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March 2025
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,听
March brings signs of hope, among them our persistence through midsemester, winter鈥檚
wane, the increased sunshine and a welcome spring break. Such signs have arrived in
abundance this year. During this Women鈥檚 History Month, I鈥檝e been reflecting upon
women鈥檚 leadership from a Catholic and Jesuit educational perspective. The Society
of Jesus has created a remarkable online about women leading Ignatian ministries. The site is a powerful testimony to the
effect of role models and the importance of an example to help others broaden their
minds about what type of leader may be eligible for what kind of role. Beyond Jesuit
institutions, another useful resource is the American Council on Education鈥檚 initiative, which seeks to achieve gender parity and diversity in higher education
leadership. Here on our campus, the Institute for Women鈥檚 Leadership and the are among the groups carrying out similar work. Personally, I鈥檝e been blessed to
participate in a Catholic Women Leaders series on Leadership from the Saints, sponsored
by the in Hales Corners. This month鈥檚 speaker was 不良研究所 alumna and former colleague
Dr. Stephanie Russell, Vice President for Mission Integration with the , who presented on 鈥淚gnatian Spirituality for Women in Leadership.鈥� 听听听
Hope is anchored in our research and teaching mission, across all of our different
disciplines. I recently published an in U.S. Catholic on the importance of asking fundamental questions, particularly drawing upon the
humanities, and had the opportunity to discuss it with members of our A&S College
Leadership Council (CLC), a group of alumni advisors and benefactors. The CLC met
this month in the newly renovated Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility, with an
agenda focused on STEM education and student success, featuring excellent presentations
by Dr. Jacinta Mutambuki and student Althea Hewitt (Chemistry), Dr. Blake Turner (Educational
Policy and Leadership), Dr. Jay Pantone (Mathematical and Statistical Sciences), Dr.
Jax Sanders and student Serena Determan (Physics) and Dr. Walt Bialkowski with students
Erin Horkavi and Kayley Reith (Computer Science) along with Jeff Joslyn from , whose slogan鈥攓uite appropriate in this Jubilee Year with the theme Pilgrims of Hope鈥攊s
鈥淔ighting Hunger, Feeding Hope.鈥� Check out the College鈥檚 page for pictures of the event and other news. Beyond the CLC, I had the opportunity
to meet with many alumni and benefactors in New York during the Big East men鈥檚 basketball
tournament, where three of our A&S students presented their research at the annual
Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium: Helene Archer (Biological Sciences,
mentor Dr. Martin St. Maurice), McKenzie Stack (Chemistry, mentor Dr. Dian Wang) and
Mary Oates (English, mentor Dr. Liza Strakhov). Congratulations to all of these researchers
and thanks to Associate Dean Dr. Ed Blumenthal for his leadership in this event.
As March concludes, we reflect upon how the season of Lent and the adversity we face
can prepare us for Easter hope and the joy to come. In 鈥淢y Night Knows No Darkness,鈥�
Fr. Karl Rahner SJ acknowledges that Lent means 鈥渇eeling distant from God in our debris-covered
heart鈥� yet assures us that if we have hope, 鈥渁ll by itself, there comes peace鈥� along
with trust and 鈥渟trength that becomes powerful in weakness, a life rising from death.鈥�
As always, please feel free to听contact me听with questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing from you and exploring
ways we can all work together for the common good.
Dr. Heidi Bostic
Dean, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
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