1. Office of Alumni Relations Searching for a New Director

A search is underway at John Carroll for a new Director of Alumni Relations. Ryan Daly, the former director, is now serving the University in a new role, as a Development Director. Ryan has been very successful as the Director of Alumni Relations and is sure to continue that success in his new position. Accordingly, the University is currently accepting and reviewing applications from qualified candidates. To access the online application, visit the JCU website.

2. JCU Night at the Theater

On Wednesday, April 18, at 7:30 pm, join fellow JCU students, alumni, faculty and friends for a presentation of Great Lakes Theater Festival's production of Shakespeare’s compelling play, “The Tempest,” at the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square Center (1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115).  Free tickets for alumni are available for this production through the Office of Alumni Relations. Alumni can request up to two free tickets to the production by registering online.

Tickets are limited, so make your reservation today. Plan to join us for a reception before the performance from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm in the State Theatre Lobby at Playhouse Square Center.  The reception is open to everyone and will offer complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. For more information about this event, call 1-800-736-2586 or visit the Alumni website.

3. JCU Alumni Night with the Tribe

Mark your calendar for Friday, May 18 to join fellow alumni and friends, as well as graduating JCU seniors and their families for JCU Alumni Night with the Tribe as the Indians take on the Cincinnati Reds at 7:00 pm at Jacobs Field. This special JCU night is a wonderful spring event to bring the JCU community together.

Seats will be in a designated JCU Mezzanine section, and attendees will gather for an all-you-can-eat picnic buffet at the field before the game. After the game, enjoy a fireworks performance.

Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for children (12 and under) and can be reserved and purchased by calling 216-397-4336. The ticket price includes a game ticket, all-you-can-eat picnic buffet, and a fireworks performance. The buffet will be served from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Hurry and make your reservations today! Tickets to this event are limited. For more information on this event, visit the Alumni website or call 216-397-4315.

4. Relay for Life at JCU

John Carroll is pleased to be participating in its 1st Annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life on April 21-22. The event will take place on the JCU quad, and will begin at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 21 and will conclude at 10:00 am on Sunday, April 22 with President of John Carroll University, Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, SJ, celebrating a special Mass in the St. Francis Chapel at 11:00 am. The Relay for Life at JCU is open to the public, and alumni are encouraged to participate in this overnight team event that helps to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The funds collected from this event will be used for the research, prevention and treatment of cancer. Relay for Life will include food, fun, prizes, entertainment and an emotional luminaria ceremony of hope honoring those who have lost their battle to cancer and those who continue to battle the disease. For more information and to register for this event, visit the JCU website. For questions call 216-397-6671 or -- mailto:relay@jcu.edu

5. Save the Date

Save the date for the following upcoming alumni events:

6. Alumni Events in Florida

Recently, there were two events for JCU alumni and friends of the University in Florida:

Sunday, March 4, 2007 – Naples, FL
Close to 100 Alumni and friends of the University joined Fr. Niehoff, president of John Carroll University, for Mass, brunch and a tour of the Saint John’s Bible at the Naples Museum of Art this past Sunday. The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible commissioned since the printing press was invented five centuries ago at the Naples Museum of Art.

In 2008, John Carroll University will receive the Prophets version that will be bound in handcrafted leather and each of the seven volumes will be personally signed by the artist, Donald Jackson. This gift is coming to John Carroll because Saint John’s University informed the CEO of Target Corporation, Bob Ulrich, that in appreciation for Target’s tremendous generosity to Saint John’s over the years, they intended to give Target one of the premium editions of the St. John’s Bible.  In accepting the offer, Bob Ulrich indicated that he desired to give this Prophets version to John Pellegrene’s alma mater, John Carroll University.  John Pellegrene ’58 is the retired Executive Vice President of Target.

Monday, March 5, 2007 – Ft. Myers, FL
In addition to the St. John’s Bible event, alumni and friends of the University came out to support the Blue Streaks Baseball team at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic tournament at the Terry Park Sports Complex in Ft. Myers, Florida.  The Blue Streaks played a double-header on March 5 with games against the Wooster Polytechnic Institute.  After the games at 4:30 pm was a picnic style reception with the players, coaches and parents, as well as Fr. Niehoff, president of JCU; Tony DeCarlo and Ryan Daly.

7. Reconnect with JCU Connect

Wish you could RECONNECT with your friends from Carroll? JCU Connect, the new online community for John Carroll alumni, can help put you in touch with your JCU friends and classmates. As an alum, you are automatically a member of this free, secure and interactive site. JCU Connect offers:

• Alumni Directory- locate contact information of former classmates and create a personal profile
• Class Notes- share news and updates with fellow alumni
• News and Events- get the latest JCU news and register for upcoming events
• Career Networking- make business, job and mentoring connections
• Photos- post photos online and view photo albums of your friends and classmates
• Much More-chat online, post to message boards, and email a friend

More information about JCU Connect will be coming soon.

Athletics

8. JCU Men’s Basketball Advances to Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament

The JCU Men's Basketball team advances to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Basketball Championship Tournament for the fifth time in program history after defeating Lake Erie College on Saturday, March 3, 79-77. The Blue Streaks will play the College of Wooster on Friday, March 9, at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, at 6:00 p.m. The winner of this game will advance to the round of eight, where it will play either Brockport State or St. John Fisher on Saturday, March 10, for the right to play in the national semifinals in Salem, Virginia.

This is John Carroll's 10th appearance in the NCAA Championship tournaments, previously reaching the round of 16 in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2005. Prior to the Lake Erie win, JCU defeated Westminster College, 87-83, on March 1. For ticket information, as well as audio broadcast information, visit the JCU Athletics website.

9. Upcoming Athletic Events

Come back to campus and show your Blue Streaks spirit at an upcoming athletic event. For complete schedules or more information about JCU athletic teams, visit the Athletics website.

(Schedules will be posted online soon for tennis, golf, and track.)

Men’s Baseball
3/22 vs. Case Western at 3:00 pm
3/24 vs. Mount Union at 1:00 pm
3/31 vs. Ohio Northern at 1:00 pm

Women’s Softball
3/18 vs. Wittenberg at 1:00 pm
3/29 vs. Wooster at 3:00 pm
3/31 vs. Ohio Northern at 1:00 pm

Championships for Men and Women’s Swimming and Diving will be held in March:

10. John Carroll to Host NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four YES Clinic

JCU is pleased to be hosting a NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four YES Clinic. This free clinic offers fundamental basketball instruction, conditioning tips, life skills and has a parents’ session. The clinic will take place Saturday, March 31; check-in is from 8 – 9 am and the clinic will last from 9 am- noon. Boys and girls ages 10-16 may participate, and should wear athletic shoes and be dressed for physical activity. For more information or to register, contact Erika Schultz at 216-397-4673 or by email. Spots are limited for this event, register early!

Academics

11. JCU Offers New Initiative to Help Ohio’s Low-Income Families Afford College

John Carroll has announced a new financial aid strategy that is striking a balance between need-based aid and merit scholarships. While revamping our merit programs to include quarter-, half- and three-quarter tuition competitive awards, the majority of John Carroll assistance will be directed towards helping all qualified students that are admitted be able to afford John Carroll. Most directly this new initiative will help low-income families consider and be able to afford John Carroll University. Low-income families (those making $40,000 or less) will be able to enroll their incoming freshman with no out-of-pocket costs toward tuition effective for the 2007-2008 academic year. Eligible high school seniors will still have to apply and meet the University’s high academic standards, but this initiative is designed to help alleviate financial worries of those students coming from low-income families. Tuition, room and board for the 2007-2008 academic year is $34,549.

This initiative is aligned with John Carroll’s mission of making education affordable and shaping young people of character who will lead and serve. JCU President, Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, S.J. said, “John Carroll must continue to be a campus that is conscious of the demographic, economic and social challenges in Ohio. We cannot espouse these ideals without first also confronting the challenges that income and affordability play in the lives of our students.” Students receiving this assistance will be expected to participate in community service projects sponsored by the Center for Community Service. This assistance will be renewable for those students demonstrating satisfactory progression to degree completion in four years. Be sure to look for more information about this initiative in the upcoming John Carroll magazine.

12. The 2007 Woelfl Seminar on Public Policy

The 2007 Woelfl Seminar on Public Policy is on March 13 at 7:30 pm in the LSC Conference Room. Michael Ratner, President of The Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, will present “From Guantanamo to Berlin: Protecting Human Rights after 9/11.” Ratner is a world renowned human rights lawyer and the recipient of the prestigious 2006 Hans Litten Prize for International Human Rights. For more information about this event, call 216-397-4311 or visit the Political Science website.

13. Bishop Pilla Program in Italian American Studies Saint Joseph’s Day Celebration

The Bishop Pilla Program in Italian American Studies will have a Saint Joseph’s Day celebration honoring Mr. Vincent and Mrs. Corine Chiarucci on March 15 at 7:30 pm in the LSC Conference Room. For more information about this event, call 216-397-4558 or visit the program's website.

14. A Celebration of Scholarship

A Celebration of Scholarship will take place March 19-22 at JCU. This event is based on Ernest L. Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered, and celebrates the four general views of scholarship: teaching, discovery, integration, and application. For more information about this event, call 216-397-4520 or visit the Celebration website.

15. Institute of Humanities Spring 2007 Lecture Series in April

The Institute of Humanities will hold its Spring 2007 Lecture Series, “Spilling Royal Blood: Debates on Regicide” in April. The dates are Monday evenings, April 9, 16, 23, and 30. This will take place in the LSC Conference Room from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Registration is required for this event. Fee is $65 per person or $100 per couple. For more information on this event, call 216-397-4780 or visit the Institute of Humanities website.

16. Emmy Award-Winning Journalist Ed Gordon to Speak at Cultural Awareness Series

Ed Gordon, Emmy Award-winning journalist, will speak at The Dr. Shirley S. Seaton Cultural Awareness Series on March 21 at 7:00 pm in the Donahue Auditorium in the Dolan Center for Science and Technology. Gordon formerly served as host of BET Tonight and anchor of BET News and as a contributor to NBC’s Today Show and Dateline. He also hosted News and Notes with Ed Gordon which aired on National Public Radio. For more information on this event, call 216-397-4185 or visit the Office of Multicultural Affairs website.

17. Edmund F. Miller Chair in Classics Lecture Series Presents Rev. Claude Pavur, S.J.

The Edmund F. Miller Chair in Classics Lecture Series will present “Classical Humanism Has Everything to do with Justice” by Rev. Claude Pavur, S.J. on March 28 at 4:00 pm in the Donahue Auditorium in the Dolan Center for Science and Technology. For more information about this event call 216-397-4371.

18. Tuohy Lecture Series Presents Paul Heck of Georgetown University

The Walter and Mary Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies Lecture Series presents “Islamic Traditions” by Paul Heck of Georgetown University in March and April this year. Dates for the lecture series are March 13, 20, 27, and April 3, 10, and 17 all at 7:30 pm in the Donahue Auditorium in the Dolan Center for Science and Technology. For more information about this event, call 216-397-4708 or visit the Tuohy website.

Spirituality

19. Concert of Sacred Music in Saint Francis Chapel

The Institute of Catholic Studies and Liturgical Music and Musical Arts present a Concert of Sacred Music, including John Rutter’s Requiem, on Saturday, March 31, 2007 at 8:00 pm in the Saint Francis Chapel at JCU. This concert will feature the JCU Chorus and the Borromeo and St. Mary’s Seminary Chorus with Dr. Cynthia Caporella, Director of Liturgical Music and Musical Arts at John Carroll and Susan Wallin, soprano and Boyd Mackus, baritone. This concert is free and open to the public. For more information call Mary Beth Brooks at 216-397-4558 or visit the Institute of Catholic Studies website.

Service

20. Two Alumni Making a Difference in Sudan

Two JCU Alumni, Chris Kantz ’91 and Katie (Clifford) Kantz ’92 are reaching out and making a difference for an area in need in Sudan. The couple recently spearheaded the raising of $15,000 to dig wells in Sudan, after being inspired by several “lost boys” of Sudan they met in their parish. Chris teaches a leadership course at Penfield High School in the Rochester, NY area, and he challenged his students to develop a plan to inform the school of the need for wells and to conduct a fundraiser for the cause. The students were able to raise $5,000 to build wells and additional money to challenge other area high schools to raise funds, as well. Katie, who is a social justice coordinator at St. Mary’s Parish in Rochester, organized parishioner support and raised $10,000 for two wells. Each well will supply water for 3,000 – 4,000 people. Katie and Chris have two children, Danny, 5, and Molly, 3. The young couple is an excellent example of how JCU alumni continue to uphold the Jesuit ideal of service.

21. JCU Community Engages the World through Service and Justice

JCU students, faculty, staff and alumni are engaging the world through service and justice initiatives, participating in Immersion Experiences sponsored by various University departments. The participants travel near and far to live out the mission of JCU by engaging in issues of social justice and serving as “men and women for others.” Some of these trips are occurring during the current Spring Break for students, while others are scheduled throughout the summer months. Spring Break Immersion Experiences include the locations of Nicaragua; Jacksonville, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio; Nazareth Farm, West Virginia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; and Immokalee, Florida. Trips planned in the months of May, June, and August include Honduras; New Orleans; Duran, Ecuador; Kingston, Jamaica; and Tijuana, Mexico.

22. Participate in an Immersion Trip to New Orleans

John Carroll will be sending its sixth group of students, staff, faculty, and alumni to New Orleans for a service trip to address the ongoing needs resulting from Hurricane Katrina. The group will stay at Camp Hope, a renovated elementary school in St. Bernard Parish, and partner with Hope Worldwide in assisting with gutting homes. Charter busses will provide transportation to and from New Orleans. The group will tentatively depart the afternoon of May 21 and return mid-afternoon on May 29. Costs for the trip are yet to be decided, pending final transportation details. Any JCU alumni interested in participating should contact the Center for Community Service Coordinator, Tracee Patterson, at 216-397-1662 or by email -- by March 30!

23. Family Nights at the Cleveland Food Bank

The Center for Community Service is coordinating volunteers in support of “Family Volunteer Nights” at the Cleveland Food Bank on Thursday evenings, March 8, April 12, and May 10. Service time is from 5:30-7:30pm and transportation to and from JCU will be provided. JCU alumni are welcome to attend and bring along any friends or family members who wish to help. Children ages 5 and up are welcome to participate, as long as there is one parent for every two children in attendance. The evening consists of an orientation session, the service period, and a final snack/closing time. This is a great way to help fight hunger in the community; and it is a wonderful opportunity for those who wish to share in a volunteer experience with their children. Registration is on a first come, first served basis and is limited to the first 30 participants. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Center for Community Service Coordinator, Tracee Patterson, at 216-397-1662 or email.

24. Upcoming Service Opportunities

Medical Mission Trip to Honduras
Alumni in the medical profession are needed to participate in a medical mission trip to Honduras May 21-27, 2007. Physicians, eye care professionals, dentists and pharmacists are needed to join a small team of JCU students in the pre-professional health studies as well as JCU faculty. If you are interested in learning more about the medical mission trip, please contact Dr. Peggy Finucane or Tracee Patterson.

Cultivating Community Outreach Day
Alumni are also needed to participate in Cultivating Community Outreach Day on April 28. On this day, alumni, JCU students and community volunteers work together to create a garden and provide basic landscaping for the East 95th St. Neighborhood Association in Cleveland. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dr. Peggy Finucane.


Spotlight

25. Jim Grazko '86

Jim Grazko ’86 is a successful professional, advocate, husband and father. Jim currently works in the insurance industry, as Vice President and General Manager at Premera Blue Cross in Washington state. He is responsible for underwriting and premium rate setting for health, life, and disability insurance. In addition, Jim helps to plan corporate strategy and health policy in the public arena. He reviews legislation and bills in Congress that affect the insurance industry, and he analyzes the impact of proposed legislation on his company and to its enrolled members. Prior to working at Premera Blue Cross, Jim worked at a for-profit HMO, Health Net, for four years as the Director of Underwriting. Before that, he worked at Ernst & Young in Washington D.C. as a health & welfare consultant.

Jim is an advocate for just policies within his industry. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Washington State Health Insurance Pool. As a member of the Board, Jim helps guide the organization and set policies to help those individuals that are unable to purchase commercial insurance. In addition, he is seated on a policy advocate group at Blue Cross that works to set policy and make recommendations on insurance legislation that comes before the state legislature in Washington. Jim is so involved with the state legislature that he even ran for public office in 1994. Beyond his professional success, Jim is a dedicated volunteer. He is active in his local Catholic church, he helped raise funds for Ryther Care, a residential treatment center for troubled children, and also volunteers with United Way and the March of Dimes.

When not working, Jim’s time is spent with his family raising his three sons, Matthew, Ryan, and Christopher. He and his wife are both active with their sons in music and sports. In his small amount of spare time, Jim enjoys downhill skiing, bicycling, playing the piano and traveling. The Grazko family currently resides in Redmond, Washington, near Seattle.


Know a JCU grad who deserves to be in the spotlight? Let us know. We are welcoming suggestions for accomplished John Carroll alumni to be featured in the "spotlight" section of upcoming enews issues. Email your suggestions along with your contact information to Becca Machusick.