News & Events

Alumni Spotlight on Meghan Anzelc (BS '03)

Meghan Anzelc, PhD (BS '03), a Loyola University Chicago alumna, exemplifies the transformative power of a Jesuit-inspired liberal arts education. Her journey, marked by a blend of arts and sciences, international experiences, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, underscores the university's promise of a well-rounded, socially just education.

Dr. Michael and Mrs. Dorothy Carbon Make $2.29 Million Gift

Dr. Michael and Mrs. Dorothy Carbon have made a transformative $2.29 million gift to support The Michael and Dorothy Carbon Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program and The Dorothy Carbon Scholarship Fund. This contribution underscores the Carbons' commitment to fostering academic excellence, particularly in STEM fields, and providing financial support to Loyola students.

Ben Johnson Receives 2024 German Residency Award from OAH

Ben Johnson, a history professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, was named the recipient of the Organization of American Historians’ (OAH) 2024 German Residency at the University of Tübingen.

Yoel Stuart Named 2024 Biota Award Recipient

Yoel E. Stuart, PhD, Associate Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biology at Loyola University Chicago, was named a 2024 Biota Award recipient, the Walder Foundation announced on May 7, 2024.

“A-once-in-lifetime experience.”

Almudena Rincón Sáez was selected to partake in a professional development program that fully funds a staff member in the College to accompany a faculty-led study abroad course

Katz and Grigorescu Publish Book with Cambridge University Press

A pair of faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago co-authored a book that was published by Cambridge University Press in April 2024.

2024 Student Commencement Speakers

Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Loyola University Chicago, along with a committee from the CAS Dean’s Office, have selected Brigid Ard (English), Joshua Jones (Economics), and Paul Kalapala (Biology) as the 2024 Commencement student speakers.

2024 Alumni Keynote Speakers

Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Loyola University Chicago, has announced that three prominent CAS alumni will deliver the commencement addresses during this spring’s ceremonies. The featured group includes Mary Jane Theis, JD (BA '71), Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula, S.J., (PhD '16, MA '10) and Matthew Kolinski, MD (BS '06).

Kristina Martinet Presents Research at AAFS Conference

Kristina Martinet, a Forensic Science major in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, presented at the 2024 American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Conference earlier this year in Denver.

Díaz Published by Rowman & Littlefield

This book details the Rondide Method , a residential peacebuilding program located in Rondine Citadella della Pace (Italy) and the unique way the program engages with young activists coming from communities torn by conflict, war, and polarization.

AWARDS

2024 Sujack Awards

The Sujack Awards constitute the highest academic honor that a faculty member can achieve within the College of Arts and Sciences

Olivia Wolf Named 2024 ACLS Fellow

The fellowship supports scholars who are poised to make original and significant contributions to knowledge in any field of the humanities or interpretive social sciences.

Strand Publishes Book and Awarded Grant

Thea Strand, PhD, a senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology in Loyola University Chicago’s College of Arts and Sciences, will have her book, A Winning Dialect: Reinventing Linguistic Tradition in Rural Norway, published in May 2024, before heading to Valdres, Norway, to conduct six weeks of ethnographic fieldwork as part of the Wenner-Gren Foundation Post PhD Research Grant she was awarded last September.

PUBLISHED BOOK

Everitt Publishes Book with Sage Publications

Judson G. Everitt, PhD, a sociology professor and undergraduate program director in Loyola University Chicago’s College of Arts and Sciences, has published the sixth edition of the book, The Sociology of Childhood, with Sage Publications.

Forty-Six Faculty Members Serve as Academic Journal Editors

The College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago has 46 full-time faculty members who are serving as editors of academic journals within their respective fields.

Thiruvathukal Publishes Book with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

George K. Thiruvathukal, PhD, department chairperson and professor of computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has published a book – his second as department chairperson -- with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, entitled Intermediate C Programming.

AWARDS & HONORS

Kathleen Marie Adams Receives Fulbright Specialist Program Award

Kathleen Marie Adams, PhD, professor emerita of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has received the Fulbright Specialist Program award from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

CAS Faculty Launches ActionPoint App

Yas Silva, Associate Professor of Computer Science, was the primary investigator behind the launch of the new ActionPoint App, a cutting-edge application designed to combat bullying through the strengthening of parent-teen relationships.

IN THE NEWS

Jenn Finn Featured in Netflix Docudrama on Alexander the Great

Jenn Finn, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical Studies, lent her expertise as a featured commentator in Netflix's new six-part docudrama series on Alexander the Great, premiering on January 31, 2024.

PUBLICATIONS

Victor Ottati publishes book on political psychology with Oxford University Press

Victor Ottati, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychology, has published a book, "Divided: Open-Mindedness and Dogmatism in a Polarized World," evaluating the effects of open-mindedness and dogmatism on social and political thought.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

Eric Chan-Tin awarded grant to establish CyberCorps Scholarship for Service at Loyola University Chicago

The $3.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow Loyola to establish the CyberRamblers program to provide 20 undergraduates with scholarships, training, mentorship, and research opportunities as well as career placement in a government organization to bolster the United States' national cybersecurity workforce and defend its infrastructure.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

Shedding Light on Dark Matter

Walter Tangarife, Assistant Professor of Physics, seeks the answers to the secrets of our vast and mystifying universe with his research on dark matter and neutrino physics and his participation in the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at University of California Santa Barbara.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Pursuing Passion: Stuart Dybek

Stuart Dybek's (BS ’64, MA ’68) rise as one of the most celebrated American writers in contemporary literature began in what he calls a “remedial” English class during his time as an undergraduate at Loyola. The Chicago native's time in Rogers Park would influence his writing for years to come.

OUR COMMUNITY

David Olson Appointed Board Chair of Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

David Olson, Professor of Criminal Justice & Criminology and Co-Director of the Center for Criminal Justice, has been appointed as Board Chair of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority by Governor J.B. Pritzker and will lead the 25-member board's research and evaluation of criminal justice policies and administration in Illinois.

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

Peter J. Schraeder reflects on research in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Peter J. Schraeder, PhD, Professor and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, traveled in October to Lubumbashi, the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for ten days of research and grant engagement with practitioners and scholars in African and African Diaspora studies and politics.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

Kelvin Billingsley awarded grant to develop MRI techniques to catch liver cancer earlier

Kelvin Billingsley, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been awarded a $461,844 grant from the National Cancer Institute to support his research developing novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that can be used to identify tumorigenesis, or early stages, of liver cancer.

ENGAGED LEARNING

Summer in the City

From artificial coral reefs to dinosaur bones to fish fossils at the Field Museum, Loyola students in the College of Arts and Sciences take advantage of all that a summer in Chicago has to offer with immersive, one-of-a-kind research opportunities — right in their own backyard.

AWARDS & HONORS

President's Medallion 2023 Awarded to Joshua Jones

Joshua Jones, a senior studying economics with a minor in biology, has been awarded the President's Medallion 2023 for the College of Arts and Sciences for his outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service.

PUBLICATIONS

Alexandru V. Grigorescu publishes book on international and domestic politics

Alexandru V. Grigorescu, Professor of Political Science and founding director of the Center for Research on International Affairs, leverages his expertise in international affairs for his new book demonstrating his novel approach to comparing international and domestic institutional politics and power with the Oxford University Press.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Called to Justice

Mary Jane Theis (BA ’71), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, shares how her Loyola experience and Jesuit education shaped her life, career, and lifelong pursuit of justice.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

Perla Gámez awarded grant to research early development of bilingual children

Perla Gámez, Associate Professor of Psychology, was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Health to support her research on Spanish-speaking children’s early dual language development.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

James Cheverud awarded grant to research genetic variation in evolutionary processes

James Cheverud, Professor of Biology, was awarded a grant from National Institute of Health to support his ongoing research on the impact of genetic variation in evolutionary processes, disease, aging, healing, and more.

OUR COMMUNITY

A Midnight Ride Through Time

For the past 34 years, Timothy Gilfoyle, Professor of History, has turned the streets of Chicago into a classroom on two wheels for the Midnight Bike Ride, a beloved Loyola tradition and a guided tour through the city's iconic landmarks and local history from dusk until dawn.

PUBLICATIONS

Chris Donner published book on contemporary policing

Chris Donner, PhD, Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, has published a book with Routledge evaluating the challenges and opportunities within modern law enforcement, both within the US and around the world.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Annette LePique Awarded 2023 Rabkin Prize

Annette LePique, Program Manager in the Department of English, has been awarded the 2023 Rabkin Prize of $50,000 for excellence in visual arts journalism from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Passion, Purpose, Perspective

Amanda White's (BS '99) journey, from childhood to her time at Loyola studying computer science to her professional career in information technology for leading healthcare companies like CVS Health, is one shaped and guided by passion, purpose and perspective.

AWARDS & HONORS

Hille Haker awarded honorary degree from Uppsala University

Hille Haker, PhD, Richard J. McCormick, S.J., Endowed Chair of Moral Theology in the Department of Theology, has been awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Uppsala University in Sweden recognizing a storied academic career defined by her scholarly achievements and professional contributions to international networks and projects.

PUBLICATIONS

Tofigh Maboudi published book with Cambridge University Press

Tofigh Maboudi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, recently published a book with Cambridge University Press, "The 'Fall' of the Arab Spring: Democracy’s Challenges and Efforts to Reconstitute the Middle East," which evaluates the Arab Spring constitutions and democracy’s pathways of success and failure in the Middle East and North Africa.

PUBLICATIONS

Reinhard Andress' new published volume honors the legacy of Egon Schwarz

Reinhard Andress, Director of German Studies and Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, published a volume of previously unseen autobiographical texts penned by iconic Germanist writer and intellectual Egon Schwarz revealing unique insight into the experiences of German-Jewish refugees who survived the Holocaust.

RESEARCH & GRANTS

Zoe Smith awarded grant to promote mental health equity among Chicago youth

Zoe Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, was awarded a $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve mental health equity among Black and Latinx/o/a/e teenagers in Chicago.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Joyce Knight reflects on over four decades of service

Joyce Knight, DMin, joined Loyola University Chicago in 1981 as a clerk in the registrar’s office. Today, she's the linchpin of student life and success as the Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs & Advising in the College of Arts and Sciences. But Knight is known, respected, and loved by her colleagues and student advisees for her commitment to service and the Jesuit mission.