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USF News

Support the USF Francis Fund through Giving Tuesday on November 28

Joliet, Ill. – If you have ever wanted to support the pursuit of a higher education for students at the University of St. Francis (USF), you have the opportunity to do so on Tuesday, November 28, a day known globally as Giving Tuesday. Join your fellow Saints worldwide as they come together to celebrate USF students and encourage giving to the university!

Lisa Sampalis, USF Vice President for University Advancement, said that the university’s Giving Tuesday focus for this year is the Francis Fund.

“The Francis Fund allows us the opportunity to respond to the emerging needs of our students, enabling them to bloom and pursue a brighter purpose. Take part in Giving Tuesday and support USF students in pursuing their academic goals,” she said.

Visit stfrancis.edu/givingtuesday to learn more about and participate in Giving Tuesday. For more information on Giving Tuesday at USF, please contact Aindrea Hogan, USF Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations, at ahogan@stfrancis.edu.

About Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Visit GivingTuesday.org for more information.

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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 53,000 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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30th Anniversary Season of Spirit of Christmas Programming on WCSF Starts Thanksgiving Day

Joliet, Ill. – Starting at noon on Thanksgiving Day (Thurs., November 23, 2023) and running through 12 p.m. CST on January 2, 2024, University of St. Francis (USF) radio station WCSF-FM 88.7 switches over from its regular programming to the 30th anniversary season of the Spirit of Christmas, a 24-hour, commercial-free, season-long holiday format.

“As we enter our 31st season, I’d like to express how grateful we are for the support of the Spirit of Christmas program and WCSF Radio from our many listeners and the local sponsors which help pay the bills.  We work tirelessly to bring you the highest quality and most variety in Christmas music and programming available anywhere in the world, all commercial-free.  We even have listeners across the country and around the world either finding us online or taking a bit of home with them to the office or wherever they travel through stfrancis.edu/spirit.  This being our 30th anniversary season, we hope to bring a little extra magic this year to celebrate. We hope you and your family will continue to join us at 88.7FM for the Spirit of Christmas,” said Don Burke, director of programming for the Spirit of Christmas.

Spirit of Christmas features a variety-filled rotation of over 4,000 songs, including multiple versions of holiday classics, so you’ll never get tired of hearing the same songs over and over again. One special program that airs nightly at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. during Spirit of Christmas is the classic 1937 radio series, The Cinnamon Bear. Relive the story of Judy and Jimmy Barton and their adventure to an enchanted world alongside Cinnamon Bear, a stuffed bear with button eyes and a green ribbon around his neck, to recover the missing silver star from their Christmas tree. The Cinnamon Bear starts at 6 p.m. CST on November 29 and continues through Christmas Eve.

Tune in to FM 88.7 to listen to the Spirit of Christmas on your radio in the Joliet area or livestream the station at stfrancis.edu/spirit.

Area businesses are also invited to promote themselves through special sponsorship opportunities that air during Spirit of Christmas programming. Sponsorships start at $250 and are a great way to promote your business or extend holiday wishes to the Joliet community and beyond.

For more information about sponsorships, please call 815-740-5047.

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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 53,000 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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JSO “Revitalize” Concerts Set for December 9 and 10

Joliet, Ill. – The Joliet Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is pleased to announce the second concert series of its 2023-2024 Season with newly appointed Artistic Director & Conductor, Dr. Sean Paul Mills, leading a program featuring works by Edward Elgar, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. French horn soloist Emily Whittaker is the featured guest artist on this concert set.

Titled “Revitalize”, the JSO will be performing Edward Elgar’s “Froissart Overture”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “French horn Concerto No. 3”, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)” on Saturday, December 9, 2023 @ 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 10, 2023 @ 4:00 p.m. Both performances will take place in Sexton Auditorium which is located in the Harold & Margaret Moser Performing Arts Center on the University of St. Francis campus at 500 Wilcox Street in Joliet.

New to the JSO this season is a series of FREE pre-concert discussions titled “Noteworthy.” These discussions will take place 45 minutes prior to each performance and provide audience members with an opportunity to learn more about the composers, selections, orchestra, and soloists as well as ask questions and interact with the conductor and guests.

Tickets for JSO concerts are available through the JSO website at www.jolietsymphonyorchestra.org, the Music at Moser website at stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser/, and at the door beginning one (1) hour before each performance. Adults are $10; seniors, alumni & non-USF students are $5; USF students, music dducators, and youth (18 & under) are FREE with a current ID.

Please join us as we continue a season of exploration and discovery featuring both familiar and new works for symphony orchestra. We will present our annual Family Concert on January 20. This will be followed, in February, by our next concert set which will feature a celebration of American music with works by Aaron Copland, Florence Price, Leonard Bernstein, and John Knowles Paine. Our Season Finale in April will feature trumpeter Gilmar Cavalcante as soloist in Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s trumpet concerto along with works by Ferdinand Herold and Antonin Dvorak.

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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 53,000 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 Music at Moser Series Welcomes “Illinois & Michigan Night” on November 28

Music at Moser Series

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) welcomes singer/songwriter trios Crooked Tails and The Rebel Eves for “Illinois & Michigan Night,” on Tuesday, November 28, at 7 p.m. as part of the University’s Music at Moser series. The concert will take place in the Sexton Auditorium, which is located on the University’s main campus in Joliet (500 Wilcox Street, Joliet, Ill., 60435).

The concert, showcasing the talented trios’ original songs, stories and harmonies, features Illinois’ Crooked Tails, a collaboration of noted songwriters Brian Motyll, Allison Flood and John Condron, all of whom have enjoyed artistic success and audience popularity with their individual band projects.  Joining Crooked Tails is Michigan trio The Rebel Eves, recently named a “Band to Watch” in their home state. The “Eves” boast award-winning credentials as individual artists. Grace Theisen, from Kalamazoo, won “Best Americana Video” (2022) at the Michigan Music Awards. Ann Arbor-native Katie Pederson’s composition “The Landing” won “Best Country Song” in the International Songwriting Competition (2018), and Jilian Linklater, from Grand Rapids, has amassed more than 5 million Spotify streams of her solo work. Together since 2022, the Rebel Eves have toured extensively during 2023, and next year, will release their first album and be featured showcase performers at the 2024 Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City.

Tickets cost $15 each (USF students are admitted free of charge with valid USF ID). Visit stfrancis.edu/music-at-moser to purchase tickets.

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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 53,000 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 Announces Annual Contest for High School Artists

Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) Art and Design Department has announced its annual high school art exhibition and competition for Illinois high school students. All submitting artists must be attending high school in the 2023-2024 academic year and must be residents of Illinois. The exhibition will run from January 13-25, 2024, and will open with an awards reception on January 13 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the USF Art Gallery (25 E. Van Buren St., Joliet, 60432).

One grand prize will be awarded to an eligible high school senior in the form of a University of St. Francis Art & Design Scholarship, worth $10,000 (see additional details at stfrancis.edu/artgallery. Best of show awards and honorable mentions will be awarded (in the form of Visa gift cards) in the following categories: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Drawing/Works on Paper, Digital/Other. Winners will be announced at the reception on January 13, 2024. Students must claim their prizes in person at the USF Art Gallery.

The University of St. Francis Art & Design Scholarship is a 4-year renewable scholarship awarded to one student entering a qualified program in the Art & Design Department at USF in the 2024-25 academic year worth a total of $10,000. The Talent Scholarship is stackable with other scholarship/grant awards at the University of St. Francis. To be eligible for the $10,000 Grand Prize Scholarship, students must be seniors (2024) and will be required to upload a digital portfolio (5-10 works) and a one-page statement explaining why they would like to major in art at USF.

For more information or to apply, visit stfrancis.edu/artgallery and click on USF ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL EXHIBITION. Submission forms may be completed online until November 27, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Drop-off dates for works will be November 28-29 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students may submit up to two (2) original works, teachers may submit work from up to ten (10) students.

For more information on the exhibition and competition or the USF Art Gallery, please visit stfrancis.edu/artgallery.

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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 53,000 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 Awards Joseph “Tony” Delgado Scholarship at Inaugural Luncheon

Inaugural presentation of the new Joseph "Tony" Delgado Scholarship at USF

photo identification: (seated left to right) James R. Sefcik, Jr. (longtime USF donor and scholarship funder), Jo Ann Delgado (Tony Delgado’s wife), (standing left to right) Amanda Jensen (head USF softball coach), Isabella Landeros (USF softball recipient), Brian Michalak (head USF baseball coach), Matt Lopez (USF baseball recipient), and Michael Slovick (friend and former head football coach)

Joliet, Ill. – In late October, the University of St. Francis (USF) University Advancement office presented the new Joseph “Tony” Delgado Scholarship to its inaugural recipients during a special luncheon event. USF baseball player Matthew Lopez of Morris, Ill., and USF softball player Isabella Landeros of Frankfort, Ill., were named as the first two recipients of the scholarship.

The luncheon event was a special occasion filled with stories of Delgado, his love for athletics, St. Francis, and his community. During the event, longtime USF donor James R. Sefcik, Jr., explained that he started the scholarship in memory of Delgado and the impact he created.

“Coach Delgado was a lifelong friend who made an incredible impact on so many lives. I wanted to ensure that his legacy lives on,” Sefcik said.

Amanda Jensen, head women’s softball coach at USF, echoed the importance this new scholarship has in sustaining Delgado’s legacy.

“These scholarship recipients are carrying the light that Coach Delgado lit in the world,” Jensen said.

Aindrea Hogan, USF Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations, added that scholarships create a tremendous amount of impact for the students who receive them.

“The gift of scholarship is an incredibly impactful gift of generosity for our students. Scholarship funds open doors, allowing goals to be accomplished and dreams to come true. I hope that one day, our scholarship recipients will continue this tradition of generosity by supporting other future Saints,” Hogan said.

Individuals can support the Joseph “Tony” Delgado Scholarship by visiting stfrancis.edu/give or by contacting the University Advancement Office at 815-740-2266.

About Joseph “Tony” Delgado

Joseph “Tony” Delgado, one of only five individuals to have their number retired in the 51-year history of the University of St. Francis athletics program, passed away unexpectedly this past June. Delgado, who celebrated his 80th birthday just one day prior to his passing, was the co-architect of seven NAIA World Series teams alongside head coach Gordie Gillespie for 15 years at St. Francis, including the 1993 national championship baseball team.  Delgado and Gillespie worked together on the diamond for 20 years in all, including five seasons at nearby Lewis University, where they won another two NAIA championships together.

About Scholarships at USF

Approximately 96% of full-time undergraduate students at USF receive some form of financial assistance in the form of over $19.5 million in scholarships and grants annually. To learn more about scholarships and grants at USF, visit stfrancis.edu/scholarships. If you are interested in establishing a scholarship in honor or in memory of a loved one, visit stfrancis.edu/give or contact the University Advancement Office at 815-740-2266.

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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 53,000 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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