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Bishop Luers High School student awarded Pay It Forward Scholarship to USF Maria Solis of Bishop Luers High School has been named the recipient of the 2019 University of Saint Francis Pay It Forward Scholarship. The full-tuition scholarship to USF is awarded annually to an incoming student who represents going above and beyond to serve others and “pay it forward.” Maria was selected after submitting an essay, reaching the finalists stage and being profiled in a feature video by WANE-TV.

Maria was awarded the scholarship after Mass on Thursday, Dec. 12 at Bishop Luers. USF President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF, presented the award along with WANE’s Terra Brantley.

The other finalists, Madison Schoeneman of Adams Central High School and Madison Smith of Edgerton (Ohio) High School, will receive half-tuition scholarships. More than 180 applicants submitted essays.

Maria wrote in her essay about her desire to pay it forward with many volunteer hours at Community Harvest Food Bank, serving at a charitable organization that helped her family many years ago. She plans to study nursing at USF.

“I come from a Catholic family and my parents always taught us to give because greater is the reward in heaven,” Maria wrote. “As a Catholic, service is a way to show Christ’s face unto those who perhaps do not know Him, so they get a glimpse of his love. Service is the greatest thing human beings can do to help and love each other!”

USF and Manchester University announce affiliation for Master of Athletic Training The USF Kinesiology and Nutrition department signed an affiliation agreement with Manchester University for the Master of Athletic Training program. USF students who are interested in athletic training will have a direct route to pursue their master’s degree. USF students who meet Manchester’s Master of Athletic Training program entry requirements are guaranteed a seat.

USF awarded $100,000 planning grant from Lilly Endowment USF has been awarded a $100,000 planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The grant is part of Lilly Endowment’s new initiative, Charting the Future for Indiana’s Colleges and Universities (CTF). Lilly Endowment launched CTF with the hope that it will help the leaders of Indiana’s 38 colleges and universities engage in further thoughtful discernment about the future of their institutions and advance the speed of their strategic planning and implementation efforts to address their key challenges and opportunities. Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $108.2 million for the initiative, which will have three phases: a planning phase, an implementation phase and an invitational phase for large-scale proposals.

“We are pleased to be awarded this planning grant from Lilly Endowment and thank Lilly Endowment for its continued investment in higher education,” said USF President Sister M. Elise Kriss, OSF. “This grant will assist USF in exploring innovative ways to best serve the needs of students.”

In CTF’s planning phase, funds may be used at the discretion of the institution’s president for a variety of purposes, such as consultants, staff time, conferences and seminars, travel to gather information and ideas, and preparation for a Phase 2 proposal and Phase 3 concept paper. During the initiative, Lilly Endowment plans to provide opportunities for college and universities to convene to discuss topics of common interest.

Griest family donates rare book collection to USF USF alumna Patricia Griest has donated more than 250 rare books to the university, with a selection of highlights of the collection to be on public display. Griest and her late husband Walter D. Griest, M.D. amassed the collection over four decades. It includes books published by the Limited Editions Club and its predecessor, the Heritage Club. They are limited press books using archival papers, letterpress and fine embellished bindings. The texts include a variety of subjects: visual art, poetry, classic literature, history and politics. The collection also includes books with bound prints that illustrate the narratives of the texts by numerous historic artists, including Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Ryman, Sean Scully, Jacob Lawrence, Leonard Baskin, Francesco Clemente, Henri CartierBresson, Elizabeth Catlett and others.

USF student Emily Napier receives Student Art Teacher of the Year award

USF senior Emily Napier was named the 2019 Student Art Teacher of the Year for Indiana by the Art Education Association of Indiana. The award was presented at the AEAI convention Nov. 7-10 in Vincennes, Ind. Award recipients were nominated by their teachers for exhibiting outstanding artistic achievement and service in education. Napier is an art education major.

“The continuous work on my art as well as how to educate our youth has been recognized in a way that I still cannot believe,” Napier continued. “Being a first-generation college student, it means that my support system of family, friends, teachers and mentors get to celebrate in this achievement alongside me. It means I get the opportunity to represent the USF community and all that it has given to me as a second family. Lastly, it gives me hope that I am where God has intended me to be at this point in my life serving others with love. I am so very thankful.”

USF to receive grant from Parkview Physicians Group for Anatomage Table USF will receive a grant from Parkview Physicians Group to purchase and install an Anatomage Table in the Achatz Hall of Science and John and Toni Murray Research Center. The Anatomage Table is a virtual cadaver that will allow USF students to visualize and dissect skeletal tissues, muscles and organs by virtual slicing and segmenting the anatomy.

“Through this interactive 3D virtual anatomy dissection table, students will build a diverse skill set by developing familiarity with common radiographic studies of CT and MRI images and by engaging with over 600 case studies and pathologies,” said Dr. Andrea Geyer, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “This 3D anatomy visualization center will serve as an excellent complement to USF’s four-table cadaver lab as it will be used in a significant number of courses in the sciences, along with more than 24 School of Health Sciences courses.”

Jesters receive $30,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts The Jesters program of the University of Saint Francis has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The award is a $5,000 increase over the NEA’s support last year. The grant is another illustration of the continuing value of the program, which is recognized locally and nationally. Sponsored by USF since 1978, the Jesters is a performing group of people with developmental disabilities, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. “USF and the Jesters team continues to appreciate the opportunities this funding provides Jesters participants, as well as the credibility it gives the Jesters program,” Jesters Director Allison Ballard said.

USF stages “The Sound of Music” as fall production The famous Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music,” came to life at the USF Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center in October. USF alumnus Quentin C. Jenkins portrayed the Captain while USF junior Kennedy Lomont was Maria. The cast of children included Sloan Amburgey as Liesl, Matthew Llewellyn as Friedrich, Cassandra Smith as Louisa, Xavier Rowan as Kurt, Grace Johnson as Brigitta, Alivia Wheeler as Marta and Evelyn Wedler as Gretl. Louis Soria played Max Detweiler, Stephanie Longbrake played Mother Abbess and Tia Hackbush played Elsa Schraeder.