Magazine
News of the Midwest Jesuits - Summer 2016

Loyola University Chicago’s New President Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD, has been elected Loyola University Chicago’s 24th president and its first lay leader. A lifelong Catholic who has taught religious education, Dr. Rooney previously served as the president of both Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., and Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass. She also spent more than 12 years in the classroom, teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels. After only months at Mount Ida, Dr. Rooney was called by the Obama Administration to serve her country as principal deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2012, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta awarded Dr. Rooney the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. “I have been blessed throughout my career with amazing experiences that have shaped and influenced me in numerous ways, but my passion is, and has always been, education,” said Dr. Rooney. “Education is life changing. Today, higher education is at a crossroads, and I am fully committed to making decisions that will allow us to thrive as an institution and community leader. I was struck by the dedication and commitment exhibited by representatives of the faculty, students, staff, academic leadership, Jesuits, and board members. That commitment, and Loyola’s strong mission, drew me here.” For more information, visit www.LUC.edu/presidentialsearch
Dr. Jo Ann Rooney
First Lay President Elected at Loyola University Chicago
Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD, has been elected Loyola University Chicago’s 24th president and its first lay leader. A lifelong Catholic who has taught religious education, Dr. Rooney previously served as the president of both Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., and Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass. She also spent more than 12 years in the classroom, teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels. 

After only months at Mount Ida, Dr. Rooney was called by the Obama Administration to serve her country as principal deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2012, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta awarded Dr. Rooney the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. 

“I have been blessed throughout my career with amazing experiences that have shaped and influenced me in numerous ways, but my passion is, and has always been, education,” said Dr. Rooney. “Education is life changing. Today, higher education is at a crossroads, and I am fully committed to making decisions that will allow us to thrive as an institution and community leader. I was struck by the dedication and commitment exhibited by representatives of the faculty, students, staff, academic leadership, Jesuits, and board members. That commitment, and Loyola’s strong mission, drew me here.” 

For more information, visit www.LUC.edu/presidentialsearch.
Emmylou Harris to Play JRS Concerts for Refugees John Carroll University and other Cleveland area educational institutions partnered to present Politically Speaking, a series of forums that discussed the upcoming general election and Ohio’s storied role in choosing the next U.S. president. Nationally-recognized political journalists and educators served as keynote speakers for four events, which were all held on local college campuses. In March, John Carroll hosted “The Presidential Primary Process.” Other sessions explored the importance of polling and the economic impacts of national political conventions. In addition to John Carroll, Politically Speaking was sponsored by Baldwin Wallace University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, Kent State University, and The University of Akron. Featured speakers and panelists included Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report and a panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press; and Jo Ann Davidson, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. “Ever since the Republican National Committee chose Cleveland as the convention city, a spotlight has been shining on the city and its institutions,” said Dora Pruce, assistant vice president for university advancement and director of government and community relations at John Carroll. “Politically Speaking was a meaningful way for area colleges and universities to get involved, engage the community, and participate in the excitement of the convention coming to Cleveland.”
Emmylou Harris (center)
Emmylou Harris to Play JRS Concerts for Refugees 
Plans are underway for a series of concerts to raise awareness and funds for Jesuit Refugee Service’s (JRS) Global Education Initiative. Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees will feature Grammy-Award winners Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, and Buddy Miller, as well as The Milk Carton Kids and special guests in an intimate singer-songwriter tour this fall.

“The better angels of our nature call upon us to act with compassion and not with fear in the face of so much suffering,” said Harris, who recently returned from a trip with JRS to meet refugees in Ethiopia.

The tour will stop in 11 cities, including an October 12 concert at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.

An Italian island, Lampedusa is a common destination for refugees traveling to Europe from Africa. On his first official papal trip outside Rome in 2013, Pope Francis visited Lampedusa after seven migrants traveling toward the island in a Tunisian fishing boat drowned.

The Global Education Initiative is part of Pope Francis’ call to JRS to double the number of refugees served in educational programs by 2020.

“An education is the only thing a refugee can receive that cannot be taken away,” said Jesuit Fr. Thomas H. Smolich, international director of JRS.

To learn more about Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees or to support JRS, visit http://jrsusa.org/lampedusa.
John Carroll University Partners to Present Politically Speaking Series John Carroll University and other Cleveland area educational institutions partnered to present Politically Speaking, a series of forums that discussed the upcoming general election and Ohio’s storied role in choosing the next U.S. president. Nationally-recognized political journalists and educators served as keynote speakers for four events, which were all held on local college campuses. In March, John Carroll hosted “The Presidential Primary Process.” Other sessions explored the importance of polling and the economic impacts of national political conventions. In addition to John Carroll, Politically Speaking was sponsored by Baldwin Wallace University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, Kent State University, and The University of Akron. Featured speakers and panelists included Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report and a panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press; and Jo Ann Davidson, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. “Ever since the Republican National Committee chose Cleveland as the convention city, a spotlight has been shining on the city and its institutions,” said Dora Pruce, assistant vice president for university advancement and director of government and community relations at John Carroll. “Politically Speaking was a meaningful way for area colleges and universities to get involved, engage the community, and participate in the excitement of the convention coming to Cleveland.”
Amy Walter
John Carroll University Hosts Series on Presidential Politics 
John Carroll University and other Cleveland area educational institutions partnered to present Politically Speaking, a series of forums that discussed the upcoming general election and Ohio’s storied role in choosing the next U.S. president. Nationally-recognized political journalists and educators served as keynote speakers for four events, which were all held on local college campuses. 

In March, John Carroll hosted “The Presidential Primary Process.” Other sessions explored the importance of polling and the economic impacts of national political conventions. In addition to John Carroll, Politically Speaking was sponsored by Baldwin Wallace University, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, Kent State University, and The University of Akron. 

Featured speakers and panelists included Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report and a panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press; and Jo Ann Davidson, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. 

“Ever since the Republican National Committee chose Cleveland as the convention city, a spotlight has been shining on the city and its institutions,” said Dora Pruce, assistant vice president for university advancement and director of government and community relations at John Carroll. “Politically Speaking was a meaningful way for area colleges and universities to get involved, engage the community, and participate in the excitement of the convention coming to Cleveland.”
Amy Walter photo courtesy of The Cook Political Report
St. Francis Dental Clinic and Creighton Receive Award The St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic and Creighton University School of Dentistry were selected as recipients of an American Dental Association Foundation E. “Bud” Tarrson Dental School Student Community Leadership Award for the 2015–2016 school year. The award recognized the excellent care offered to the Lakota people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. “The partnership between the St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic and Creighton has been a study in caring and compassion,” said Jesuit Fr. John Hatcher, president of St. Francis Mission. “The dental students who lead this effort bring renewed hope and possibility here.” The four-chair clinic offers care with help from volunteer dentists and hygienists. Aside from the local hospital, the clinic stands alone in serving the oral hygiene needs of the 26,000 Lakota (Sioux) people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Creighton dental students, alumni, and faculty have made four annual trips to the clinic, providing an average of $15,000–18,000 in dental care over several days. Despite its successes, the clinic and its patients face challenges. “Because we don’t have a permanent dentist on staff, we rely solely on volunteers,” said Fr. Hatcher. “We also have been using equipment that was outdated when we got it.” To learn more about St. Francis Mission and support its dental clinic, visit www.sfmission.org

St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic
St. Francis Dental Clinic and Creighton Receive Award
The St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic and Creighton University School of Dentistry were selected as recipients of an American Dental Association Foundation E. “Bud” Tarrson Dental School Student Community Leadership Award for the 2015–2016 school year. The award recognized the excellent care offered to the Lakota people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 

“The partnership between the St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic and Creighton has been a study in caring and compassion,” said Jesuit Fr. John Hatcher, president of St. Francis Mission. “The dental students who lead this effort bring renewed hope and possibility here.” 

The four-chair clinic offers care with help from volunteer dentists and hygienists. Aside from the local hospital, the clinic stands alone in serving the oral hygiene needs of the 26,000 Lakota (Sioux) people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. 

Creighton dental students, alumni, and faculty have made four annual trips to the clinic, providing an average of $15,000–18,000 in dental care over several days. 

Despite its successes, the clinic and its patients face challenges.
      
“Because we don’t have a permanent dentist on staff, we rely solely on volunteers,” said Fr. Hatcher. “We also have been using equipment that was outdated when we got it.” 

To learn more about St. Francis Mission and support its dental clinic, visit www.sfmission.org.
St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic photo courtesy of Motivation Media, Inc.
St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy Names New President Father Jeffrey (Jeff) Putthoff, SJ, a Jesuit from the Central and Southern Province, will become St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy’s (SJJ) 11th president. Father Putthoff brings to SJJ a breadth of leadership expertise. He spent 16 years building Hopeworks ‘N Camden in Camden, N.J., an organization that uses trauma-informed care to train youth, ages 14–23, in website design, geographic information systems (GIS), and Salesforce technology. Hopeworks has worked with more than 3,000 youth in one of the poorest and most underserved communities in the United States. Father Putthoff also has served as an Ignatian retreat director in Philadelphia, an associate pastor at Holy Name Parish in Camden, and a teacher at St. Louis University High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Saint Louis University and four master’s degrees. “I am looking forward to returning to my Midwestern roots to begin leading St. John’s Jesuit as the school enters its next 50 years. I have experienced a God of surprise and joy during my years as a Jesuit, and that experience is firmly rooted in my own Jesuit education, the same education that is particular to St. John’s. Whether it is in its strong academic curriculum or in its strong co-curricular focus, St. John’s is clearly a community seeking to respond with abundant abandon to God, just as Saint Ignatius did,” said Fr. Putthoff.
Father Jeff Putthoff, SJ
St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy Appoints New President 
Father Jeffrey (Jeff) Putthoff, SJ, a Jesuit from the Central and Southern Province, has become St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy’s (SJJ) 11th president. 

Father Putthoff brings to SJJ a breadth of leadership expertise. He spent 16 years building Hopeworks ‘N Camden in Camden, N.J., an organization that uses trauma-informed care to train youth, ages 14–23, in website design, geographic information systems (GIS), and Salesforce technology. 

Hopeworks has worked with more than 3,000 youth in one of the poorest and most underserved communities in the United States. Father Putthoff also has served as an Ignatian retreat director in Philadelphia, an associate pastor at Holy Name Parish in Camden, and a teacher at St. Louis University High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Saint Louis University and four master’s degrees. 

“I am looking forward to returning to my Midwestern roots to begin leading St. John’s Jesuit as the school enters its next 50 years. I have experienced a God of surprise and joy during my years as a Jesuit, and that experience is firmly rooted in my own Jesuit education, the same education that is particular to St. John’s. Whether it is in its strong academic curriculum or in its strong co-curricular focus, St. John’s is clearly a community seeking to respond with abundant abandon to God, just as Saint Ignatius did,” said Fr. Putthoff.
Christ the King Celebrates College Graduates The first graduates of Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School (CTK) in Chicago, the Class of 2012, graduated college this spring. The Cristo Rey-model high school on the city’s West Side recently completed its eighth year serving predominantly low-income African-American students. The average CTK student comes from a family of five whose annual income is $24,700, the lowest per capita income of all 30 Cristo Rey Network schools. Nonetheless, every CTK graduate has been accepted to college, with 93 percent enrolling after graduation. The school’s inaugural class attended a number of universities throughout the country and have plans for a variety of career paths. Anthony Barnes, who attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, has a job in information technology, a field he initially explored as a high school junior with CTK’s Corporate Work Study Program. Kyara Lee graduated from the University of Illinois with a political science degree. She plans to become a crime scene investigator. “Christ the King prepared me to be successful in college,” said Lee. “I am grateful and blessed to have made it past many obstacles and roadblocks to my success.” “We are extremely proud of our graduates and define success not just by their college achievements, but also by how they continue to be women and men for and with others,” said Clement Martin, president of CTK.
Christ the King graduates
Christ the King Celebrates College Graduates 
The first graduates of Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School (CTK) in Chicago, the Class of 2012, graduated college this spring. 

The Cristo Rey-model high school on the city’s West Side recently completed its eighth year serving predominantly low-income African-American students. The average CTK student comes from a family of five whose annual income is $24,700, the lowest per capita income of all 30 Cristo Rey Network schools. Nonetheless, every CTK graduate has been accepted to college, with 93 percent enrolling after graduation. 

The school’s inaugural class attended a number of universities throughout the country and have plans for a variety of career paths. Anthony Barnes, who attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, has a job in information technology, a field he initially explored as a high school junior with CTK’s Corporate Work Study Program. Kyara Lee graduated from the University of Illinois with a political science degree. She plans to become a crime scene investigator. 

“Christ the King prepared me to be successful in college,” said Lee. “I am grateful and blessed to have made it past many obstacles and roadblocks to my success.” 

“We are extremely proud of our graduates and define success not just by their college achievements, but also by how they continue to be women and men for and with others,” said Clement Martin, president of CTK. 
 



Click here for the Summer 2016 Jesuits magazine index.