FALL 2018 Reflections on Rome Exploring Duquesne's Connections to Italy Also in this issue: A Decade in the Dominican Republic Rooney Symposiumwww.duq.edu Recap 1 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Contents An Inspirational Morning 36 with Pope Francis A Decade in the Biden, Former Steelers 6 Dominican Republic 12 Honor Dan Rooney Every Issue Also... Did You Know?.......................................11 DU in Pictures ......................................32 20 23 Creating Knowledge .........................58 Engaging to Make Duquesne to Host Bluff in Brief ...........................................60 a Difference National Experts at First Athletics ..................................................62 Duquesne University’s new Office Amendment Symposium Alumni Updates ..................................67 of Community Engagement University to hold two-day event to Event Calendar .................................... 72 connects the University and discuss the history and current-day community resources. impact of this bedrock of American freedom. Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Vol. 17, Number 1, Fall ’18. Duquesne University Magazine is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications, 406 Koren Building, 600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15282, Tel: 412.396.6050, Fax: 412.396.5779, Email: [email protected] 2 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Fall '18 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Thoughts from the President ince its creation, Duquesne University’s character has been international in scope. The University’s founding Spiritans were Sfrom Europe. Its earliest mission was to help the children of immigrant families. So, 140 years later, it’s fitting that the University continues to focus on international ties. This issue’s cover story celebrates Duquesne’s links to Rome, home of the University’s Italian campus, headquarters of the Spiritans and center of the Roman Catholic Church. Earlier this year, I traveled to the Eternal City for a firsthand look at the University’s connections to Rome. Not only did I meet our students during their European study-abroad experience at the Italian campus and get an inside look at the Spiritan headquarters near the Vatican, I also met Pope Francis. As I detail in this issue, meeting the Holy Father was the greatest honor of my life. Remarkable Duquesne experiences are also happening across the globe from Rome, closer to Pope Francis’ Latin American birthplace. A decade has passed since Duquesne students and staff started traveling to the Dominican Republic to help run a children’s day camp there as part of a cross-cultural mission experience. One young man has been part of the camp since its beginning—first as a child attending the camp and now as an adult who has returned each year to volunteer there. Roy Alejandro “Duquesne’s mission Reyes credits Duquesne students and staff members with helping him become stronger and create bonds of friendship, and he wants to for 140 years has continue that experience for other young people in his community. In these pages, you’ll also discover a new study-abroad program in been to serve God by Trinidad, read about pharmacy students who traveled to Haiti to assist a community-based medical clinic and learn how an alumna is working to serving generations of change the image of the nursing profession in her native Lebanon. We will continue to offer a transformative educational experience for students, who use their our newest freshman class, which includes students from 13 countries. You will read in this issue that 24 percent of new freshmen have relatives education to make a who are Duquesne alumni. Not only does our influence stretch across the world, it stretches across generations of families. difference close to Duquesne’s mission for 140 years has been to serve God by serving generations of students, who use their education to make a difference home or far away.” close to home or far away. Thank you for all you do to continue this Duquesne tradition. Sincerely, Ken Gormley Duquesne University President www.duq.edu 1 President's Corner BELOW IS A SAMPLING OF PHOTOS OF EXCITING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES PRESIDENT KEN GORMLEY HAS PARTICIPATED IN DURING RECENT MONTHS. In May, President Gormley spoke at “Autumn in Undergraduate students, President Duquesne hosted its first annual “Pancakes Spring: Notable Pittsburghers Share Favorite Gormley and Professor Kristen Allen with the President” in April. Poems,” a benefit to support Autumn House pose for a photo after the final lecture Press in cooperation with the Duquesne of the Presidents and the Constitution Club Literary Society. He is shown with (from course. Students received presidential left): Joanne Rogers (widow of Fred Rogers and Pez dispensers featuring an array of retired concert pianist); Ted Pappas (former U.S. presidents to celebrate the end of a artistic director of Pittsburgh Public Theater); successful semester. Karen Wolk Feinstein (president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation); and Anne Martindale Williams (principal cellist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). In April, alumna Patricia Doherty Yoder was presented with the Anthony L. Bucci award for Excellence in Communication Ethics. Pictured here are: Dr. Ronald C. Arnett, chair and professor of the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies; J. Ronald Wolfe, A’54; In April, members of the Duquesne Patricia Doherty Yoder, A’61; President Gormley; community participated in the August Anthony L. Bucci, A’69; and Jim Miller, associate Wilson House’s third annual August Wilson vice president and senior advisor to the president, leadership giving. In June, John G. Rangos Sr., benefactor of the Birthday Celebration. Students and faculty Rangos School of Health Sciences, met in the from the Duquesne University School of president’s office with President Gormley and Pharmacy provided free screenings at the proudly showed off his Duquesne ring. block party. Here, they are shown with President Gormley. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto (fourth from left) met with Duquesne officials in April to talk about ongoing community engagement efforts, In May, President Gormley attended the Vietnam including the exciting new EcoInnovation Symposium held at Duquesne. He is shown with Duquesne alumnus and former NBA District in Uptown. organizer and alumnus Robert Rodrigues and player Norm Nixon and his wife, actress Rodrigues’ daughter Annmarie (a DU alumna). Debbie Allen, hosted a reception in April Rodrigues and his wife, Eleanor (a DU alumna), for President Gormley and alumni in the have six children, all of whom have multiple Santa Monica (California) area. degrees from Duquesne. 2 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Fall '18 HAPPY 140th BIRTHDAY DU! uquesne University will celebrate Throughout this remarkable growth and its 140th birthday on Oct. 1. The change, the University’s commitment to SpiritansD who founded Duquesne in serving students and the community has 1878 would be proud of how their remained steadfast. This year, harnessing its As part of his vision has flourished. rich history and potential for an even brighter inauguration After humble beginnings with 40 future, Duquesne launched an ambitious celebration, Ken students and six faculty members strategic plan to re-imagine the Spiritans’ Gormley, Duquesne’s holding classes in rented space above legacy for an ever-evolving world. 13th president, a bakery in Pittsburgh’s Hill District As President Ken Gormley shepherds produced a video neighborhood, Duquesne is now among the University into a new era, generations about the history of the top 12 Catholic universities in the of Duquesne students, faculty, staff and the University. nation, a key contributor to the regional alumni around the world will proudly Watch this special and local economy, and dedicated to celebrate nearly a century and a half of video by visiting educating students from 70 countries excellence and look with excitement to www.duq.edu/ and all 50 states. the next 140 years. history-of-duquesne. www.duq.edu 3 Welcoming the Class of 2022 The freshmen who arrived on campus in August are part of a class that is one of the largest and most diverse in University history. While final figures are still being calculated*, the estimated enrollment of more than 1,500 freshmen in the Class of 2022 makes it one of the top five largest ever for Duquesne. The other largest classes included 1,562 freshmen in 2017 and 1,556 in 2016. The new freshman class is also among the top three most diverse in Duquesne’s history. More than Freshman class represents 1214 plus Puerto Rico and the one of the highest mean SAT scores in University history stated Duquesne was Virgin Islands a top choice 24% of freshmen acceptance rate– are students with relatives one of the most selective years ever who are DU alumni Freshman class represents approximately of freshmen including China and Brazil are from outside Pennsylvania *Final enrollment figures are available via the University census in late September. Information above is based on preliminary enrollment statistics available in mid-August. 4 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Fall '18 Technology, Social Media Focus of Duquesne Civil Discourse Series By Ken Walters Duquesne University President Ken Gormley, featured prominent young associate professor of communication Gormley presented the second major scholars from across the United States studies at the University of Kansas, program in his civil discourse series who have studied how smartphones, noted that prioritizing who gets one's with Technology, Social Media and Civil technology and social media impact attention online can help mitigate stress Discourse, a March panel discussion relationships, empathy and civility. and help people to develop healthier that explored how new technology is The importance of empathy was a relationships. dramatically affecting society’s ability common theme among the panelists. The second panel, moderated by to engage in civil discourse. Dr. Reynol Junco, fellow at the Betsy Benson, publisher and vice “Our country has become polarized Berkman Klein Center for Internet and president of Pittsburgh Magazine, on many issues. How we communicate Society at Harvard University, spoke of focused on the modern media.