2020s

Cody Downey ’20 began a new role as a reporter for New Orleans CityBusiness

Madison Bates ’21 was named LGA Women’s Player of the Year and Mid-Amateur Champion.

Zach Wrightstil ’22 won the Corbett Award as top male amateur athlete in the state.

JSRI PRISON EDUCATION PROJECT

Far and wide, the Pack tracks greatness. It's hard to keep up! Whether you've moved across the country, started your dream job, had a baby, or landed a record deal, we want to celebrate you!

Share your updates at alumni@loyno.edu.

In 2022, the Jesuit Social Research Institute, or JSRI, led the effort to launch a prison education program at Loyola, beginning with credit-bearing courses offered to incarcerated students and staff at the B.B. Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, Louisiana. Forty incarcerated students and 15 correctional employees are taking Loyola courses this semester.

The prison education program strives to bring the full Loyola experience to the prison and integrate the students into our community, thereby contributing to Loyola’s mission to welcome students of diverse backgrounds and prepare them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work for a more just world.

Please consider donating to JSRI to support the prison education program. Alumna and trustee Michie Bissell ’64 has challenged donors to sponsor a student by donating $2,857 to cover the full program cost for a student for one year.

Long-time JSRI supporters MARCELA VILLAREAL DE PANETTA and BERNARD PANETTA have generously agreed to match donations for the first five sponsored students. Visit loyno.edu/alumni-giving to make a gift and specify “Rayburn Scholarship Fund.”

THE DR. JEAN '62 AND MARY DEKERNION UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GRANT provides support to upper-level students conducting laboratory or field research in collaboration with Loyola faculty addressing questions in biomedicine, ecology, and other aspects of the life sciences.

DeKernion grants have supported numerous students conducting research on topics such as molecular mechanisms of cartilage degradation, role of cadherins in cancer growth and progression, constraints on primary productivity in freshwater streams, early invasion dynamics of a non-native fish in Bayou St. John, and environmental assessment in support of water management on Loyola’s campus. DeKernion funds also have been used to pay student stipends, to purchase supplies and equipment, to help establish a mouse colony for the study of age-dependent changes in cognition, to help purchase a van for field studies, and more generally to increase undergraduate participation in life science research.

DR. MARCUS KONDKAR, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, made international news this year launching the Visiting Room Project, a multimedia storytelling project featuring people serving life sentences without parole.

The groundbreaking oral history project and website broadcasts interviews with more than 100 people incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. All the contributors had been incarcerated for several decades after being convicted of murder at a very young age. Since the project's launch in 2022, three men featured in the project have been exonerated and an additional eight have had their convictions downgraded to manslaughter and been released for time served. Kondkar has been invited to bring the project and its participants to law schools across the country in 2023, beginning with Yale, Harvard, Duke, the University of Virginia, Manhattan College, and UCLA.

THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE STUDIES

PROGRAM AT LOYOLA proudly celebrated the birthday of one of contemporary Iran’s most celebrated and influential artists. Ardeshir Mohassess, who died in exile in 2003, would have turned 86 on Sept. 9, 2022. To observe Mohassess’ life and memory, as well as his deep impact on the cultural and political landscape of modern Iran and the art scene, the Ardeshir Mohassess Trust hosted events over the course of several weeks, including a film screening of Dr. Bahman Maghsoudlou’s documentary The Rebellious Artist and panel discussions to complement the exhibition of Mohassess’ works, some of which had never been seen by the public. A reception was held at Spillman|Blackwell Fine Art to celebrate Mohassess and conclude the series of events.

Under the leadership of Jack and Vada Reynolds Endowed Chair of International Business Dr. Gustavo Barboza, the College of Business held several new study abroad programs in the last year. Two of them took place during January term, or J-term, an accelerated two-week learning opportunity before the start of the spring semester.

The International Business Program took students in the immersion program to Costa Rica, where they participated in company visits, interviews, and meetings with highprofile government officials, amid visits to main national parks, nature adventures, and other activities. A resounding success, the program provided opportunities for students to actively engage in a new culture and learn about the development of business opportunities in an emerging market.

Summer 2022, Rome

The College of Business took Loyola students last June to Rome, where they each had the opportunity to take two courses at the American University of Rome, including a class led by Dr. Barboza on doing business in Europe, and enjoy a full cultural immersion experience. Students experienced being in the Eternal City learning about the historical importance of Rome, visiting the Vatican and main Basilicas, traveling to other regions of Italy, and of course indulging in Italian cuisine.

J-Term 2023

In January, professors Mazhar Islam and Frankie Weinberg led our newest study abroad program in Thailand. Through this immersion program, both undergraduate and M.B.A. students were able to participate in learning more about the business climate and cultural traditions of this intriguing Southeast Asian country.

The College of Business is excited to offer opportunities designed to advance students’ appreciation and understanding of other cultures and the continual development of a global mindset for our Loyola students.

TRIAL ADVOCACY CHAMPIONS

Law students CHRIS AUZENNE, A.J. HUMPHREY, COURTNEY NEWBERRY, AND CHRIS SHIRER took home first place honors from the Second Annual Louisiana Battle of the Law Schools Trial Advocacy Competition held in Baton Rouge in October 2022. Working together as one of the law school’s trial advocacy teams under the direction of Loyola law graduates Camrie Ventry and Ronnie Cantin, both members of the Class of 2021, they bested teams from LSU, Southern, and Tulane to claim victory as state champions. And that's not all! Newberry shared the competition’s award for Best Advocate.

Loyola law faculty and students joined the Sleep Out for Covenant House event in November 2022, spending the night outdoors to raise money to help youth facing homelessness find safe shelter and loving care at Covenant House New Orleans, care that includes essential services like education, job training, medical care, mental health and substance use counseling, and legal aid –everything they need to build independent sustainable futures. The Loyola law team surpassed their fundraising goal of $5,000, raising $6,170 to help homeless youth in New Orleans.

The College of Law’s specialty programs shine in rankings by U.S. News and World Report In the 2023 U.S. News Best Graduate Schools rankings, the law school jumped nine spots among the nation’s Best Law Schools to No. 133, and five of its specialty programs are ranked among the nation’s best. Loyola’s Legal Research and Writing program is ranked in the top 20%, its Environmental Law program is ranked in the top 24%, its Law Clinic is ranked in the top 26%, its Trial Advocacy program is ranked in the top 35%, and its Health Care Law program is ranked in the top 46%.

Faculty publications are at their highest in years, with law professors publishing more than 30 law review articles, as well as several books and book articles that are used in law schools and beyond to educate the world. Some faculty are blogging or commenting on current legal issues in media outlets or presenting at conferences on topics such as diversity and inclusion, immigration law, and family law. Several law clinic professors not only represent clients and teach students but also are frequently consulted by media outlets for their opinions in their areas of expertise. The College of Law faculty continue to act as leaders in the national and global legal arenas.

Hilton Baldridge Chair

The College of Music and Media proudly announces JONATHAN MCHUGH as its new Hilton Baldridge Eminent Scholar and Chair. McHugh is a renowned independent film and television producer, director, and music supervisor who has held high-ranking creative and marketing positions at some of the nation’s top entertainment companies.

In his new role, McHugh will enjoy an endowed professorship, helping to steer the university’s Music Industry Studies program, where students aspire to work in the music industry as executives, producers, recording engineers, performing artists, and more.

Tiny Den

Loyola seniors GENESIS MERRITT AND MARGARET BRANSON have spearheaded a new marketing group for Loyola Music called Howl Entertainment. For their first event, they launched the sold-out Tiny Den concert (an homage to the widely influential NPR Tiny Desk series), which took place in Loyola’s Studio A in November 2022. The students designed the series to have Loyola artists collaborate with a national or popular local music act for a performance where they can each do a few of their own songs and then perform a cover song together.

MCHUGH suggested a collaboration with the Shreveport-based funk-soul-rock group Seratones, who were in town to perform at Tipitina’s. The high-profile band is managed by Red Light Management (who has also managed Dave Matthews, Brandi Carlile, and Lionel Richie) and signed to New West Records.

Local NPR-affiliate WWOZ interviewed students and the band and gave away tickets to promote the show to the local community.

Howl Entertainment partnered with Grammy U and Amazing TV, which will rebroadcast the concert this year. AJ Haynes, the lead singer and creative force of Seratones, spoke at a master class for the Popular and Commercial Music students moderated by Kate Duncan, interim director. Haynes also guest lectured in McHugh’s Entertainment Marketing class. Howl Entertainment’s next event will be a hiphop collaboration with some of the best artists from the local hip-hop community and Loyola’s finest producers and rappers. The goal for the next event is to have Loyola producers create brand-new tracks in advance that local rappers and Loyola singers will collaborate on. On Jan. 30 in Nunemaker Auditorium, New Orleans hiphop collective glbl wrmg performed original works created for Tiny Den.

Battle of the Beat SENIOR AIDAN MCFATE a producer and sound engineer in the Music Industry Studies program, recently won first place in the United Masters Beat Exchange Cook Up Challenge powered by Intel. Emerging music producers worldwide vied for this prestigious honor, and McFate was one of five finalists flown to Miami to participate in a live producer beat battle event that took place during Art Basel at Freehold Miami.

DR. ANTIQUA SMART was awarded the Louisiana State Nurses Association / Louisiana Nurse Foundation 2022 Nightingale Award for Nursing Educator of the Year. The award was presented to Dr. Smart on Oct. 29, 2022, at the Annual Nightingale Awards Gala in Baton Rouge.

COUNSELING learners, and overall online student retention has steadily increased since 2019. Dr. Corina Caraccioli, assistant dean and director of online student success, was elected as board member for the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education's Commission for Distance Learning and Technology.

Shawn

The Shawn M. Donnelley Center for Nonprofit Communications, an award-winning studentrun agency at Loyola, announced the formation and members of its advisory board for the upcoming semester. The advisory board’s mission is to support the Donnelley Center and its students as they create integrated communication solutions for nonprofits in the Greater New Orleans area. The board will provide mentorship and expertise in strategic communication and leadership development that enhances the center’s service to the community, particularly in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Loyola’s School of Nursing is one of 50 institutions selected to participate in an initiative by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing that is designed to foster inclusive learning environments and build a more diverse nursing work force. And this year we celebrated a host of honors and achievements. (See page 16 for more.)

DR. MICHELLE R. COLLINS, dean of the College of Nursing and Health; DR. MELISSA LEBRUN director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program in the Loyola School of Nursing; and ASHLEY TERREBONNE, director of Loyola’s new Accelerated Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Program, were named last fall to “Louisiana's Great 100 Nurses 2022.” The Great 100 Nurses Foundation selects nurses based on their concern for humanity, their contributions to the profession, and their mentoring of others.

DR. CHERIE BURKE director of the School of Nursing, was inducted as a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

The Loyola Center for Counseling and Education, or LCCE, a community health clinic on campus, continues to serve the Greater New Orleans community. The clinic opened in January 2019 with the intention of addressing the serious gap in mental health services for underinsured and uninsured populations in the New Orleans area. Initially staffed by a single intern, the LCCE has grown over the past three years into a robust clinic providing over 2,000 direct clinical therapy hours a year and receiving grant support. To support LCCE, visit loyno.edu/alumni-giving

LOYOLA INSTITUTE FOR MINISTRY

With support from the Lilly Endowment, the Loyola Institute for Ministry, or LIM, continues its work on behalf of a vibrant and flourishing church. As in previous summers, LIM will sponsor the Lilly-supported FaithActs Summer Youth Theology Institute to offer a fun and inspiring way for rising high school juniors and seniors to connect their faith with concern for the environment. In addition, LIM just received a $1.5 million Lilly grant to support a project in which LIM will serve as an innovation hub to help Catholic parishes become more welcoming communities for young adults, capable of developing innovative ministries for and with them. (See page 8.)

LOYOLA ONLINE

The Loyola Online recruitment team is fully staffed and has made significant progress in engaging with our nontraditional and adult students with the help of our customer relationship management system, Slate, and has engaged consulting firm EAB with new marketing efforts to improve overall enrollment. LOYOLA NOW OFFERS MORE THAN 20 ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, in subjects including nursing, finance, psychology, theology, and criminology. We also offer summer and J-term courses! Visit online.loyno.edu to learn more.

The Online Student Success Department continues to focus on the needs of our online

In March, Women’s Leadership Academy, an 11-month program that connects, educates, and empowers mid-senior-level leaders throughout SoutheastLouisiana, will welcome its fifth cohort. So far more than 165 women have completed the program. In November 2022, WLA was awarded a Women United Discretionary Grant from the United Way of Southeast Louisiana. This grant will be used for scholarships to cover the tuition for three women with financial need. Learn more and apply at wla.loyno.edu

In November 2022, LOYOLA’S PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM became a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Actapproved program. Qualified unemployed or underemployed individuals throughout the state working with their local work force development office are now eligible to complete the program utilizing WIOA funding (and without personal expense).