Tag: Summer 2006

In 1984, Brennan Hill applied for a job as a theology professor at Xavier after seeing an ad in a New York newspaper. His qualifications were undeniable: degrees in English and theology from Marquette University, Cambridge University, St. Bonaventure University and the Catholic University of America. Not surprisingly, he landed the job and went on to write 22 books, win five national journalism awards, travel more than 10,000 miles and touch thousands of lives.

Still, says Hill, it all falls second to the parts of his life that come a little closer to home. “I would begin my credentials with my marriage and family.” Hill and his wife, Marie, have been married 32 years, raised two children and now have two grandchildren. His experiences helped him teach the marriage and family course at Xavier for more than 20 years, educating students on what they can expect from the family front.

“In the classroom,” he says, “I like to promote a learning community, where each student can use his or her own experiences to add something to the class.” The classroom life, though, is coming to an end. Hill announced his retirement this year, and he and Marie are now going to teach all they know about theology, marriage and family to a smaller audience—their grandchildren.

John Fairfield is an authority on the history of the development of cities and the concept of “public” and served on the planning committee for Xavier’s newest honors program, Philosophy, Politics and the Public. He and Gene Beaupré, director for government relations, teach the sophomores a set of four courses exploring the history, theory and practice of democracy. This year’s theme was eminent domain.

JOHN FAIRFIELD, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

Why were the sophomores studying eminent domain? In the Legislative Politics course, we look for a current issue that links local, state and national politics. With the nearby Norwood controversy and the 2005 Supreme Court decision on New London, Conn., eminent domain provided the perfect issue.

What has been learned or accomplished on this topic? Our students had to balance their concern with homeowners and small business people against the needs of cities to redevelop and revitalize their cores. The students testified before the Ohio legislature’s task force on eminent domain, urging them to preserve the power of eminent domain for local governments but also recommending greater protections for property owners and greater public scrutiny of redevelopment plans.

How does the program benefit the University? Our annual trip to Washington, D.C., and frequent trips to the state capitol in Columbus or Cincinnati City Council provide a regional and national showcase for some of Xavier’s most accomplished students.

EDUCATION University of Rochester, Ph.D. in history, 1984; Master of Arts in history, 1980; Bachelor of Arts in history, 1978

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Wrote an article on the history of city planning for the Oxford Com-panion to United States History 2001 Edition … A 1993 book, Mysteries of the Great City, examines 19th- and early 20th-century cities.

A transfer student from the College of the Sacred Heart in Clifton, Adele Pohl was the first graduate of Our Lady of Cincinnati College, which later became Edgecliff College, and the lone member of the college’s Class of 1936.

Here, the Most Rev. John T. McNicholas (right) buttons the hood on Pohl for the graduation ceremony, which took place June 4, 1936. That evening, Pohl’s parents hosted a dance for their daughter and other students of the college at the Hyde Park Country Club. When asked by a reporter about her summer plans, she replied, “I plan to rest this summer, studying meanwhile how I can best make use of my education.”

Xavier students waited nearly four years to eat fresh. When they finally got their chance with the opening of a Subway restaurant in the Gallagher Student Center on Nov. 28, they ate their way to a sales record, and it was a whopper—$21,000 in one week. Patrons piled on the turkey and cheese, lettuce and tomato, meatballs and sauce faster than any of the other 119 Subway restaurants in Greater Cincinnati, says Ron Bistany, who owns 18 of the restaurant’s franchises, including the one now at Xavier.

“I thought at Xavier, with 3,000 students, I might do $3,000 to $4,000 the first week,” Bistany says. “But this was a record for a university.” The secret? “I’m not sure,” he says. “But the students wanted something new and fresh.”

Subway delivers with breakfast until 10:00 a.m., soup, subs and salads all day, and late-night service until 2:00 a.m. Bistany says there are often several people in line after midnight. The only downside is that hungry students and staff can expect a wait of several minutes during the lunch hour rush while patrons select the ingredients for their favorite sandwiches.

But hey, what’s five minutes when you’ve waited years for a Dagwood piled high?

The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue is built around the idea of diverse perspectives, and others are taking note. The center received a Building Bridges Award from the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati for its efforts in fostering interfaith dialogue, understanding and a sense of community.

The center was also recognized as a freedom station/partner by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, making it part of a new program linking institutions to create a national platform for furthering the advancement of freedom. “Whatever the issue, we must be able to sit down, listen to one another and strive to find new ways of understanding,” says Brueggeman Center director James Buchanan.

Before students even graduate, they are ushered into the alumni ranks in late March during Commencement Countdown. This two-day event takes place in a booth-lined Cintas Center where seniors can get everything they need to graduate. They can purchase caps and gowns, try on class rings and pay their leftover bills—including parking tickets and, um, who doesn’t have a few of those after four years on campus? Even a photographer is on hand offering graduation portraits.

More important, though, graduating seniors receive their alumni ALL Cards, which make them eligible for national benefits. A representative from the national alumni association is also there to teach them about chapter events and collect their new contact information so they can stay up-to-date on the University.

“It’s an opportunity to take care of practical commencement needs and a way for us to connect with them before they leave,” says Joe Ventura, director for the national alumni association.

During an internship at St. Vincent’s Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Kathleen Zachary walked into the room of a young boy with cancer who was confined to his bed after a bone marrow transplant. Zachary discovered it was the boy’s fourth birthday, but there was not so much as a balloon in sight.

“I immediately thought, ‘This darling, courageous boy has been through so much, but nobody even knew it was his birthday,’” she says. “The little guy was so down.”

The moment inspired Zachary, a 1995 graduate, to create Peanut Butter & Jelly, a non-profit business that plans birthday, holiday and after-chemo parties for hospitalized children. “I was on a mission to bring hope, comfort and joy to children in the hospital,” she says.

PB&J serves only families with a financial need. The hospital usually calls Zachary within a few days of the child’s birthday and gives her some background. Children pick the party theme, the food and the type of cake.

“When children are faced with illness and long hospital stays, they feel like the world has forgotten them,” Zachary says. “Birthdays are so important to kids, and they deserve to celebrate life.”

PB&J also hosts parent dinners to give parents the opportunity to connect with other families and build their support system.

In addition to electronic reserves, printed journals and reference books, the University library also has an impressive number of private letters from Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. Jackson sent 23 letters between 1811 and 1844 to Moses Dawson, a Cincinnati politician and editor. The content of these included a number of political opinions on his vice president, Martin Van Buren, the abolition of slavery and the future of the nation.

The letters were a gift to the University in 1933 from Dawson’s grandson-in-law, Joseph Debar. The manuscripts remained unpublished until 1958 when political science professor John Whealen included them in an article in the Bulletin of the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio.