SXU holds Biggest Loser Fitness Challenge

More than 100 participants have lost almost 300 pounds in five weeks

Chicago (Feb. 26, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s Shannon Center is hosting its annual Biggest Loser Fitness Challenge at its Chicago Campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.
The 103 Saint Xavier students, faculty and staff participating in the weight loss challenge initially weighed in at 11,831 pounds on Jan. 26. They have lost more than 290 pounds after five weeks.

“Everyone is doing great. They’re enjoying having more energy and experiencing feelings of accomplishment,” Shannon Center Assistant Facilities Manager Kristy Allen said. “They still have five more weeks to go and we hope to see more positive results from all participants.”

The Biggest Loser is a 10-week fitness challenge designed to help participants lose weight, make healthy lifestyle changes, maintain weight loss and have fun. Participants received an informational packet, which included a healthy eating plan, food log, workout tracking sheet and exercise suggestions. Everyone completed pre-assessment sheets with their starting weight, waist measurement, body mass index, blood pressure, energy level and activity level.

Health seminars also were offered to participants, such as Calorie-Burning Workouts, Healthy Eating and Nutrition Tips, and Emotional Well-Being. The Shannon Center offers a track walking program during Wednesday and Friday lunch hours for participants to burn extra calories.

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SXU’s School of Education to host Visit Day events

Visitors can learn about obtaining a master’s in education

Chicago (Feb. 26, 2009) The Saint Xavier University School of Education is hosting Visit Day events where guests can learn more about obtaining a master’s degree in education.

Visit days will be held at 10 a.m. on March 7 in Room 176-177 at the Orland Park Campus, and at 10 a.m. on March 14 in the Butler Reception Room at the Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Interested people can earn a Master of Arts in the following programs: Administration and Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction, Certificate of Advanced Studies, Community Counseling, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Multicategorical Special Education, Reading, School Counseling, Secondary Education and Teaching and Leadership.

For more information about Saint Xavier’s Visit Day events or to reserve a place, please visit www.sxu.edu, Keyword: Visit Day, or call (773) 398-3200 to reach the Chicago campus and (708) 802-6200 to reach the Orland Park campus.

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Public invited to Saint Xavier University’s 6th Annual Health Fair on March 27

Screenings, health assessments and information available

Chicago (Feb. 25, 2009) Free health screenings, assessments and information are available at Saint Xavier University’s 6th Annual Health Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday, March 27, in the Shannon Center, 3700 W. 103rd St., Chicago. The fair is free and open to the public.

“It is important that people of all ages have the opportunity to learn how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Jennifer Kjos Quinlan, facility manager of Saint Xavier University’s Shannon Center and organizer of the event. “The SXU Health Fair is a one-stop shop to receive free health screenings, instructions, mini massages and much more provided by local vendors.”

Those attending the fair can take advantage of free screenings and testing services for blood pressure, prostate, hearing and vision screenings, foot screenings, cervical spine screenings, blood glucose screenings, injury assessments, postural assessment, shoe assessments and more. Reflexology and mini chair massages will also be offered free of charge.

Information will be available on nutrition, heath, and wellness with healthy cooking demonstrations and 30-minute nutrition presentations, which will be offered at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. A body fat screening is available for $15 per person and Heartland Blood Centers will be hosting a blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. as well.
Neighborhood vendors will be at the fair to share health information with the community, including Little Company of Mary Hospital, Greenwood Chiropractic Care Center, OccuSport Physical Therapy, MetroSouth Medical Center, Core Fitness and Physical Therapy/Beverly Ride On, Better Choice Reflexology, Optometrist Dr. Karina Langle, Podiatrist Dr. Robert Sheffey, Dentist Dr. David Baptist, Advocate Christ Hospital Cardiac Rehab, Chiro PV Solutions, Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy, Running for Kicks, Veggie Bites, Evergreen Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Machon & Machon, Trader Joe’s, CVS Pharmacy, Lawn Medical, Chartwells Energy Zone, Advocate Trinity Hospital, Well Group Health Partners, Devine Nutrition, Vista Family Medicine, Chicago Department of Public Health, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Chiro One Wellness Centers, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Jungle Gym, and Curves.

Representatives from Saint Xavier University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, the SXU Ludden Speech and Language Clinic, SXU Health Center, SXU Employee Services, the SXU School of Nursing, and the Shannon Center will also be present at the fair. Participants can purchase any health and fitness related books for 40% off sponsored by the SXU Bookstore.

Light refreshments from Panera Bread and Great American Bagel will also be available. Parents can enjoy a children's activity corner sponsored by Jungle Gym as well as bean bags and Wii Tournaments. For more information, please call (773) 298-3592 or visit www.sxu.edu/athletics.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to give law enforcement insider’s view

2nd 2009 Breakfast with the Experts hosted by Saint Xavier University and BAPA

Chicago (Feb. 24, 2009) Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart will address topics ranging from forced evictions to dog fighting rings at 2009’s second Breakfast with the Experts event, sponsored by Saint Xavier University and the Beverly Area Planning Association.

This intriguing discussion begins at 7:45 a.m., Thursday, March 12 in the Butler Reception Room of Saint Xavier’s Warde Academic Center, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for BAPA Members. Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to buy tickets, please contact Marcia Walsh at 773-233-3100 or mwalsh@bapa.org, or visit www.bapa.org.

Dart will discuss life at the Cook County Jail—the nation’s largest, holding 10,000 people—and methods of reducing inmate recidivism.

He also will detail how the County’s vice unit combats Internet facilitated sex industry, including the trafficking of teenage girls, and review the animal crimes unit’s recent success in breaking up dog fighting operations.

Finally, Dart will describe his role as the first sheriff in the nation to refuse to conduct foreclosure evictions until new rules were created to protect homeowners and tenants.

“This is a unique opportunity to get an insider’s view of Cook County law enforcement,” said SXU Director of Community and Government Relations Maureen Connor-Kelly. “These are extremely interesting topics, especially for local business and civic leaders.”

Breakfast with the Experts brings notable business, community and civic leaders to the south side to share insights, experience and industry knowledge with local business people. The breakfasts are interactive and designed to engage all participants through networking, keynote address, and a question-and-answer period.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Joe Moore
773-298-3937 or jmoore@sxu.edu

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Acclaimed broadcaster and documentary host Bill Kurtis packs the house at SXU

Chicago (Feb. 23, 2008) Acclaimed documentary host and producer, news anchor and rancher Bill Kurtis entertained a standing-room only audience Thursday night at Saint Xavier University when he discussed “The Case against America’s Diet.”

The lecture was part of Saint Xavier’s 2008-09 Squeaky Weal Lecture Series.

Among Kurtis’ many accomplishments, the former CBS Morning News anchor hosted the Peabody Award-winning series The New Explorers, which aired on A&E®, and the long-running Investigative Reports and Cold Case Files®.

In a lecture that was free and open to the public, Kurtis addressed the nation’s increasing obesity and health problems by drawing a direct line between federal subsidies for corn farming and factory farm beef production. As a rancher, active conservationist and supporter of small-town America, Kurtis founded Tallgrass Beef Company in 2005 to champion the environmental and health benefits of grass-fed cattle ranching.

“I don’t really see myself as replacing corn fed beef,” Kurtis said. “I see myself as a guy who is coming in with decaf coffee, with the alternative. So if you want a choice of a Big Mac hamburger, a Quarter Pounder, a cheeseburger, or a healthy grass-fed burger, I think that’s very good. I think they should put it in.”

Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M., of the University’s Office for Mission and Heritage said Saint Xavier was “privileged to welcome Kurtis to campus.”

“Kurtis’ style of thoughtful, open inquiry and marvelous sense of humor delighted a packed house,” Clough said. “It was a perfect example of the kind of social examination we strive to provide with the Squeaky Weal lecture series.”

Saint Xavier’s Squeaky Weal lecture series explores issues of public concern with an emphasis on their religious, moral or ethical implications for the common good. The series is sponsored by the Center for Religion and Public Discourse.

To learn more about the Squeaky Weal lecture series or to learn about its next speaker, Chicago Tribune Columnist Mary Schmich, go to http://www.sxu.edu/ and search key word “Squeaky Weal.”

For more information, please contact the Center for Religion and Public Discourse at (773) 298-3981 or e-mail mareska@sxu.edu.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Joe Moore 773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

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SXU recycling rate on the rise for RecycleMania contest

Nearly twice as many recyclables collected since last year

Chicago (Feb. 23, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s pounds of recyclables for the 2009 RecycleMania recycling contest are nearly double the amount of its 2008 figures.

RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over a 10-week period, schools report recycling and trash data which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.

Saint Xavier’s recycling rate has increased each of the last three weeks:

Recycling rate:
21.26 percent

Weekly Recycling per Week:
Week 1 19.20 percent
Week 2 19.60 percent
Week 3 21.26 percent

Pounds per week compared to 2008:
2008 2009
Week 1 3,533 7,440
Week 2 3,811 7,280
Week 3 6,428 8,010

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU kicks off 2009 Breakfast with Laurence Msall

Civic Federation President lays out national financial crisis’ effects on Illinois

Chicago (Feb. 19, 2009) Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, described America’s financial crisis and its potential effects on Illinois at 2009’s first Breakfast with the Experts event, sponsored by Saint Xavier University and the Beverly Area Planning Association.
The breakfast took place on Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Butler Reception Room of the Warde Academic Center on SXU’s Chicago Campus.

Msall pulled no punches during his presentation and question/answer session, noting many cases where he foresees enormous shortfalls in state, county and Chicago government. He warned against Cook County borrowing to meet operational expenses, cited an increased sales tax that funded additional personnel rather than balance the county budget, noted future shortfalls for pensions, and criticized Illinois for a lack of infrastructure planning in order to be ready for federal assistance opportunities.

“Mr. Msall’s deep understanding of government finances at every level and how all of us are affected is simply extraordinary,” said SXU Director of Community and Government Relations Maureen Connor-Kelly. “I couldn’t imagine a more timely and helpful discussion for our local business and civic leaders.”

Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart will speak at the next breakfast on Thursday, March 12.

Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for BAPA Members. Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to buy tickets, please contact Marcia Walsh at 773-233-3100 or mwalsh@bapa.org, or visit http://www.bapa.org/.

Breakfast with the Experts brings notable business, community and civic leaders to the south side to share insights, experience and industry knowledge with local business people. The breakfasts are interactive and designed to engage all participants through networking, keynote address, and a question-and-answer period.

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Concert Band to perform at SXU

Band to be joined by guest conductor Gary Sousa, Ph.D.

Chicago (Feb. 19, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s Concert Band will perform at 7:30 P.M. on Feb. 24, in the Ensemble Rehearsal/Performance Space in the Warde Academic Center at SXU’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

The band will perform musical selections by British composer Guy Woolfenden and Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Del Tredici’s work for winds “In Wartime.” Guest conductor Gary Sousa, Ph.D, Director of Bands at the University of Tennessee, will lead the performance.

“David Del Tredici’s “In Wartime,” comprises two compelling movements inspired, however reluctantly, by current events,” said Donald Rosenburg in The Gramophone. “Del Tredici's mind races in many directions and achieves vibrant clarity, whether in the optimistic narrative of 'Hymn' or the increasingly dark and frantic activity of 'Battlemarch,' which blends Persian music, Weill-like sinuousness and even has a quote from Tristan und Isolde to drive home the aura of gloom and doom,”

General admission is $6, and $5 for seniors and visiting students. SXU students, faculty and staff can attend for free with a valid university ID.

For more information, please call 773-298-3421.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU hosts 10th Annual Honors Program Guest Lecture

Deirdre Mullan, R.S.M., to speak about the U.N. and Catholic Social Teaching

Chicago (Feb. 19, 2009) Sister Deirdre Mullan, R.S.M., Director of Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations, will deliver Saint Xavier University’s10th Annual Honors Program Guest Lecture at 6:30 p.m. on March 11. The event is co-sponsored by Saint Xavier’s Office of University Mission and Heritage.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Butler Reception Room, located in the Warde Academic Center of SXU’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Mullan’s lecture, titled “The Vision Still has its Time: The UN, Catholic Social Teaching and Global Citizenship,” will focus on the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000. The goals were designed to focus the world community’s efforts on achieving significant improvements in people’s lives by 2015. These included better health care and education and eliminating extreme hunger and poverty.

The event is one of the cultural activities scheduled to explore this year’s Honors Program seminar theme “The Global Community.”

Mullan represents the Sisters of Mercy worldwide at the United Nations. She promotes justice work at the local, national and international level, and challenges governments around the world to implement policies and programs that promote economic, environmental and social justice.

For more information about the Honors Program, please contact Judith Hiltner at (773) 298-3230.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU Alumni and Friends to attend Cubs-Sox game

Group to travel to Mesa, Ariz. for preseason game

Saint Xavier University President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D. (rear) and Margaret and former SXU Trustee Thomas McNamara enjoy a preseason game between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs at last year’s event at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

Chicago (Feb. 19, 2009) Saint Xavier University alumni and friends will watch the Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs preseason game during spring training on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

At this annual SXU Alumni and Friends Weekend, more than 80 participants will enjoy their own skybox view as the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs square off.
“We are pleased that so many alumni and friends can join us for the weekend,” said President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D., who will attend the event. “The support of Saint Xavier University’s alumni and friends is of tremendous importance as we move toward our vision of becoming a leading comprehensive Catholic university.”

For more information or to make reservations, please call the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at (773) 298-3316 or e-mail alumni@sxu.edu.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU to host Renaissance Academy Winter 2009 Forum

Forum to focus on Little Company of Mary Hospital

Chicago (Feb. 18, 2009) Saint Xavier University will present the Winter 2009 Forum of the John T. Farrell, Sr. Forum of the Renaissance academy at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26 in the Butler Reception Room, 3700 W. 103rd St. Chicago. The topic will be “Little Company of Mary Hospital: Mission and Ministry.”

Mary Jo May, Certified Fundraising Executive and Executive Director of the Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation, will describe the transformation of the hospital’s campus and what it will mean to those served. The $190 million overhaul will result Little Company of Mary being the first southwest suburban hospital to have all private rooms and baths.

May was a former Alumni Director at Saint Xavier University. The Forum is free and open to the public and will be followed by a question and answer session.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

Graham School dean interviewed in www.getdegrees.com

Read an interview in with Graham School of Management Dean James Brodzinski on the Web site http://www.getdegrees.com/. Dean Brodzinski discusses the benefits of distance learning and the opportunities to do so through the Graham School.

For more information about this Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Service Management program at Saint Xavier University (SXU) Graham School of Management, visit online.

SXU professor receives $10,000 Illinois Board of Higher Education Fellowship

Peg Gallagher receives Nurse Educator fellowship to integrate evidence based practice

Chicago (Feb. 17, 2009) Saint Xavier University nursing professor Peg Gallagher has received a $10,000 Illinois Board of Higher Education Fellowship to attend a four-day BSN and Higher Education Nurse Educator Evidence-based Practice Mentorship Program. The program will focus on integrating evidence based practice into a university’s nursing curriculum.

“Nurses, both BSN- and MSN-prepared, need to understand and apply scientific evidence to their practice,” Gallagher said. “BSN students need a basic understanding of how research evidence is developed and used, while MSN students implement appropriate models and collaborate to initiate research.”

Gallagher will attend the program in July at the Arizona State University College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation. She will then integrate what she has learned into her SXU curriculum and share the knowledge with her SXU colleagues.

“The excellence of Saint Xavier School of Nursing faculty is evidenced by the fellowship Professor Gallagher received from IBHE,” said SXU Interim Nursing Dean Kay Thurn, Psy.D. “The integration of evidenced based practice into the curriculum for both graduate and undergraduate nursing students is essential for nursing in the 21st century.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU professor receives $10,000 Illinois Board of Higher Education Fellowship

Mary Ann Freitag receives Nurse Educator fellowship for undergraduate population research

Chicago (Feb. 17, 2008) Saint Xavier University nursing professor Mary Ann Freitag, DrNP, RN, recently received a $10,000 Illinois Board of Higher Education Fellowship for discovering a possible link between health problems and academic performance among students in high financial need in SXU’s undergraduate population.

Freitag administered the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment to all of SXU’s returning undergraduates at the beginning of the 2007 academic year.

After analyzing the results in summer of 2008, Freitag found students receiving Pell Grants were more likely to rate conditions such as stress, sleep problems and minor illnesses as having a negative impact on their academic performance. Pell recipient students also had higher than average body mass index ratings.

“The fellowship Professor Freitag received is yet another testament to the excellence of Saint Xavier’s nursing faculty,” said SXU Interim Nursing Dean Kay Thurn, Psy.D. “We congratulate Mary Ann for these initiatives that will improve student health at the University. Her research is a contribution to the health care profession.”

Freitag said she plans to put part of the fellowship toward continuing education on health promotion-related opportunities and collaborating with SXU Student Services to design and implement of future programs.

“My goal is to learn more about creating a healthy environment on our campus, thereby improving the health and health behaviors of our students,” Freitag said. “Healthy students are successful, and successful students graduate.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

NBC Chicago Web site features contribution of two Saint Xavier University Professors

NBC Chicago’s Web site featured a news story from the Sun-Times News Group about two Saint Xavier University professors' contribution to the recently published book "Sport, Beer, and Gender: Promotional Culture and Contemporary Social Life." Click here to read the NBC account and to find a link to the main print story that appeared this weekend.

Cook County to honor Saint Xavier University vice president for the Office of University Mission and Heritage

Sr. Susan Sanders, R.S.M., Ph.D. to receive Unsung Heroine Award

Chicago (Feb. 16, 2009) Cook County will honor Saint Xavier University’s Sister Susan Sanders, R.S.M., Ph.D., with an Unsung Heroine Award on Friday, March 13.

Sanders, vice president for University Mission and Heritage at Saint Xavier, will be commended for her “vital contributions to improving the quality of life in her community” at a breakfast ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center. She will be one of 17 honorees, one from each district of the County.

Sanders is being honored for her “widely published work on the nonprofit sector and the economic and social contributions such organizations make to the common good.” She is also being honored for founding Saint Xavier’s Center for Religion and Public Discourse, which “has provided a number of opportunities for the University and the local community to engage in informed conversations about important topics related to faith, organized belief systems, spirituality, religion and values.”

Sanders attended University of California-Berkeley and the University of Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in public policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and is a tenured full professor at Saint Xavier. She also was a tenured associate professor at DePaul University for 11 years.

Cook County and its Commission on Women’s Issues give the Unsung Heroine Awards each year in March, which is Women’s History Month. Their aim is to publicize, celebrate, and thank the women being honored, while recognizing that their accomplishments and dedication echo that of women throughout County history. The Awards also highlight “the powerful impact women have…on the development of our social, cultural, economic, and political institutions.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

SXU to cover Windy City Thunderbolts

Tune in to 88.3 FM or www.wxav.com to hear baseball action



Chicago (Feb. 11, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s student-run radio station WXAV 88.3 FM has signed an agreement with the Windy City ThunderBolts baseball team to broadcast 30 regular season games during the 2009 season. The games also will be available via www.wxav.com.

“This is a spectacular opportunity for our broadcast students to gain real-world experience covering professional sports,” said SXU Student Media Director Peter Kreten. “We are thrilled to continue providing the best college radio education in Chicago. Students come to Saint Xavier knowing they will receive fun and challenging opportunities that will serve them later in their chosen fields.”

WXAV previously was the official home for Chicago Fire Soccer Weekly, a weekly talk show about Chicago’s soccer team.

Saint Xavier will begin broadcasting games for the ThunderBolts, who were the back-to-back, 2007 and 2008 Frontier League Champions, on Opening Day, May 21 at 7:05pm against the Rockford River Hawks. Saint Xavier student Terry Bonadonna, sports director for WXAV, will be part of the broadcast team.

"We are thrilled to partner with Saint Xavier University to broadcast ThunderBolts games while providing a quality experience for the students associated with WXAV,” said ThunderBolts General Manager Steve Tahsler. “The staff at WXAV and administration at Saint Xavier have been tremendous to work with, and their enthusiasm is a major reason why we can return ThunderBolt baseball to the radio. WXAV has many awards for the quality of its programming, and we are proud to associate with such a well-regarded station."

To learn more about the Windy City ThunderBolts and the Frontier League, visit http://www.wcthunderbolts.com/.

To learn more about enrolling in any of Saint Xavier University’s programs, visit www.sxu.edu.

SXU launches new May term with 27 three-week courses

Students can earn three credit hours at a 45 percent discount

Chicago (Feb. 13, 2009) Saint Xavier University is launching a new May term between its spring and summer semesters, in which students take advantage of tuition discounts to earn three credit hours in only three weeks.

Twenty-seven courses are being offered during the May term, which will be from Monday, May 11 to Saturday, May 30. All May term courses feature a 45 percent tuition discount, and many include unique off-campus experiences.

A May term course can help students fulfill program requirements more quickly, lessen their course loads during the normal academic year, or boost their GPAs.

All May term students will be eligible for on-campus housing in Morris Hall for a refundable $100 deposit. A $125 meal plan will be required for students choosing to stay on campus.

For more information about Saint Xavier’s new May term or for scheduling information, please click here or visit www.sxu.edu, keyword: Summer.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

Saint Xavier University’s WXAV to cover Windy City ThunderBolts

Tune in to 88.3 FM or www.wxav.com to hear baseball action



Chicago (Feb. 11, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s student-run radio station WXAV 88.3 FM has signed an agreement with the Windy City ThunderBolts baseball team to broadcast 30 regular season games during the 2009 season. The games also will be available via www.wxav.com.

“This is a spectacular opportunity for our broadcast students to gain real-world experience covering professional sports,” said SXU Student Media Director Peter Kreten. “We are thrilled to continue providing the best college radio education in Chicago. Students come to Saint Xavier knowing they will receive fun and challenging opportunities that will serve them later in their chosen fields.”

WXAV previously was the official home for Chicago Fire Soccer Weekly, a weekly talk show about Chicago’s soccer team.

Saint Xavier will begin broadcasting games for the ThunderBolts, who were the back-to-back, 2007 and 2008 Frontier League Champions, on Opening Day, May 21 at 7:05pm against the Rockford River Hawks. Saint Xavier student Terry Bonadonna, sports director for WXAV, will be part of the broadcast team.

"We are thrilled to partner with Saint Xavier University to broadcast ThunderBolts games while providing a quality experience for the students associated with WXAV,” said ThunderBolts General Manager Steve Tahsler. “The staff at WXAV and administration at Saint Xavier have been tremendous to work with, and their enthusiasm is a major reason why we can return ThunderBolt baseball to the radio. WXAV has many awards for the quality of its programming, and we are proud to associate with such a well-regarded station."

To learn more about the Windy City ThunderBolts and the Frontier League, visit http://www.wcthunderbolts.com/.

To learn more about enrolling in any of Saint Xavier University’s programs, visit www.sxu.edu.

United Press International carries story about SXU Professor's Lincoln discovery

The news service United Press International is carrying a story about Saint Xavier Historian Graham Peck's discovery of lost Lincoln-Douglas debate records. View the story here.

Saint Xavier Lincoln expert featured in SouthtownStar

Read the SouthtownStar article about Saint Xavier University Associate Professor Graham Peck's discovery of lost records that illuminate Abraham Lincoln’s historic rivalry with Senator Stephen A. Douglas. The article also ran on the Web version of the Chicago Sun-Times.

SXU Prof. discusses Lincoln in Chicago Tribune

Graham Peck comments on Gettysburg Address

Saint Xavier University Professor Graham Peck commented on Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address in a Feb. 11 Chicago Tribune article. Please click here to view the article.

Watch Saint Xavier University Historian Graham Peck discuss his Lincoln discoveries on Youtube

Saint Xavier University

Part 1


Part 2

SXU art students contribute to “200 Lincolns” exhibit in Pilsen

Chicago Art Department exhibit to feature 200 portraits of Abraham Lincoln

Chicago (Feb. 10, 2009) The Chicago Art Department will feature Saint Xavier University students’ artwork as part of an exhibit honoring Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday this month. The exhibit includes 200 portraits of Honest Abe in a variety of mediums, from napkin drawings to oil painting to digital illustrations and hand-cranked animations.

The exhibition will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, February 13th at the Chicago Art Department, 1837 S. Halsted St. in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood.

Nearly half of the portraits in the exhibit were submitted by Saint Xavier students from SXU Prof. Nathan Peck's digital art classes. This continues a tradition of Peck's classes collaborating with Chicago Art Department's themed exhibitions. In the past his student's have created art on themes such as Chicago Streets, Heroes, and Games. Peck is a co-founder of the Chicago Art Department.

Although the 200 Lincolns exhibition opens a day after Lincoln’s birthday, the opening promises to be a Lincoln birthday party, Peck said, and will include a portrait of Lincoln birthday cake and re-enactors from Illinois Cavalry and Infantry brigades.

Everyone is invited to attend. Period costumes are encouraged but not required. For more information please see: www.chicagoartdepartment.org or www.sxuhero.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Rick Ducat
773-298-3325 or ducat@sxu.edu

Northwest Indiana Times features SXU Professor Graham Peck's recovery of Lincoln-Douglas debate records

Read in the Northwest Indiana Times about Saint Xavier University Professor Graham Peck's Lincoln-Douglas debate discovery here.

SXU historian discovers lost record of Lincoln-Douglas debate

Click HERE for video interview with Professor Graham Peck about recovered accounts of 1854 Lincoln-Douglas exchange or visit www.sxu.edu

Chicago (Feb. 5, 2009) Saint Xavier University Associate Professor Graham Peck has discovered lost records that illuminate Abraham Lincoln’s historic rivalry with Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

In 1854, Lincoln traveled throughout central Illinois attacking Douglas and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which Douglas had sponsored in Congress. The act repealed antislavery provisions of the Missouri Compromise, potentially enabling slavery to enter Kansas and Nebraska territories. These speeches began Lincoln’s rise to national notoriety that ultimately led to his election as president in 1860.

Despite the historical significance of the speeches given by these famed rivals, who would meet face-to-face in the renowned debates of 1858, there exist few reproductions of what they said in 1854.

Peck, an associate history professor at Saint Xavier University, has discovered forgotten records of the Lincoln-Douglas exchange at the 1854 Illinois State Fair. Two competing St. Louis, Mo. newspapers both sent reporters who produced accounts.

“This is a unique view into the development of Lincoln’s anti-slavery career and, in turn, the reorientation of Illinois and national politics that resulted in his election to the presidency six years later,” Peck said.

Peck’s findings will be released in the summer issue of the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, the country’s premier academic journal in the field of Lincoln studies.

“This is remarkable evidence that there is still much to be discovered about this most pivotal of figures in American history,” said Bryon Andreasen, research historian for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and editor of the Journal.

On Feb. 12, 2009, The Abraham Lincoln Association will lead the national celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and President Barack Obama have been invited to attend the Association's birthday banquet on the evening of Feb. 12 in Springfield, Ill.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Joe Moore 773-298-3937 or jmoore@sxu.edu

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Video of SXU students' trip to Washington, D.C.

Nine Saint Xavier University students, accompanied by Professor Larry Sondler, recently spent a week at the Washington Center in Washington, D.C. The group attended public affairs seminars, participated in a C-SPAN Q&A segment, spent a day in the U.S. Senate and finally attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.

SXU student Mark Piper compiled video footage of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences, which is available below.



For more information about the trip, please click here.

SXU professor loans Abraham Lincoln photograph to CBA

The following story appeared in Monday's Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

In honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, this photograph by Alexander Gardner, titled “The Gettysburg Lincoln,” has been loaned by attorney William J. Kresse to the Chicago Bar Association. It will hang above the fireplace in the main entry hall through May 2009. The portrait is so called because it was taken November 8th, 1863, two weeks before Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. It is framed with Lincoln’s signature. Kresse, an associate professor at Saint Xavier University’s Graham School of Management, acquired the famous image at the 2008 Lend-A-Hand Awards Luncheon and silent auction. He is gratified that it hangs between the busts of Lincoln and Washington in the entry hall. They were bequeathed to the CBA by Kresse’s friend and mentor, Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, for whom Kresse served as law clerk. “Those are old friends,” he says of the busts.

Walker on "Eye on Illinois"

Click here to hear a long-format interview with SXU Professor Jim Walker about the book chapter he co-authored with fellow SXU Professor Nelson Hathcock about the history of advertising beer to men. Walker was featured on the Illinois Radio Network’s weekly Eye on Illinois.

Viva Mercy article on Green building features SXU; Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M authors piece

Read the article on Green Construction at three Mercy-sponsored organizations, “Green Buildings: Blending Principle and Practicality.”

This comprehensive piece appeared in the January/February bi-monthly Sisters of Mercy of the Americas publication Viva Mercy and was written by Saint Xavier University’s Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M., author of the book “First in Chicago: A History of Saint Xavier University.”

Her article focuses on “green building” as practiced by three organizations, each a leader and an example of much that is occurring in Mercy-sponsored ministries in the area of sustainable building.

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Saint Xavier professors blogged around country

James Walker and Nelson Hathcock continue to surface around the country for their contribution to the recently published book “Sport, Beer, and Gender: Promotional Culture and Contemporary Social Life.” Visit the following links to see mention in USA Today, The Miami Herald and many others:

USA Today

Foster’s Daily Democrat

Chicago’s Examiner.Com

The Beerinator

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