So it’s September already. The devastating oil spill has a cap that works…for now. Summer, except for the heat, is a done deal. We’ve sailed through Welcome Week with incredible student engagement. La Divina Gelato opened to a deliciously full house. We’ve celebrated the fifth year anniversary of Katrina, and laid her to rest. And to top it all off, classes have already started.
What is next? Of this we can be certain—something is brewing.
The semester calendar is robust and full from music events to art displays and lecture series to the BSU talent show. Activity and learning bubble up in all kinds of places from the classroom to the rockers on the front porch of the Danna Student Center. One cannot get around campus without seeing a crane, a fence, a student vying for a parking space, or a “pardon our progress” sign. Lots of things are happening on campus.
Something is indeed brewing. The campus is in the beginning stages of a transformation. The Loyola University New Orleans Strategic Plan 2012 is percolating! We have moved from having well-written action plans to implementing new initiatives, including new facilities and the common curriculum. As we become increasingly residential, it is critical that the campus culture begin to change as well. Here are a few small indicators from just this past week. From all corners of the campus, energy is abounding. It’s transformative that 500+ faculty, staff, and students joined with Mission and Ministry and Student Affairs to go “Into the Streets” on behalf of our great city. It’s transformative that more than 550 new students, faculty, and staff attended the StrengthsQuest conference to learn more about their skills and talents. It’s transformative that 200+ sophomores joined us at the first SophoMORE Initiative event at the Audubon Zoo on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I know there are countless other positive indicators from Academic Affairs to Mission and Ministry and beyond—and to be sure, not all growing pains are easy!
Welcome to Fall 2010…I promise it will not be your average daily grind.
We are at the height of hurricane season, which is not the kind of brewing I have in mind! Tweet me @cissypetty and I’ll treat you to a CC’s coffee…now that’s my kind of brew.
