LAST WORD – FROM THE PROVOST UD, considering it an important task to help UD enter into the great renewal of Catholic theology that came with the Second Vatican Council. “He eagerly embraced every opportunity to teach, and was deeply devoted to his students,” said Assistant Professor of Theology Father Thomas Esposito, O. Cist., BA ’05.
An Education That Endures hat a joy it is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our Rome Program. Whether you spent a semester in Rome or not, the Rome Program is a fundamental part of the ethos of our university, and one cannot help but be affected by it. Though our Rome Program leaves an indelible mark on the character of our culture, Rome means more to us than just that program. The city of Rome itself and all that it represents are interwoven into every element of our education — undergraduate and graduate, and whether one is majoring in the sciences, humanities, business or cybersecurity. Each particular discipline has critical parts of its history and development that run through Rome, and every discipline at once invites the ongoing dialogue between faith and reason that is at the center of a University of Dallas education. Just as Rome is the source of so much of what we are about at UD, our Rome Program led the way in signaling what was to come in this last, strangest of spring semesters. The COVID-19 pandemic affected Italy before Texas. When we made the difficult choice to bring our “Spromers” home in the midst of their study abroad experience, we got a taste of what would be coming to our Irving campus. The move to remote learning and teaching was a challenging one for many of our students and faculty, even though we were better prepared for that move than many of our peer institutions because of the long history and good example of our graduate programs’ work in an online environment, especially in the Gupta College of Business. We already had an ELearning Office with talented staff, and a lot of technical support in place. Those faculty unfamiliar with online learning threw themselves into training during our extended spring break and provided the high quality of instruction that you expect from the University of Dallas throughout the rest of the semester. I cannot be prouder of my faculty colleagues, who juggled the difficulties of their own quarantined lives with the time-intensive approach to online teaching that was required of them. I cannot be prouder of our students, who overcame great obstacles in their living arrangements, financial stresses brought on by COVID-19 and the locked-down response to contain it, illnesses and deaths in their own families and circle of family friends, and so many other things to persevere in their pursuit of wisdom, truth and virtue. The response of our faculty, staff and students to the unprecedented circumstances of this past semester is a testament to the value of the education we provide. We provide an education dedicated to a lifetime of learning and living well, one that withstands the test of time and the vagaries affecting our common life — one that, like Rome, will endure.
Antoinette “Toni” (Interrante) Horak, BA ’60, valedictorian of UD’s first graduating class, died at age 80 on Oct. 14, 2019. She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph Horak, BA ’60, and is survived by her two sisters, Rosalie Theriot, BA ’62, and Minnie Shelby; son, Michael Horak, MBA ’93, and his wife, Natalie; daughter Judy Benavides, BA ’83 MBA ’92, and her husband, David, BA ’81 MBA ’85; daughter Suzanne Bacile and her husband, Mike; and six grandchildren, Anton and Christina Horak, Angela and Benton Bacile, Katie Carrillo and Molly Benavides. “Toni was a math teacher, family counselor, community volunteer and devoted mother. Always passionate about helping others, she … gave her time, energy and endless creativity … in the pursuit of keeping families safe, healed and whole.” Michael Kiss, MTS ’01, was the middle of five children, born to Louis Andrew and Mary Kiss on Jan. 18, 1955, in western Pennsylvania. He died on May 19, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 65. Michael is survived by his wife, Kimberly; son, Andrew; daughter, Gloria Henderson, and her husband, Brian; grandchildren, Christopher and Victoria Henderson; sister and three brothers; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. After earning his master’s degree from UD, Michael taught the New Testament as an adjunct instructor and was pleased that several of his students became permanent deacons in the Diocese of Tulsa. Nalin Ranasinghe, MA ’86, passed away at age 59 on March 13. He had taught at Assumption College since 2001. According to Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo, Nalin had immersed himself in the classics, seeking “to integrate politics, philosophy and literature. Nalin emphasized crucial affinities between classical and Christian thought, Socrates and Jesus. He was presently completing books on Homer and on Shakespeare, who, along with Plato, were his great sources of inspiration. … Nalin urged students, with unsurpassed intensity, to live up to their humanity. As a result, he connected with many students at a deeply personal level and forever changed their lives.”
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