Butler Magazine: Spring 2022

jim on chair in sciences building

From The President

Imagination. Innovation. Inspiration. These themes were the focus of my remarks on April 23, when we gathered in Hinkle Fieldhouse to celebrate the successful conclusion of Butler Beyond: The Campaign for Butler University. At our celebration, Beyond Grateful, I announced that 34,804 donors had collectively contributed more than $263.5 million to the Campaign and that…

Shaping Butler’s Future

On March 15, President James Danko announced that Dr. Brooke Barnett, who has served as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs since April 2021, would continue in the role. She follows Kate Morris who is now President at St. Lawrence University. In his announcement, President Danko acknowledged that it became clear to him…

Levinson Family Hall

The newest building on campus officially has a name. On April 23, Butler President Jim Danko announced that the new 44,000-square-foot sciences expansion building connecting Gallahue Hall to the Holcomb Building will be permanently named Levinson Family Hall in honor of a $10 million gift from Frank ’75 and Kristin Levinson. “This gift is not…

sgr members in front of sign

Welcome Home

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Celebrates Centennial Anniversary Throughout 2022, Butler University is honoring Sigma Gamma Rho (SGRho) sorority on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The historically Black sorority was founded on Butler’s campus by seven educators on November 12, 1922. Of the nation’s four historically Black sororities, Sigma Gamma Rho is the only one…

bud and alumni in front of robertson

To Dance is to Live

The Bud Kerwin Jordan College of the Arts Dance Scholarship During a reunion in October 2017, a group of Butler Ballet alumni from the 1970s and early ’80s decided they wanted to honor one of their favorite professors, Bud Kerwin, by creating a scholarship in his name. Imagine their surprise when they found out that…

abey in front of bulldog statue

It Means So Much

Undergraduate research award paves the way for the next generation of psychologists  One of the hallmarks of a Butler education is its emphasis on a student-centered education. This means that students can tailor their studies, activities, and research to the subjects, ideas, and career fields that they’re really interested in. This is nowhere more evident…

gabby smith sits on bleachers

Making a Difference

In 2005, J.J. ’95 and Emily ’96 DeBrosse lost their 15-week-old daughter, Catherine, to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)—an unexplained condition that affects more than 3,000 families in the United States each year. “A downside when you lose a child is that there are no milestones,” J.J. says. “She’s not bringing home report cards. She…

sara marshall in front of bu sign

All About Impact

“Teaching is the only profession where you impact every other profession.” It’s a phrase Sara Marshall ’06 remembers hearing during her introduction to education class. She was a freshman then—still unsure what exactly she wanted to do career-wise and taking exploratory classes—until that moment. “That was profound to me, the impact that a teacher has…

heather and stacy hodge past and current

Sister Act

Many sisters are close. Few, though, can credit a university with weaving the threads of their lives together so seamlessly as Heather and Stacy Hodge. Heather ’97 and Stacy ’00 Hodge grew up in Crete, Illinois, a small town of fewer than 10,000 people just 35 miles south of Chicago. They had the best of…

jarod wilson in front of door for foster success

Meeting The Need

Trauma does not define a person. Nor does a stereotype, says Butler grad Jarod Wilson ’08, especially one based on an assumption of debilitating trauma. However, Wilson sees certain young people— those who have spent time in foster care—being denied jobs every day because of a hiring manager’s preconceived and negative ideas about them. He…

students walking in front of jordan hall

Social Justice and Diversity

All students at Butler University are required to complete at least one course focused on themes of diversity, equality, and inclusivity. Since 2018, a year-long faculty fellowship program has been working to help ensure that this experience is more than just a box to check. Butler recently established the Social Justice and Diversity (SJD) requirement…

ginna sitting on park bench

The Power of Altruism

Gianna Bucaro, a first-year Butler student from Bloomingdale, Illinois, is the recipient of the 2022–2023 John Henry Weidner Endowed Scholarship for Altruism in recognition of her commitment to disability rights, children’s health, and volunteerism. Bucaro, an Exploratory major on Butler’s Pre-Pharmacy track, is recognized for her advocacy for people with disabilities. Bucaro is involved in…