SXU Announces New Endowed Scholarship Fund
Saint Xavier University (SXU) has announced a new endowed scholarship fund, the Pilar V. Rotella and Salvatore G. Rotella Endowed Scholarship, which will fund a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student who is majoring or minoring in a language and literature discipline.
The Rotella family has always been heavily invested in education, pursuing it individually and endorsing it collectively. Pilar Rotella, Ph.D., professor emerita, and her late husband, Salvatore Rotella, Ph.D., were both immigrants to the U.S. and achieved much academically and professionally. Their children followed in their footsteps. Oldest son Sebastian is an investigative reporter and novelist; middle son Carlo is a professor of English, American studies and journalism; and youngest son Sal Jr. is an attorney specializing in health law.
"We all firmly believe that everybody should have the opportunity to benefit from higher education, which greatly increases the possibility of gainful employment and contributes to leading a richer, fuller life. It is that belief that has inspired us to create a scholarship fund geared to those with fewer opportunities and limited financial resources to pursue a college education,” said Pilar.
Pilar first arrived to Saint Xavier College from Spain in 1958 with a contract to teach Spanish language and literature for one year. She already had an advanced degree from the University of Barcelona and was pursuing graduate education at the University of Chicago. She earned a master's degree in English and a doctorate in comparative literature.
When Pilar first came to the U.S., she was quite young and had never left home or traveled alone. She barely spoke English and felt totally alone without friends or family. Yet after a brief rough beginning, she found that everything fell into place. She loved her job and related well to her colleagues, and when she started taking courses at the University of Chicago, she met Sal. At Saint Xavier, she started as an instructor, went up the ranks and eventually became a full professor and served for several years as chair of the Foreign Language Department.
She also taught literature courses and introduced courses with a comparative approach, especially for the senior seminar that included all language and literature majors. She taught and helped create and develop courses for the Weekend College, as well as courses for students with specialized language needs, such as Spanish for business and health. Pilar served at SXU for 30 years until she left Chicago, so it was instinctive for her to extend whatever legacy she and her family may leave at SXU to students following in her footsteps.
Salvatore's connection to Saint Xavier began through Pilar, but he soon came to be known independently for his own achievements as a successful academic and administrator, serving as department chair, dean, vice chancellor and finally chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago.
"He was a brilliant administrator, a man of vision, and was heavily invested in making education accessible to all. It was at that point that then president of Saint Xavier, Sister Irenaeus Chekouras, asked him to become a member of Saint Xavier's Board of Trustees, and he remained a trustee until we left Chicago. I still remember introducing him to my good friends Sister Dorothy Marie Peschon and Sister Mary Denis O'Grady," said Pilar.
As the Rotellas became more integrated with Saint Xavier and its community members, they were both taken by the friendly, open, tolerant and all-embracing atmosphere that prevailed in the institution. They were particularly impressed by it, especially Pilar, who had come from Francoist Spain. She found she and her family were warmly welcomed to Saint Xavier, and they enjoyed family activities such as watching films that Sister Mary Ann Bergfeld showed in the evenings. The Rotella family has many good, vivid memories that attest to their deep, long-lasting connection with Saint Xavier.
"I was consistently engaged in research on literary matters, presented papers in many academic conferences and published many of them in academic journals. My professional life was defined by my activities as a teacher and researcher at Saint Xavier. Had I not accepted that job, my life would have taken a completely different turn. Now, at almost 90 years old, I am who I am because of that lasting influence," said Pilar.
Pilar's hope for the new endowment is that it will continue to help deserving students and that the Saint Xavier experience will provide them not only with intellectual skills but also ideals and values that will enrich their lives, much in the same way they enriched the lives of the Rotellas.
"I have high hopes for Saint Xavier. As an institution of higher learning, it has successfully changed and evolved over the years, from an all-women's college to an increasingly diversified, expanding and growing university, all while maintaining its defining characteristics – strong academic credentials, solid core values and service to the community. Salvatore and I witnessed and admired those changes. I am sure he would join me in the belief that SXU will continue to move forward toward an even better, more promising future," said Pilar.
The recipient(s) of the Pilar V. Rotella and Salvatore G. Rotella Endowed Scholarship must be majoring or minoring in a language and literature discipline, possess a minimum GPA of 2.5 and have demonstrated need (as determined by the Office of Financial Aid). For the 2022-23 academic year, $2,500 will be awarded from the fund and can be provided to more than one student. For more information, email scholarships@sxu.edu.