AMU Magazine Fall 2019

FALL 2019

Towey Goes Out on Top Success, Change Define Nine-Year Term

Contents 03 President’s Letter 04 AMU News 28 Academic Faculty 30 Athletics Update 34 Campus Activities 36 Alumni News

08 TOWEY GOES OUT ON TOP

President Jim Towey steps down after successful presidency. Growth, transformational change amplify Tom Monaghan’s legacy.

17 ENCOUNTERING THE SOUL OF UGANDA

Fr. Joseph Lugalambi, current Ph.D. student and native of Uganda, led life-changing Mother Teresa Project Mission trip with AMU students and women’s basketball coach Megan Becker.

20 BEAUTY FROM BROKENNESS – DR. VAN WART Profile on Dr. Adam van Wart’s joyful witness of the faith in and out of the classroom as he shares his cross with Ave Maria University.

22 CATHOLIC MEDICINE – THE MULLALLYS

Profile on AMU graduates Dr. Andrew Mullally (09), and his wife Veronica Mullally (10), and their heroic commitment to Catholic medicine.

24 THERE AND BACK AGAIN – GENE MUNIN

Profile on AMU Vice President for Finance and Administration, Eugene Munin, and his return to Ave Maria University.

26 EMBRACING CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - DR. SUGRUE

Profile on AMU’s Constitutional Law class, its formative nature, and the impact it has on students who embrace its rigors.

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Men’s Basketball Team presents President Towey with 2019 Conference Championship Ring

FALL 2019 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2

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PRESIDENT JIM TOWEY

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CONTRIBUTORS KATERI ALLEN GREGORY AUGUST ALEXANDREA BARTSCH KERRY ESTES RACHEL FLOWERS DENNIS GRACE TAYLOR HODGE JACINTA HOGAN MAURA LITTLETON MARK MCCORMICK MADELEINE O’ROURKE ASHLEY PROTHRO PAULA SCHUTE DR. SEANA SUGRUE KATY THOELE PHOTOGRAPHY TAYLOR HODGE WHITE HOUSE SHELBY MAYER

BRYANT MORIN EMMA SAVOIE COLETTE STARASINICH BRADY YOUNG ANTHONY ZOLLO MANAGING EDITOR BRYANT MORIN, GREGORY AUGUST, AND MARK MCCORMICK Ave Maria University Magazine is published by Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Florida for alumni, parents and friends. Third class postage paid at Ave Maria, Florida. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Advancement, Ave Maria University, 5050 Ave Maria Blvd., Ave Maria, FL, 34142Ave Maria University is a Catholic, liberal arts institution of higher learning devoted to Mary the Mother of God, inspired by St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta, and dedicated to the formation of joyful, intentional followers of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, scholarship and service.

ON THE COVER PRESIDENT JIM TOWEY PHOTO BY SHELBY MAYER

Letter from President Towey

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Mary and Jim Towey with Board Chariman Michael Timmis

ily, and enjoy the many graces that attend work in Our Lady’s name.

Mary and I leave with a plethora of fond memories and friends too numerous to cite. One merits a mention here. I owe a debt of gratitude to Michael Timmis, the chairman of the Board of Trustees during my tenure, and his wife, Laura, and their beautiful children. They were the first family Mary and I met in 2011 and were instrumental in our decision to sell our home in Maryland (that we had bought just six months earlier!), uproot our children from their new schools, and embark upon this great adventure. Other than asking Mary to marry me, coming to Ave Maria University was the best decision of my life! The success I have enjoyed would not have taken place without Michael’s leadership, the courageous support of my

fellow trustees, and most of all, my wife’s presence by my side every step of the way.

My leg of the race ends soon. I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner for Our Lady’s University!

God bless you,

Jim Towey President

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aying goodbye is never easy and this is especially true for Mary and me as we leave this University we so love after nearly nine years of service. How do I describe my sentiments? I think of St. Paul’s famous quote in Second Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He wrote those words when his departure was imminent and he was a saint. I am still a work in progress!

And so is Ave Maria University! This edition of the AMU magazine documents how far we have come in the short time since Tom Monaghan and those who joined him in 2003 embarked upon the ambitious project of transforming tomato fields in the Southwest Florida wilderness into a thriving Catholic liberal arts college. The success of these years owes to the foundation built by Tom and so many hands, including faculty members, administrators, staff, coaches, and most especially, our students (and now 2,500 alumni).

I am fortunate to be departing at a “high water” mark. Tom did as well when he handed over the keys to me in 2011. I truly believe Ave Maria’s finest days are ahead. My successor will discover the good fortune of being part of the Ave fam-

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AMUNEWS Michael Timmis

MICHAEL TIMMIS STEPS DOWN AFTER 10 YEARS AS AMU’S GOVERNING BOARD LEADER Vice-Chairman Rainey Elected as Successor

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ichael Timmis, elected in June 2009 as Ave Maria University’s third chairman of the Board of Trustees, will complete his final term this semester after a successful tenure that saw the University finish the construction of its campus, more than double its enrollment, and grow into national prominence. Patrick Rainey, a successful Orlando businessman and vice-chairman of the Board for the last two years, was unanimously elected to succeed Timmis at the August Board meeting in Michigan.

Timmis, a long-time resident of the town of Ave Maria, husband of

27 years to Laura, and proud father of their five children (including an AMU alumna as well as a current senior), presided over a dramatic expansion of the University and its academic offering. “It has been a great privilege to serve the fine faculty, administration, staff, and students of the University, and get them the resources they needed to excel,” Timmis said. He remains a member of the Board and will continue to chair its Investment Committee.

A native of Tennessee, Rainey met his wife, Louise, when they were undergraduates at Ole Miss.

He has served on the Board since

Patrick Rainey

2012. They have two children and five grandchildren and reside in Orlando where Rainey previously was CEO of Encore Construction.

“I have enjoyed my years on the Board and am honored to now serve in this new leadership capacity,” Rainey said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and the new president as we build upon what Tom Monaghan started and Jim Towey and his team developed.”

Rainey was elected to a four-year term and will chair the Board’s November meeting. He currently serves as chairman of the Board’s Enrollment Committee, and also is a member of both the Executive and ad hoc Presidential Search Committees. The Martha J. Burke Perpetual Adoration Chapel on campus is named in memory of Louise Rainey’s mother.

DR. LOU ARGENTA HONORED AT AMU’S LARGEST COMMENCEMENT IN HISTORY

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Michael Timmis, Chairman; Dr. Louis Argenta; Tom Monaghan, Chancellor

Christopher Fahey

Dr. D’Agostino

TWO NEW TRUSTEES ELECTED TO AMU BOARD

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wo new trustees were elected to the Ave Maria University Board at the May 2019 meeting: Anthony D’Agostino, M.D., FACP and Christopher Fahey. Both have close ties to AMU: Dr. D’Agostino and his wife Michelle are the proud parents of Francesco (class of ’19), Anthony (class of ‘20), and Paul (class of ’21), and Fahey is a 2014 AMU graduate and is married to Regina (Russo, class of ’16).

Dr. D’Agostino is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and currently practices medicine in Naples, Florida. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S., Biochemistry) and the University of South Florida College of Medicine (M.D.) where he was a resident in Internal Medicine from 1992-1995. He started his current solo practice in Internal Medicine and Primary Care in 1996.

Christopher Fahey graduated with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Literature. He is currently a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor for Edward Jones Investments in Naples. As an AMU student, Mr. Fahey was a member of the President’s Circle and played intercollegiate football for the AMU Gyrenes.

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ve Maria University held its 15th Commencement Ceremony in May with 260 graduates receiving their diplomas, to the delight of an overflow crowd in the Tom Golisano Field House. Of special significance was the honorary Doctoral Degree conferred upon AMU trustee, Dr. Louis C. Argenta. Dr. Argenta is professor and chairman emeritus in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Wake Forest University. He and his wife, Ginger, attended commencement to celebrate the graduation of their youngest daughter, Claire (B.A. Nursing).

Dr. Argenta is internationally renowned as a craniofacial surgeon and pioneer of wound and burn treatment techniques. He gained valuable experience treating the wounded during the height of the Vietnam War. When stationed on a ship off the coast, he served in the U.S. Navy and earned the rank of Lt. Commander. Subsequently, the U.S. military used his innovations to treat battlefield injuries in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, preventing an estimated one million amputations. His breakthroughs have helped over 18 million people worldwide.

President Towey, in awarding Dr. Argenta a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, said, “Lou truly exemplifies hat Ave Maria holds dear. His Catholic faith has been his lifeline throughout life, with his beloved Ginger, his wife of 52 years, always by his side, just as she is today.” He continued, “Most of his fondest memories involve her and their eight children, two of whom they adopted, as well as their many adventures together.”

The commencement address was given

by United States Congressman Dan Lipinski (D, IL). He urged graduates to “[f]ocus on a vocation and not just a career….Always listen to God and have the courage to go where He is leading you.”

Following the awarding of diplomas, 2019 Valedictorian Genevieve Riley addressed her fellow graduates. Commencement followed the traditional Baccalaureate Mass, celebrated by Bishop Frank Dewane in the Ave Maria Parish Church. The President’s Dinner, also on Friday, featured a packed house in the Thomas Student Union as President Towey conferred the President’s Award, the University’s highest honor for a graduating senior, upon James Wesley (who majored in biochemistry and now attends medical school in Ohio).

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AMUNEWS

AMU’S 2019 ACADEMIC CONVOCATION

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ve Maria University held its annual Academic Convocation in the O’Bryan Performance Hall at the conclusion of the firs week of classes. The keynote speaker, Dr. Jonathan Lunine, professor of Physical Sciences and Chair of the Astrophysics Department at Cornell University, shared that people are “visibly shocked” to hear that he is both an astronomer and a believing Catholic.

He asserted their disbelief “illustrates the breakdown in our society’s understanding of the compatibility of science and faith.” As a Catholic convert, Lunine is dedicated to bridging the perceived gap between faith and science, stating, “Some of the greatest discoveries in the sciences have been made by scientists who believe in God.”

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AMU HIRES ALUMNI RELATIONS PROGRAM MANAGER PAULA SHUTE

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ith 2,500 AMU alumni and growing, Ave Maria University is working harder than ever to strengthen bonds between the alumni and the University.

To support the strengthening of those bonds, alumna Paula Shute (class of ‘16) has been hired as the Program Manager of Alumni Relations. Paula graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Shakespeare in Performance.

She subsequently graduated from Mary Baldwin University in 2019 with a Master of Letters Degree (MLitt) in Shakespeare and Performance.

Paula is eager to begin collaborating with the new Alumni Leadership

Lunine is no stranger to scientific disc very.

During his career, Lunine served on several advisory committees for the National Academy of Sciences and NASA, participated as a lead investigator for the Juno mission— which is now in orbit around Jupiter— and functioned as an interdisciplinary scientist on the Cassini mission to Saturn. Yet, as AMU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Roger Nutt stated in his introductory remarks, Lunine believes he has done “enough” for astronomy and instead devotes most of his time to a new frontier, one which strives to reconcile the perceived incompatibility between science and faith.

Lunine concluded his remarks by encouraging the students of Ave Maria University to embrace their academic formation in both disciplines. “The perceived incompatibility between science and faith can be countered by believing scientists who are willing to be public examples to their colleagues of the harmony between the two.”

Council (ALC) to develop a strong network of alumni, maintain accurate contact information, recruit students to attend AMU, and organize events for alumni engagement.

Paula is assembling the proper contact information for alumni to keep them informed about events and opportunities. AMU alumni may make updates to their contact information at https://alumni.avemaria.edu. Paula can be reached at paula.shute@avemaria.edu or 239304-7955.

Upcoming special alumni events:

AMU Scholarship Dinner (February 13, 2020)

Alumni Reunion

(March 27-29, 2020)

STUDY ABROAD OFFERS AMU STUDENTS ROME, LONDON EXPERIENCES

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ve Maria University currently has two Study Abroad program options in Rome and London, which students who have completed two semesters on campus are eligible to attend. Students spend a semester living abroad where, in addition to the classroom learning, they get to fully experience life and culture in their chosen destination.

London is AMU’s newest study abroad option. Students live and study at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, a suburb located just 10 miles south-west of downtown London. In this partnership between AMU and St. Mary’s University, students have the opportunity to participate in St. Mary’s athletics and other programs. When students are not in class, they may choose to travel throughout the United Kingdom and various parts of Europe.

Rome has been an AMU study abroad option for a decade. Students live and study in a villa located just minutes away from St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition to coursework in theology, humanities, literature, and art, students can take Italian language classes to become even more immersed in the local culture. In their time outside of class, students explore the Eternal City’s 3,000 years of history and global influence

SHAKESPEARE IN PERFORMANCE SUMMER CAMP

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program which has showcased Ave Maria students for over a decade went upstream and attracted high school student participation by hosting the firs annual Shakespeare in Performance (SIP) Summer Camp in June. Under the direction of AMU professor Dr. Travis Curtright, the founder and director of the Shakespeare minor at AMU, SIP troupe alumni staffed the camp and coached 18 high school student campers from six states on techniques unique to the program. The two-week camp culminated in a one-hour performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Donahue Family Black Box Theater in the Prince Building, where campers performed before crowds of parents, faculty, staff, and town residents.

Curtright and his team kept campers busy with auditions and then frequent rehearsals and individualized instruction to hone their acting skills. Classes integrated voice, movement, improv, and dramaturgy, all skills vital for the performance of Shakespeare’s works. The camp sought to impart a spirit of daring, curiosity, and joy to students, in addition to expert training in theater. Daily free time and mid-camp excursions to the beach and surrounding areas allowed campers to rest and be rejuvenated.

Curtright and his wife, Mary, as well as AMU alumna and program assistant Maura Littleton, have already registered high school students for next summer’s extended camp which will take place July 12 to August 1, 2020, and be a week longer than last year’s. To register for the camp or receive more information, please visit www.shakespeareinperformance. net/aboutcamp.

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TOWE Y GOES OUT ON TOP

TOWEY STEPS DOWN AFTER SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENCY GROW TH,

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TRANSFORMATIONAL

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CHANGE AMPLIF Y MONAGHAN’S LEGACY

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im Towey, Ave Maria University’s second president, will step down in June at the end of his ninth year at the helm.

To appreciate the magnitude of change and the scale of accomplishment that marked his tenure, one must stroll through the University’s early history.

When Ave Maria University estab-

lished its temporary campus in Naples

in 2003, founder and former Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, had a vision: create an authentically Catholic, academically excellent, liberal arts college. He chose a remote area of Southwest Florida – a tract of tomato fields and brush – as the site for his plan.

Construction began in 2006 and 18 months later, Ave Maria University welcomed 400 students to its new, permanent campus. No one accused Monaghan of not thinking big. During that academic year he laid out ambitious targets – by 2027, he expected the University to have 4,000 students!

For such lofty goals to be pursued, Ave Maria University would need a solid foundation, which began with strong leadership and distinguished faculty. Monaghan and Ave Maria’s first president, Nick Healy, guided the University’s early years, and over 100 faculty and staff joined them in this noble adventure. The task they undertook was made more difficult by the collapse in the national housing market that thwarted the founder’s hope that the sale of area real estate would fund University operations. It took a Herculean effort on their part to build a new campus, finance its operations, and support academic and student life programs.

After eight years, Monaghan and Healy decided it was time to step down from running the day-to-day operations of the University and hand those responsibilities over to a

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2011: Inauguration of President Towey with Tom Monaghan

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1989: Visit with St. Mother Teresa in Mexico

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single successor. The Board of Trustees conducted a national search and in February 2011, chose Jim Towey.

Towey was well-known in Catholic circles, having been a friend and legal counsel to Mother Teresa of Calcutta for the last 12 years of her life, a relationship so significant that Towey was invited by her Sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, to do the first reading at Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s canonization Mass in Rome in 2016. Because Towey was the director of the Office of Faith-based Initiatives in the White House of George W. Bush for nearly five years, he had relationships with nearly all of the Church’s hierarchy in the US. His successful four-year term as president of Saint Vincent College provided Towey, previously a newcomer to academia, with the experience necessary to hit the ground running in the new town of Ave Maria, Florida.

Michael Timmis, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University, was thrilled with Towey’s selection. “We were very fortunate to get a leader of Jim’s experience and reputation. He grew up in Florida and knew the state, and had a proven record as a turnaround guy and a fundraiser, and that’s what we needed.”

Towey took over as chief executive officer on St. Patrick’s Day, 2011, in honor of Monaghan’s Irish roots. He faced a number of immediate challenges. “My first task was to get the University officially recognized as Catholic,” Towey recalled. “On the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the day of my inauguration, Bishop Dewane signed a proclamation conferring this recognition, and that was huge for us.”

The University also faced formidable financial challenges and large operational deficits. Towey and his team, led by long-time associates Dennis Grace and Eddie Dejthai, immediately cut over $3 million in spending and eliminated dozens of positions. They had to refinance the University’s founding debt of nearly $60 million. They closed the Nicaragua campus and other programs that were running sizeable deficits, and sold the law school property and radio station to build a cash

1995: President Towey visits St. Mother Teresa with wife Mary, and son

classrooms from the early budget cuts,” Dr. Nutt, current Vice President for Academic Affairs, observed. “And when our finances improved, he restored the retirement benefit and sabbatical program that had been suspended for years. He also increased faculty salaries and department chair stipends. Most significantly, on his watch the University retained or brought in scholars distinguished in their fields and committed to their faith.”

Towey’s devotion to the Catholic faith was evident throughout his nine years of service. The University opened a shrine and chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and for the first time, students were able to attend daily or weekend Masses on campus. Towey also instituted aroundthe-clock exposition of the Eucharist for students and town residents, led a weekly Bible Study, and launched other initiatives that advanced the University’s goal of forming “intentional followers of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, scholarship and service.”

“I think the formal consecration of the University to the Immaculate Heart of

2003: President Towey with St. John Paul II

Mary was the high point of my time here,” Towey remarked. “When I sat there in front of the great Annunciation Sculpture, with Tom, Michael, the trustees, and Bishop Dewane, and with the University community and town residents all there together, I realized that Ave Maria wasn’t Tom’s university or my university - it was Mary’s university.”

Evidence of her intercessory favor abounds. Enrollment at AMU has increased over 75% during Towey’s presidency. According to data compiled by the

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reserve. And with the Board of Trustees support, Towey transferred the Oratory and Donahue Academy to the Diocese, which not only brought in millions of dollars in endowment, but also saved a fortune in annual operating costs. “All those changes were made in the span of about four years,” Timmis said. “If the University had not taken those steps, I doubt we would have survived.”

Ave Maria’s finances gradually stabilized and did so without sacrificing academic excellence. Indeed, under the leadership of Drs. Michael Dauphinais, Seana Sugrue, Gabriel Martinez and Roger Nutt, the number of majors the University offered grew from 10 to 32, to include nursing, biochemistry, psychology, exercise physiology, finance and education, among others.

Today, over 70% of Ave Maria’s students are in majors that did not exist before Towey’s time. In addition, under Towey’s direction, the administration worked with the faculty to transform the core curriculum, create an honors program, and secure re-accreditation through 2025.

“President Towey spared the faculty and

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TOWE Y GOES OUT ON TOP

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2006: President Towey in Oval Office with P esident George W. Bush

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Cardinal Newman Society, Ave Maria added more undergraduate students over the last eight years than Catholic University, Franciscan, Benedictine, the University of Dallas, Christendom or Belmont Abbey. In other words, Ave outperformed all of the competition. And future growth continues to look promising: Ave’s entering class sizes the last two years were the largest in history, averaging over 400.

Part of the reason enrollment surged was the University’s growing national reputation that, in part, was fed by Towey’s contacts and friendships from his years of public service in Washington and Florida.

Ave enjoyed a stellar procession of top-tier visitors -- a line-up perhaps unrivaled in academia. Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, US Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, US Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson, and Fox News commentator and political guru

2015: The Consecration of AMU to Our Lady during the Feast of the Annunciation

Karl Rove came to Ave’s campus. Students also heard from Church leaders, including Cardinals Sean O’Malley of Boston, Donald Wuerl of Washington, and Timothy Dolan of New York, as well as Catholic role models like Carlyle Group co-founder Dan D’Aniello, best-selling author and Harvard scholar Arthur Brooks, and renowned art historian Dr. Liz Lev. The University’s enhanced profile and Towey’s skill set as a fundraiser translated into an unprecedented wave of philanthropy from individuals across America who did not attend Ave Maria but chose to “adopt” it. This transitioning of the fundraising burden from Monaghan to a much broader base of Catholic donors was perhaps the greatest of all challenges Towey faced. And yet, he succeeded, raising over $80 million during his tenure, including nearly half from donors who had not contributed to AMU before his arrival. The annual scholarship dinners which Towey

2015: with Pope Francis in Philadelphis

Towey’s Tenure…At a Glance » 75% increase in undergraduate enrollment » Over $80 million raised, including dozens of seven-figure gifts and completion of a $60 million campaign » Increased majors from 10 to 32 » Re-accreditation through 2025 » Revitalized core curriculum » Creation of honors program » New classrooms, faculty offices, and exercise physiology and nursing labs » Refinanced debt and made over $35 million in debt service payments » Construction of debt-free $14 million Prince Building » Over $5 million in additional capital improvements: • Upgrade in campus security • Artificial turf field and lights, bleachers and new baseball field • Completion of the St. Anne’s Guest House • Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine and student chapel • Opened popular coffee klatch » Won lawsuit against the Federal government and the proposed Obamacare “contraceptive services” mandate » Founded Mother Teresa Project that has sent hundreds of students on mission trips to Uganda, India, Brazil, Mexico and other countries, and opened a museum in her honor on campus

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in Canizaro Library

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instituted raised over $3 million and helped hundreds of students afford an Ave education.

Perhaps the most remarkable fundraising statistic is the following: over 25 seven-figure gifts were given to the University on Towey’s watch. That cohort of major donors included four that helped fund the new $14 million Prince Building that was conceived by Towey, built without debt, and opened last year. This multi-purpose building houses the Donahue Family Black Box Theater which features AMU’s nationally-renowned Shakespeare performances, and also the state-of-the-art nursing laboratory and classrooms that support the new nursing major. The Prince Building also boasts of the 400-seat O’Bryan Performance Hall, where everything from

2016: Reading at the Canonization Mass of St. Mother Teresa

Jim & Mary Towey Q&A

deal with me and it was one of the best decisions Mary and I ever made.

Could you describe your time here?

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What made you come to Ave?

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Mary: The Blessed Mother.

Jim: Mary and I just felt this move was God’s will for us. I saw challenges at Ave Maria where I thought I could make a difference. When I came to the campus before accepting the job, the students really impressed me. Michael Timmis, Jack Donahue and Tom Monaghan sealed the

Mary: Our time here has been one of the greatest gifts and privileges of our life together, because what’s happening at AMU is a beautiful work of the Church right now. We have the best student body in the world, and faculty and staff too. Working together to grow, contribute, and worship has been exhilarating. We are extremely grateful.

Jim: This has been the hardest and most rewarding job of my life. It simply never let up. But all the effort was worth it. The great people I worked with here made our tenure successful, thank God.

How has Ave helped you grow in your faith during your time here?

Mary: Through the exceptional people I’ve met here, the intense sacramental life,

strumental. The University came together like never before as the campus sheltered hundreds of residents from the nearby farmworker community of Immokalee, and hosted dozens of first responders in the ballroom. Students welcomed into the dorms a group of elderly Haitians whose caregivers had fled. When the storm passed, Ave student volunteers loaded up vans with food and water and went to serve those in desperate need. It was one of Ave’s finest hours, and these efforts attracted recognition from the national media.

Towey also was a soothing presence in the hours and days after the tragic car accident that claimed the life of women’s basketball star Emily Acosta last year. Few who were present will forget Towey’s impromptu remarks at the conclusion of the

and the abundant opportunities to serve, especially through our wonderful students and the Mother Teresa Project.

Jim: Mother Teresa said she “preferred the insecurity of Divine Providence” and I have grown to understand what she meant. This University isn’t mine or Tom Monaghan’s. It is a work of the Church, under Our Lady’s gaze, and I’ve learned to trust more and worry less.

mission trips to Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Mexico where I was fortunate enough to accompany students.

Jim: When we first moved here, our house was on the remotest edge of town.

So we had black bears in our garage, and a rattlesnake even bit our dog (Skippy survived!). I remember my first “date night” with Mary was at the Rib City in Immokalee! But the town has really grown since those days, and so has the University. Mary and I have made close friends that we’ll keep when we leave, and we’ll also take great memories of raising our children here and coming to know so many wonderful students who are the future of the Church. I have to add to the list Mary gave the days before and after Hurricane Irma.

So much compassion and heroism was unleashed on our campus by that storm.

What are a few of your best memories?

Mary: There are so many. The ones that rush to mind are the consecration of the University to Our Lady in 2015; the outpouring of love and solidarity by our students when Emily Acosta died last year - the Mass and candlelight procession to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine that night; the men’s basketball game a few days later where busloads of students traveled to Warner and our men won in dramatic fashion; every single Shakespeare performance and the many student theatre productions and “Ave’s Got Talent” performances; and the Mother Teresa Project

What will you both miss about AMU? Mary: I’ll miss the people we’ve come to know. They are too many to name. They know who they are. It also has been fun to ditch my car for a bike. I’ll miss the

2019: Vice President Michael Pence visit to AMU

weather, the beach, and the skies.

Jim: I have a real debt of gratitude to Board Chairman Michael Timmis who stood by me through thick and thin. The success the University these years owes to him and the incredible group of trustees and their spouses whom I have come to know and respect, and the donors who gave to a University they didn’t attend. I’ll really miss the people I worked with every day, and of course, the great young people God entrusted to the University.

Do you have any specific plans for what is in store for yourselves and the family next?

Jim: On our wedding day I toasted Mary and said that I looked forward to following the star together and worshiping the Lord beneath wherever it came to a rest. We’ve loved our time at Ave Maria and we’ll see what’s next.

Mary: Our plan is to keep following the star.

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academic lectures to student talent shows take place.

Towey, like Ave’s founder, has been a major supporter of the most popular student activity on campus: athletics. Over 40% of Ave Maria’s students compete on one of the Gyrenes’ 15 intercollegiate teams, and Towey made their flourishment a priority. During Towey’s time in office, Ave Maria added an artificial turf field, stadium seating and lighting to allow for evening competition, a new baseball field, and four tennis courts.

No account of the difference Jim Towey made as Ave’s second president would be complete without mention of his crisis management skills. Towey’s leadership in the days before and after the largest storm in US history, Hurricane Irma, were in-

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“

I traveled to Calcutta on a mission trip with AMU in May of 2018. I remember that after our first Mass in the Missionaries of Charity’s Motherhouse in Calcutta, it was time to follow along with the prayers of the MC Sisters. President Towey quietly handed me his own prayer book containing Mother’s prayers, I remember tearing up, thinking of how blessed I was to share that moment in the Motherhouse with him.”

—Jacinta Hogan, Junior

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2019: President Towey with Bishop Frank Dewane, Diocese of Venice, FL and the student’s of the 19-20 President’s Council

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rosary walk that evening with hundreds of students assembled at the base of the footbridge. He, his wife Mary and hundreds of students traveled to central Florida that same weekend to join Emily’s teammates in cheering for the men’s basketball team as they won a come-from-behind victory in the conference tournament, perhaps the University’s most cathartic sports moment in its history.

President Towey considers the establishment of the Mother Teresa Project, a

comprehensive program that fosters study of, and devotion to, the legendary saint and promotes service, as his most significant contribution. Towey joined students every year on a mission trip to Calcutta, and his wife accompanied students annually to Haiti or elsewhere in the region. Vice President for Student Affairs Kimberly King has witnessed how the Mother Teresa Project has taken root in Ave’s campus culture. “Now Ave students are not just with the children in Immokalee or the nursing

home residents of Naples, they also are going on mission trips to India, Haiti, Uganda, Brazil, Mexico and the Dominican Republic,” she said. “A new generation of Catholics is getting to know Mother Teresa by following in her footsteps, serving the poor, and meeting Jesus.”

The University also is privileged to house the only Mother Teresa Museum in America. On display are actual artifacts of Mother Teresa, including handwritten letters to Towey and others, a piece of her own sari, and an exact replication of her room in her Calcutta convent. Advanced media technology allows visitors to learn about the Saint’s life and teachings through oral histories by those who knew her best.

And just as Mother Teresa would wish, there is no admission charge for visitors.

Towey believes the project and museum will attract students, visitors, and others for decades to come.

There is never a good time for a successful president to leave, but Towey believes he has found the right moment. “By any measure Ave Maria University is at a high point,” he said. “So this is a good time for me to pass the torch to the next president so that she or he can take the University to even greater heights.”

Board Chairman Timmis believes many will miss the University’s first family.

“Jim and Mary have been quite a team, and in some ways, Mary will be harder to replace,” he said. “Mary has been loved by donors, faculty, and especially our students. She set up over half of the mission trips and led many of them. She guided a formation program for students, and was a mom to countless of them. The Toweys will always have a place in our hearts – and in Ave Maria University’s history,” Timmis concluded.

As you might expect, when asked about his legacy, Towey paraphrased Scripture in summarizing his time as the University’s president. “Tom planted the seed, we did the watering and weeding, but God made it grow. And I know that Our Blessed Mother will continue to intercede for her University in the years ahead.”

Encountering the Soul of Uganda

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rphans of violence and AIDS; severely disabled, abandoned children and young adults; inmates of a maximum security prison; poverty stricken people living in the streets.

In June, eight Ave Maria University students loved and served people in such circumstances and more, side by side with Missionaries of Charity (MC’s) in Kampala, Uganda. Through their service and love to these needy and marginalized individuals, these students experienced the presence of Christ in unexpected ways, and came home changed by the experience.

Father Joseph Lugalambi, AMU Ph.D. student and native of Uganda, was joined by women’s basketball head coach Megan Becker, for this ten-day trip as the students encountered some of the most shocking and crippling poverty, illness, and disability that any of them had ever seen.

From the moment they arrived at the MC compound and were swarmed by the children and others in the Sisters’ care, the

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MTP, Fr. Joseph Lugalambi, Coach Megan Becker

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students were confronted with the surprising yet beautiful combination of extreme poverty and joy that permeated the trip.

The AMU team got to live among the poor they were serving, just as the MC’s do. They slept on short, narrow cots under mosquito netting, in which Becker, an even six feet tall, described feeling “crunched up.” The team took “showers” in concrete block rooms where the shower head was only there for looks; they fetched their own shower water from a cistern with a bucket, carried it to the shower room, and dipped water from their buckets with a pitcher to pour it over their heads.

The work day began with 7:00 Mass every morning, followed immediately by two hours of mopping floors and changing and hand-washing the bedding and clothes

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“We’re supposed to be Jesus’ hands and feet, but in the long run, those children were Jesus to us. It was really beautiful to see that.”

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for the young people, and distributing donated clothing and other items. Distribution was also a time to socialize and play with their new-found friends. Becker said that meeting those who came to receive the donated items was “heartbreaking” as “a lot of these people wrote down their phone numbers or email and gave it to me and told me, ‘You’re my last hope.’” In the midst of the hundreds of thronging people, one woman she spoke with stood out to her in particular. “She’s got a Master’s Degree, but she can’t get a job because she was raped and she has AIDS. She’s got five children and she’s on her own,” Becker said.

The AMU group also helped the Sisters distribute the Blessed Sacrament and teach catechism in the nearby impoverished neighborhoods, ministering to people in their homes. The week of service at the compound changed the team members. Initially they shied away from the children at the compound, put off by smells, by runny noses and slobber, and

loving like the people we encountered is simplicity: having less, doing less, thinking of yourself less, and then there will be enough room for God and love.”

The trip to Uganda is one part of the broader Mother Teresa Project at AMU, the goal of which, as Project Director

Michael O’Donnell puts it, is for students, by serving side by side with the MC’s, to “experience the love Mother Teresa gave to the poorest of the poor and to give that same love to the people in their life.” This summer’s trip to Uganda certainly fulfilled that goal.

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the occasional toileting accident. But, by the middle of the week, as Becker tells it, there was a change and the students were “seeing the soul, they weren’t seeing the body anymore. We’re supposed to be Jesus’ hands and feet, but in the long run, those children were Jesus to us. It was really beautiful to see that.”

One day, some of the Ave missionaries travelled to a maximum security prison to visit the inmates. It is not easy for people to visit that part of the prison, and so the inmates rarely receive visitors or spiritual care. In fact they only receive the Blessed Sacrament two times a year. Father Joseph led part of the team into the prison where they had to go through seven check points, and even the bananas they brought had to be scanned through the metal detectors. During the praise portion of the service, Fr. Joseph heard over 200 confessions. He described the experience as hard, partly because of the prison policy of having a “prisoner count” every 45 minutes. “That was so challenging.

Someone was in the middle of confessing their sins, and [the wardens] took them, saying ‘get out of here, it’s time to count,” he observed.

The team took one day off from their work and used it to visit Fr. Joseph’s family in his home village of Masaka.

There they were received warmly with a traditional feast: a whole pig, chicken and beef steamed in big pots covered with banana leaves, plantains and potatoes.

Many people from the village turned out to welcome their guests and to help with the feast. As Fr. Joseph explained, that is typical of his home country where if there is a guest or stranger, everyone turns out to meet, offer support and gifts, and help welcome the guests.

AMU junior Rebecca Borkowski found the Mother Teresa Project trip to Uganda to be a life-changer. “Uganda was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I thought I would see hopelessness among the people because they are in the worst conditions, but they had grit and a deep faith,” she said. “I think the key to

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Beauty from Brokeness Dr. Adam van Wart’s Journey Through Cancer

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ith a calm presence and a warm, humorous demeanor, Dr. Adam van Wart is a popular member of the faculty at AMU. Though his tenure at the University has been brief—this fall marks the beginning of his third

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year—it has been anything but uneventful.

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Van Wart came to AMU in 2017 with his family—wife Megan, of nearly 20 years; son Kale now 14; daughter Macey, 10; and son Anson, 6—after obtaining his PhD at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. For him, landing the job at AMU was fantastic, because getting a job in academia is “almost impossible.” He said: “To get [a job] where you can teach the faith without fear and even in your own specialty with graduate students, that’s winning the lottery.”

The beginning of his first academic year at AMU was interrupted by the landfall of Hurricane Irma. The two-week storm struck on August 30, only two days after classes started at the University. After weathering Hurricane Irma in the fall, it seemed as though the rest of the year would be simple and easy by comparison. But the real storm was only

on the horizon for Van Wart and his family.

In late February, Adam went on a 16-mile canoe trip with the Boy Scouts.

Following the trip, he started feeling some back pain, which he simply attributed to “getting older”, and so at first he figured it would go away. Instead of abating, the pain only grew, and he became concerned.

Eventually, when the pain became “excruciating” he sought medical attention and was referred for a CT scan. In the meantime, he was still teaching his full load every day and by late April, he was taking a lot of painkillers to cope. The CT scan was scheduled for mid-May, just before the University let out for the summer. Because of the timing of his appointment, he had to drink the contrast chemicals for the scan during a lecture, which he describes as

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continues to have clear cancer screenings. “disgusting and awkward.”

And while he’s still considered at risk until The scan revealed a 4cm tumor growhe’s been clear of the cancer for two years, ing in his thoracic vertebrae. Though his, he is able at this point to look backward in and his wife’s, concerns began to grow, time at the experience and at what it has there was hope that the tumor would be taught him. benign. At the end of May, he Indeed he is able to speak went to Miami to have the tumor about his own mortality with removed, which couldn’t be “To get [a job] where you can the calm confidence which done without also removing bits teach the faith without fear ... encompasses both the gravity of of his spine. He says that he’s the fact of death’s reach, and the still adjusting to the loss of that that’s winning the lottery.” levity of one who trusts fully in portion of his backbone, that the the God who made and sustains sensation of touch there is still a put him in the hospital for a week, and all things. He has grown in appreciation of bit painful, even more than a year on, but the benefits of suffering and the realization that “the pain even after this operation was he ended up missing more classes than he allows his students to miss. that God’s mercies are new every morning: less than the pain of having the tumor in In addition to the means of classroom “The author of Hebrews talks about how there, because the tumor just smashed the instruction to divert his attention from a father who loves his children disciplines spinal cord…and the whole lower left side his illness, Van Wart coped through the [them]. [I’m] learning to see the suffering of my body would go numb.” help of family, friends, and colleagues.

He as a gift and to treat it as such; recognizing Van Wart’s Naples oncologist returned fidescribes his wife as “a trooper… with her that— being diagnosed, of course, you’re nal diagnosis after the biopsy: diffuse large hands full, teaching full time, taking care immediately fearful that you’re going to B-cell lymphoma, activated B-cell type, a of the kids… [she] handled it really well.” die— no one really knows how long they very rare, but aggressive, type of cancer, The family had the help of Megan’s father have. Nothing’s changed with the diagnowith only a 45% survival rate two years and Adam’s mother, who took turns to sis. The day of my death is just as ambiguafter diagnosis. visit and care for them. He also describes ous now as it was then, so you take it a day Van Wart began chemotherapy imthe blessing of having university members at a time and trust God for what he gives, mediately. His type of cancer merited a come visit and pray with him before his and make the most of what you have.” more potent— and dangerous— cocktail surgery: President Towey, Academic Dean His continued gratitude for being of chemicals than is typically used in Roger Nutt, and Theology Department a member of the AMU community is out-patient cancer treatment. As such, each Chair Michael Dauphinais all came to visit evident, too, as he processes the events of treatment for him meant a week’s stay in and pray; Fr. Guy Mansini gave him the the past year: “[I’m] surrounded by such the hospital. a community of faith and prayer and love.

The chemo treatments lasted all summer sacrament of extreme unction; and fellow first-year faculty member Jeff Walkey and I’m quite convinced that if it hadn’t been and into the fall. Then, it was on to radiahis wife, Emily, visited and fed the family. for the prayer and support of the students tion therapy for three and a half weeks. By He was also very encouraged by a family and faculty and [my] family that… that the time his treatment was complete and of three students who were going through I wouldn’t be here right now. And who he had a clear scan, it was mid-November, their father’s cancer journey at the same knows? The stats aren’t great. But I’m and his first semester of classes following time.

They brought him a care package of confident that God’s will is for the good diagnosis was nearly over. He had been ofthings he didn’t even know that he would and I’m happy to play whatever role that is. fered the freedom to take the semester off need. In April of this year the pain returned Most days. Most days… We’re just taking it from teaching and stay home, but decided to the site of his laminectomy, prompting a day at a time. Take what He gives and try that, in order to win the mental and emohim to arrange a scan before his regularly to make the most of it.” tional battle of chemotherapy, he would scheduled 6-month check.

Thankfully, the Through both laughter and tears, Van need to keep himself occupied with work. results still showed him clear of cancer, Wart has gained wisdom and insight. “I So, he chose a reduced course load instead and he was able to chalk the pain up to his would have preferred not to have underof time off and though it was difficult to muscles continuing to adjust to the lack of gone it, I don’t recommend cancer to manage, he had help. A colleague teamthat portion of bone. anyone. But again, it’s one of those ways in taught one class with him. The load of Today, Van Wart is doing great. His which you see that God is in the business another class was lightened by the help of hair and beard have grown back, he has of bringing beautiful things out of what is his teaching assistant. It was still a mighty returned to a full teaching load, and he broken.” struggle: each chemo therapy session still

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Reclaiming Catholic Medicine

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The Mullallys

eet Dr. Andrew Mullally (2009), and his wife, Veronica Mullally (2010), AMU alumni whose Catholic faith is at the heart of their work. Andrew, with an MD, and Veronica, with an MBA specialized in healthcare management and ac-

counting, started Credo Family Medicine in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2016. Their clinic serves the community while adhering to

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Catholic ethics.

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Recently, Andrew— with two other pro-life, Catholic physicians— founded and cohosts a radio show focused on faith and medicine called Doctor, Doctor, which is broadcast nationally on EWTN Radio every Saturday. Additionally, the couple are busy with a growing family, as they are excitedly expecting their 6th child in December. They are grateful for their time at Ave Maria University, to which they attribute the depth of their appreciation of the Catholic faith.

was exactly what I was looking for. It was at that moment that I decided Ave Maria was where I wanted to go for college.

Andrew: I wanted to have a vast exposure to philosophy and theology in college, in addition to the sciences, I wanted that breadth of knowledge. When my parents attended a Call to Holiness weekend in Detroit, where Fr. Joseph Fessio spoke about AMU, they were impressed by the liberal arts curriculum and suggested that I attend.

I was also excited to go to a Catholic University. I had attended a public high school and I had a longing for a peer group who appreciated the faith that was so important to me.

Can you tell us how you ended up attending AMU?

Veronica, How did you two meet and fall in love?

Veronica: As a high school freshman or sophomore, I attended a talk in Michigan for the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools. Tom Monaghan spoke about starting Ave Maria University and highlighted Ave’s mission statement, which

During my first semester at Ave, Andrew was studying abroad in Ave’s Austria Program. We first spoke when he called

via Skype from Austria to talk to his friend whom I was dating. When he returned second semester (I was no longer dating his friend) we were introduced. About three weeks later we started dating and it didn’t take much longer for us to discover that we were a match. During my junior year, Andrew proposed and we married after I graduated.

What impact did AMU have on your faith?

What are some of your best AMU memories?

Veronica: We always enjoyed trips to the beach and meeting friends at the Ave Maria Bean and the Pub. I valued being able to go to daily mass and adoration (that’s not so easy when you can’t just walk to it at any time of night!). My most fond memory of Ave is seeing Fr. Garrity riding his bike and saying hi to everyone he met and yelling, “God bless you!”

Andrew: I really enjoyed all the intramurals! I participated in student govern-

ment, and worked as an RA and campus security guard. My favorite way to spend my free time was the random philosophical debates that would spring up at a late night bonfire or a day at the beach. Even our free time was very educational. I made such great friendships and I look back fondly on those times.

What advice would you give prospective AMU students?

Veronica: Pursue the classes that are useful to your career, but don’t forget to value the opportunities you have to develop your faith. It may be tempting to say “I’ll do those things when I am older and have more time,” but it only gets harder as you get older. Now, daily Mass, confessions, and adoration are happening everyday at AMU; you won’t have those same opportunities later!

Andrew: Looking back, I cannot express enough the benefit of a supportive, positive, and Catholic peer group on a college student. It was very formative for me and I wouldn’t want anything else.

Can you tell about relatives who also attended, or attend, AMU? Veronica: I am the youngest in my family, so I am the only one of my siblings that attended; but my mother decided to pursue her Master’s in Theology through Ave, and graduated in 2009.

Andrew: I am the oldest of 9, and several of my siblings have attended Ave Maria.

Matt (2011) is now a dentist with his own practice in Indiana. He married fellow Ave grad, Alicia Lalak (2011), who manages the practice, and they have 5 children.

Kathleen (2015) went on to graduate from Ave Maria Law School in 2018.

She married this September, and will be practicing in the Attorney General’s office in Kansas starting this fall. Thomas (2017) worked at Matt’s dental practice, and just enrolled in dental school in Detroit. Marie (2019) is now in optometry school in Big Rapids, Michigan. Joe is currently a junior and Monica hopes to attend in a year once she completes high school. My two first cousins, Maureen and Angie Mullally, also attended Ave.

ave ma r ia maga z i ne | ave ma r ia.edu

Veronica: We both value the education we received at Ave, mainly in our moral theology and philosophy training. We were so lucky to have attended a Catholic college and received the training in our faith that we did. Our formation at Ave gave us the tools to tackle many topics, especially medical ethics, extremely effectively.

Andrew: My time at Ave permeates my daily life in the strength of my convictions and my ability to defend my beliefs in an articulate and persuasive way. My faith was galvanized at Ave, as was my desire to pursue medicine, to care for patients in a way that respects their dignity and to advocate for our Catholic faith in medicine. As part of the New Evangelization, we need to go into the secular world with competence and clarity. It has always been my goal to work toward this in medicine. I truly value the opportunity to help people on a daily basis and view medicine as an opportunity to grow in holiness. It is such an awesome blessing to practice the works of mercy in my daily work.

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There and Back Again CFO Eugene Munin’s Path to AMU

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ecently, AMU Magazine sat down with AMU’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, Eugene Munin. As with all of the members of the University Council, AMU’s executive management team, Gene has a brilliant and impressive past. With his Catholic ped-

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igree (attending Catholic institutions from primary school

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through a doctorate) and innate personal attraction to higher learning (five advanced degrees… and counting?), we’re so glad to have him here.

Gene Munin first came to Ave Maria in 2011 to serve as Budget Director for the University and as an adjunct professor at Ave Maria School of Law. This move came on the heels of successful stints in law and finance where he worked both in private legal practice, as a criminal prosecutor, and Budget Director for the city of Chicago under Mayor Richard M. Daley. After the worst budget crisis in Chicago since the Great Depression, Daley retired

from public office, and Munin was poised to explore his next career move. That next step was to AMU. That first stint in Ave wasn’t to last long, however. Gene’s wife, Kristin, a police sergeant in Chicago nearing a full pension and therefore needing to remain employed on the force, stayed in Chicago, and the two went back and forth between Chicago and Ave Maria while she finished up her career and he settled into his new position.

This arrangement was short-lived. Shortly after Munin undertook his new responsibilities, Kristin became pregnant with their first child. Gene decided to resign his position at Ave, return to Chicago in 2012 for the birth of their son, Michael, and support Kristin through the completion of

“I love the mission of the school and I love higher education, so this is a pefect fit for me.” revolution. He spoke no Chinese until the Columbans taught him. So, in comparison, this move was pretty easy,” he quipped.

There is much that the Munins love about Ave— small-town life, the five-minute commute to work, lunchtime spent together as family, access to a great Catholic K-12 classical education, and Tae Kwon Do

and dance studios in town for their children. But Munin cites two drawbacks: the occasional black bear ambling through the neighborhood, and his son’s longing for Chicago’s white winters. “Michael tells me every now and then that he misses snow.

I tell him that I will take him skiing in Utah.”

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her career.

The family continued to grow with the birth of Margaret in 2014— who died hours following birth from Trisomy 22— and Maeghan in 2016. The couple decided to eventually relocate to Ave Maria to raise their kids in the peace and security of the small community. To that end, they began construction of their home here, planning to become permanent residents sometime in 2019. In 2017 President Towey came calling upon Munin to return to his CFO duties. It was an offer Gene couldn’t refuse and the Munins moved back to Ave. The attributes of AMU that originally attracted Gene in 2011 were still a pull in 2017 when he came back for the second time. They continue to inspire in him love for the university and town. “I love the mission of the school and I love higher education, so this is a perfect fit for me,” Munin said. He enjoys laboring together with colleagues with whom he shares both his faith and the noble calling to help students seek truth through a quality liberal arts education grounded in authentic, Catholic faith. These joys temper the daily challenge he faces of allocating scarce resources and controlling expenses to put AMU on a trajectory toward a balanced budget.

The whole family has adjusted well to the move to Ave. Gene himself, in characteristic humility and humor, downplays the challenge by comparison. “In the grand scheme of life, moving from Chicago with its weather, crime, taxes, deficits and politicians to southwest Florida, is not the most difficult challenge that we will face in life. I had a great uncle who left Ireland in his early 20s to become a missionary priest in China during the Communist

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Embracing Constitutional Law

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ve Maria University is renowned for its classroom instruction and the impactful classes offered on campus. The Constitutional Law course numbers among the most memorable. Those who have taken “Con Law” feel that they have become part of a

living tradition both at Ave Maria University and within the

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United States.

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The course has existed since the very inception of the Politics Department. Dr. Seana Sugrue inherited it when she joined the faculty in the fall of 2004 at the time that the University had moved from Ypsilanti, MI, to its temporary location in the Vineyards in Naples. She has taught it every fall since she arrived. To create the course, Dr. Sugrue drew upon her work with Dr. Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, under whose auspices she had participated in teaching Civil Liberties. She knew from her time at Princeton that what made the course so popular there was that students want the opportunity to test their arguments and beliefs in a serious and respectful manner through intensive interaction with the instructor. She also knew that the issues considered in Con Law are of perennial interest as they involve debates about the meaning of liberty and equality as well as who gets to decide the law.

What students are apt to remember most about Con Law is their moot court experience. They are assigned to teams in which each plays the role of a lawyer and they make legal arguments based on a set of hypothetical facts. Dr. Sugrue plays a tough judge intent on interrupting and throwing students off of their scripts. Students must think on their feet in responding to questions that they may not have anticipated.

Some students find the experience exhilarating. Others are just glad it is over. For all, it leaves an impression as they discover their own powers of persuasion and perseverance under pressure. Students also can’t quite get over the transformation they witness on the day of moot court of mild-mannered Dr. Sugrue into mildly mean “Judge Sugrue.”

But as Dr. Sugrue explains, if they can hold their own with her, they can feel confident when their future boss demands answers to

pressing questions.

While the moot court is considered a peak experience, it is just one of many opportunities students are given to hone their speaking skills as they learn legal reasoning.

All students also present an in-depth case brief and provide their own analysis as to whether the case law is sound on the basis of past precedent as well as moral considerations. One of the discoveries students make in the class is that the arguments in legal decisions are often inconsistent and shaped by underlying political influences.

Many metaphorical light bulbs ignite when students examine classic cases such as Marbury v Madison and better understand the contemporary political environment.

Some students find that Con Law is also a useful way to discern whether they might like to apply to law school after graduation.

While it is an undergraduate course, the methodology of Con Law is quite similar to what is found in traditional law schools.

Cases are the focus of study and the Socratic method is used. Dr. Sugrue jokes with her students that she has saved many students thousands of dollars in tuition because, after the course, some students definitely rule out law school. Yet some discover an unexpected love for the law and go on to invest in a legal education, confident that it is the right choice.

The topics discussed in the class are of acute interest to Catholics and to all Americans. Among them are church-state relations, which are studied through the lens of the establishment and free exercise

clauses of the First Amendment. Students debate what role religion can officially play in the public square by examining the effects of the infamous “Lemon Test” as they deliberate about whether and how a state can be truly neutral or even-handed.

They are often surprised to discover how limited is the protection provided by the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to those who wish to worship according to the dictates of their conscience.

Other areas of jurisprudence of great interest to Ave students include the Supreme Court’s treatment of sexual morality, abortion and euthanasia as constitutional issues. Students discover how the Supreme Court has crafted “privacy rights” – and increasingly is protecting a right to create one’s own identity – within the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution through a controversial principle called “substantive due process.” They also examine different philosophical perspectives about the value of human life and come to comprehend how these influence laws that will determine which lives will receive the protection of law.

However, Dr. Sugrue reminds her students frequently that many important cases are not decided based on civil liberties or civil rights. What can have greater practical significance to the policies students care deeply about are federalism – especially the division of powers between the federal government and the states – as well as separation of powers between the co-equal branches of government.

Still, making sense of the strange world of Constitutional Law requires students to trust in the process of the course as the learning curve they experience is quite steep. Dr. Sugrue lets students know that they will feel quite disoriented for the first six weeks as they discover this new way of reasoning. She has also structured the course so that students who invest the time will not have their grades suffer as they ride the learning curve. She does not “give away an A” and has high expectations.

Senior politics major, Amy White, said of the course: “Dr. Sugrue’s Constitutional Law class is, in my opinion, the epitome of what Ave Maria classes strive to be: Engaging, academically challenging, and intellectually transformative. By taking part in this class, I have become better equipped to understand the constitutional implications of several and diverse issues, from abortion laws to privacy rights to freedom of speech. The relevancy of the class material to understanding real-world issues is astounding, and the practice of considering the contrary reasonings behind rulings will undoubtedly contribute to any diligent student’s critical thinking capabilities. Truly, I can’t recommend this class highly enough.”

Dr. Sugrue confesses that while she loves all of her courses, Con Law and the students who have bravely and boldly taken it with her, hold a very special place in her heart.

“Ave students are smart, disciplined, polite, and filled with love. Give them the tools to engage in the world and they will transform it,” she said.

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“Dr. Sugrue’s Constitutional Law class is, in my opinion, the epitome of what Ave Maria classes strive to be: Engaging, academically challenging, and intellectually transformative.”

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ACADEMIC FACULTY

AMU Faculty New Hires

Mathew Foss

Dr. G. Patrick O’Brien

Assistant Professor of Communications

Visiting Assistant Professor of History

Mr. Foss has a B.A. in Literature from Ave Maria University

Dr. O’Brien earned a B.A. in History and Sociology from

and a M.F.A. in Digital Filmmaking from the University

Providence College, an M.A. in History from McGill University,

of Central Arkansas. He is also a graduate of the ActOne

and a Ph.D. in History from the University of South Carolina.

Screenwriting Program. Mr. Foss has written, produced and

Dr. O’Brien has taught American and World history at the

directed feature films and television shows. He previously

University of South Carolina and Columbia College. Patrick

taught film at the University of Central Arkansas. Mr. Foss

enjoys the beach, college basketball, and spending summers

enjoys writing scripts, exploring the outdoors, and spending

with his family along Nova Scotia’s South Shore. He and his

time with his wife Macy.

fiancée Abby are looking forward to their wedding in May 2020.

Dr. Kimberly Shmina

Dr. Joseph Walters

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Assistant Professor of Nursing, Chair of the Nursing Department

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Assistant Professor of Exercise Science

Dr Shmina Earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing

Dr. Walters has a B.S. and M.S. in Exercise and Sports

(BSN) at the University of Michigan, her Masters (MSN) at

Nutrition from the University of Tampa and a Ph.D. in

Michigan State University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice

Sport Physiology and Performance from East Tennessee

Degree (DNP) at Wayne State University. As a Family Nurse

State University. Dr. Walters has a passion for conducting

Practitioner with over 19 years of experience, and 12 years

research on physiological changes during exercise stress.

teaching. Dr. Schmina has brought her compassion and

Dr. Walters served in the Marine Corps which is where he

practice to Rural health clinics, Urban Indian Health, the

developed his interest in exercise science. Dr. Walters loves

Odawa Indians on the Reservation in Northern Michigan, and

adventure sports such as mountain biking and stand-up

to the Micronesian and Pacific Island populations in Hawaii.

paddleboarding.

Dr Shmina is married with four children and enjoys spending time with family, gardening, reading, traveling, hiking and swimming.

ACADEMIC FACULTY

AMU Faculty Recognitions Dr. Seunghee Lee, Music In September 2018, Dr. Lee co-founded a new international music festival in South Korea with Pianist Dr. Eunmi Ko, an Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of South Florida. The festival, called Dot the Line, promotes exchange between young musicians in the U.S. and in Asia. While advocating contemporary composers and their scores, Dot the Line presents the highest level of performance and innovative program to general audiences.

Dr. Nicholas Curtis, Biology Dr. Curtis is in the process of conducting marine research

Dr. Brice Gerlach, Organ

at Pickles Reef off of Key Largo. He is investigating the sea

Dr. Gerlach is a nationally

slug Elysia crispata and its algal food sources. These slugs

renowned organist and

are specialized to steal chloroplasts from the algae when

serves as the Assistant

feeding and use them to photosynthesize, just like a plant.

Director and Accompanist

His research provides insight into Elysia crispata’s feeding

of the Naples Philharmonic

behavior and understanding of reef ecology.

Choruses. At Ave Maria, he teaches organ and conducting and directs the AMU Chamber Choir and was recently appointed as artist-in-residence.

Dr. William Serson, Biology Late in the spring semester

Dr. James Patterson, Politics

Ave Maria University

In April 2019, Dr. Patterson

hosted the first annual

published his book,

Collier County Symposium

Religion in the Public

of the Natural and Physical

Square. His book considers

Sciences in collaboration with University of Florida’s

three great religious leaders, Ven. Fulton Sheen, Dr. Martin

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences: SW Florida

Luther King Jr., and Rev Jerry Falwell, who popularized

Research and Education Center.

theology through media campaigns designed to persuade the

Dr. Paul Baxa, History

Dr. Steven Long, Theology

This past September,

In June 2019, Dr. Steven

Dr. Baxa organized an

Long spoke at the Vatican

Automotive Century

before the Pontifical

Symposium with The Revs

Academy of St.Thomas

Institute. The symposium

Aquinas on the topic:

focused on the cultural and social impact of the automobile

“Thomas Aquinas, Jansenism, and Calvinism: ‘Efficacious’ vs.

in twentieth century America.

’Irresistible’ Grace?”

ave ma r ia maga z i ne | ave ma r ia.edu

public.

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ATHLETICS UPDATE

Fall Sports Mid-Season Updates

a v e m a r i a m a g a z i n e | f a l l 2019

Football

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The Ave Maria football team is off to a 2-1 start to begin the 2019 season. The Gyrenes fell in overtime in their season opener to 17thranked Cumberlands (Ky.). AMU rebounded with a win at home over St. Andrews (N.C.) and a win at Bluefield (Va.) 30-13. Reigning Sun Division player of the year, quarterback Will Tate threw for a career-high 399 yards against Bluefield. Charles Philias has rushed for over 200 yards in three games with a pair of touchdowns.

Connor Jewel and Savohn Hunt have paced the AMU defense with nearly 20 tackles each and both with 3.5 tackles for a loss. Devyn McCormick has picked up from where he left off last season, making four field goals and averaging nearly 40 yards per punt. His efforts earned him Mid-South Conference Sun Division Special Team Player of the Week recognition after his effort against Cumberlands. Prior to the season, Shar’Quez Hamilton and Jack Weston were selected to play in the inaugural NAIA Senior Football Classic on December 14 in Savannah, Ga.

ATHLETICS UPDATE

Cross Country The AMU men’s and women’s cross country began their 2019 campaign at the Florida Atlantic Invitational and the National Catholic Invitational hosted by Notre Dame. In the opener, returning All-Conference honoree Mary Goetz placed 16th among the 61 runners, and finished ahead of all runners from NCAA Division I Stetson. Gabriel Hogan began the first event (FAU) of his senior season by finishing 20th in a field of 57, recording a time of 16:43.38 on the 5k course. Hogan’s time broke the school record for a male runner on a 5k course.

Volleyball

The Gyrene men’s soccer team sits at 0-6-1 as they near the midway point of the season and are set to begin conference play. The Blue and Green have played several close games, have dropped three games by one goal and having two games decided in overtime (one tie, one loss).

Junior forward Kensley Jean Baptiste has played in all seven games for AMU and has tallied a team-best five goals and an assist.

Women’s Soccer Ave Maria’s women’s soccer team enters conference play with a 1-6 record. The Gyrenes opened the season with a 10-0 win at Talladega College (Ala.). The Blue and Green have a tough start to conference play with games at No. 3 Southeastern and then at No. 2 Keiser. Four of their final five games will be at home. Hannah Lawrence leads AMU with three goals and two assists.

She recorded a hat-trick against Talladega in the season opener.

ave ma r ia maga z i ne | ave ma r ia.edu

Men’s Soccer

AMU volleyball has won three of its last four games to improve to 4-7 on the season. The Gyrenes snapped a 15-match losing streak against Southeastern when they defeated the Fire 3-2 in Lakeland on Sep. 18. The Gyrenes have been led by a trio of freshman. Freshman Madelyn Haut leads the team with 100 kills and 34 blocks through 11 matches.

Katie Grose is the team leader in assists with 290. Freshman libero Miah Pena has tallied 141 digs for AMU, a team-high. On Sep. 9, it was announced AMU volleyball players swept the Sun Conference weekly awards with middle blocker Haut named Attacker of the Week, junior outside hitter McKenna Tyson earning Defender of the Week honors, and setter Grose was listed as the Setter of the Week.

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ATHLETICS UPDATE

Spring Coach/Athlete Recognition Men’s Tennis Ave Maria sophomore tennis player Nicholas Hofmeister was named the Sun Conference’s men’s tennis Champion of Character. Hofmeister is the first tennis player in program history to earn the Champion of Character award, and the third such Gyrene this school year.

Hofmeister majors in Health Science and minors in Psychology.

Softball Two Ave Maria softball players were named All-Sun Conference selections: outfielder Kalie Romig and infielder Angela Cataldo. Romig became just the second player in school history to earn First Team honors in back-to-back seasons and was the third player to twice be named to the First Team. The junior led the Gyrenes with 35 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Cataldo was the fourth freshman in AMU history to be named an All-Conference selection in her debut season, earning second team accolades. In her freshman season, Cataldo led Ave Maria in most offensive categories, including batting average (.344), hits (54), total bases (62), and on base percentage (.399).

The duo were also named NAIA Second Team All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association.

a v e m a r i a m a g a z i n e | f a l l 2019

Academic Recognition This Year

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Throughout this year, Ave Maria student-athletes have excelled both athletically and in the classroom. A total of 48 student-athletes earned Conference All-Academic Team recognition and 27 of them earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete honors. Last year AMU had 40 student athletes earn Conference All-Academic honors and 25 were named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes.

In addition, Ave Maria placed 10 teams on the NAIA Scholar Team list this past year. The highest GPA among Gyrene teams was supplied by the women’s basketball team, who posted a team GPA of 3.42, the highest for an AMU team since 2015-16. The women’s tennis (3.39), men’s cross country (3.35), and women’s cross country (3.32) teams were also above 3.30 on the school year. Ave Maria’s volleyball (3.13), men’s tennis (3.11), women’s golf (3.08), softball (3.04), men’s golf (3.02), and women’s soccer (3.01) teams joined their classmates on this year’s NAIA Scholar Teams.

ATHLETICS UPDATE

New Hires in Athletics

Megan Luther Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Megan Luther enters her first season as head coach of the Ave Maria women’s lacrosse team. Megan served as an assistant coach in 2011 for her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, a WCLA Division 1 women’s lacrosse club team, after a career as a defensive starter at that university.

She spent the past eight seasons as head junior varsity coach at Poway High School in Poway, California.

Reece Hayes Athletic Trainer Reece Hayes obtained a B.S. in Athletic Training at Eastern Washington University, and an M.S. in Athletic Training at Ohio University where he also served as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Bobcats’ Men’s Ice Hockey teams. He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a strength and conditioning specialist.

Ave Maria University Athletics Fall 2019 Schedule SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH Women's Basketball vs Trinity Baptist 2 p.m.

Associate Athletics Director - External Operations Andrew Natali was hired in August 2019 as the Associate Athletics Director of External Operations. Andrew earned his undergraduate degree in 2011 from the University of Dallas before earning his M.S. in Theology from Ave Maria in 2017.

Natali was a member of the University of Pittsburgh men’s swim team for the 2006 season and then a part of the men’s cross country team at the University of Dallas from 2009-2011

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH Women's Basketball vs Florida National 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH Women's Basketball vs Florida Memorial 2 p.m.

Men's Basketball vs Florida Memorial 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5TH Women's Basketball vs Warner 5:30 p.m.

Men's Basketball vs Warner 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15TH Men's Basketball vs Johnson & Wales (N.C.) 2 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20TH Men's Basketball vs Spring Arbor (Mich.) 7:30 p.m.

ave ma r ia maga z i ne | ave ma r ia.edu

Andrew Natali

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CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Student Life Updates

JASON EVERT

ACTIVITIES FAIR

a v e m a r i a m a g a z i n e | f a l l 2019

Ave Maria campus life provides many opportunities for students to participate in and contribute to our vibrant community. From club sports— such as Ultimate Frisbee and swimming— to debate club, there is something for everyone. Each fall, the Activities Fair presents opportunities for new and returning students to get involved in student life at the University. Over 40 different clubs, households, and club sports teams were represented at this year’s fair, and over 300 students attended.

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TAILGATE

As the University’s “Office of Fun”, Student Life has begun to ramp up our tailgate experience, giving students another chance to build community and strengthen the friendships they’ve made on campus.

Students have come out in droves to enjoy Pub Subs, food trucks, beautiful sunsets, candy, and the dulcet tones of vuvuzelas as they cheer their fellow students on to victory.

Jason Evert, renowned author and founder of the Chastity Project, gave a series of talks to the University’s freshmen and JPII student leaders at the start of the academic year. The three talks— “Theology of the Body”, Catholicism, and “Homosexuality and Transgender Dysphoria”— took place in O’Brien Auditorium, housed in the Thomas and Selby Prince Building. Evert’s funny, engaging, and inspiring speaking style captivated the attendees, many of whom stayed after to meet Evert or to purchase a copy of one of his books.

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Campus Ministry Updates

Campus Ministry and Mission Outreach met the new academic year with great excitement. Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFM, began his 2nd year as Head of Campus Ministry. He was joined by new Mission Outreach Coordinator Anais Hiedra and new Director of Mission Outreach Kerry Estes. The year got off to an event-filled start, with the Opening Mass on September 2nd, the opening of the Martha Burke 24-hour adoration chapel, and campus visits from Broadway star Amanda Jane Cooper; the Most Reverend Frank J. Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice; and a student retreat with Fr. Michael Gaitley.

The first day of the 2019-20 academic year came fully alive with cheerful energy as students students filled the campus, the classrooms, and culminated in the offering of the Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Rick Martignetti. On the same day, Campus Ministry and Mission Outreach launched a campaign to invite students to encounter Christ in the mystery of Eucharistic adoration. They challenged the students to fill all the hours in the day, allowing the Ave Maria University 24-hour Adoration Chapel to open. The challenge was overwhelmingly accepted, and the chapel opened within a week.

AMU then hosted Amanda Jane Cooper for the speaker series Theology on Tap. Cooper ventured from her home in New York City, where she recently concluded a 3-year run as Glinda in the musical WICKED. Her acting career has spanned theater, television and film, where she has been seen in Glee, Jessie on Disney, Selfie, Bones, CSI, Hallmark Channel and Lifetime movies. Students filled the room to hear Amanda’s life altering encounter with Christ, in the darkness of an eating disorder. What they encountered was a woman fully alive and awash in the merciful healing of Christ. Amanda’s endearing personality, her beautiful voice and love of Christ, swept the student up, into an unforgettable moment!

The third weekend of September held a special treat, as Campus Ministry and Mission Outreach teamed up with the Mary and Mercy Center to host a student retreat with Fr.

Ave Maria Parish Church. Following the Mass, nine new professors received the Mandatum from Bishop Dewane after they made a Profession of Faith and took an Oath of Fidelity. From the Mass, Bishop Dewane attended a dinner in the Private Dining Room for the members of the president’s council. Following the dinner, he spoke to the students about the Pro Life movement and welcomed questions. In conjunction with the Bishop’s talk, Ave for Life and the Nursing Department sponsored a viewing of the recently released movie, Unplanned.

ave ma r ia maga z i ne | ave ma r ia.edu

Michael Gaitley, MIC. On Saturday, in the crowded ballroom, Fr. Michael led 175 students into a deeper understanding of the Universal Call to Holiness. He encouraged the students to “be not afraid” as they “Aim Higher” in their mission to become saints of the new millennium.

The fourth week of the school year saw a special visit from our very own Bishop Frank Dewane. He celebrated Mass in the

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ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS NOTES JOSE URQUILLA (2006) leads the United Nations Foundation’s Clean Cooking Alliance in Washington, DC in their efforts to expand access to clean cookstoves and clean energy markets in Haiti.

JOSEPH TOMPKINS (2009) is an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in the Middle District of Florida. He and wife, Nicolette (2009), are the proud parents of four children.

a v e m a r i a m a g a z i n e | f a l l 2019

CHELSEA HUNTER (2010) works as an associate in Baker McKenzie’s Tax and Global Wealth Management practice groups in Zurich, Switzerland.

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JUSTIN JAMES (2012) is now the number one ranked long driver in the world and the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Champion.

He is one of the leading golf fitness authorities in the world.

MARY (LADEWSKI) FLYNT (2013) works with the University of Notre Dame’s Learning and Organizational Development team in Human Resources.

In October, she and husband Josh will celebrate their second anniversary in Rome.

PETE LESNIEWSKI (2014) got married to Teresa in the spring. The couple reside in San Diego.

TATENDA MABIKACHECHE (2014) is a Master of Public Policy and Master of Business Administration candidate at the University of Virginia Arlington.

NICK CIAVARRA (2015) is in his second year in the English Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia where he teaches first year composition. Last summer he directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream at AMU’s Shakespeare in Performance summer camp.

KYLE EADS (2015) was ordained into the priesthood in June 2019 for the Diocese of Albany, NY after graduating from St. Joseph Seminary in NY.

SARAH LOWREY (2015) earned a Master’s Degree in Leadership for the New Evangelization at the Augustine Institute. In August, Sarah began serving in the US Army as a Behavioral Health Specialist.

ALEXIS STYPA (2016) completed her Master’s Degree in Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Santa Barbara, California and works at Harrison Design.

SEND IN YOUR CLASS NOTES This spring AMU will add another 250 graduates to our alumni family. Alumni are encouraged to stay in touch. Please contact AMU about where you are at in your life and career by emailing: alumni@avemaria.edu or by filling out our online form at https://alumni. avemaria.edu.

(Please include your name, graduating class, city/state, contact, and information you wish to update.)

UPCOMING EVENTS 2019-2020 NOV 7

Ave’s Got Talent performance

NOV 15 -17

Drama Club production of Little Women

NOV 28-DEC 1

Thanksgiving break

DEC 22-JAN 10 Christmas break

JAN 3-10

Mother Teresa Project mission trips

JAN 13

First day of spring semester

JAN 24

March for Life in Washington, D.C.

FEB 7-8

Aquinas Center theology conference

FEB 13

AMU Scholarship Dinner (Naples)

FEB 15

Ave Idol

FEB 21-22

Ave Experience

FEB 21-23

Genuine Feminine conference

FEB 29-MAR 8

Spring break/Mother Teresa Project Mission Trips

MAR 27-28

Ave Experience

MAR 27-29

Alumni Weekend

MAR 28

Feast of the Annunciation festival weekend

APR 9-13

Easter break

APR 15-26

Shakespeare In Performance 2020 production

MAY 8

Baccalaureate Mass and President’s Dinner

MAY 9

16th Commencement exercises

MAY 10-21

Mother Teresa Project Mission Trips

For sports schedule information, visit: avemariagyrenes.com/ calendar

I N V I T E S YO U TO T H E

9TH A NNUA L SCHOL A RSHIP DINNER A TRIBUTE TO THE

FEBRUARY 13 , 2020 5:30 PM - 8:30PM THE RITZ- CARLTON BEACH RESORT 280 VANDERBILT BEACH RD. NAPLES, FL 34108

Tickets avaible online at www.dinner.avemaria.edu or by contacting the Office of Advancement at 239.280.1565