USF Named in America’s Top Colleges 2021 Listing by Forbes

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) announced today that it has been included in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges 2021” listing. The listing includes just 600 of the nearly 2,700 degree-granting institutions in the United States. “Throughout its first 100 years, USF maintained its focus on offering a Catholic, comprehensive educational experience – rooted in the liberal arts and challenged by our Franciscan values and charism – to each and every student. This focus and commitment are as strong, alive and well today in our second century as a higher educational institution as ever before, which is demonstrated through national recognition such as this,” USF President Arvid C. Johnson, Ph.D., said. Forbes spokesperson Christian Kreznar explained the selection methodology used by Forbes to compile its “America’s Top Colleges 2021” listing. “We first selected colleges and universities that educate undergraduates, based on their Carnegie Classification, a higher education framework that categorizes schools by their degree offerings, research output and specialty focus. We selected doctoral research universities, master’s universities and colleges and baccalaureate colleges. We also included colleges that provide specialized four-year programs in engineering, business and art,” said Kresznar. “From that pool we drew schools that had sufficient data from the following sources: The College Scorecard and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), two federal databases that track student outcomes and institutional characteristics. We also drew from PayScale, a salary reporting and comparison company; Third Way, a D.C.-based think tank that developed the Price-to-Earnings Premium; and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). We cut schools with fewer than 300 total undergraduates,” Kreznar added. Visit forbes.com/top-colleges/ to view Forbes’ complete “America’s Top Colleges 2021” listing. The University of St. Francis is consistently ranked among the best colleges and universities across the Illinois and the nation when it comes to quality education, affordability, and accessibility. To learn more about USF’s other recent rankings, please visit stfrancis.edu/nationally-ranked/. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

USF News

USF Announces 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF), through the USF Alumni & Family Relations Office, recently honored five outstanding alumni through the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards program. Nominations for these prestigious awards were submitted by family members, coworkers, fellow alumni and others who could testify to the nominees’ achievements. The recipients were then selected by the USF Alumni Association’s Executive Board of Directors based on outstanding professional and personal successes, as well as involvement in civic, cultural or charitable activities. The Presidential Alumni Award, the most prestigious of the Distinguished Alumni Awards, was selected by the university. In addition, one alumnus/alumna from each of the university’s four colleges is honored, highlighting the diverse disciplines of a comprehensive university.

Distinguished Alumni Award winners were honored at the annual Homecoming & Reunion celebration on Friday, Oct. 1. Winners are also promoted on social media, via a press release, on the USF web page (stfrancis.edu/awards), and featured in the university’s Engaging Mind & Spirit magazine.

The 2021 USF Distinguished Alumni Award winners are:

Presidential Alumni Award – Charlotte Codo ‘74

Charlotte Codo began her studies at St. Francis when her children were in middle school and high school. A disciplined scholar, she was drawn into the study of French first by the exceptional and demanding Dr. Charles C. Maleczewski, followed by Dr. Vilem Stranecky, who were both exacting linguists who demanded perfect Parisian pronunciation. Maleczewski had served as a translator at the Nuremberg trials because of his precision and skill in several languages: French, German, Russian and English. This was profoundly important to Charlotte’s sense of international social justice. Charlotte shared these standards with her children, required French language to be spoken at dinner several nights each week, mercilessly but hilariously corrected their accents, and constantly played reel-to-reel tapes while she cooked and finished laundry. Many expressions from her classrooms gravitated into her family’s stories. “Your ear will love it,” promised Maleczewski regarding the French language stories playing in the background of her children’s daily lives. Stranecky described the fragrant smells of dinner in his aristocratic home, “It comes to me like so…,” accompanied by the quintessentially French expression of all fingers together, sniffing daintily in front of one’s nose. Charlotte’s children loved these professors for the attention that they gave their students—including Charlotte—and they saw their mother claim her intellect under their tutelage.

Originally educated as a nurse at Wesley Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University, then as an artist and always a student of nature, Charlotte responded powerfully to the world of French literature and culture to which she was introduced at St. Francis. After graduation she chose to study watercolor painting and pastels in the south of France, outdoors, for many summers with friends who were also French and art students.

Charlotte’s lifelong love of nature, stemming from her childhood in the Wisconsin woods adjoining her family’s farms, prompted the development of her husband, Norman’s, family farm in Frankfort, Illinois into a 30-acre native prairie and oak savannah. The farm has been the source of numerous lectures, preservation and education efforts and family gatherings over the many years it has been in Charlotte’s family. Donating the farm to St. Francis demonstrates the love Charlotte and Norman share, the love Charlotte feels for nature, and the love Charlotte feels for her years of intellectual engagement at St. Francis. Charlotte and her family are thrilled that the Charlotte Codo Prairie will be enjoyed, studied, and preserved and are so touched by this honor.

College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Award – Dr. Jillian Scherer ‘05

Jillian Scherer, M.D., IBCLC is a family medicine physician at Whole Family Health in Olney, Illinois. She lives and thrives there with her husband, Mark, and their children, Daniel (8) and Mary (4).

After graduating from USF in 2005, she went to Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood and obtained her medical degree. While in training, she realized she enjoyed a wide variety of medical conditions and treasured the human connection found in family medicine. She started residency at Waukesha Family Medicine Residency in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where she underwent a very rigorous training program not only to be trained in family medicine, but also to learn advanced skills in obstetrics in hopes of being a small-town physician providing full care from womb to tomb. After completing that training, she and her growing family moved to a town of 5,000: Richland Center, Wisconsin. While working as a family medicine physician, she was caring for patients in the hospital, the clinic, and in the birth center. As financial strains in health care forced the clinic to add more and more patients to each clinic day to make a profit, Jillian realized that her dream in medical school was to treasure the relationship between a doctor and patient, and moving to seven-minute visits with patients was not achieving that dream.

After much deliberation, she and her family packed up and moved to rural southern Illinois to start a direct primary care clinic. In this setting, Jillian is afforded the time to take five minutes or two hours with a patient as the situation requires. She now has time for lifestyle medicine, lactation medicine, and traditional family practice. Jillian joined this progressive movement of primary care physicians reclaiming the practice of medicine where respect, integrity, service, and compassion are just as she dreamed.

When Jillian is not caring for patients in clinic, she is riding bicycles with her family, walking with friends, helping with homeschooling during the pandemic, and reading a good book.

College of Business & Health Administration Alumni Award – Sheila Brune ‘86, ‘09

As a child, Sheila Brune loved to take care of things. As a farm child, there were lots of things to take care of, and it never ended!

Her journey in health care began in Iowa at St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing. As an R.N., she began her career working in Los Angeles caring for many of the rich and famous at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She ended years later by caring for some of the poorest of the poor on a mission trip to India. That trip fueled her passion to end gendercide and abuse of the Indian girl child.

Along the way, she became acquainted with the University of St. Francis. She began the B.S. program, and through several moves and the birth of her first child, she completed the program. She got her first management job as director of case management, and later, quality director, all while taking one class at a time, now for a M.S. in health services administration. She was certified in quality, utilization management and case management.

Along with a busy career, births, deaths, and her husband’s cancer fight, she often wanted to quit. Then she would remember how much she loved the classes and the friends she made at St. Francis. In 2009, she graduated from her master’s program. At the same time, her son finished family practice residency and her daughter graduated high school with high honors. She found time to create an innovative program to write life stories of the people we care for every day. She fought tirelessly to correct processes after a medical error led to her father’s death, and then spoke at numerous conferences telling her story in hopes of saving others. She served on the board of a homeless shelter, the Red Cross and was active in Kiwanis, Beta Sigma Phi and PEO. She sometimes cleaned her own house and cooked a meal for the family.

After retiring from hospital work, she worked as a substitute school nurse. She wrote life stories of hospice patients, and at the end of her 50-year career, she was proud to volunteer at COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Sheila and her husband, Sam, anxiously await the birth of their sixth grandchild, who they plan to spoil beyond belief, in 2022. She believes passionately in laughing, having fun every day and praising God for the blessings of a beautiful life.

College of Education Alumni Award – Dr. Karla Guseman ‘01

Born and raised in Joliet, Dr. Karla Guseman began her career in education at Joliet Township High School (JTHS) in 2000 as a science teacher at Joliet Central. She served in this capacity for six years, taking on various leadership roles associated with the science curriculum, school improvement planning, the Strategic Plan, and professional development. In 2006, she shifted to an administrative role as the curriculum director for science and applied life before being promoted in 2011 to assistant superintendent for educational services. Karla was promoted to superintendent of Joliet Township High School District 204 in February 2020.

Karla believes that all students must have an equal opportunity for a high-quality education. All students must have access to a relevant and rigorous curriculum that will allow them to acquire the knowledge and skills to be successful in the post-secondary experience of their choice.

Community involvement is immensely important to Karla, which is demonstrated by her leadership within the Kiwanis Club of Joliet where she was awarded the Distinguished President Award for her leadership and involvement with high school Key Clubs and Builder’s Clubs in District 86 and Elwood Schools. Karla serves as the YMCA Metro Board secretary and is a member of the Board Governance Committee. Joliet Township High School, under her leadership, was a 2020 Gold Star Awardee from the National Hookup of Black Women Joliet Chapter in recognition of commitment to family and community for its extraordinary work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Superhero Award from the Will County Democrats during the summer of 2021 for working in partnership with the Joliet Fire Department to offer a vaccination clinic at Joliet West High School from February through May of 2021, where over 60,000 shots were provided to community members.

Leach College of Nursing Alumni Award – Jada Sims ‘20 Jada Sims grew up in Romeoville, Illinois. During the earlier parts of her education, she faced many obstacles but never gave up because of the support she had from teachers and her family. At the age of 12, Jada decided that she wanted to be a nurse and worked tirelessly each day to achieve that goal. By the time she got to high school, she began to see the hard work she had put into her studies pay off through awards for service to her community and academic achievement. During her last two years of high school, she began to take steps toward gaining nursing experience by attending Wilco Area Career Center, a technical school located in her hometown. Jada’s journey continued at USF as a first-generation student. Throughout her time at USF, her service to her peers included various campus work, such as a Saints Ambassador, Foundations mentor, participating on the orientation board, and health assessment supplemental instructor. In 2020, she graduated with honors from the university and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, one of the highest honors a nurse can receive. In July of 2020, Jada began working as a cardiac-neuro critical care nurse at Edward Hospital, where she continues to make a difference in the lives of the patients she encounters. Despite starting her nursing career at the height of the pandemic, Jada has decided to continue her education through an MSN in nursing administration this fall here at USF. The best part of her story is that it is still being written. Distinguished Alumni Award winners were honored at the annual Homecoming & Reunion celebration on Friday, Oct. 1. Winners are also promoted through social and local media, on the USF web page (stfrancis.edu/awards), and featured in the university’s Engaging Mind & Spirit magazine. : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

Academics, Saint Spotlights

Dan Knapp Talks Social Work

Visiting professor Dan Knapp, Ph.D., LSW, USF’s Bachelor of Social Work program director, was recently interviewed recently by an online social work resource called “MSW Online.” Read his expert advice about pursuing a BSW (and consider USF for yours!)

What are the most important factors for students deciding on a BSW program?
Many students have a strong passion for what they want to learn in addition to how they want to apply that learning. One of the most important factors for deciding on a BSW program is to follow that passion. For example, many people who enter the helping profession have a strong desire to improve the lives of others or advance some process or policy that influences others. A social work degree effectively prepares students to become these change agents.

What kinds of hands-on or fieldwork experiences are available to your BSW students?
Students are offered very diverse opportunities. These opportunities can include, but are not limited to, experiences in healthcare (i.e., hospitals or nursing home-related), child welfare agencies, county services, schools, advocacy centers, and crisis centers to name a few. Students will have opportunities to work with a wide range of populations throughout the developmental periods (i.e., adolescents through late states of life), veterans, homelessness, people of varying cultural or racial backgrounds, and those with mental illness as examples.

Can students take electives, or customize their BSW experience?
Students are required to enroll in specific foundational courses that effectively prepare them to work with diverse populations. In addition, students have opportunities to register for additional elective courses that can provide added experiences to specific areas of social work practice.

What does it take to be successful as a BSW student?
A strong desire to learn and help others. As a part of any clinical practice, students must have a desire to improve themselves first. This means taking the time to learn and assess their strengths and talents. Then, students can apply the skills and knowledge learned to help others.

What types of jobs are BSW graduates finding?
Students are finding jobs within hospitals, nursing home facilities, advocacy centers, and activity directors for mentorship programs to name a few. Many students elect to enroll in the one-year MSW program to obtain their master’s in social work degree which effectively opens opportunities for jobs such as other areas of healthcare, schools, private practice, etc.

If you had to choose one or two books, articles, documentaries, podcasts, etc. to be included on a required reading list for social work students, what would it be?
This is a great question, and I would always recommend students to invest time into recently published materials found on the scholarly databases. For example, what is currently literature saying about people’s mental health given COVID-19 and how does this compare to prior decades? How are different cultures or racial groups being impacted? Now, if I have to truly provide one resource, I have always enjoyed the video called The Secret Life of the Brain which helps students understand the power of the brain on human functioning.

USF News

WCSF 88.7 FM Announces New Website and Web Address

Joliet, Ill. –WCSF 88.7 FM, the student staffed radio station at the University of St. Francis (USF), has a new online home and a newly-designed website.

Visit wcsfradio.com to find WCSF’s weekly program schedule, a link to listen to the station online, a variety of music charts, station news.

The new website was designed by Communication and Media Arts (CMMA) student and WCSF program director Cosme Lozano and features updates from USF student Mary Mathieu.

WCSF’s 24 hour-a-day, 7 days-a-week broadcasting features a variety of music including rock, folk, jazz, urban, dance, holiday, and classical, USF Fighting Saints football, talks shows, and daily news programming. The station is also home to the area’s popular holiday programming, The Spirit of Christmas, which begins on Thanksgiving Day (November 25, 2021) and runs through noon on January 2, 2022. USF CMMA students and community volunteers provide on air talent, programming, and management for WCSF.

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF News

Rostollan Leading USF University Ministry Efforts

Joliet, Ill. – The years that immediately follow high school can represent a transformative time for students as they walk a journey to connect with their faith. For Dianne Rostollan, Director of University Ministry at the University of St. Francis (USF), accompanying students during this time is an exciting and fulfilling opportunity.

Rostollan, who joined USF in August, is immersed in her first semester of working with college students as learn more about themselves and their faith.

“College students are seeking and trying to figure out who and what they want to be as individuals in their own faith and in their own journey. That is exciting to me. I know it was an important and exciting time for me when I was in college, and I want to be a part of that seeking journey with students here during their college years,” said Rostollan.

She added that this opportunity at USF, a Catholic and Franciscan liberal arts university, is one that will allow her to work with students from a variety of faith backgrounds.

“Whether students are Catholic, Muslim, or have no faith at all, it is exciting to walk with them on that journey,” she added.

As the fall semester continues, Rostollan is focused on becoming more familiar with the many components of USF’s ministry offerings and will be focused on engaging students in multiple ways.

“I plan to continue getting to know what the university offers in the area of ministry, but there will be a strong focus on interfaith activities and interfaith dialogue. We will be attempting to get students to come together, regardless of their faith background, and realize that everyone has a place in university ministry,” she said.

Rostollan is hopeful that providing students with opportunities to gather in small groups called Small Franciscan Communities will play a large role in students’ respective journeys.

“Our Small Franciscan Communities will offer something for every student. Some groups will be scripture-based, while others will challenge students to identify where they are in their life and identify where they feel energy, and then explore from there. No matter the topic or the purpose, though, each of these groups will be inclusive,” Rostollan said.

In order to maximize these opportunities to engage students, Rostollan plans to lean heavily on her peer ministers.

“We have ten peer ministers this year, all of whom are incredible young adults. They help to develop a majority of our activities and serve as the hands and feet on the ground. They give us the pulse of what’s happening on campus and help to identify what our students need so that we can develop programming to meet those needs,” she said.

Rostollan added that some of the peer ministers live on campus in USF residence halls. These students have open-door policies to be there for students whenever the need presents itself.

As she walks along with students in their faith journey, Rostollan stresses that the Franciscan value of service is woven throughout university ministry activities.

“Service is a big part of what ministry does, and there will be countless examples of this throughout each year,” Rostollan said. “Our first-year students have already served the Will County area. As part of their Foundations course, they and their instructors spent a Saturday in August giving back at a variety of locations, including Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Joliet, the Joliet Prison the Will County Forest Preserve’s Theodore Marsh in Crest Hill), Sharefest Will County in New Lenox, Hands of Hope in Joliet, the Spanish Community Center in Joliet; Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Joliet and the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Joliet.”

“Also, continuing in the long-time USF tradition, our Saints in Action group goes to Daybreak once each week to cook and serve breakfast for residents. In a given month, we provide five to six meals through these service efforts,” she added. “We typically have mission trips, as well, and we are hopeful that our domestic trips are able to resume at some point this year.”

In choosing to continue her career at USF, Rostollan’s decision was solidified once she came to campus. The feeling she had at that time is one she hopes to replicate for students this year.

“It just felt like home. Everyone with whom I interacted was welcoming. The campus felt unified and respectful. It felt like a community, and that is the feeling I hope to replicate through our university ministry offerings,” she said.

“University Ministry is central to fulfilling our mission of being a ‘welcoming community of learners.’ Through this department, small communities of faith are formed which give witness to the presence of our good and gracious God. Dianne brings a friendly and passionate presence that we are sure will strengthen what has been in place,” said Sr. Mary Elizabeth Imler, OSF, USF Vice President of Mission Integration and University Ministry.

Rostollan’s career to date has demonstrated a focus on youth ministry. Prior to her arrival at USF, Rostollan served as Director of Youth Ministry at St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield. Before that, she was Director of Youth Ministry at the Sheboygan North Catholic Parishes (comprised of Holy Name of Jesus Parish, St. Clement Parish, and St. Dominic Parish in Sheboygan, Wis.) for six years. She also spent time as a missionary and part of a youth ministry team in Gauteng, South Africa.

Rostollan holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and religious studies from Albion College in Albion, Mich., and a Master of Arts in Christian doctrine from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.

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University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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USF News

USF Announces Homecoming & Reunion Plans

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) has announced its plans for Homecoming & Reunion with events that will take place on Friday, October 1, and Saturday, October 2. With the variety of events set to take place, there is something for all alumni and friends of USF to enjoy. This year’s Homecoming & Reunion events include: (on October 1) #StFrancis Friday; Alumni Baseball Game; Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner; (on Saturday, October 2) Homecoming Tailgate & Football Game (vs. Missouri Baptist University); Multicultural Reception; “Joliet Gems” City Tour & Al’s Steakhouse Lunch; Nursing Alumni Lunch & Tour; USF History in Photos; Campus Tour; Football Alumni Reunion; Time Capsule Burial Ceremony; Communication Reunion; Alumni Memorial Mass; Volleyball Game & Alumni After-Party; and Honored Alumni Dinner. USF Alumni & Family Relations Director Aubrey Knight ’04 and ’07 is excited to offer once again a full slate of homecoming activities to USF alumni. “I am sincerely overwhelmed with excitement as we prepare to welcome our alumni home,” Knight said. “Given the challenges presented throughout 2020, we are very much looking forward to experiencing the nostalgia that homecoming presents as classmates reconnect on campus and at these events as they continue to write the legacy of USF.” Visit stfrancis.edu/alumni/hcrw for more information on Homecoming and Reunion events, to register for a specific event, and for information on lodging and directions to campus. Alumni are asked to note the event reservation cutoff date of September 29, 2021. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Alumni & Family Relations Office either by email at alumni@stfrancis.edu or by phone at 877-811-ALUM (2586). : : The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 52,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu. University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose. # # #

Author: News

USF Named in America’s Top Colleges 2021 Listing by Forbes

USF Announces 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

WCSF 88.7 FM Announces New Website and Web Address

Rostollan Leading USF University Ministry Efforts

USF Announces Homecoming & Reunion Plans

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