New Jersey Catholic university opens food service for needy residents

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CNS) -- St. Peter's University in Jersey City has launched Campus Kitchen, a student-led project that provides free meals to local residents by using donated food that would otherwise go to waste.

The initiative is part of a collaboration with the Campus Kitchens Project, a national organization that encourages students to fight hunger in their community.

Erich Sekel, associate director of campus ministry at the university, said the new program is a fulfillment of St. Peter's vision.

"Our students realize the need in our greater community and have expressed frustration with the amount of food waste they witness," he said. "Feeding the hungry is one of the primary corporal works of mercy, and we are eager to continue our work in this area with such a unique and important program."

Students started the program with a $5,000 grant they won from a video competition sponsored by the Sodexo Foundation, in which campus representatives created a video explaining why their community would benefit from a Campus Kitchen.

A number of local restaurants have partnered with St. Peter's to supply the Campus Kitchen with food. University students will package the food into individual meals to be delivered to the homeless, the elderly, families and children in need.

"At the Campus Kitchens Project, we believe no food should go to waste while people are hungry," said Laura Toscano, director of the Campus Kitchens Project. "By joining our national network, St. Peter's University is offering its students the opportunity to fight both hunger and food waste in the Jersey City community and to develop valuable leadership skills in the process."

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Jacksonville State University gives auxiliary bishop honorary doctorate

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (CNS) -- Jacksonville State University awarded an honorary doctorate to Auxiliary Bishop F. Richard Spencer of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services during graduation ceremonies Aug. 8.

The university's president, William A. Meehan, presented the degree to Bishop Spencer, who also served as the commencement speaker for the undergraduate ceremony.

"It was with great joy to be honored with the doctorate degree," Bishop Spencer said afterward. "I encouraged the new graduates to spend time volunteering in civic and church organizations as mentors to the youth in our country."

In his speech, the bishop also urged students to focus on making contributions to society and spend less time with electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets.

Bishop Spencer earned a bachelor of science degree in law enforcement from the university in 1973 before he joined the U.S. Army. After four years of service as a military police officer, he was released from active duty and went on to pursue theological studies. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1988 and began serving with the U.S. Army Reserve in Maryland. Bishop Spencer returned to active duty ministry in 1999 and served in Korea, Bosnia, Egypt, Germany and the Pentagon at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has earned numerous military decorations and in February 2014 he retired from the Army with the rank of colonel.

Along with his honorary degree, Bishop Spencer holds a master of education degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin, a master's of divinity, and a bachelor's in sacred theology from Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

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Marquette University to inaugurate new president

MILWAUKEE (CNS) -- Jesuit-run Marquette University in Milwaukee planned an inauguration ceremony and other related events for Michael R. Lovell, the university's first lay president. He took the post July 1.

According to a press release, the theme of the inaugural Mass and inauguration ceremony -- "Ignited in Faith. Alive in Inquiry. Forward in Service" -- reflects the university's tradition of faith and service, and its "commitment to extending knowledge beyond existing boundaries" and finding "answers to life's deepest questions."

John F. Ferraro, chair of the Marquette's board of trustees, said he looked forward to working with Lovell to continue improving the university's standards of faith and academics.

"Mike is a man of deep faith who possesses an amazing work ethic and the ability to bring together academic, business and civic leaders to provide innovative learning opportunities for our students and new research opportunities for our faculty," he said. "The energy surrounding Mike's first few months on campus is unmistakable."

Before becoming Marquette's president, Lovell was chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2011 to 2014. He has three academic degrees in mechanical engineering, including a doctorate, from the University of Pittsburgh.

He has published more than 100 articles in engineering journals, co-written the book "Tribology for Scientists and Engineers," and as a researcher has been a leading investigator on projects that have received almost $30 million dollars in grant funding from foundations, businesses and government agencies, including the departments of Energy and Defense.

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Top U.S. Jesuit bioethicist appointed to Pontifical Council for Culture

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Francis has appointed Jesuit Father Kevin FitzGerald, a Georgetown University bioethicist and cancer researcher, to serve as a consultor to the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture.

Established in 1982 by St. John Paul II, the council' is one of 12 established to study a variety of issues of importance to the Catholic Church and to provide guidance to the pope on these matters. On July 1, Father FitzGerald began a five year term as one of the 34 newly named consultors, chosen from around the world.

The U.,S. Jesuit priest advise to the council in such areas as bioethics, genetics, neuroscience and transhumanism, which is a movement which seeks to transcend the human condition through technology, artificial intelligence and related concepts. He said he sees his appointment as an "intersection between science and the Catholic tradition."

"The prevailing view is that religion and science are fundamentally at odds with one another, but I argue that they are not at all," he said. "They are both necessary and important lenses for viewing the important issues of our time."

Since 2005, Father FitzGerald has served as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which researches bioethical issues as they relate to human life. Through his new appointment as a consultor, Father FitzGerald said he hopes to continue to improve the global understanding of the interconnections between science, religion and culture.

"Science and religion touch all of us in some way. Whether you are Catholic or not, the goal is to work towards a greater synergy for the good of all people," he said in a statement.

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Air Force chaplain inducted into Franciscan University's Hall of Fame

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (CNS) -- Father Timothy J. Hirten, a U.S. Air Force chaplain, was inducted into the Baron Hall of Fame at the Franciscan University of Steubenville Aug. 31.

Established in 1978, the Baron Hall of Fame honors members of the Franciscan community for outstanding achievement in competition and/or service, dedication, and commitment to the university's athletics.

Father Hirten, who is serves on active duty at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, was recognized for his athletic contribution to the university, where he played basketball from 1971 to 1975.

During his time as a Baron, which is the university mascot, Father Hirten scored 1,149 career points and acquired 627 career rebounds, ranking eighth and 11th on the school's all-time list, respectively. He also was the only athlete in school history to play four different varsity sports, including basketball, baseball, tennis and golf, and he was captain of both the basketball and tennis teams. In 1975, Father Hirten was honored as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American honorable mention selection.

Outside of athletics, Father Hirten majored in political science and was selected as College Man of the Year in 1975. Upon graduating, he went on to play professional basketball on both the national and international levels until 1981.

In 1993, Father Hirten was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. As a chaplain ministering to Air Force families, he serves under the auspices of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. He said he considers it a privilege to serve the U.S. military.

"I love being a military chaplain," he said in a statement. "I thank God on my knees every day for the opportunity to serve our nation."

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New executive director named for Ignatian Colleagues Program

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (CNS) -- The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities appointed Joseph A. DeFeo, associate dean of students and director of student mission and identity at Fairfield University, to be executive director of the Ignatian Colleagues Program, effective Aug. 1.

It is a national program designed to educate and form administrators and leaders more deeply in the Jesuit tradition of higher education so "they seek to better articulate, adapt and advance Ignatian mission on their campuses," according to a news release about DeFeo's appointment.

With DeFeo's new position, Fairfield also announced that it will serve as the host institution for the program. Participants are nominated by their institutions to complete the approximately 18-month program, which includes educational workshops, a weeklong international group immersion experience to a developing country and an individual mission project.

DeFeo received his undergraduate and master's degrees in theology from Boston College, and his doctorate from Fordham University, where his doctoral dissertation focused on Ignatian pedagogy for Jesuit higher education.

He has been an adjunct faculty member at Fairfield University for 12 years. He teaches a course on Ignatian spirituality and is also a certified Ignatian spiritual director.

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California Catholic college partners with national charter school group

MORAGA, Calif. (CNS) -- St. Mary's College in Moraga has announced a new partnership with the Knowledge is Power Program Foundation, known as KIPP, to promote college completion for students from low-income families.

KIPP is a national organization of free, open enrollment public charter schools that prepares students in underserved communities for success in college and in life.

The new initiative will establish an annual enrollment pipeline to St. Mary's for up to seven students a year, primarily from KIPP Bay Area Schools. KIPP alumni already attending the college will be invited to participate in the High Potential Program, which offers academic support initiatives including a first year advising cohort and peer mentoring.

St. Mary's said with the new partnership it hopes to attract more students from KIPP's national network of high-performing public charter schools and establish academic support strategies to address the challenges of low-income first generation to college students.

St. Mary's president, James Donahue, said the new partnership "builds on the 40-year tradition of the college's High Potential Program, which was created to foster higher education opportunities for low-income students from diverse under-represented communities," he said.

Nationally, 44 percent of students who finished eighth-grade at KIPP 10 or more years ago have graduated from a four-year college. This is above the national average for all students (29 percent) and five times the rate for students from the lowest economic quartile (8 percent).

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Santa Clara University earns perfect score in Princeton 'green' ranking

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (CNS) -- Santa Clara University has become one of 24 schools in the nation to earn a perfect score in Princeton Review's Green College Honor Roll. The selection ranks 861 colleges and universities with regard to their sustainability-related practices, policies and academic offerings.

According to the rankings, Santa Clara was particularly recognized for its interest in environmental justice and sustainable living practices.

"Our focus on sustainability can be seen across departments in the Santa Clara community and we're honored to have our extensive efforts recognized," said Lindsey Kalkbrenner, director of the Center for Sustainability at the university. "Sustainability isn't just a buzzword or a small project. It's engrained in our culture and everything we do."

The Princeton Review noted the increasing importance of sustainable practices to incoming college students. It found 61 percent of the 10,116 college applicants surveyed for its 2014 "College Hopes and Worries Survey" reported that a college's commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.

"It's clear more students are placing importance on a school's commitment to the environment in their college searches and we're proud to show them we walk the walk when it comes to sustainability," said Mike Sexton, the vice president for enrollment management at the university.

Currently, Jesuit-run Santa Clara offers majors in environmental studies and environmental science, including 778 courses related to sustainability. Students also have partnered with the campus dining services to establish a food recovery program that donates leftovers to a local food kitchen.