CoreValues Great Leaders - University of St. Thomas

HOUSTON
Core Values
Great Leaders
ANNUAL REPORT
2007-2008
Board of Directors
GEORGE A. DEMONTROND III, CHAIR
HIS EMINENCE DANIEL CARDINAL DINARDO
CORA SUE MACH
DeMontrond Automotive Group
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Mach Industrial Group
MICHELE MALLOY, VICE CHAIR
BRUCE EARTHMAN
PHYLLIS MANDOLA
Marathon Oil Company
Earthman Capital, LTD
Tony Mandola Enterprises
DR. ROBERT IVANY, PRESIDENT
DR. HERBERT P. EDMUNDSON, JR.
GILBERTO PEREZ
University of St. Thomas
Memorial Neurological Association
CEMEX
MINNIE BAIRD
FRANCES ESCRIVA
REV. JOSEPH PILSNER, CSB
Community Volunteer
Mid-South Telecommunications Co.
University of St. Thomas
REV. ROBERT J. BARRINGER, CSB
GEORGE FARRIS
KIM RUTH
University of St. Thomas
Private Investor
Bank of America
REV. PATRICK BRADEN, CSB
MICHAEL P. FLEMING
REV. RONALD G. SCHWENZER, CSB
University of St. Thomas
Michael P. Fleming, PC
St. Thomas High School
J. DOWNEY BRIDGWATER
REV. JOHN CLARENCE GALLAGHER, CSB
ROBERT J. SIGNORELLI
Sterling Bank
University of St. Thomas
Retired, Anheuser Busch, Inc.
REV. BRENDAN J. CAHILL
REV. ANTHONY GIAMPIETRO, CSB
DR. GUILLERMO TORRE-AMIONE
St. Mary’s Seminary
University of St. Thomas
Methodist DeBakey Cardiology Associates
DR. DOROTHY E.F. CARAM
JOHN E. HAGALE
RANDY E. VELARDE
Retired, Administrator/Educator
The Methodist Hospital System
The Plaza Group
GERARDO A. CHAPA
DAVID HARVEY, JR.
DR. KENNETH WELLS
Global Financial Services
D.E. Harvey Builders
Allied Health Resources
SR. MARY ROBERTA CONNORS, FSE
PAUL LAYNE
RAYE WHITE
University of St. Thomas
Brookfield Properties
Fayez Sarofim & Co.
MICHAEL CORDÚA
RAYMOND A. LEBLANC
A. MARTIN WICKLIFF, JR.
Cordúa Restaurants, LP
Retired, Keystone International
Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall, PC
REV. ROBERT W. CROOKER, CSB
DR. SANDI LEMMING
BRUCE WILKINSON
University of St. Thomas
Village Family Practice
McDermott International, Inc.
Committee Volunteers
Vision 2010
MARLENA BERGER
ROSANNA MORENO
EXECUTIVE CABINET
HONORARY COMMITTEE
GABRIEL CANALES
PATRICK O’DONNELL
ELIZABETH LYONS GHRIST, CHAIR
JOAN AND STANFORD ALEXANDER
LAURA CECIL
LOUISE PARSLEY
DR. ROBERT IVANY, PRESIDENT
HOLLY CLAPHAM-ROSENOW
PATRICIA PENA
GERARDO CHAPA
THE HONORABLE BILL
AND MRS. SHARON ARCHER
ALEJANDRO COLOM
RICK REYES
MICHAEL CORDÚA
JOHN DEL TATTO
SOFIA RICHES
GEORGE DEMONTROND III
JOHN DIGIULIO
JOHN ROCHA
MARJORIE E. EVANS
BETSY EARTHMAN
ROSE MARY SALUM
MADELYN FARRIS
ANDREW ELLER
TRINI MENDENHALL SOSA
JOSEPH A. HAFNER, JR.
MADELYN FARRIS
KITTSIE THOMAS
RAYMOND A. LEBLANC
FRAN FAUNTLEROY
LORI THOMPSON
PATRICK MORAN
DIEDRA FONTAINE
MEI WAN TONG
GLORIA M. PORTELA
DUSTY GILBERT
HECTOR VILLARREAL
BILL SLICK
BOB GRAHAM
MADELYN VON ESCHENBACH
TRINI MENDENHALL SOSA
MARGARET GUERRIERO
TERESA WONG
TOM STANDISH
PRESTON HILL
CHARLIE THOMAS
GLORIA KALMAN
RAYE WHITE
KELLI KICKERILLO
PAMELA H. LOVETT
JOHN MAIETTA
MICHAEL MARONEY
JAMES METZGER
FRANK MICHEL
Cover: Christ statue in the Samfield Garden
GINGER AND JACK BLANTON
HIS EMINENCE DANIEL CARDINAL DINARDO
MOST REVEREND JOSEPH FIORENZA
MAUREEN AND JIM HACKETT
BARBARA AND CHARLES HURWITZ
BETTE AND LEO LINBECK, JR.
MEREDITH AND CORNELIA LONG
MOST REVEREND J. MICHAEL MILLER, CSB
CYNTHIA AND GEORGE MITCHELL
ANNETTE AND GEORGE W. STRAKE, JR.
ELLIE AND JACK SWEENEY
BISHOP JAMES TAMAYO
LYNDA AND DAVID UNDERWOOD
MRS. LLOYD P. WEBRE
CoreValues
Goodness, Discipline, Knowledge, Community —
these are the core values that define our existence and shape our
vision. Educating students who will embrace and carry these
values with them remains our mission. Their achievements and
affection will determine our success. Our First Year Experience
program, Core Curriculum Reform effort, and a vibrant
Augustine Hall living-learning community reflect our goal to
enrich their years with us. The new Mendenhall Achievement
Center has already made an impact on providing students with an integrated support center. As
our faculty and staff continue to offer an engaging curriculum and quality services and activities,
increasing numbers of students will finish their studies at St. Thomas and remain dedicated to an
ongoing pursuit of knowledge and to the University.
We will concentrate our efforts to retain our students and admit another committed class of freshmen
and transfers. We realize the sacrifice that many of our families are making to send their sons and
daughters to St. Thomas. They understand that the value of an outstanding, faith-based education
only increases during a recession. It has been heartening to witness the resolve of our benefactors,
our students, their parents and relatives. We will do our part to build the momentum of the past year
in which the 2007 Freshmen Student Survey showed that students feel connected to UST and strongly
agree that services such as counseling, learning and writing center, business office and financial
aid, adequately meet their needs. It also revealed a 92 percent retention rate from fall to spring as
compared with 88 percent the previous year. Scholarships are key to student retention, and we are
committed to providing as much aid as we can.
Illustrated in this annual report is a summary of the initiatives, achievements and relationships
that shaped the 2007-2008 academic year. We are excited about a new graduate program that
trains educators for Catholic schools. Key to the success of the University’s athletic program is the
support of the newly formed Champions Club. Academic excellence is recognized as we continue to
rank high in national and faith-based college reviews. And as we expand the influence of our mission
beyond the boundaries of our campus, we continue to be blessed by those who share our vision and
are active participants on our path toward greatness.
Thank you for your prayers and for your commitment to ensuring that a Catholic, Basilian education
is within reach. With your participation and support, together we will make the St. Thomas star shine
more brightly than ever.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Ivany
PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY
1
We serve God in faith and love
by giving of ourselves to students,
colleagues, and society.
A
new group of University of St.
Thomas students moved into
the UST residence hall on June 5, but
this was no ordinary class of incoming
students. These are future educators
looking for a different approach to
graduate education, one that requires
a greater commitment, more dedication, and spiritual exploration than
a traditional Master in Education tract.
They are the first cohort of the Gulf
Region Academy for Catholic
Educators (GRACE), a new graduate
program that trains educators for
Catholic schools. Over the next two
years, this group will live in a faithbased community and support each
other while they take on the challenge
of simultaneously teaching in a
Catholic school, completing a Master
in Education and obtaining Texas
teacher certification.
Cohort members include two UST
graduates, Meris Chaumont and Leigh
Sherman; two University of Texas
graduates, Humberto Carmona and
Luc Tran; Sharon Winski, Creighton
University in Omaha, Nebraska;
and John Bates V, Strake Jesuit High
2
School, who will complete the same
sequence of classes, but not live
among his fellow students.
GRACE is the newest member of the
University Consortium for Catholic
Education, an alliance of universities
that offer similar programs including
University of Notre Dame, Boston
College, University of Portland, Seton
Hall, Loyola Marymount University,
Loyola University Chicago, Valparaiso
University, and Christian Brothers
University. Dr. Robert LeBlanc, dean of
the School of Education, pictured right
with cohort members, is director of
the GRACE program.
Benefactor and Board Member David
Harvey of Harvey Builders made
the gift that enabled St. Thomas to
introduce the GRACE project to our
Galveston-Houston Archdiocese. His
interest in making sure that a Catholic
education is available to all families
and sustaining the long tradition of
Catholic schools in the inner city areas
is perfectly matched in this project.
The University of St. Thomas School
of Education was named one of
the “Great Schools for 15 of the
Most Popular Undergraduate Majors”
in a list compiled for The Princeton
Review’s 2008 edition of “The Best
366 Colleges.” UST was among 55
other universities, including Columbia
University, Cornell University, Trinity
University in San Antonio, New
York University and Wellesley College,
recognized for providing an exceptional
undergraduate education program.
Goodness Discipline Knowledge
Community
Goodness
3
Discipline
4
We demand personal responsibility,
accountability, and integrity
in ourselves and in one another.
T
he University of St. Thomas
recognizes the role of sports in
building character and teaching leadership in a competitive environment.
Intramural sports, club sports and
intercollegiate sports inspire the discipline to be humble in victory, gracious
in defeat and steadfast in overcoming
great odds. From the outset, Basilian
Fathers considered sports essential to
building students of faith and character. Founding President Vincent J.
Guinan, CSB, fielded baseball and
basketball teams – from a student body
of 60! The late Pope John Paul II saw
the value of sports. In the year before
his death, he announced the formation
of a Vatican sports department. A
“sports culture,” he reasoned, would
promote personal growth and serve as
an instrument in the service of peace
and brotherhood among peoples.
University of St. Thomas Men’s Soccer
team entered the National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics as the first
men’s varsity team on the UST campus
in more than 20 years. The 2007
roster included 19 players with 13
players from Texas, 11 of those hailing
from Houston area high schools. Their
backgrounds are as diverse and international as the sport of soccer itself.
Players claim “hometowns” in countries spanning the globe that include
Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Germany,
England, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The UST Women’s Volleyball team
finished its second season ranked
10th in the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics Region Six
ratings. Volleyball Co-Captain
Mary Ann Shaw was named 2007
Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball ScholarAthlete. The award is presented to
student athletes for their achievements
on the playing field and in the classroom. Shaw, the first UST student
to receive the award, graduated in
May 2008.
The 2009 season will be enhanced by
the revival of intercollegiate basketball
at UST. Newly appointed Athletic
Director and Men’s Basketball Coach
Todd Smith will recruit the new team.
Rallying in the support of the
University’s athletic program is the
newly formed Champions Club. With
his number “7” recently retired by the
Houston Astros, Craig Biggio, pictured
above with Marianne Ivany, Patty
Biggio, C. Gregory Evans, Dr. Robert
Ivany and Todd Smith, addressed the
first Champions Athletic Club Benefit
Luncheon held on May 5, 2008. The
Champions Club provides financial
support for the intercollegiate athletics
program, encourages student athletes,
and promotes community awareness
about the University. Its founding
members are Philip Burguieres,
C. Gregory Evans, Marjorie Evans,
corporate founder Universal Weather
& Aviation, Jim McIngvale, and
Corbin Robertson.
5
We pursue truth and academic
excellence in the Catholic intellectual
tradition, emphasizing the dialogue
between faith and reason.
T
he University of St. Thomas will continue to grow, to promote
academic excellence, and to enhance our service to the community as
we take our place among the best universities in the world. In 2007-2008,
the University of St. Thomas received high marks in three of the nation’s
leading college reviews.
• In 2007, UST was ranked 29 in the list of U.S. News & World Report’s
“America’s Best Colleges.” Every year since 1994, the University has been
named to the top tier of universities offering master’s degrees in the Western
region. UST’s low student-to-faculty ratio, small class sizes and the high
percentage of freshmen who ranked in the top quarter of their high school
graduating class were key factors in the school’s ranking.
• Shortly after the U.S. News & World Report rankings were announced,
The Princeton Review named UST one of 123 outstanding colleges and
universities in the West that The Princeton Review recommends to college
applicants in the 2008 launch of its student opinion data, “Best Western
Colleges” on PrincetonReview.com. The online profile of UST describes the
school as a place where students rave about the small-school feel, and
where diversity is welcomed, embraced and celebrated.
• The University of St. Thomas was named one of 21 top Catholic colleges
and universities by the Cardinal Newman Society in the 2008 Newman
Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It.
UST was selected as a “Joyfully Catholic” school, characterized by a Catholic
identity that permeates all areas of campus life. Those recommended
represent the top 10 percent of Catholic colleges in the U.S. based on
Catholic identity and cover a wide range of institutions in terms of history,
size, location and academic focus.
6
Goodness Discipline
Knowledge
Knowledge Community
7
Goodness Discipline Knowledge Community
Community
8
We build and nurture relationships
that transform our lives,
our university, and our world.
W
ithout the foresight and
generosity of those who
embrace the values of Catholic higher
education and the mission of the
University, such as Richard Stork and
Liz Ghrist, pictured left with Talitha
Tanksley and Veronica Coriano, our
story would be a very different one.
We are blessed to be surrounded by
alumni and friends intimately engaged
in our vision of being counted among
the nation’s great Catholic universities.
Among them are the late Mrs. Miriam
Burnett, daughter of the late Canadian
businessman and philanthropist
W. Garfield Weston, and her son, Mr.
Charles Burnett III, who established
the Burnett Family Distinguished
Chair in Leadership in the Cameron
School of Business, instituted through
a $2.6 million gift from the Notsew
Orm Sands Foundation. In cooperation with the Center for Business
Ethics, the creation of the endowed
chair in the Cameron School of
Business will promote the development of leadership potential among
students and other constituents.
Longtime benefactor of the University,
The Harry and Isabel C. Cameron
Foundation, approved a pledge of
$1.5 million in the spring of 2008 to
create the Cameron Endowed Chair
in Management and Marketing for
the Cameron School of Business.
The pledge to fund a chair was made
to assist the University in its plan
for the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB) accreditation. In 1969, St.
Thomas received one of the first gifts
from the foundation to establish the
Cameron School of Business.
The Houston Endowment Inc.
awarded the University a $500,000
grant to help provide faculty
development opportunities, school
enhancements and student enrichment
experiences for private and charter
schools in Harris County.
This is the fifth year that the Houston
Endowment has renewed the grant,
totaling $2.5 million. By working
with UST, the goal of the Houston
Endowment is to reach out to underresourced schools to offer quality
professional development opportunities that will improve classroom
instruction and student success.
The grant provided services to
approximately 250 private and
charter schools in the Houston area.
In April 2008, the University received
a $3 million gift from the Cullen Trust
for Higher Education. The gift will be
used towards the acquisition of one
and a half blocks at the Montrose
Boulevard and Richmond intersection.
The property anchors the southeast
corner of the University’s campus in
accordance with the master plan for
physical expansion. With this acquisition, the University occupies most
of 19 square blocks in the Houston
Museum District.
9
2007-2008
T
he University of St.
Thomas is a private
institution committed to the
liberal arts and to the religious,
ethical and intellectual traditions
of Catholic higher education.
The highlights of the past year
reflect our measurable progress
toward our goal of becoming
one of America’s finest
Catholic universities.
AUGUST 2007
The new Celts Soccer team
begins the season by winning its
first intercollegiate game against
the Our Lady of the Lake Saints
in San Antonio.
The Office of Alumni Relations hosts
All-Classes Reunion with a dinner,
dance, movie on the Campus Life
Mall, and alumni vs. students
soccer game.
Annual Irish Gala, honoring
Debbie and Patrick J. Moran and
chaired by Michele Malloy, grossed
more than $150,000, with money
also raised for the Bishop John
McCarthy Scholarship for Study
Abroad in Ireland.
NOVEMBER
Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, senior
fellow at the Hoover Institution,
Stanford University, delivers the
2007 President’s Lecture discussing
“The Ways of Western War and
the Way Not in Iraq.”
OCTOBER
DECEMBER
SEPTEMBER
Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Lecture Series hosts Dr. Edmund
Pellegrino, founder of the Georgetown
University Center for Clinical
Bioethics, speaking on “Liberal
Education: Is it Worthwhile to Those
in the Medical Professions?”
Dr. Robert Ivany, along with Mrs.
Raye G. White, dedicates the Edward
P. White Memorial Plaza, named in
memory of one of the University’s
most dedicated benefactors. The landmark is one of the last creative designs
of renowned architect Philip Johnson.
10
UST hosts a discussion led by opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, Morgan
Tsvangirai and Roy Bennett of the
Movement for Democratic Change.
John L. Allen, senior correspondent
for the National Catholic Reporter,
delivers the 2007 Archbishop J.
Michael Miller Lecture discussing
“Megatrends in Catholicism:
Ten Forces Turning the Church
Upside Down.”
Fall Fashion Event chaired
by alumna Robin Thomas
Klaes raises funds for the
Alumni Association Endowed
Scholarship Fund.
Winter Class Completion Mass
honors December graduates.
Graduate Student Association
hosts Ali Findik, Consul of Turkey,
speaking on Turkish Foreign Policy
and Turkish Economic Development.
JANUARY 2008
His Eminence Daniel Cardinal
DiNardo celebrates Mass in the
Chapel of St. Basil at the special
request of his own Knights of
Columbus Vincent J. Guinan
Council 13940, the only college
council to have a cardinal
as a member.
Center for International Studies
MicroCredit Program members greet
2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner
Muhammad Yunus, known for his
pioneering work in international
microcredit programs that
grant loans to the poor for small
business endeavors.
Bishop Salvatore Rino Fisichella,
Auxiliary Bishop of the Rome
Archdiocese, delivers the Msgr.
William Steele Lecture speaking
on “Living as a Catholic in a
Post-Modern Culture.”
Annual Aquinas Lecture features
Msgr. John Wippel, professor of
philosophy at The Catholic University
of America, speaking on “Thomas
Aquinas and the Controversy
Concerning Unity of Substantial
Form in Human Beings.”
University dedicates the Edward A.
Stumpf II Memorial Plaza, funded
by the Wortham Foundation.
The fourth year of the USTinsights
Alumni Mentoring Students Program
matches 25 students with alumni.
FEBRUARY
“An Evening of Stars” Mardi Gras
Gala raises $800,000 for the Fr.
Francis E. Monaghan Scholarship
Fund, honoring Houston Chronicle
President and Publisher Jack
Sweeney, and chaired by Cora Sue
and Harry Mach.
The Friends of Archaeology
hosts Dr. Ana Munk speaking on
“Remembering the Saints: An
Interpretation of the Early Christian
Confessio beneath the Church
of SS Giovanni e Paolo in Rome.”
MARCH
The Inaugural Herzstein Lecture
in Judaism features Rabbi Roy A.
Walter, Senior Rabbi at Congregation
Emanu El in Houston, speaking
on “Abraham Joshua Heschel:
A Philosopher for All Faiths.”
B.K. Smith Lecture in
History features Charles
Doherty, School of
History and Archives
at University College
Dublin, speaking on
“The Early Irish
Church: The City of
God in Early Ireland.”
UST Center for Business
Ethics and the Greater
Houston Partnership
name Drayton McLane,
Jr. recipient of the
2008 Ethical Leadership
in Action Award.
APRIL
President’s Lecture Series
hosts Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto
speaking on “Why and
How to Globalize: The
Role of Law.”
MAY
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Chairman, President and
CEO James T. Hackett delivers
the University’s commencement
address, where he and Trini
Mendenhall Sosa receive
honorary doctorates.
JUNE
The Rev. William J. Young
Institute Social Justice Summer
Conference explores “Solidarity
in an Election Year,” focusing
on the principles of solidarity
and faithful citizenship.
We are the University of St.Thomas, the Catholic university in
the heart of Houston. We are committed to the Catholic intellectual tradition
and the dialogue between faith and reason. By pursuing excellence in teaching,
scholarship, and service, we embody and instill in our students the core values
of our founders, the Basilian Fathers: goodness, discipline, and knowledge.
We foster engagement in a diverse, collaborative community.
As a comprehensive university grounded in the liberal arts,
we educate students to think critically, communicate effectively,
succeed professionally, and lead ethically.
Educating Leaders of Faith and Character
3800 MONTROSE BOULEVARD
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77006
713-525-3100
www.st thom.edu
The University of St. Thomas is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual traditions of Catholic higher education.