Loyno Magazine - Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020

INSPIRED LIVING

Student Life and Ministry strives to ensure that each student has a place in the Loyola Community.

DEBBIE CALOGERO APPLEBAUM, BSN ’99

expresses her Jesuit joie de vivre through service to others.

Mind, Body, and Spirit College of Nursing and Health students and faculty rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis.

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Mind, Body, and Spirit COVER STORY

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The Loyola Effect

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Inspired Living

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President’s Message Know & Tell News Roundup The Loyola Effect Inspired Living Reflections: Katrina and COVID-19 Mind, Body, and Spirit Alumni Events Class Notes College Roundup How Loyola Shaped Me

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Reflections: Katrina and COVID-19

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DO THIS Integritas Vitae Award

Submit a nomination for the Integritas Vitae Award, Loyola’s highest honor. The Integritas Vitae Award will be presented at the annual 1912 Society Dinner in December. See past recipients and submit a nomination here: alumni.loyno.edu/integritas

SUMMER 2020 Vol. 30, No. 2 Editor Angela Vachetta Turnbull Designer Stephanie Moody ’08 Photographer Kyle Encar Contributing Writers Karen Anklam Brian Berrigan ’87 Monique Gaudin Gardner Autumn Cafiero Giusti ’00 Tonya Jordan-Loht Garrett Lacour ’14 Mariah Weinand Ellen Yokum Chief Communications Officer Rachel Hoormann ’94 Senior Vice President, Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, and Marketing and Communications Sarah Kelly, Ph.D. Executive Director of Development Stephanie Hotard ’04, M.B.A. ’10 Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement Laurie Eichelberger Leiva ’03, Ed.D. Vice President for University Advancement Chris Wiseman ’88, Ph.D. University President Tania Tetlow

COVID related resources

and information please visit: loyno.edu/care-pack

The CARES Act,

passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, makes provisions for institutions of higher education. To learn more about how the CARES Act affects Loyola University, alumni, and friends, visit: alumni.loyno.edu/caresact

LOYNO Magazine is published twice per year.

View online at loyno.edu/magazine Send address changes and correspondences to: Loyola University New Orleans Office of Alumni Engagement 7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 909 New Orleans, LA 70118 phone (504) 861-5454 email magazine@loyno.edu Submissions of stories and photographs are welcome.

Loyola University New Orleans admits students of any race, creed, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability status, marital status, and citizenship status and doesn't discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Loyola community, It’s an odd experience writing this message, knowing that in a world rapidly changed and changing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, you will read these words—only weeks old—in a context that has likely changed two or three times since I wrote them.

At a moment when we feel vulnerable, I am reminded again how much we can rely on Loyola, on our people and our tradition. We can count on our beliefs to help us find meaning in this surreal experience. We can count on the strong relationships we share with each other to get us through.

When the pandemic challenges us with constant uncertainty, we double down on our Jesuit tradition and the things we can be sure of: an ability to find God in all things—even the small things, especially the small things; a stubborn and deep concern for the poor and oppressed, who need us more than ever; a commitment to service; an international perspective that recognizes global problems respect no borders. We practice the Jesuit tradition of “indifference,” clinging to what matters and letting go of the rest.

We are busily working through the logistical challenges of reopening our campus, determined not to let a pandemic derail our students’ opportunities. And so we will add technology to our classrooms, find new ways to up our game, and keep our community safe and functional.

I know we can do it because to be a Jesuit institution means to be innovative, to solve problems with duct tape and ingenuity. To be Jesuit means to be ambitious on behalf of mission and determined beyond measure. And it means to create community regardless of distance, because our values and our passion get us through any obstacle.

We don’t have all the answers today, but we have 500 years of Jesuit tradition to help us find the answers. That is the reason, after all, that Loyola weathered the last pandemic in 1918. That is how we survived two world wars that emptied our campus and then filled it with returning veterans. And that is how we weathered Katrina.

We got this.

Tania Tetlow University President

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know&tell Loyno news worth howling about

Highest Bar Passage Rate in the State for Loyola College of Law Loyola University New Orleans College of Law graduates who were first-time test takers achieved

the highest bar passage rate among the four law schools in the state on the February 2020 Louisiana State Bar Exam. Loyola University New Orleans College of Law offers both civil law and common law curricula, preparing graduates to practice law in Louisiana, across the nation, and throughout the world.

New Provost Dr. Tanuja Singh

joins Loyola this summer as the university’s new provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. In this role, Dr. Singh will lead academic programs at Loyola, working with the president, deans, and faculty to build on the university’s academic strengths.

Dr. Singh comes to Loyola from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, where she has served as Dean of the Greehey School of Business since 2009. Dr. Singh is an award-winning educator whose research and consulting areas include analyzing business and consumer trends for the future of work, especially as they relate to technology, millennials’ attitudes and behaviors, and global and cross-cultural strategy.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: 3D-Printing

Biophysics student Baasel Syed and Dr. John Seefeldt, Chair of the Departments of Art and Design, used the university's 3D-printers in Monroe Hall to create

300 face shields for local healthcare workers. This work

was funded by the Almar Foundation.

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“As computers assist us more and more in our work and in our lives, we can become more vulnerable to criminals and hackers.”

-A ndrew Wolfe, visiting professor of computer science and developer of the cybersecurity degree program

Cybersecurity

With so much of life taking place online during the COVID-19 pandemic, Loyola’s new undergraduate concentration

in

cybersecurity is a timely offering. The program, a specialization of a computer science degree, launches in fall 2020 and addresses information security comprehensively – including storage, transmission, applications, and organizational measures needed to preserve and protect sensitive information and systems.

Dux Academicus

Mark Yakich, Gregory F. Curtin, S.J. Distinguished Professor of English, received the Dux Academicus award at the President's Spring Convocation earlier this year. This is the highest faculty award presented by Loyola and is given to honor achievements in scholarship, teaching, and service.

In addition to writing and teaching, Yakich is director of Loyola's Center for Editing and Publishing, which provides space and support for students and faculty engaged in editing and publishing.

SSAC Championship

Loyola hosted the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Cheer and Dance Championships earlier this year in The Den, with the Wolf Pack competitive dance team claiming its fourth consecutive title. The Wolf Pack dance team, led by SSAC Dance Coaches of the Year Rickey Hill and Tiffany Willis, has now won the conference title The cheer team garnered third place in the competition.

in all four seasons since the program began in 2016.

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news roundup Loyola Graduates Awarded Fulbright Scholarships Two Loyola alumnae have received Fulbright awards to continue study and research abroad.

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Loyola New Orleans College of Music and Media Makes Billboard Magazine’s “Top Music Business Schools” for 2020 Loyola University New Orleans College of Music and Media was named among Billboard magazine’s “Top Music Business Schools” for 2020 for success in training the next generation of music industry leaders. As Loyola University New Orleans celebrates 100 years of cultural and educational leadership in New Orleans, more than one-third of undergraduates are students in the College of Music and Media, where three professional schools serve as the educational anchor for New Orleans’ vibrant cultural economy.

At Loyola New Orleans, professional instrumentalists, vocalists, industry executives, recording engineers and producers are trained in a rich academic environment where students can roam the halls and learn from industry professionals, Grammy Award winners, and internationally renowned musicians. Loyola faculty, staff, students, and alumni play in 50plus acts at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival each year.

The faculty in the College of Music and Media together have more than 50 Grammy nominations, six Grammy awards, several Emmy awards and nominations, and two Sundance awards.

Brett Simpson ’96, M.B.A. ’03 The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has named Loyola University's Brett Simpson the NAIA athletic director of the year.

Simpson played baseball as an undergraduate at Loyola and has worked in the Wolf Pack Athletics department for almost 20 years. Since he became director of athletics in 2014, Loyola University has captured 15 conference championships and been named a Champions of Character school every year. In 2018 – 19 seven different teams qualified for their respective NAIA National Championship tournaments, a school record. Under his leadership, Wolf Pack Athletics has added four new intercollegiate sports to its program and grown the number of Loyola student athletes by nearly 70%.

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Courtney Simone Graves ’18 was awarded an independent research Fulbright to Brazil.

Graves graduated with an impressive double major in Latin American Studies and Strategic Communications/Public Relations.

Her winning proposal lays out a study of women's networking in the Baixada Fluminense region as they participate in solidarity economies.

Political Science graduate Rana Thabata ’20, who last year received a coveted Truman Fellowship, plans to use the Fulbright to pursue a master's degree in Policy Studies in Education at the Institute of Education at University College London. Only one of these awards is offered annually.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.

Loyola Faculty Representation on the Health Equity Task Force Two Loyola professors have joined the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force launched by Governor John Bel Edwards.

Simone Rambotti, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, and Tavell L. Kindall, APRN, FNP-BC, DNP, adjunct nursing professor, will represent Loyola on the task force, which includes leaders from other universities and research institutions across the state. The task force will explore how health inequities affect communities that are most impacted by the coronavirus.

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College of Law Early Care and Education Assistance Program

Lily Cummings, Class of 2020, Wins Elite Hearst Television News Award Lily Cummings ’20 is the first-ever Loyola student to win a Hearst Award. The elite competition pulls from the nation’s top journalism and communication schools. Cummings won by submitting two broadcast news packages, including one about the October 2019 collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans.

She returns this summer to her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be a reporter for KTUL-TV, Tulsa’s ABC affiliate. One hundred and four universities with accredited undergraduate journalism programs are eligible to participate in the Hearst competitions.

The Hearst Award capped off a truly newsworthy academic year for the journalism students from Loyola’s storied School of Communication and Design, who picked up a slew of honors and awards at the Society of Professional Journalists Region 12 Conference and the LouisianaMississippi Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors competition.

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law has joined United Way of Southeast Louisiana to launch an assistance program to help child-care providers navigate new public funding and support rolled out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

United for Early Care and Education, in partnership with Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and Agenda for Children, provides technical and legal support to child-care centers, beginning with a focus on the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), to help them access the loans, maintain proper eligibility for loan forgiveness, and complete the loan forgiveness process.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues in Southeast Louisiana, the need to help child-care providers access funding and support will increase as they struggle to stay in operation or reopen once more restrictive safety measures are lifted and families return to work. The College of Law will provide ongoing legal assistance to protect and support centers throughout the program’s first year as the community transitions to long-term recovery and provide support accessing the region’s leading banking and financial institutions to expedite the PPP application process.

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Loyola Alumnus tapped to Lead Jesuit Province Loyola is proud that one of our own will be the next provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern (UCS) Province. A native of New Orleans, Fr. Thomas Greene, S.J., ’86, J.D. ’89 earned both his BBA in Finance and his Juris Doctorate at Loyola University New Orleans and served as a Loyola staff member from 2007 to 2010. Greene helped to found Loyola’s Jesuit Social Research Institute in 2007.

Fr. Thomas Greene, S.J., ’86, J.D. ’89

Upon being named, Fr. Greene shared the following with the Jesuits USA UCS Province, ‘“I am humbled to be asked to serve as provincial of the U.S. Central and Southern Province, especially in light of the fine Jesuits who have led our province over the years,” Fr. Greene said. “I look forward to working with my Jesuit brothers and lay colleagues to advance the mission of the Society.”

Benson Jesuit Center Moves Closer to Construction The Tom Benson Jesuit Center is advancing as a university committee, led by Fr. Justin Daffron, S.J., shepherds the redesign and construction of the project. The committee, composed of Loyola faculty, staff, students, and alumni, will help inform a design that will create an environmentally sensitive and sustainable sacred space of enduring beauty that will become a new spiritual home for the Loyola Community.

Through a competitive selection process, the committee recently chose Trahan Architects to lead the project. Trahan is a global architecture firm rooted in New Orleans with extensive experience designing sacred spaces.

The committee envisions the Tom Benson Jesuit Center as a bold witness to the University’s Jesuit Catholic identity—giving life through the

Sacraments, religious services, and celebrations for all members of the campus community.

Gayle Benson, H ’19, and her late husband, Tom Benson, H ’87, donated the lead gift for this project during the recently completed Faith in the Future Campaign. At the time of their donation, Mr. Benson said, “The philosophy of the Loyola community and the Jesuit tradition is one grounded in providing a well-rounded education.

The university takes pride in ‘educating the whole person’ and it is my hope that the Tom Benson Jesuit Center will continue that focus and provide our students a first-class facility in which they can reach their goals.”

Design of the Benson Jesuit Center will occur over the summer. Alumni will be invited to participate in a special workshop as part of the design process.

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THE

LOYOLA EFFECT

ROBYN RESO ’78

LEGACY IN THANKSGIVING

Originally from New Orleans, Robyn Reso ’78 grew up in Houston and studied piano and voice throughout her childhood. Her relationship with Loyola University began in the spring of 1973, when the Loyola Chorale performed in Houston. The Loyola Chorale made a profound impression on her, and she credits their visit to Houston as the inspiration for her decision to study music in college and pursue a music performance career.

“It is my hope that others who had an outstanding education and experience at Loyola will also decide to remember Loyola by leaving a legacy in thanksgiving, so that young people now will have the ability to take advantage of all Loyola has to offer: a deep, broad, and inspiring education that will ‘call forth’ the best in them, ground them spiritually, and prepare them for a life of success, service, and joy.”

Robyn enrolled at Loyola as a voice major in 1974 and performed with the Chorale for all four of her years at Loyola. She had the opportunity to tour Europe twice with the group. “If I could attribute my success at Loyola to one thing, it would be to my experience of singing in the Chorale,” Robyn later wrote.

1 Reso at Loyola Chorale reunion in 2009.

2 Robyn Reso, far left, with fellow Loyola Chorale

provides a full scholarship to students who aspire to a career in classical music performance. Looking back on her years as an undergraduate, Robyn said, “I had very talented friends at Loyola who only finished their degrees with great financial hardship, or who couldn’t finish them at all. I feel greatly privileged to have been able to endow a scholarship fund in classical music performance in perpetuity.”

members on tour in Europe in 1978.

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The education and training Robyn received in Loyola’s School of Music had a tremendous impact on her craft and career. She remembers Chorale director Dr. Larry Wyatt fondly as an “exuberant, fun-loving, and extremely gifted choral conductor who had a true gift for building bonds of friendship and community, as well as outstanding performance.”

Robyn was also shaped by Loyola’s rich Jesuit tradition. “One of the

things I loved about Loyola was the Jesuit presence,”

she says. As a Loyola student, Robyn attended Mass often and went on several retreats.

The deep appreciation she had for the education she received at Loyola University New Orleans inspired Robyn to create the Robyn Reso Classical Music Endowed Scholarship in the spring of 2019. This fund

Robyn passed away in August 2019 at the age of 63. Thanks to her generosity and support, generations of talented students will have the opportunity to study classical music at Loyola at no cost. Through them, Robyn’s love of music and learning will endure.

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Inspired Living

BY TONYA JORDAN-LOHT

Student Life and Ministry provides social events, sports, volunteer opportunities, and a broad array of student ministry services throughout the academic year. By offering programming across all backgrounds, interests, and beliefs, the department strives to ensure that each student has a place in the Loyola community. Student Life and Ministry (SLM) operates under the banner phrase “You Belong”—a vital message for emerging adults.

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When finance student Brette Baughman ’20 first arrived on Loyola’s campus in 2016, she quickly found a home-away-from-home in the department of Student Life and Ministry. “I was immediately drawn to Student Life and Ministry at the work-study fair because of how much work they do for students—work which in my mind, is everything fun!,” said Brette, who served as Director of Programming for the Student Government Association.

This large department functions according to inspired design: Student Life and Student Ministry combined into one department to ensure that Jesuit values are incorporated into all aspects of campus life. “Student Life and Ministry serves as a one-stop shop for everything our students may need outside of the classroom. Students can access all engagement opportunities and services in one department,” says Director of Student Life and Ministry Dale O'Neill, Ph.D. On Halloween night, 24 Loyola students travelled across the city in university shuttle vans to see the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team play the Denver Nuggets.

Through the Get to NOLA program, operated

by SLM’s Campus Recreation division, these students enjoyed free admission to the game and each received a complimentary Zion Williamson jersey. Loyola students work hard in the classroom, studio, and laboratory, and Campus Recreation invites them to pause for play as well. Overseeing intramural sports, club sports, and the Get to NOLA program, the office provides opportunities for students to have fun and build friendships that will last a lifetime.

In keeping with the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis, Campus Recreation provides a wide range of student-led intramural and club sports. Nearly 400 students participated in intramural sports during the 2019 – 2020 academic year, and specific offerings included flag football, volleyball, basketball, softball, knockerball, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, kickball, soccer, and ping pong. Two hundred seventy students participated in club sports, which included the Sailing Club, Water Polo Club, Rugby Club, Tabletop Gaming Club, and Mixed Martial Arts Club. Of these, the Rugby Club, led by marketing major Jared Ladmirault, was the most popular. And the division’s Get to NOLA program connects students with New Orleans culture and attractions with free monthly excursions. This year’s outings included a visit to Mardi Gras World, a swamp tour, a Haunted New Orleans tour, and —of course—a Pelicans game.

Over 120 clubs and organization With access to over 120 clubs and organizations, Loyola students are able to explore virtually any interest or hobby in community with fellow students. Student organizations at Loyola are truly student-led, with Student Life and Ministry providing support, structure, and advising. Six new student organizations were formed this year, and memorable club events included Havoc’s Birthday Bash, Homecoming, and the Black Student Union Cookout.

tudent Government S Association One of the most important student groups on campus, the Student Government Association (SGA) is a student-elected body which promotes conditions that support student success and protect student rights.

The SGA touches on many aspects of SLM’s wider work. Specifically, its University Programming Board provides meaningful and enriching campus events throughout the year, including Third Fridays, Crawfish in the Quad, Countdown to Carnival, bingo nights, and of course — Sneaux at Loyno. Long a favorite with students and alumni, Sneaux is a community holiday event featuring “snow”

on the Marquette Horseshoe lawn. This year’s Sneaux celebration included photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate, and Loyno Express train rides. “Sneaux gives everyone a chance to come together and celebrate the holidays. The SGA bringing ‘snow’ to New Orleans each year lets people create memories like no other,” said Baughman.

Health Advocates Club Leading the Loyola student body in health and wellness is the Health Advocates Club.

Health Advocates are trained student peer health educators who promote mental and physical health on campus. There were 17 student Health Advocates on campus during the 2019 – 2020 academic year, and events for the year included suicide prevention talks in each residence hall, Mardi Gras safety programming, and alcohol awareness events.

The most popular Health Advocates event was the Fresh Check Day mental health awareness fair attended by nearly 180 students.

Loyola University Community Action Program he Loyola University Community Action T Program (LUCAP) is the home of student-led social justice work and community service on campus. LUCAP volunteers completed over 325 hours of community service this year in

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partnership with Crescent City Café, Habitat for Humanity, Books 2 Prisoners, and Animal Rescue New Orleans. LUCAP members also led several issue-focused initiatives, including Students Against Hyper-Incarceration. Led by philosophy pre-law major and LUCAP board member Jourdan Greene, SAHI raised funds for Women Determined, hosted a play written and performed by incarcerated women, and hosted a teach-in on mass incarceration.

Music therapy major Nicole Westerfield attended her first 9 p.m. Mass at Ignatius Chapel at the start of her freshman year.

At the Mass, all incoming students were introduced to Student Ministry’s many offerings, and Nicole signed up right away to be a lector and joined a Christian Life Community. Now a rising senior, she is also a Euchristic Minister and Holy Hour organizer and serves on a retreat planning committee.

“Student Life and Ministry has allowed me to learn more about Ignatian spirituality, grow my faith, and develop my gifts as a leader,” Nicole says. Her experience demonstrates the depth of Loyola’s Student Ministry yearround programming which includes Mass, retreats, study groups, volunteer work, and sacramental education.

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Christian Life Communities

“Ten CLC groups met throughout the 2019 – 2020 academic year, including groups specifically for LGBTQ+ students, male athletes, graduate students, and junior and senior women,” says University Minister Laura Alexander. “CLCs are Ignatian-based faith sharing groups where folks come together weekly to reflect on where they have experienced God and how they are responding to that movement. Most CLCs are led by students, and for many participants they become like a family on campus.”

One of the hallmarks of spiritual formation at Loyola are the Christian Life Communities (CLCs), which are small faith-formation groups who meet weekly to reflect on matters of faith.

Student Ministry also coordinates interdenominational and interfaith programming and leads an annual volunteer trip over the winter semester break. “Ignacio

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Volunteers is an immersion program rooted in an Ignatian spiritual foundation of finding God in all things,” says University Minister for Liturgy and Music Kenneth Weber. “It provides opportunities for students to live a reflective life of action for service, justice, and peace. Volunteers work with the poor, elderly, and disadvantaged children.”

The Student Ministry 2019 – 2020 retreat schedule began with the First Year Retreat at Camp Abbey in Covington. “This is an opportunity for first year students to get off campus, connect meaningfully with other first year students, and reflect on where they are as they begin life at Loyola,” says Weber.

The most popular student retreats are the

Awakening Retreats held each fall and spring. Led by a student planning committee which meets yearround, “the Awakening Retreats encourage students to experience the love of God through community,” says Weber. “It's a great way to connect with other students and explore one's spirituality.” About 100 students attended the fall Awakening retreat at Bayou Segnette State Park, with an even larger number signed up for spring retreat which would have taken place the weekend of March 17 – 19.

Remote learning and social distancing The vibrant work of Student Life and Ministry continues in the era of remote learning and social distancing. The day the university decided to transition to online learning, the SGA had their weekly senate meeting. This meeting quickly turned into a student town hall, where students vocalized a range of emotions — “confusion, sadness, and shock,” recounts Dr. Dale O’Neill. “The Student Life and Ministry team immediately realized the immense need to provide continued support, engagement, and community.”

The department opened several Zoom accounts that week and spent that weekend brainstorming virtual engagement opportunities and viewing Zoom tutorials. “The following week we were able to start providing a wide range of virtual engagement opportunities daily to students,” says O’Neill.

Since that time, the department offers weekly remote Mass, evening prayer, Rosary, Ignatian Examen, and Ignatian Bible Study services, and each of the Christian Living Communities continues to meet virtually. The spring Awakening Retreat was held online.

Campus Recreation provides work-out videos and hosts a weekly Sports Trivia event online, which has proven to be students’ favorite SLM remote activity.

Get to NOLA has travelled forth from the Crescent City by offering virtual tours of Yellowstone National Park and the Louvre. And the SGA strives to provide continued community for students with bingo nights and a full slate of weekly social media programming.

“Student Life and Ministry has been hard at work planning the upcoming fall orientation, which might have to look a little different than in years past,” says Baughman. “Although students have moved home, the department continues to strive daily to keep students engaged and excited to come back to our wonderful university as soon as we are able!”

Good Counsel

The University Counseling Center (UCC) has made a remarkably successful transition to providing remote services to the Loyola community during COVID-19.

The UCC provides care to 20-25% of Loyola's student population and, in addition to telehealth counseling, has moved their popular weekly anxiety management workshops for students online.

Asia Wong, LCSW, Interim Director of Health Services, was recently interviewed by the Associated Press for an article on virus-era decision making, specifically “decision fatigue” – feeling overly stressed by the endless amount of decisions you’ve had to make throughout the day. Even small, once-routine decisions, must be contemplated and constantly reassessed.

“In the past, you could say, ‘I’m a good person, I donate to charity, I am nice to the persons around me, I don’t kick dogs,’” Wong says. “Now people have to ask themselves: Does it make me a bad person if I go to the store to buy a bag of chips?

That’s very heavy, and in many ways it’s new to the American consciousness.”

Anxiety management workshops offer students concrete skill building for coping with the increased stress and feelings of being overwhelmed during this time. Improving focus and motivation, self-care, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy are among the topics covered in the free workshops.

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Commencement, April 29, 2006

Reflections:

Katrina & COVID-19 Two Loyola SGA Presidents compare crisis notes from 2005 and 2020.

BY ELLEN YOKUM

“We’ll get through this, just like we did before.”

Tania Tetlow In a guest column for The TimesPicayune / The New Orleans Advocate in April 2020, Loyola University New Orleans President Tania Tetlow observed of the novel coronavirus, “Katrina prepared us for this.” The hurricane and levee failures in 2005 and the global pandemic in 2020 have been vastly different in scope, but there are some parallels between the ways in which Loyola students—and especially its senior undergraduate classes—have had their lives altered.

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For the class of 2006, Hurricane Katrina was unexpectedly shifting its course in the Gulf of Mexico and heading for south Louisiana just before the start of the semester. The 2005 – 2006 SGA President, Michelle (Clarke) Payne ’06, recalls, “We just returned to campus for our senior year. I remember being told that we were going to have to close, aligning with the actions of other local universities. At that time we thought it was like every other evacuation, so we packed enough for a few days, in hopes we would be coming back within the week.”

While the class of 2006 left without knowing exactly when they would return to the city, students in 2020 learned with certainty that the remainder of their academic year would be completed online. Jessamyn Reichmann Young ’20, 2019 – 2020 SGA president, distinctly remembers when she found out that her time on campus was coming to an abrupt end. Reichmann Young knew that President Tetlow and the administration were monitoring several key variables to determine if and when the university would need to transition online. She did not realize at the time that the tipping point would be reached overnight.

A campus-wide email to announce the transition online was sent to students the following afternoon. Reichmann Young described a feeling shared by many of her peers, “I was disheartened – I wouldn’t have proper goodbyes with faculty, staff, and classmates.” Beyond the broad concerns and emotions related to a senior year cut short and an uncertainty about the future, Reichmann Young believes students have experienced a profound sadness because “they miss Loyola deeply. Especially the small moments.

Moments such as running into friends across the Palm Court, hugging Ms. Trina in the Orleans Room, or chatting with a professor before the start of class.”

The academic alternatives to on-campus instruction differed greatly between 2005 and 2020. In 2020, both students and professors have had to adapt amidst the move to online classes. Reichmann Young explains, “Some students are thriving with online learning, whereas others are experiencing great difficulty not being in the classroom.”

In 2005, the university was not equipped with extensive virtual learning capabilities.

Exceptions were programs such as the Loyola Institute for Ministry, which was active in distance learning. Loyola law students were

Michelle (Clarke) Payne ’06 SGA President, 2005 – 2006

“It was just about staying connected and being there for one another.”

able to take classes as usual with Loyola law faculty when the University of Houston law school generously made space available.

The vast majority of Loyola students had to find a temporary way to continue their studies at other institutions. Payne said, “Jesuit universities across the entire U.S. opened their doors to our students. There were also many state schools and others who did the same.”

Payne remembers students being scattered all throughout the country and even throughout the world, which meant that communication was extremely important. After Katrina hit, email was the primary method of communication for professors and university leaders, much as it has been in 2020. For many people at Loyola, the months after Katrina were when they first learned to text on cell phones. Unlike in 2020, when social media is ubiquitous, Facebook was still relatively new in 2005 and students at the time had just gained access to the platform.

Living and attending classes in her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, after Katrina, Payne

recalls that the university’s main focus was on how to rebuild and recover. While there were many discussions about how to keep the students engaged, Payne says “It was just about staying connected and being there for one another.” As Tetlow observes in her column, “We reach out to each other now with technology that did not exist a decade ago, with social media and video calls.” Tetlow has been particularly keen on utilizing various forms of video communication, including emailed video messages and virtual town halls, to bridge the gap created by social distancing as a way to keep the Loyola community informed and connected.

Commencement, the culmination of senior year and all that came before it, is a milestone that both Reichmann Young’s and Payne’s classes looked forward to with much excitement. Payne and her classmates were the last class at Loyola to graduate on the Marquette Horseshoe. She remembers urging the administration to honor the tradition as a way to give her class “a sense of normalcy” and as a reward for their accomplishments

Jessamyn Reichmann Young ’20 SGA President, 2019 – 2020

“We learned to measure success by the challenges we faced and how we adapted to each unforeseen circumstance.”

despite tremendous obstacles. Reichmann Young’s class is still awaiting that momentous occasion. The university plans to hold an in-person commencement ceremony when it is safe to gather again. In the meantime, the class’s original commencement date, May 9, 2020, was marked by a virtual celebration, dubbed “Party with the Pack,” featuring remarks from President Tetlow, Reichmann Young, and other special guests.

While the graduating classes of 2006 and 2020 have each picked up nicknames that they never asked for (and—in truth—probably don’t wish to claim), they are now connected by the shared experience of having their senior years upended by circumstances outside of their control. But though they may be known as the ‘Katrina class’ and the ‘Corona class,’ that is not their legacy. Both Reichmann Young and Payne said that what their classes would be remembered for is their resiliency, which Tetlow refers to as “hardearned scar tissue” in her column.

In his 2006 commencement address to Payne’s class, James Carville, H ’06, expressed empathy with Loyola’s graduates, saying: "You know that the storm doesn't always turn. You know that levees don't always hold. You know that the cavalry doesn't always get there on time, don't you?"

Reichmann Young, contemplating the class of 2020’s journey at Loyola, explains, “Four years ago we began our undergraduate careers in one of the most polarizing times in our nation’s history, and we’ve finished during a global pandemic. Throughout these years, we learned to measure success by the challenges we faced and how we adapted to each unforeseen circumstance.”

Payne’s advice for Reichmann Young and her classmates? “Hang in there.” Despite the rollercoaster of emotions, which Payne remembers well, she encourages the class of 2020 to seek out the good. “I can guarantee that there will be at least one positive thing that comes out of this experience for you. You may not be able to see it now, a few months from now, or even for years to come. But Katrina taught us there's always a silver lining.

You will get through this—and when you do— it will only make you stronger.”

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TOUSSAINT BATTLEY III, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN Assistant Professor, College of Nursing and Health

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Mind, Body, and Spirit College of Nursing and Health students and faculty rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis.

BY AUTUMN CAFIERO GIUSTI ’00

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In 2019, the World Health Organization announced it would designate 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

At the time, the intent was to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth on May 12, 2020, and to honor the 9 million health care professionals who carry on her legacy. The WHO didn’t anticipate that the event would take on such dramatic significance, with nurses working on the front lines of the global COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s been joked about on social media that when we said 2020 was the Year of the Nurse, we didn’t quite expect this,” says Laurie Anne Ferguson, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-C, CPNP, FAANP, FNAP, Dean and Professor in Loyola University’s College of Nursing and Health, which offers graduate programs in nursing, counseling, and ministry.

For faculty, students, and alumni of these programs, the pandemic has created unprecedented opportunities for teaching and learning. Faculty members, who must fulfill practice requirements in addition to their teaching responsibilities, can draw from their real-life experiences treating COVID-19 patients and impart that wisdom through distance learning. And students who practice as registered nurses can put those lessons into action in the ERs, ICUs and medical facilities where they work. “It’s part of our DNA – seeking excellence, wanting to improve things,

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serving others,” Ferguson says. The Jesuit ideal of finding God in all things and in all people has taken on even greater importance during the COVID-19 crisis. “Faculty in the college truly embrace our mission of educating men and women who will work to make the world a better place for all,” says Maria Calzada, Ph.D., Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Commitment to service Many faculty members, students, and alumni of Loyola’s College of Nursing and Health have felt compelled to answer the call to serve because of the Jesuit values that have been ingrained in them. One alumna, Sophia L. Thomas, DNP ’17, the current president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, recently visited the White House and spoke to the president about the needs of nurses and patients during COVID-19. (See sidebar.)

Another graduate of Loyola’s doctor of nursing practice program, Kate Kemplin, MSN ’09, DNP ’13, was deployed to New York City to set up a field hospital to care for patients.

Toussaint Battley III, DNP, FNP-BC, APRN, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, is one faculty member who has been serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Battley puts in time each week at the emergency room of Ochsner Health System in Marrero, where he encounters how the virus affects patients.

“Seeing a patient I admitted who came in stable and now two days later is on a ventilator is really an eye-opener,” Battley says. “It’s really been uncharted territory.”

As a nurse practitioner for over a decade, Battley has grown accustomed to getting fitted each year for N95 masks and respirators. Now, the need for that equipment has become very real. “Going to work and having to wear full body gear with a Hazmat suit to treat patients was a game changer.” Battley has witnessed illness and tragedy among his own colleagues.

Loyola DNP alumna shares message about health care needs during White House visit

Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP

A Loyola Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate recently had the opportunity to visit the Oval Office and speak to President Trump about the experiences of nurse practitioners treating COVID-19 patients.

Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, FNP-BC, PPCNPBC, FAANP, FNAP, who graduated from the program in 2017, and is president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, was at the White House

Several nurses he worked with became sick from COVID-19. Some went on ventilators and were able to fully recover. But one of his longtime colleagues, registered nurse Larrice Anderson, died from the virus and made headlines as one of the first New Orleans area nurses to succumb to the disease. “We go to work, and that’s what we were called to do,” Battley says. “But sometimes, we do it not even thinking about the danger we put ourselves in.” Battley’s firsthand experiences with COVID-19 have shaped the way he gives online lectures to his nursing students, and he’s been able tell them about what he’s seen and learned. “By me teaching and also practicing, I’m able to enhance the information I’m giving to students, and how that information can be applied to a real patient scenario. So when

on May 6 to attend President Trump’s signing of a proclamation recognizing National Nurses Day. "I think this is an opportunity, through COVID-19, to really look at the overall health of our country, look at the health disparities, and to see what we can do differently.

I think you are in a very unique position to do some very innovative things with health care as we look forward on the horizon,” Thomas told the president. At one point during the event, a reporter asked about the availability of supplies such as personal protective equipment for health care workers. “I think it’s sporadic,” Thomas said. “As I talk to my colleagues around the country, certainly there are pockets of areas where PPE is not ideal. But this is an unprecedented time. And the infection control measures that we learned back when we went to school — one gown, one mask for one patient a day or per time — this is a different time.”

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Thomas has been a prominent figure in the nursing community and has brought awareness to the needs of health care workers and patients during the pandemic. “Nurses, NPs and other advanced practice registered nurses are working tirelessly in communities across the nation to combat this epidemic, and we are committed to working with the president and federal and state policymakers to ensure patients have access to the highest-quality health care during and after this crisis,” she said. Thomas, who also works at the Daughters of Charity Health System in the New Orleans area, has been a leader in nursing for over 25 years. She has served as AANP president since June 2019. The association is the largest organization for nurse practitioners in any specialty, with a membership of 85,000 representing the 235,000 nurse practitioners in the U.S.

they graduate and become our next wave of health care professionals, they’re able to provide care,” Battley says.

for patients at the bedside. “They felt they needed to be out there responding,” Ferguson says. “I spoke to one last evening, and it’s just mind-blowing the stories they tell.”

Students who work as registered nurses are already putting those lessons to use.

“A lot of the things we have taught them about population health, epidemiology and vulnerable populations and disaster preparedness and what to do in a pandemic, they are able to take those skills and apply them to their current practice as registered nurses,” Battley says. Many others who have been part of the nursing school also have played a role in responding to the crisis.

Ferguson references two nurse practitioner faculty members who were recruited to work in New York City as registered nurses caring

Distance learning advantages One of the primary factors enabling the College of Nursing and Health to persevere during the pandemic is the fact that the school is well versed in distance learning and has been offering its programs online since 2012. “By providing their programs in online modality, they open access to this education to both remote places and to people right here

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in the city who need to manage work, family, and educational responsibilities,” Calzada says. “Many now see, through the experience with the COVID-19 emergency, that we must continue to offer and perfect online delivery of our programs.” Being able to reach nursing students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to set foot on Loyola’s campus – and in real time – is one of the key benefits of online education. “By being online, we can go beyond the Greater New Orleans area, to the rural areas, the Baton Rouge area, to where we have students all over the state and provide a Jesuit-based education to them,” Battley says.

Distance learning creates opportunities for students to share insights and observations from all corners of the world. “It’s rich in that there’s a geographic diversity,” Ferguson says.

“People can say, ‘I’m in Washington state, and here’s what I’m seeing.’ Or ‘I’m in New York, and here’s what it’s like at ground zero.’

That’s a really rich classroom.” Even though Loyola is able to administer the lion’s share of its nursing education coursework online, the pandemic – along with a shortage of personal protective equipment – has disrupted clinical practicums, which students are required to complete to fulfill their nursing program requirements. “Thankfully, most of our graduating students had completed in excess of the required clinical hours at the time of the disruption and therefore will be able to graduate with all requirements fulfilled,” Calzada says.

Because Loyola doesn’t have a pre-licensing program for registered nurses, all of Loyola’s nursing school students, including undergrads, are registered nurses. At the same time the pandemic interrupted their clinical work, it also created an urgent need for registered nurses. “So a significant number of our students have been active on the front lines caring for patients across the country,” Ferguson says. The nursing school has been exploring ways to restart clinical experiences for students in the summer and early fall.

“We’re trying to be creative with how they can proceed with the regular term. I had similar experiences doing this post-Katrina, so we can get it done,” Ferguson says.

Putting mentors in place Even in non-pandemic times, one of the challenges of educating nurse practitioners is finding qualified preceptors – experienced medical professionals who assist, evaluate and educate students during the clinical portion of their nursing studies. Because of

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health through the Department of Counseling and the Loyola Institute for Ministry. Loyola’s Center for Counseling and Education and LIM reach students on campus, online and in church parishes throughout the world.

“It is truly inspiring to see how our faculty, staff, and students work to make the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the world better through service.”

Maria Calzada, Ph.D., Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs productivity demands in many health care facilities, becoming a preceptor simply isn’t feasible for many medical professionals.

“There’s something very rewarding about being a preceptor. But it slows you down,” Ferguson says. “You see fewer patients per day, so you receive fewer reimbursements.

And as smaller practices have been bought up by larger health care systems, the productivity requirements have been more formalized and provide an additional level of stress in terms of productivity. So these professionals cannot precept – even if they want to.” Educators have been looking to rural communities with smaller health care practices, where preceptor availability is much greater. There’s a dual benefit in this approach: Educators fill their need for qualified preceptors, and bringing in qualified care providers helps improve outcomes in rural communities with vulnerable populations. “Getting to a health care provider is not just about insurance for them,” Ferguson says. “It’s not just that they don’t have bus fare. There is no bus. So they can’t travel the half hour, 45 minutes or hour and a half to their primary care provider, much less a specialty provider.” Loyola has worked with the Blue Cross Blue Shield

Louisiana Foundation to secure grant money to expand the network of preceptors across the state – a move that could prove especially beneficial as clinical practicums resume.

“We’re hoping to facilitate that process and build a database for preceptors in rural areas,” says Ferguson, who herself practices in rural Louisiana.

Mental and spiritual health “Mind, body, and spirit” is the motto of the College of Nursing and Health. By that token, the three disciplinary areas in the college — Nursing, Ministry, and Counseling — are fundamental to the Jesuit value of cura personalis, care for the whole person. Throughout the pandemic, all three departments have taken steps to maintain care of mind, body, and spirit. In addition to Nursing, the College of Nursing and Health works to provide for mental and spiritual

Mental health has been of particular concern during the crisis, and university administrators felt strongly that the Counseling Center should continue offering its services. “One of the really cool things that counseling has done is to identify that our students working on the front lines are suffering from a lot of stress, and they have offered to provide telehealth counseling for nurses, students, and faculty who need help processing some of the really tough things that they’re seeing and managing,” Ferguson says.

All areas in the college see service as essential to what they do. That service may be through a nursing clinical practice, through the faculty and staff serving the New Orleans community through the Counseling Center, or in the work of the Loyola Institute of Ministry with sisters in East Africa on Catholic Social Teaching and sustainability.

The service role of nursing and health professionals has only become more pronounced during the COVID-19 crisis.

Nurses have been the ones to facilitate goodbyes between dying COVID-19 patients and the family members who are unable to be with them. The fact that 2020 is the Year of the Nurse, Ferguson says, could give the world a chance to see nurses in a new light.

“I think we often have difficulty finding God in all things – a core Jesuit principle,” she says.

“And crisis is often an opportunity to develop innovative strategies to find solutions.”

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U.S. NEWS AND

WORLD REPORT #33 #41 #9 #12 #143 #208 #223

As Loyola University New Orleans expands its reach through online programs, U.S. News and World Report’s

Best Online Graduate Program in Criminology and Justice

annual rankings put Loyola programs among the nation’s best, with several placing among the nation’s

Top 50. A national university named among the nation’s Top 200, Loyola New Orleans received rankings for online programs in 2020.

“Our online programs are a way for students to enjoy a Jesuit education from Loyola New Orleans, whether they are seeking to complete their undergraduate degrees or advance their careers through graduate study,” said Loyola Senior Vice President for Enrollment, Student Affairs, and Marketing Sarah Kelly. “We’re excited to see our programs recognized by U.S. News and World Report on a national level.”

Loyola currently has more than 800 students enrolled full-time through online programs and offers more than 20 online degree programs at the undergraduate level, as well as online master’s and doctoral programs.

An online Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies is aimed at busy adults and working

Best Online Graduate Nursing Program

(TIE) Master’s of Nursing – Nursing Education

(TIE) Master’s of Nursing – Nursing Leadership

Best Online Undergraduate Programs

Best Online MBA Programs

professionals seeking to complete their degrees.

Best Online Master’s in Education

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Alumni

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Events

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Young Alumni Pack Happy Hour

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1. Jethro Celestin ’12; Darrinton Moncrieffe ’11; Elizabeth Gienger ’14; Wayne Connor ’11, J.D. ’15; Sharyn Booker ’11; Madeline Janney ’16 (Young Alumni Board President); Brendan Dodd ’16; and Hannah Gomez Farias ’15 gather at Phillips Bar and Restaurant in New Orleans for the Young Alumni Pack Happy Hour in December 2019.

Hall of Fame

2. Victoria Duhon ’19 receives the 2020 St. Sebastian Award from Athletics Director Brett Simpson ’96, M.B.A. ’03, at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in January.

3. Athletic Director Brett Simpson ’96, M.B.A. ’03, and 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Margaret “Peggy” Moore Andry ’67.

4. 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Brian Mason ’08 and Athletics Director Brett Simpson ’96, M.B.A. ’03.

5. The 2002 Wolf Pack Baseball team celebrates their induction into the Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame.

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Young Alumni Pack Winter Cocktail Party

6. In January, the Young Alumni Pack took over the patio bar at F&M's for their annual Winter Cocktail Party. Over 125 attendees came together to enjoy cheese fries and king cake at one of their favorite college hangouts.

7. Jodi Dyer and Juliette Frazier ’11 (Young Alumni Board Vice President) enjoying the Winter Cocktail Party festivities.

8. Veronica Aviles ’15, Nydia Araya ’17, and Elyse Harrison ’17 show their Loyola spirit at the Young Alumni Winter Cocktail Party.

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Law Luncheon

9. Mark Surprenant, J.D. ’77, recipient of the 2020 St. Ives Award; Karen Milanese; Sharon Rodi, J.D. ’90; and Frank Milanese, J.D. ’83 at the Law Alumni Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

10. Eve Vavrick, J.D. ’01; Courtney Smith, J.D. ’18; Rachael Fajoni, J.D. ’18; and Jordan Lieberman, J.D. ’19 enjoy cocktails at the Law Alumni Luncheon networking reception.

11. Malika Howard ’15, Brooke Walker, Kristen Landrieu, and Prof. John Lovett enjoy the networking reception at the Law Alumni Luncheon.

12. Hon. Moon Landrieu ’52, J.D. ’54, H ’79 & ’05; Mary Frances Seiter; Erica Sensenbrenner, J.D. ’18; and Verna Landrieu ’54, H ’05, gather for the Law Alumni Luncheon in the Ritz-Carlton Grand Ballroom.

13. The Hon. Robin Pittman ’91, J.D. ’96, President of the Law Alumni Board, presented Jay A. Ginsberg, J.D. ’82, with a plaque in recognition of his service as past president.

Degree in Three Full experience.

Accelerated pace.

You have a vision for your future. We can help you get there faster with Degree in Three at Loyola University New Orleans. Earn your undergraduate degree in three years and dive into your career or graduate school sooner.

Learn more at loyno.edu/degree-three SUMMER 2020 | loyno

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Bon Voyage, Rickey!

14. President Tania Tetlow presented Rickey Torregano with a President’s Medal recognizing over 40 years of friendship and service.

15. Rickey with President Emeritus Fr. Carter, who offered a special prayer at Rickey's farewell party.

16. Professor Emeritus Dr. Creston “Mickey” King returned to campus to wish Rickey well.

17. Rickey leads a celebratory second line through the Danna Center.

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Men's Basketball

20. Over 25 basketball players and coaches gathered during a home game for "basketball alumni night" to honor the 25th anniversary of the 1994 – 95 Hall of Fame team. Former head coaches and athletic directors, Jerry Hernandez and Dr. Michael Giorlando, helped organize the event. All food and beverages were generously donated thanks to Joe Zuppardo ’00 (Zuppardo's Family Supermarket), Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, and Jambalaya Girl.

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Chicago Alumni Chapter

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18. Ian ’05 and Sarah Roché ’06 get festive at the Chicago Mardi Gras Happy Hour.

19. Members of the Chicago Alumni Chapter celebrate carnival season at their annual Mardi Gras Happy Hour at Pearl’s Southern Comfort in February 2020.

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ROBERT VERCHICK Gauthier-St. Martin Eminent Scholar and Chair in Environmental Law

One year can change everything You can earn your graduate degree in health or environmental law in just one year with Loyola Law. You’ll gain job-ready skills to take the lead in healthcare compliance and management or environmental sustainability and natural resource management— two growing industries that have never been more relevant.

Explore two brand new master’s programs: Master of Environmental Law Master of Health Law & Administration No LSAT or GRE required to apply.

Automatic scholarships given to Loyola alumni.

Learn more at law.loyno.edu/apply2020 SUMMER 2020 | loyno

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Class Notes 1960s Dr. Marion Reine ’63 (physics) has released her book Benjamin Lax – Interviews on a Life in Physics at MIT: Understanding and Exploiting the Effects of Magnetic Fields on Matter by CRC Press.

Howard Shapiro, J.D. ’79 is now a principal in the New Orleans office of the firm of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Nancy Hairston ’90 (visual art) has designed an innovative 3D-printed N95 PPE mask to fight COVID-19.

Chris Massenburg ’97 (finance) has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Joanne Bell Sinclair ’79 (communication) has released her memoir Love Behind Bars: The True Story of an American Prisoner's Wife from Simon & Schuster.

Thomas Meyer ’90 (communication) has been elected vice president of Benefit Planning Group Insurance & Wealth Management by the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce.

Chris D'Amour, J.D. ’99 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

1970s 1980s Carol Bebelle ’70 (sociology) has been honored by the New Orleans City Council for her decades of work as leader and co-founder of Ashé Cultural Arts Center.

Dr. Gary Kirschenheuter ’75 (psychology) has released his new book Unraveling the Zodiac Ciphers and Codes by MindStir Media.

Gregory Brown, J.D. ’76 has rejoined the firm of Fox Rothschild LLP in Denver in their Energy & Natural Resources Group.

Richard Stewart, J.D. ’76 received the 2020 Dallas Bar Association Martin Luther King, Jr., Justice Award.

Allen J. Krouse III ’77 (speech and education), J.D. ’84 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Morris Bart III, J.D. ’78 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

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Loretta Greco ’82 (drama) has received the Magic Theatre in San Francisco's 2020 Sam Shepard Legacy Award.

Edwin Laizer ’83 (business), J.D. ’85 has been named to the executive committee of the firm of Adams and Reese in New Orleans.

Donna Phillips Currault ’85 (psychology) has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Joseph Sciortino, Jr., ’88 (communication) is the vice president and general manager of WAFB in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1990s Hamad Alshaibeh ’90 has been appointed as director of administration for Aluminium Bahrain BSC.

Michael McMahon, J.D. ’92 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Elia Diaz-Yaeger, J.D. ’94 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Kathleen Gasparian ’95 (English), J.D. ’02 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Jill Gautreaux, J.D. ’95 is now a partner in the firm of Kean Miller LLP. Keith Hall, J.D. ’96 has been appointed director of the Louisiana State University John P. Laborde Energy Law Center.

Bradley King ’96 (biology) is secretary of the American Industrial Hygiene Association's 2020 – 2021 Board of Directors.

Jared Llorens ’96 (English) is interim dean of the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University.

Jeffrey Gapultos ’99 (psychology), M.B.A. ’06 is opening a new restaurant, Union Ramen Bar, in New Orleans.

Eric LeBlanc ’99 (communication) is the creative services manager for the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Dr. Stanton McNeely III, M.B.A. ’99 has been named president of the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans.

Remy Starns, J.D. ’99 has been elected a Public Defender for the State of Louisiana.

2000s The Rev. Mark Boyer, M.R.E. ’00 has published two new books, Shhh! The Sound of Sheer Silence: A Biblical Spirituality that Transforms and What is Born of the Spirit is Spirit: A Biblical Spirituality of Spirit, from Wipf & Stock Publishers.

Tiffany Delery Davis ’00 (criminal justice) has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Steven Griffith, Jr., J.D. ’00 has been elected to a second term on the board of directors for the firm of Baker Donelson.

Katie Dysart ’04 (political science), J.D. ’07 is chair of the Baker Donelson law firm’s New Orleans Pro Bono Committee.

Brandon Davis ’01 (finance) has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Kelly Fitzharris Morrow, J.D. ’04 is now a member of the board of directors of Kids’ Chance of South Carolina.

Anthony LeBlanc ’01 (computer science) is the associate artistic director for The Second City theatre in Chicago and was the director consultant of The Second City’s 2020 Black History Month show.

Joseph Pappalardo, Jr., J.D. ’05 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Elizabeth Sconzert ’01 (English), J.D. ’05 has been selected for New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Josephine Heller, J.D. ’02 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th ‘Leadership in Law' class.

Melissa Martin ’02 (English) has released a new cookbook, Mosquito Supper Club.

Sabrina Ramsey Hogan ’03, M.S.N. ’06 is senior vice president of care delivery for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Darrell Johnson ’03 (communication) is now a major gifts officer at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Adrienne White-Woodward, J.D. ’04 has received a 40 Under 40 Award from the Southern University Alumni Federation.

Caroline Nassrah ’06 (computer and information sciences) has opened a new restaurant, Kindred Food & Drink, in New Orleans.

Valerie Jules McCarthy, J.D. ’08 has been promoted to counsel at the firm of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Patrick Shelby, J.D. ’08 has joined the litigation practice of the firm Phelps Dunbar LLP in New Orleans.

Tod Everage, J.D. ’09 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Patrick Rafferty ’13 (communication) is the business development manager for IDScan.net.

Peter Segrist, J.D. ’13 is now a partner in the firm of Carver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier, Finn, Blossman & Areaux LLC in New Orleans.

Daniel Stanton, J.D. ’13 is now a partner in the firm of Kean Miller in New Orleans.

Patricia Thompson, M.S.N. ’09, D.N.P. ’14 is director of the University of Maryland Shore Behavioral Health.

Allison McElligott ’15 (languages and cultures) is the marketing manager for BBR Creative in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Troave' Profice ’06 (communication) has been named chief executive officer of Bricolage Academy in New Orleans.

2010s

Emma Lou Reid ’15 (environmental studies) has released her new documentary series In the Blind by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

David Rhoden, J.D. ’06 has been named digital art director/developer for Cerberus Interactive.

Tim Renner, J.D. ’10 is now legal counsel and senior consultant with Falcon Capital Advisors in Washington, D.C.

Erin Bohacek Kriksciun, J.D. ’07 has joined the firm of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann LLC in New Orleans.

Reed Morgan Coleman, J.D. ’11 is now a shareholder in the firm of Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole & Black, P.C. in Montgomery, Alabama.

Jennifer Newton, J.D. ’07 has joined the firm of Greenberg Traurig in Miami as a practice group attorney in Financial Regulatory & Compliance Practice and Banking & Financial Services.

Jason Baer, J.D. ’08 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

Jonathan Fox, J.D. ’12 is now a shareholder in the firm of Liskow & Lewis in New Orleans.

Meghan McCormack ’16 (management and marketing) is executive director of the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation.

Lindy Brasher, M.R.E ’19 has published an article, "Lessons From a New Teacher," in the National Catholic Reporter.

Luke Larocca, J.D. ’12 is now a partner in the firm of Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, LLP in New Orleans.

Meera Sossamon, J.D. ’12 has been selected for the New Orleans CityBusiness 16th 'Leadership in Law' class.

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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DR. ALLYN SCHOEFFLER, assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earl and Gertrude Vicknair Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, received $89,000 from the Louisiana Board of Regents’ Research Competitiveness Subprogram that will support undergraduate research in biochemistry for three years. Her project, “Molecular Determinants of Specialization in Bacterial Topoisomerases from Extreme Environments,” will study adaptations in enzymes controlling DNA topology. Students will have opportunities to engage in wet-lab biochemical experiments and online bioinformatic analyses to investigate how these molecular machines function in hot and cold environments.

Sociology professor and department chair DR. MARCUS KONDKAR has been awarded $100,000 from the Vital Projects Fund for research to improve our criminal justice system.

Kondkar’s teaching and research interests include criminology, sociology of law, and sociological theory. The Vital Projects Fund, Inc. (VPF) is a charitable foundation with an interest in human rights and criminal justice reform.

Loyola’s 30TH ANNUAL BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM was held virtually in April and included nearly 20 research projects on topics ranging from nanoparticle exposure on voltage-gated ion channels to mud crab feeding preferences.

Student/faculty research is a hallmark of the Loyola experience and is made possible through contributions to funds such as the Rev. John H. Mullahy, S.J., Ph.D. Undergraduate Research Endowment, the Drs. Stephen and Rachel Kent Endowment for Research in the

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Physical Sciences, and the newly created deKernion Fund, which supports juniors and seniors in the Life Sciences. Philanthropic support like this often comes from alumni who recognize how their own student research inspired, transformed, and well-prepared them in their careers.

THE JACK AND SARAH LANASA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP endowment is typically used each year to send Arts & Sciences students to their Study Abroad destinations.

This year, because of COVID-19 and restrictions on international travel, funds will be used to support senior students whose lives have been disrupted by the pandemic, to pay for summer course tuition to ensure that they are able to graduate. “We are committed to being good stewards of these funds and to supporting students who are in greatest need,” says College of Arts & Sciences Interim Dean Uriel Quesada, Ph.D. LaNasa Scholarship funds will support seniors who lost jobs; who are taking care of afflicted family members, or who faced other related disruption. Approximately 25 students will benefit from the fund, named for the late Jack LaNasa and his mother, Rosaria Sarah LaNasa. Mr. LaNasa owned LaNasa's hardware store in the French Quarter in the early 1900s. The store had most of the business in its sector, focusing on ship supplies and items for the fishing and shrimping industries.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS GUSTAVO BARBOZA will join the College of Business in the fall as the Reynolds Chair in International Business. Originally from Costa Rica, he will also serve as Director of the Center for International Business with a key goal of fostering relationships in Central and South

America. Dr. Barboza received his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University.

After serving as an adjunct professor the past two semesters, IRIS MACK will join the faculty full time this fall. She will teach Introduction to Business, which is the first class taken by business freshmen. Dr. Mack is a New Orleanian and has an impressive industry background in finance as well as master’s degrees from the University of California Berkeley and the London Business School and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

COLLEGE OF LAW The Loyola University New Orleans College of Law's WORKPLACE JUSTICE PROJECT (WJP) is helping area residents to cope with workforce impacts caused by COVID-19.

Founded in late 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to meet the legal services needs of mostly immigrant low-wage workers, the WJP as its mission seeks to build resources and enforce workers’ rights, cultivating legal and economic opportunities to uphold and respect the dignity of all workers. Though the College of Law has transitioned to delivering all courses online, the WJP remains open and active, accessible to eligible clients through its intake telephone line and through a new bilingual Google intake form.

The WJP is posting critical information related to employment issues, including a listing of employers with coronavirus-related openings on its website and Facebook page as it becomes available. The WJP is also currently coordinating resource-related information with the Music & Culture Coalition of New Orleans and Step Up Louisiana by creating an easy-to-understand flowchart for the benefit

of workers and working families. This chart will be available in digital and textable form and will be distributed to those without digital access through food delivery sites, posting at grocery stores, and personal relationships.

With the help of unions and worker advocates in the hospitality, tourism and service industries, and cultural community, the Workplace Justice Project is developing strategies to secure paid leave and relief funds from the public money generated by workers in those industries.

Lawyers in the WJP are also monitoring rapidlychanging policy initiatives on unemployment and paid leave benefits at the state and federal levels, digesting their impact on workers, and planning for the future. They have become part of a policy team working with Rep. Matthew Willard to draft legislation that would require employers in the state to provide paid sick leave to their workers; if passed, more than 70 percent of employees in the state would have access to this benefit.

Loyola’s Ad Team competes each spring in the AAF contest, the premier college advertising competition that provides more than 2,000 college students the real-world experience of creating a strategic advertising/marketing/ media campaign for a corporate client.

Students develop a marketing plan and pitch their work to advertising professionals at the district, semi-final, and national levels.

COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH LOYOLA INSTITUTE FOR MINISTRY DR. TRACEY LAMONT has been chosen as one of only 14 professors to participate in the 2020 – 2021 Teaching and Learning Workshop for Early Career Theological School Faculty run by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The focus of the workshop is imagining and cultivating

adaptive pedagogies for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century.

Loyola's INSTITUTE FOR MINISTRY (LIM) has been awarded a $325,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The grant funds the project “Living Charisms for Sustainable Human Development,” which supports sustainable human development and Catholic Social Teaching (CST) initiatives for Catholic sisters in Eastern Africa.

COUNSELING LOYOLA CENTER FOR COUNSELING AND EDUCATION (LCCE) provides needed mental health resources to the Greater New Orleans area. Launched just over a year ago, the LCCE has served more than 150 clients with over 1,500 counseling sessions. The LCCE accepts clients who do not have insurance, and no one is turned away for lack of funds.

COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND MEDIA Journalism professor LISA COLLINS has been named interim director of the School of Communication and Design heading into the 2020 – 2021 academic year. Collins has taught at Loyola for seven years and worked on programs in the School of Communication and Design such as the Gray Producer Incubator Pilot Program and the school’s capstone journalism course. She has also served as the director of online education for the School of Communication. In that role, Collins advised all online students and planned when professors would teach online courses.

A Loyola University New Orleans strategic communications major won big in the first round of the AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION’S NATIONAL STUDENT ADVERTISING COMPETITION. Nick Chopivsky '20, who received the AAF New Orleans chapter’s “Advertising Person of the Year” award in February, won “Best Presenter” in the virtual competition among District 7 peers held online in April due to COVID-19.

His team placed fourth overall for their team presentation and received a perfect score from one of the judges. Led by communications professors Alvaro Bootello and Michelle Clarke Payne, the Loyola Ad team included students Nick Chopivsky, Mia Fenice, Ariel Landry, Will Perkins, Brooke Larkins, Miller Ezell, Mary Ann Florey, Ellen Harper, Sabrina Whatley, Sydney Burns, Olivia Molloy, Anish Balaji and Will McFadden.

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loyno | SUMMER 2020

HOW LOYOLA SHAPED ME

Debbie Calogero Applebaum ’99 (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)

When you meet and speak with Debbie Calogero Applebaum, it is quickly apparent that Debbie has a desire to serve others, and has a wonderful joie de vivre.

A native of the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans, Debbie attended St. James Major Elementary School, Mount Carmel Academy, and LSU. “I always knew I liked science classes, and I knew I wanted to do something for others, but like most 18-19-year olds, I just was not sure,” Debbie shared.

Two of her friends were looking into attending nursing school, and before she knew it, Debbie and her two friends returned to New Orleans, enrolled in Touro School of Nursing and graduated in 1978.

The next few years moved quickly for Debbie: starting her career in the ICU Department at Touro, falling in love with and marrying Dr. Robert Applebaum, and starting a family—son Benjamin and daughter Sarah. It wasn’t until her children were in school that she herself returned to school.

Debbie’s father, the late Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, J.D. ‘54, H ‘91, was a proud Loyola graduate. “Loyola University was so important to my father. His values began to be formed there. His care and concern for others, his stance on social justice and civil rights for all, came from his education at Loyola.”

Debbie knew that her father would be so happy for her to receive an education from Loyola. She recalls when she stopped by Stallings Hall on Loyola’s campus “. . . just to pick up some information. I met Dr. Billie Wilson, who was the director of the nursing school and a wonderful person, nurse, and

administrator. Within 10 minutes of meeting with Dr. Wilson, I was enrolled.”

“I loved my time at Loyola. I had to take classes other than science, such as art and English. It afforded me a broader education, a more well-rounded education, and I am grateful for that.”

Debbie is proud that her daughter, Sarah Applebaum, graduated from Loyola with a Master of Science in Counseling degree in May 2017. Debbie is also joined by two of her brothers who, like their father before them, are Loyola Law alumni; Michael Calogero, J.D. ’93 and Gerald Calogero, J.D. ’99.

Along with Dr. Wilson, Debbie mentions that Dr. Barbara Ewell and Dr. Barbara Bihm were instrumental in her development. “It was just so much fun and interesting.”

Today, Debbie is proud to say that her Loyola New Orleans diploma hangs on her wall. “I always wanted a Loyola degree, and I learned that Loyola had a nursing program for working, non-traditional students."

Debbie works at the Tulane University Student Health Center at the Uptown campus. She has been there since 1999, serving Tulane students from all walks of life, ages, and nationalities. “It is a primary care clinic where we see staff, undergrads, law students, graduate students and med students who become ill or just come in for medical check-ups.”

The health center has been able to test faculty, staff, and students for COVID-19. Debbie believes that some of her patients showed symptoms of the COVID-19 virus in early January. “They were very sick with respiratory challenges and high fever but would test negative for the flu. At the time, we did not know what we were dealing with. Thankfully they all got better.”

Debbie’s zest for life shows in her love of Jazz Fest and vacations with her life-long friends. She has been to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every year and every day since 1978! “The only thing that could stop us was a worldwide pandemic.

We managed to have our own Jazz Fest at home, but we missed being with all of our friends.”

Each summer since 1998, Debbie has traveled to the Gulf Coast beaches with her Catholic school girl friends — the “Holy Sisters of the Gulf Coast.” It is a girls only trip. No husbands. No children. When asked if the daughters of the “Holy Sisters” get to join in on the fun, Debbie emphatically says, “No! They have to start their own Convent.”

Debbie Calogero Applebaum strives to live the teachings of St. Ignatius of service to others.

Whether to her family, students, or the community, Debbie serves others and has a good time doing it.

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UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT 7214 St. Charles Avenue Campus Box 909 New Orleans, LA 70118 -3538

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Finding God in smALL things These times have pushed us all to dig deep and find new ways to sustain gratitude and community. The Ignatian precept of Finding God in All Things prompts us to greater awareness and gratitude for the people, places, and things that surround us.

We are grateful for all gifts to the Loyola Fund, both big and small, as collectively they have a tremendous impact and serve as a vote of confidence in the strength and direction of the university.

Meet tiny St. Ignatius!

Make a gift of $25 or more to the Loyola Fund by July 31, 2020, and receive a Saint Ignatius Tiny SaintsÂŽ charm as a token of thanks.

Please consider making a gift to the Loyola Fund today

giving.loyno.edu/loyolafund