19 saint francis magazine | fall 2025 “While nursing is not an area of expertise directly related to the university’s mission statement, it is a profession that many are drawn to in a vocational sense. Nursing is a profession that considers patients and clients as holistic people, which aligns with the university’s mission statement. “Prayer at the beginning of each class is often tied to the class topic of the day, church season or daily readings.” – Jennifer Richard, BSN Assistant Program Director “Our 10-day Field Course includes camping in a remote natural setting like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and our Field Course to the Dominican Republic includes running medical and veterinary clinics for a week. Students come back from these experiences with passionate commitments not only to their respective careers, but to serving in a greater cause. Students become emotionally connected to the work and come home with lifelong commitments to service.” – Dr. Lou Weber, Department Chair of Biology/ENVS “On its own, business education offers a natural platform to explore how professional knowledge intersects with moral responsibility and human dignity. My area—entrepreneurial, strategic leadership and ethical character formation—is well aligned with the university’s mission to prepare students for lives of virtue, service and joy.” “I intentionally frame strategic leadership and ethical decision-making within the context of service to others and the common good (local and expansive) in my courses.” – Dr. David Stehlik, Associate Professor of Management and Leadership “Creative problem-solving in graphic design requires a deep empathy for the client, the target audience and the end user. Empathy comes from a generous spirit, engaged with the human connection. It comes from a place only accessible once you put away the personal lens and look through one in a wider and, ultimately, loving direction. In an age where creativity and creative jobs are threatened by the ever-looming presence of A.I., I encourage students to deeply consider what it means to be a human creating art.” – Jeremy McFarren, Program Director of Graphic Design “My expertise in biochemistry is a rich avenue for touching on the mission statement the whole semester. Biochemistry is the study of life on the molecular level, and as such reveals a beauty and order in the universe, pointing to the Lord God our Creator.” – Sister Mary Augustine Warrell, OSF, Assistant Professor of Chemistry “We introduce students to the idea of formation of the whole person through discussion of the many facets of people: biological, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual.” “In a Franciscan context, we might say psychology can till the soil in which the seed of divine love can grow. Topics include the fact that human beings desire to love and be loved at our core, and we instinctively seek connection with others, all of which points to our capacity to know and love God.” – Dr. Monica Heller, Interim Division Chair of Psychology ➜ Jennifer Richard BSN Assistant Program Director ➜ Dr. Lou Weber Department Chair of Biology/ENVS ➜ Dr. David Stehlik Associate Professor of Management and Leadership ➜ Jeremy McFarren Program Director of Graphic Design ➜ Sister Mary Augustine Warrell, OSF Assistant Professor of Chemistry ➜ Dr. Monica Heller, Interim Division Chair of Psychology Photography by Steve Vorderman
