invited to an ice cream social sponsored by the

executive staff. �

Laura Singer, Sociology ’94, and her husband, Sean Bradley,welcomed their first child, KitaraJade, in September 2004. Singerworks as the director of housingat the Inspiration Corporation in Chicago.

Lisa (Filippelli) Testolin, Nutrition’88, and Anthony Testolin,

Accounting/ Finance ’84,welcomed a baby girl, MikaylaAnn, in August 2004. Big sisterMarissa Rose welcomed Mikaylato the family’s home inBloomingdale.

Susan (Nelson) Whildin,

Education ’96, and her husband,Thaddeus Whildin, Education’98, welcomed their daughter,Emerson Mary, in January 2005.Susan is a kindergarten teacherand Thaddeus is a 6th gradescience teacher who also coachestrack at Kennedy Jr. High and men’s swimming at Benet Academy.

Tim Beck, Economics ’67, passedaway on December 20, 2004.

Howard R. Bieschke, IFMCertificate ’69, passed away inJuly 2004.

Paul George, Political Science’72, passed away on January 23,2005.

Elias M. Haddad, M.D.,

Biochemistry ’69, passed awayon February 22, 2005.

Michael V. Hogan, ClinicalLaboratory Science ’78, passedaway in January 2005.

John P. Kopilash Sr, St.Procopius Academy ’32, passedaway on January 8, 2005.

Dennis Kuzanek, M.B.A. ’98,recently passed away.

Kristen (Jacobson) Lighty,

M.B.A. ’00, passed away inDecember 2004.

Richard Manthey, Engineering’43, passed away in the winter of 2004.

Ken R. Mestemaker, IFMCertificate ’74, recently passed away.

Richard J. Remijas, D.D.S.,

St. Procopius Academy ’39 and Pre-Dentistry ’43, passed awayon November 19, 2004.

Joseph Santucci, Sociology ’86and M.S.M.O.B. ’90, passedaway on December 15, 2004.

James J. Wassell, IFMCertificate ’84, recently passed away. �

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

Benedictine Celebrates First National PhilanthropyDay, Creates Employee Legacy Garden

� in memory

faculty notes

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

Spring 2005 33

Gumbleton of Detroit and Marc Howard Ross of Bryn Mawr College.

Charles Gahala (UndergraduateBusiness) had an article publishedin the January 2005 edition ofBusiness Credits titled “What DoCredit Managers Do?” The articledelves into some research thatGahala conducted last year at theNational Association of CreditManagement Credit Congress heldin Phoenix, Arizona. Gahala plansto use the results of this research tolaunch two further studies of thetasks that are essential for initialemployment and then the tasksessential for job advancement inthe business credit profession.Galaha also authored an articletitled “Selecting and Utilizing aDebt Collection Agency” thatappeared in the November/December issue of Business Credit,a magazine for business-to-businesscorporate credit practitioners.

Sandra L. Gill (M.B.A.) conductedthe Physician Executive BootCamp seminar in March at theAmerican College of HealthcareExecutives Congress on HealthcareManagement. Gill and Dr.Matthew Lambert, III, Senior VicePresident for Clinical Operations,Elmhurst Memorial Hospital,addressed roles, responsibilities andskills for physician executives. TheAnnual Congress on HealthcareManagement is attended by morethan 5,000 health care executivesfrom the U.S. and abroad inChicago each March. Both Gill andLambert are Fellows of theAmerican College of HealthcareExecutives. Gill also co-authoredan article, “Gaining HospitalAdministrators’ Attention: Ways to Improve Physician-HospitalManagement Dialogue,” thatappeared in the peer-reviewedmedical journal Surgery inFebruary 2005. Co-authored byKenneth Cohn, M.D. and RichardSchwartz, M.D., the articledescribes various methods toenhance organizational change

through effective dialogue. The article appeared in thejournal’s “OriginalCommunications” section.

Cheryl Heinz (Biology)co-authored an article that waspublished in January 2004 inAnimal Behavior 69 (1): 107-115titled “Effects of contact chemistryand host plant experience in theoviposition behavior of the easternblack swallowtail butterfly.”

Lawrence Henry (UndergraduateBusiness), was recognized in thelatest edition of Barron’s magazineafter finishing second last spring inthe Barron’s Challenge by scoring a 44 percent return on a mockinvestment portfolio. Henry saidhe would require his accountingand personal finance students toenter the Barron’s Challenge thisspring. Henry was quoted in thearticle as saying he will encouragerisk-taking — because of the shorttime frame — and emphasizeabsolute return. The article saidthat teaching students how tomanage their own portfolios may gain greater importance ifCongress goes ahead withPresident Bush’s plan to privatizeSocial Security.

Fr. Michael Komechak, O.S.B.

(curator of the University artcollection) judged the 2005photography exhibit at theBloomingdale Park DistrictMuseum. Titled “Images andImagination,” the exhibit includedback and white, color and digitallyenhanced photographs by amateurand professional artists fromChicago and the western suburbs.The exhibit was held at the parkdistrict facility at Lake Street andBloomingdale Road. Fr. Michaelalso officiated at the Decemberfuneral of influential Imagistpainter Ed Paschke, Chicago’s“most visible and charismatic icon”according to the Sun-Times. ThreePaschke lithographs hang outsidethe Library in Kindlon Hallincluding “Poderosa,” which isconsidered one of Paschke’s

masterpieces. According to theSun-Times, Paschke’s passing leavesRichard Hunt, whose sculpture ofSt. Benedict can be found outsidethe entrance to St. ProcopiusAbbey church, as the dean ofChicago artists. Fr. Michael alsospoke at St. Margaret Mary Church in December. Fr. Michaeladdressed the significance of sixscenes from the life of St. John theBaptist in the famous 15th centuryaltarpiece at the Art Institute ofChicago by Sienese painterGiovanni di Paolo. Fr. Michael alsogave a slide lecture at St. JosephChurch in Downers Grove onfamous images of Jesus and atAscension Church in Oak Park on the spiritual meaning of sevenmasterpiece paintings at the Art Institute.

Tim Marin (Chemistry) published apaper in the February 24 issue ofthe Journal of Physical Chemistrytitled “Pulse Radiolysis ofSupercritical Water III: Spectrumand Thermodynamics of theHydrated Electron.”

Ralph Meeker (Computer Scienceand Information Systems)presented a paper titled “Using

Open Source Software forInstruction and Research” at the2005 College Teaching andLearning Conference in Orlando,Florida in January.

Susan Mikula (History, Philosophyand Religious Studies) will be onsabbatical during the Spring 2005semester. Mikula intends tocomplete the research for thebiography of Milan Hozda she iswriting. Hozda, a Slovak politicianof the first half of the 20th century,played a major role in the life ofthe Slovak nation. Mikula isprobably the foremost specialist of the life and activities of Hodza.Mikula is the chairperson of the Department of History,Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Sharon Nelson (Library) is amember of two Illinois LibraryComputer System Organizationcommittees. Nelson is chair of theFederated Search PlatformImplementation Working Group,and by virtue of being chair of that group, she also servesas a member of the Digital LibraryImplementation Task Force ProjectManagement Team. �

Benedictine Honors Commitment to Educational Experience

David Swanson, 2005 RecipientOf The Benedictine Life AwardDavid Swanson, assistant athletic director, was named therecipient of the 2005 Benedictine Life Award. Swanson washonored for his more than 30 years of passionate and unfalteringservice to Benedictine University. He has dedicated his time andenergy to ensure the success ofstudent-athletes and hasexemplified the values and spiritof the Benedictine founders.

The following is a list of otheremployees honored at theannual University’s Founders’Day event:

Roosevelt Chappel, campus services President’s Award for CampusBeautification

Nadia Darwish, public relations President’s Award for Customer Service

Joan Hopkins, library President’s Award forInnovation

Don Taylor, sciences President’s Award for Leadership

Benedictine ‘Collaborating Institution’ At Fermilab

Vickie Frohne and Phil Schreiner (Physics) attended the four-dayJanuary meeting of the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search(MINOS) Collaboration at Fermilab. The MINOS experiment is inthe process of commencing its data-taking phase after a decade ofplanning and construction. Frohne and Schreiner have been assistingwith beam instrumentation, preparatory to the “startup” phase ofthe experiment. Because of their involvement with MINOS,Benedictine University is a “collaborating institution” in this high-energy physics experiment. It is very rare for a small college to beaccorded this status. Information about the experiment can be foundonline at http://www-numi.fnal.gov.

David Swanson, assistant

athletic director, was honored

for his many years of

unfaltering service to the

University.

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


Daniel Nohl (Computer Scienceand Information Systems) attendedthe 13th Annual Consortium forComputing Sciences in CollegesRocky Mountain Conference inOrem, Utah in October. Nohlpresented a workshop titled “Using Automated Reasoning to Connect Mathematics withComputer Science.”

Nohl and Athanasios Markou

(Computer Science andInformation Systems) took threestudent teams to participate in theannual Associated Colleges of theChicago Area (ACCA) ComputerProgramming Contest at TrinityChristian College on February 12.The Benedictine Red team of Pat Shanahan, Phillip Rymek andRussel Zagorski finished first in theNovice Competition by solving sixof eight problems. This was thefirst time a Benedictine teamfinished first at any level ofcompetition in this annual event.The Benedictine White team of Jeff Scelze and Geoff Schnorrfinished second in the NoviceCompetition by solving five ofeight problems. Seven ACCAcolleges participated in thecompetition. Nohl wrote allproblems for the contest, whichincluded eight problems each for the Novice and Advancedcompetitions. Markou served as one of three judges.

Ken Nordin (Communication Arts)published an article in theFall/Winter 2004 issue of AsianCinema titled “Shadow Archetypesin Ang Lee’s ‘Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon’ ” and “ ‘TheHulk’: A Jungian Perspective.”Nordin presented earlier versionsof the article last spring at the2004 Popular Culture Associationannual convention in San Antonio,Texas and in a faculty colloquiumat Benedictine University. Nordin

also participated in a workshop fornew Division III Faculty AthleticRepresentatives (FARs) during theannual National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) convention inJanuary in Dallas, Texas. Nordinalso led a delegation of six Candoreditors to the 83rd AnnualNational College MediaConvention in Nashville, Tennesseein November. The conference,sponsored by College MediaAdvisers (CMA) and AssociatedCollegiate Press, attracted morethan 2,700 college students andtheir advisors from across theUnited States and Canada. Nordin,who serves on CMA’s advisorycouncil and chairs its researchcommittee, made three 50-minutepresentations at the convention —“Precision Journalism: DevelopingOpinion Survey Stories in theStudent Press,” “HistoricalResearch: Applications for theCollege Press” and “SocialIndicators: Finding News inStatistics.” Brian Bartoz, theCandor’s co-news editor and apolitical science major, delivered a paper at the convention titled“Community Journalism and theCollege Press: Applications of aTheoretical Model.” Editors DavidFaber, Julie Glade, Stacy Jannsen,Scott Martin and Jason Welge also attended the convention.

Christine Palumbo (Nutrition) hasbeen featured in severalpublications recently. She wasfeatured in Redbook magazine inAugust 2004, “28 Easy Ways toCut Calories;” in Preventionmagazine’s December 2004 coverstory, “Don’t Gain an Ounce Overthe Holidays: 10 Smart, EasyTips;” and in Women’s Health’sFebruary-March 2005 cover story,“Very Personal Training: Nomatter what your body type ofyour body goals, there’s a diet andfitness plan built especially foryou.” Palumbo is also one of sevenentrepreneurial dietitians aroundthe country whose careers arehighlighted in the new AmericanDietetic Association’s Guide toPrivate Practice (October 2004),and presented “Network Your Wayto New Career Horizons” at theAmerican Dietetic Association’sannual Food and NutritionConference and Exhibition inOctober 2004.

Sue Peterson (Library) representsBenedictine University as amember of the Chicago RegionalLibraries Marketing Group.

Peter Seely (Communication Arts)made a presentation titled, “Imagesof American Indians, Latinos andArabs in Slapstick Comedy,” atLewis University on November 19.

The presentation was part ofLewis’ “Arts and Ideas” series.

Peter Sorensen (OrganizationDevelopment) received the BestPaper Award for a paper titled“Attracting Foreign DirectInvestment: The Potential Role of National Culture” which hewrote with Thomas Head andwhich appeared in the Journal ofAmerican Academy of Business –Cambridge (Vol. 6, No. 1, March 2005).

Sorensen and Therese Yaeger

(Organizational Development)have been named to theOrganizational DevelopmentNetwork (ODN)-Chicago JudgingCommittee for the Annual ImpactAward 2004. As the leadingOrganizational Development(O.D.) professional association inthe Chicago metropolitan area,ODN-Chicago is dedicated toproviding leadership, honoringexcellence and offering continuingeducation in the field. Yaeger andSorensen presented “CreatingHigh Performance CorporateCultures with AppreciativeInquiry” to the ChicagoInternational Society forPerformance Improvement onJanuary 12. Sorensen and Yaegerpublished “Appreciative Inquiry asa Large Group Intervention”which appeared as Chapter 10 inCreative Consulting: InnovativePerspectives on ManagementConsulting, edited by A. Buono(2004). Other chapters werecontributed by authors from TheUniversity of London, BentleyCollege, Cornell University and theStockholm School of Economics.Sorensen and Yaeger published“Feedback from the PositiveQuestion: The Integration ofAppreciative Inquiry with SurveyFeedback” in the first volume ofCooperrider and Avital (Eds.)Advances in Appreciative Inquiry –Constructive Discourse and HumanOrganization (2004) by ElsevierPress. Yaeger and Sorensen have

been named co-chairs of theOrganization Development/Conflict Resolution Track of the Southwest Academy ofManagement 2005. The FrenchJournal Revue Sciences de Gestion(Review of Management Sciences)named Sorensen and Yaeger to theEditorial Board and ScientificCommittee. Other newly namedU.S. members to this FrenchBoard include past presidents ofthe Academy of Management andscholars from Carnegie-MellonUniversity, Boston College andBrigham Young University.

Gretel Stock-Kupperman (Library)was appointed chair of theAssessment of Illinois LibraryDelivery System (ILDS) Deliverywithin the Illinois LibraryComputer System Organizationworking group, which is chargedwith assessing the delivery andreturn of materials requested byway of Illinet Online. Stock-Kupperman also wrote an articletitled “Banishing PigeonholeParanoia: traversing between the many types of librarianship”that was published in the American Library Association NewMembers Roundtable Footnotes. The article can be accessed athttp://www.louisville.edu/~tlholt02/nmrt/Footnotes/november2004/Pigeonhole.htm.

Alicia Cordoba Tait (Fine andPerforming Arts) performed oboewith Thomas Negovan (formerly of the group “Ver Sacrum”) inMarch at Shuba’s in Chicago andalso performed an all-Mozartconcert in Urbana with theSinfonia da Camera in the GreatHall of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Tait was asoloist in The Mozart Sinfoniaperformance of Vivaldi’s “Gloria”at Sacred Heart Church inWinnetka in January. She was alsoa featured artist on English hornand Oboe with the Cube Ensembleconcert, “Sounding the Sacred,”perfumed at the Lutheran Schoolof Theology in February. Theprevious week she performed withthe Paderewski SymphonyOrchestra in Northfield at theChristian Heritage Academy.

Christina Wichmann (Languages,Literature and CommunicationArts) wrote an article titled “WestSuburban Treasures” that waspublished in the Spring 2005 issue of Suburban Focus. Two items from the Benedictinecommunity were included in the article. The magazine is a free publication distributedthroughout the suburbs. �

SpotlightOn FacultyIf you know of a faculty

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

Spring 2005 35

Matt Harrison repeated as an

All-Northern Illinois-Iowa

Conference basketball player

by averaging a career-high

14.4 points per game.

NIIC Women’s BasketballNewcomer of the Year

Tamika Curtis

NIIC Academic All-ConferenceTeams

Women’s BasketballJennison CoxKatie KunkelSarah McNicholasTracy Olszewski

NIIC Players of The Week

Men’s BasketballMarcus Jackson (Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Feb. 7)Zach Ramey (Jan. 3)

Women’s BasketballTamika Curtis (Jan. 10)

All-NorthernIllinois-Iowa Conference(NIIC) Teams

Men’s BasketballMatt HarrisonMarcus JacksonZach Ramey

Women’s BaskeetballAmanda BurdittTamika Curtis

End-Of-Season Winter Honors For The Eagles

First-year head coach Paul Nelson’swomen’s basketball team had its share of youth on its 2004-05 roster. Of his 13 players, 10 were either freshmen orsophomores. However, one of thoseyoungsters proved to be the top newplayer in the Northern Illinois-IowaConference (NIIC). Tamika Curtis(Bellwood, Ill.) was named the NIICWomen’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year at the conclusion of the season.

Curtis, a 6’0” freshman center, wasinserted into the starting line-up in thesecond game of the season and neverrelinquished that role. She finished theyear as the team’s leader in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (9.4 rpg) andblocked shots (1.42 bpg), ranking secondin the NIIC in all three categories. Namedthe NIIC Player of the Week on January10, 2005, Curtis led the Eagles with 10

double-doubles, including one in each ofher final four games of the year.

Sophomore Amanda Burditt (Kenosha,Wis.) joined Curtis on the All-NIIC team for women’s basketball after finishingsecond on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg).Burditt scored in double figures 15 times in 2004-05, and was second on the teamwith 34 3-point field goals.

Nelson’s squad finished the year with a12-14 record and was third in the NIICwith a 7-5 league mark. The Eagles, whostarted the conference season with fourconsecutive wins, reached the NIICTournament semifinal round for the thirdstraight year as well. Benedictine enjoyeda season-best five-game win streak fromDecember 28 - January 12, and posted an 8-3 record at the Rice Center. �

Curtis’ Newcomer Of The Year HonorHighlights Women’sHoops Season

Benedictine University’s football programwill play its first full season at the newSports Complex under the direction of JonCooper, who was tabbed as its new headcoach in late February. A 33-year coachingveteran, mostly in the Chicago area,Cooper is the 25th head football coach in school history.

“This is a great opportunity,” Cooper said.“I love coaching at the Division III levelbecause it’s the purest form of football.The kids play for the love of the game.However, the number one priority for our

student-athletes will be toperform well in theclassroom and to receivetheir degrees.”

Cooper most recentlyspent 18 years

as an assistant

coach at Aurora University, and was a partof three NCAA Division III playoff teamswhile on staff there.

Benedictine University’s recently completedmulti-million dollar Sports Complex was amajor draw for Cooper, and he is anxiousto use it on the recruiting trail.

“The facilities at Benedictine are certainlyattractive and state-of-the-art,” Coopersaid. “Many schools are building goodfacilities, but nothing like the one at Benedictine.”

A native of Chicago, Cooper played footballat North Park College, and earned hisbachelor’s degree in physical educationfrom the school in 1972. He earned hismaster’s degree in education fromNorthern Illinois University in 1979.Cooper and his wife, Linda, reside inAurora and have three children — Dave,Dan and Jim. �

Tamika Curtis, freshman, was

named NIIC Women’s Basketball

Newcomer of the Year.

Jon Cooper, a 33-year coaching veteran,

was named head football coach.

Eagles Tab Cooper As New Football Coach

by Tony Hamilton

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


Head coach Keith Bunkenburg’s men’sbasketball team wrapped up his firstdecade on the bench in a fitting way. The 10 years that Bunkenburg has headedup the program is the winningest 10-yearperiod in school history, and the 2004-05squad capped that period by posting a 21-7 record.

The Eagles survived a difficult non-conference schedule by winning 10 of theirfirst 12 games, and after a narrow setbackto Illinois Wesleyan University which wasranked No. 6 in the nation, they won theirfirst four Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference(NIIC) games. The Eagles finished NIICplay with a 9-3 record, which tied forsecond in the league. A year after winningits first NIIC Tournament title, Benedictinereached the championship game for thesecond straight year.

Bunkenburg and his team had plenty tocelebrate during the course of the year. Their 21 wins during the 2004-05campaign were just short of the school-record 23 victories that the 1990-91squad posted. The Eagles put up back-to-

back 20-win seasons for only the secondtime in school history, and their 41 winsover the last two seasons are the most inconsecutive years in Benedictine men’sbasketball history.

Benedictine was well known on thenational scene throughout the course of the season. It received its first-evernational ranking from D3hoops.com,debuting at No. 23 during December2004. The Eagles reached as high as No. 17 in the January 17, 2005 poll.

With its 67-57 win over host IllinoisCollege on December 4, Benedictine notonly won the Bill Merris Classic, but alsosecured the winningest decade in schoolhistory. Bunkenburg’s teams have won170 games in 10 years, which is easilythe most wins in any 10-year period at Benedictine.

Three Eagles were tabbed as All-NIIChonorees at the conclusion of the season.Junior Matt Harrison (Mahomet, Ill.)repeated as an all-league selection afterfinishing second on the team and sixth in

the NIIC in scoring (14.4 ppg) and buryinga team-high 62 treys. Senior MarcusJackson (Homewood, Ill.) posted sixdouble-doubles in the second half of theseason and led the Eagles in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg) andsteals (1.82 spg), while Zach Ramey(Flossmoor, Ill.) led the league in assists(5.36 apg) and established a career highin scoring (12.5 ppg). �

Men’s Hoops Caps Most Successful Decade With Historic 04-05 Campaign

Rookies Make BigSplash For Swim TeamsIn 2004-05

juniors Ann Marie Maddock (Sugar Grove,Ill.) and Monica Schmidt (Clinton, Iowa)combined to set a new school record in the400 freestyle relay (3:54.29) at theLiberal Arts Championships. Duer, Fuentes,Maddock and freshman Alicia Wildermuth(Port Byron, Ill.) set a new schoolstandard in the 800 free relay (8:51.11)at the Wheaton College Invitational.

Though veteran Tim Smith (Naperville, Ill.)dominated the men’s times this season,first-year swimmers made their mark on that team as well, including ErikMorales (Evergreen Park, Ill.), who hadseason best times in the 100 and 200butterfly events, as well as the 200individual medley. �

Benedictine women’s swim team brokefive school records during the 2004-05campaign.

Amanda Duer (Oak Lawn, Ill.) was a partof four of those school records. A specialistin the breaststroke, Duer won nine races inthat stroke during the course of theseason, including a victory in the 200breast at the season-ending Liberal ArtsChampionships. Duer established newmarks in the 100 (1:10.22) and 200(2:31.89) breast events, while fellowfreshman Katie Fuentes (Aurora, Ill.) set arecord in the 100 backstroke (1:05.91).

The records did not stop there, however, asthe Eagles also set new school records in apair of relay events. Duer, Fuentes, and

Benedictineswimming coachTim Keeleybrought in theprogram’s largestrecruiting class ina decade thisseason, and withit, got quality andas well asquantity. Mostlyon the strength ofits newcomers, the

Eagles Scoring In The ClassroomBenedictine’s student-athletes areconsistently putting up winning numbers in the classroom.

During the 2003-04 school year,Benedictine’s student-athletes combined to post a grade point average (G.P.A.) of better than 3.00, and that successcontinued on into the fall semester. Led by a combined 3.55 G.P.A. by thewomen’s tennis team, six Benedictineteams posted team G.P.A.s of 3.00 or better in the fall of 2004.

With 10 individuals posting G.P.A.s of 3.0or better in the fall, the women’sbasketball team just trailed the tennissquad with a team G.P.A. of 3.47. Inaddition, the Eagles tied forthe league lead by puttingfour individuals —Jennison Cox, Katie Kunkel,Sarah McNicholas and TracyOlszewski — on theNorthern Illinois-IowaConference (NIIC) AcademicAll-Conference Team.

Benedictine’s baseball, crosscountry, track and field andwomen’s soccer teams also posted team G.P.A.s of at least 3.0 in the fall semester. �

Sarah McNicholas —

part of the NIIC Academic

All-Conference Team.

Amanda Duer

set four school

swim records.

Marcus Jackson, led the

Eagles in scoring, rebounding

and steals.

by Tony Hamilton

Monday, July 18, 2005Cress Creek Country ClubNaperville, Illinois

G O L F . G I V E . G E T I N V O L V E D .

11th Annual

President’s

Invitational

Golf Outing

Just In Case You’re Keeping Score . . .

“On A Scale of 10,

It Is An 18!”

— Dick Locher

Honorary Trustee, cartoonist for the “Dick Tracy”

comic strip and political cartoonist.

Summer 2004 10th Annual President’s Golf Outing

SIGN UP NOW!Sponsorship opportunities available.

Contact Julie Nelligan, alumni relations director, at (630) 829-6080 or

[email protected]. For general information, visit www.ben.edu/alumni.

11th Annual

President’s

Invitational

Golf Outing

6:30 a.m. REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST

7:30 a.m. SHOTGUN START

11:00 a.m. REGISTRATION AND LUNCH

1:00 p.m. SHOTGUN START

6:00 p.m. COCKTAILS

6:30 p.m. DINNER & AWARDS

B E N E D I C T I N E U N I V E R S I T Y

5700 College RoadLisle, Illinois 60532(630) 829-6000

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDLisle, IL

Permit No. 18

Change Service Requested

www.ben.edu

InformationAt Your

Fingertips.

May 22 Commencement Golden Eagles Reunion

June 22 African American Alumni Reunion

July 18 President’s Invitational Golf Outing — Cress CreekCounty Club

July 31 Chicago Cubs Alumni Game

August 28 New Freshmen/Alumni BBQ

September 23 Math/Science Reunion

October 22 Homecoming

November 5 40th AnniversaryEducare Scholarship Ball

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