USF News

61st Annual Caritas Ball Nets More Than $300,000

In January, the University of St. Francis and President Arvid Johnson Ph.D. and his wife, Anne, hosted the 61st Annual Caritas Scholarship Ball at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. The event was chaired by Tyler and Stephanie (M.Ed. ’05) Qualio, and for the fourth year in a row, the event raised more than $300,000 for student scholarships.

The night was extra special due to the addition of a student master of ceremonies, Macy Smock, a senior nursing major and a first-generation college student. Smock received a Leach Nursing Scholarship and was the recipient of the Virginia J. Saxon Presidential Academic Scholarship. She is an Arthur J. Schmidt Foundation Scholar, a Lincoln Laureate nominee, and member of both the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society.

“My family and I could not be more grateful for all of you. It is because of your generosity and kindness that I was able to become a student at USF,” Smock said. “It is absolutely why I am able to stand here tonight. USF President Arvid Johnson and his wife, Anne, pose with members of the 2018 Caritas Committee. Receiving scholarships at USF has meant more to me than I can even express.”

PETRA JAIME HONORED WITH SISTER CLARE AWARD

USF’s 2018 Sister Clare Award recipient was Petra Jaime. Jaime is founder of the parent program at Metro Achievement Center for Girls, part of the Midtown Educational Foundation in Chicago. Jaime created the program in 1985, and ever since, has remained dedicated to teaching the parents of the girls enrolled in the Metro Program about the importance of family.

MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Alex Dee, (below) professor and chair of the Department of Music & Performing Arts, also works as a cover conductor for The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. She was asked to conduct one of their February performances at the Auditorium Theater. The Chicago Philharmonic, the professional orchestra that serves as the resident orchestra for Joffrey, played two ballet scores that were directed by Dee.

In other music news, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, Paul Laprade, was appointed to the Illinois American Choral Directors’ Association (IL-ACDA) as the repertoire and research chair for colleges and universities. In this position, Laprade will serve as a resource for research and will define repertoire quality for college and university music and choral professors within the state of Illinois.

USF WELCOMES AUTHOR JOHN DEAR

The University of St. Francis welcomed author John Dear to campus in April to discuss his new book, “They Will Inherit the Earth: Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of Climate Change,” as part of the university’s annual Green Month celebration. In his presentation, the author, activist and Nobel peace prize nominee connected the way active nonviolence leads to oneness with Creation, and demonstrated how our global epidemic of violence and war only leads to catastrophic climate change. Dear also reflected on Jesus’ own practice of nonviolence and how we can seek to do the same.

USF TOP-RANKED AGAIN

USF is proud to announce that its MSN program was included on the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools list. In addition, bestcolleges. com has ranked USF 13th out of 50 for it’s master-level programs in health administration. These rankings add to the university’s accolades in a year of repeated honors. “Rankings such as this one continue to establish the University of St. Francis as an exceptional, Franciscan university right here in Joliet,” says USF’s VP for admissions, enrollment and marketing, Eric Wignall.

PRESIDENT ARVID JOHNSON SIGNS REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AGREEMENT

The University of St. Francis was one of three local higher education institutions to recently sign the Will County Regional Sustainability Alliance Agreement. The compact expresses the intention of each organization to champion the Will County Regional Sustainability Network. Below, Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk joins Joliet Junior College President Dr. Judy Mitchell, Lewis University President Dr. David Livingston and USF President Dr. Arvid C. Johnson for the signing.

ALPHA PSI LAMBDA FOUNDED ON CAMPUS

The USF colony of Alpha Psi Lamda was founded on campus in December. This marks the second Greek organization at the University of St. Francis, and the first that is Latino-based. Members of group include Victoria Daugherty, Mateo Hernandez, Melina Lomeli, Mayra Marin, Eduardo Sanchez, Diana Vivero and Marya Zaragoza.