Last weekend, Loyola hosted our Baccalaureate Mass here on campus and our Commencement in the Louisiana Superdome. It was a wonderful time, punctuated by two speeches – the first a homily and the second his address to the graduates – offered by our President Fr. Kevin Wildes, SJ.

Here are some excerpts of those remarks:

From the Mass

This weekend, in this celebration of the Mass, and tomorrow at your commencement, we mark a very significant transition in your life.  This is a symbolic weekend when your past and future come together.  And, like most human beings in transition, I am sure you are filled with all kinds of emotions:  excitement, joy, pride, and some anxiety about your future in our uncertain world.  That anxiety is understandable. You have spent a good deal of your life in the classroom but that time is now ending and you are going into a very uncertain world.  In some ways, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians may be just what you need to hear today:  “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”

Today, we gather here in prayer to celebrate and give thanks.  We celebrate your accomplishments and all that you have done. We celebrate the promise that you are and what you will do for all of us in the future. We give thanks to God for having supported you on your journey –with families and friends, and challenged you with faculty, staff and friends at Loyola. Today, your past and future come together.  We celebrate all of your work, in the classroom, libraries, practice rooms, trading rooms, and all of your outside work and dedication with clubs, sororities, fraternities, athletic teams.  It is a day to remember and celebrate all that you have done.  It is also a day to give thanks for all of the help and support you have received—faculty, staff, other students, you families. As Christians we believe that God’s Spirit lives and breathes and moves among us.  And so we are thankful to God who has been present to you; gracing your lives, in family, friends, and faculty, staff, and class mates.

Today we not only remember what you have done, with God’s grace and support, but we also celebrate what you will do.  Your talents, abilities, and dedication offer hope to a world in need of hope.  For we know that your work, study, intellect and talents are not an end in themselves but you have been taught to use them to make the world a better place.  In John’s Gospel that we heard today, Jesus says something quite remarkable.  He says to his disciples, to us, that we are his friends.  Aristotle points out that true friendship can only take place between equals. In that light, this Gospel is truly astounding.  God, the one who is Creator, has offered to be a friend to us.  And, friendships cannot be forced on to someone else.  They have to be freely offered and freely accepted.  We can say no to God’s friendship.

But, if we say yes to the friendship God offers us, we can become like the Servant Isaiah speaks about.  We can become the servants who carry the Spirit of God into the world; a spirit that seeks justice in the context of love. We become the servants who incarnate a spirit of love and justice that transforms the world; a spirit that is a light to the nations; a spirit that gives sight to those blinded to love; and freedom to those held in captivity by their misplaced loves and their prejudices.

It is this friendship with God that makes us powerful.  But we are not made powerful for our own sake but we are made powerful for the betterment of the world. Nelson Mandela caught this beautifully in his first inaugural address:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, or fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking, so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

From the Commencement

As you commence, this time, I ask yourself to always ask three questions.

First, will your intellectual and professional competence lead you to live with genuine compassion?  Even when you have gained the knowledge and skills to be a successful scientist, writer, accountant, lawyer, doctor, artist, musician, politician, executive, or whatever your future profession is, do you desire to use your talents to make life better for others?  As bright, future leaders of our community, are you ready to help our world overcome ignorance that leads to fracturing our community especially along racial and economic lines?  Are you willing to push yourselves, and others, to refuse the limitations we may find and build a better world?

Second, is your personal quest for excellence an end in itself, or a pathway to God?  Even when you recognize your talents, do you see them for your private possessions or as gifts from God to be used to make this a better world?

Third, will your decisions be guided by the “Magis”?  The magis is the spiritual insight of St. Ignatius Loyola which always asks what more can I do.  It is the recognition that we can always improve and do better. It is a challenge for use to transcend our limitations. Too often we dream about a better life and world but we stop short because of reality.  We look at a situation and dream of what it could be, but then yes, yes it could be this but…”  Les Brown has written that “But” is a dream killer. But is an argument for our limitations. When you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them. The spirit of the Magis calls us to continually improve and to live greater.

Here is a recent letter I sent out to our newly admitted students. Many of them will enroll this fall!

Greetings from Loyola University and Uptown New Orleans, which is bustling with the sights, sounds, and newness of spring. As I write this, I can see Audubon Park across the street. Ancient oak trees offer shade to the readers, bikers, and joggers therein. Audubon is an extension of our campus, and it’s so beautiful.

In addition to our exquisite location, there is the character and quality of Loyola. Sometimes I wish you knew what I already know: that we offer an unforgettable education, a rich co-curricular life, a deep and abiding practical spirituality, success at every turn, and the unbending commitment of faculty, staff, and fellow students. But, sometimes, I think the real magic is in your discovering all of that for yourself.

I’ve enjoyed reading some great essays this year as prospective students have begun to see what Loyola is, and I thought I would share, with their permission, some of their thoughts with you:

“As a performer I know that environment is everything. For this reason, I know that I belong at Loyola University New Orleans. The environment is so encouraging. Every single person I have met through my application and selection process has been so helpful and kind. Even the students, normally so engrossed in their own lives at other colleges, seemed overjoyed to help me when I asked about their experiences at Loyola.” -Linsey Shubert

“Loyola makes the college experience one of discovery and enlightenment. One of the things that hits home is this: the awareness of finding God in all things, and a commitment to being people with and for others. At Loyola it’s about more than a degree. It’s about becoming the person you were meant to be, and becoming someone who can help the world.” -Alonda Morgan

“As a student, I do better in smaller classes because I can focus. Loyola’s ratio of students to teachers is good for me to succeed. I also feel that Loyola will offer something that nowhere else will. I don’t know what it will be, but that’s what college is all about: finding something about yourself that you would never expect to find.” -Darius Smith

“It was a dream come true to be accepted back in February. I want to attend a school that will get me involved in class, and aiding the community. I know Loyola will do that and so much more.” -Rachel Lemoine

We have appreciated learning about you and helping you through the enrollment process. We know if you choose Loyola, you will be making a great choice – one that will serve you very well for a lifetime.

The very best,
Salvadore A. Liberto

I am so proud of Loyola’s graduating Class of 2013. They were the first that I had a significant hand in recruiting to Loyola and so they have already earned a special place in my heart.

But, lo, then they go and do this – create a scholarship fund for the incoming first-year students. That’s awesome! They did not get the idea from me. They came up with this on their own. With all the national talk about the value of a college degree, Loyola’s class of 2013 has decided that not only are they thrilled with what they have received – that the investment was worth it – they have decided to make an additional investment so the next generation of college students can benefit. Wow.

I am blown away by you, Class of 2013. You are the epitome of awesomeness.

Ok, thanks for coming back for part two (if you missed part one, look below) on my thoughts on choosing a college. Here are the last 4 of the 8 BIG THINGS to be thinking about to narrow your search.

5. ENERGY. Does the campus have the kind of vibe you are looking for? I know this is such a subjective measure, but consider this: energy will determine so many of your individual choices in your life. You will gravitate toward the people, places, activities that inspire you – if fact, they seem to be choosing you as you are choosing them! As you meet the students on a prospective campus, can you see yourself hanging out with them, learning from them? Did you like the professors and the staff? Do you know any alumni of the school. Do they inspire you? What about student life? Do they have a club for you, student government, the student paper? Is it easy to get involved? These are very important considerations.

6. ACADEMICS. For many, academics will be at the top of the list. And it should be, this is the number one reason to attend university. Academics is learning to learn; it’s critical thinking applied over and again; it’s gathering a set of skills for professional use; it’s problem-solving; it’s the lifeblood of what universities do. No one is ever asked to leave a university because they did not join enough clubs, but certainly students have been asked to leave for not having attended enough classes. Faculty and students are at the core of what we do, so make sure your future college has a program (a major) that appeals, and several others that could appeal (some students change majors during the course of their enrollment).

7. ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES. Academics gets two spots in our list of eight because of its importance to the campus and the student experience, and it’s not just lectures and papers. It’s study abroad opportunities; it’s undergraduate research; it’s internships; and opportunities for career networking; it’s mentoring and advising. It’s all the things that we talk about when we say Loyola offers a holistic experience.

8. LEARN FROM OTHERS. Families, counselors, and teachers can help students answer this question: can this university prepare me for life and work in an ever-changing world? Sometimes we don’t see things clearly for ourselves, so it’s always good to rely on the experience of those who know us and who can see how our experiences might play out on a given campus. Don’t be afraid to ask for help on this journey! Call our admissions office, too. We’re here to help!

Good luck as you choose your college. It’s an exciting time in your life, and I know you’ll make the most of it!

I’m honored each year to speak to dozens of students – and often their families – as they think about where to enroll as an undergraduate student. I thought I’d increase my reach this year and post some of my thoughts about this important topic in this space.

Despite some of the uncertainty that remains in our economy and the recent wave of contrarian opinions from columnists and talking heads, college remains a must for almost all of those who aspire toward a professional life and a life full of great choices and opportunities. At Loyola, we often talk of the development of the whole person as part of our university’s mission and so we see college as not just a stepping stone to financial and career success but, in fact, it is the open door to the rest of one’s life, the equipping of one with the tools to ask the right questions, navigate change, and affirm one’s callings.

This is heady stuff, and so the college choice is an important one. I’m going to give you 8 BIG THINGS to think about in your college search. I don’t see any one of these as necessarily more important than any other, but each individual has their own opinion and after some thought, you might do well to rank these on your own to discern what’s most important to you. Here are the first 4. Check back next week for the sequel and the final 4:

1.SIZE. At Loyola we think we are the right size. Next fall we’ll have about 5700 students; 3200 undergraduates or so. We have the resources and facilities of a larger institution, but class sizes that average in the 20′s. But some students want larger schools; some want smaller schools. Again, there is no objectively correct choice, just one that makes the most sense for you.  Be sure to look at the size of the physical campus, class sizes, and the way the facilities are laid out to see if a school is to your liking.

2.LOCATION. City or rural? Right in a bustling downtown, or on the edge of town? Look to see what’s around the college. Do you like ample park space? Are you more of a cement and skyscrapers kind of person? Do you need to be near the mountains, an ocean? Location can really matter when you want a break from campus and head out to a museum or a restaurant; you’ll want to make sure there are cultural choices to your liking. Also, think about the culture of the city or town you are going to? Does it resonate, at least a little, with what you like and would like to experience? If so, are you prepared for everything else it could bring you? I went away to a cold climate for college after growing up in New Orleans. My hair froze one day when I did not dry it well enough after a morning shower. Wow, didn’t see that coming.

3.MISSION. What is the school all about? At Loyola, we have some definite ideas about education -that we should treat others with kindness and offer them our assistance; that we should develop our whole selves; that God is everywhere and in all people; that we should strive for excellence; that we should all possess an international perspective as a means to connecting to all of God’s people. Sound good? Great! If not, that’s okay – keep looking until you find the school that promulgates values and ideals that work for you.

4.VALUE/PRICE. Wow. I know this is THE big one for many families and I know that families make their decisions based on their priorities and what they think is possible. That said, here’s my advice: always look past the initial price. Think about what financial aid and scholarships might be available to offset costs and think long-term. Think 30 years long term. I would not trade my Catholic-Jesuit education for anything (high school, undergrad. and graduate school). Did it cost some money? Yes. Was it worth the investment? Yes!! My education has prepared me for so many opportunities that I’ve lost count. As important, it’s prepared me for things I could never have anticipated. It encouraged me to utilize all my skills and talents, and I’m still developing them every day. Attend a college that will help you become a life-long learner and a full time participant in your own life. Here’s your timeline: First, apply to schools. Second, see where you are accepted. Third: complete a FAFSA. Fourth: assess your financial aid. Be sure to ask questions of your aid counselors; and explore financing options. Fifth: Make a decision based on what’s feasible at the time, but be sure to have a long-term horizon.

Ok, start with these and you can begin to narrow down your search some. See you next week.

It’s been a lot of fun talking to people about the value of a Loyola University New Orleans education. I believe we are well positioned, despite the news one hears about college costs. We work very hard to offer generous financial aid to students; more than most private universities. College is a major investment and we think it pays off well at Loyola.

Many of our students, faculty, alumni, and staff often think of Loyola holistically. That is, they see it as whole, not as its separate parts, when they reflect on what makes us special. So, in this blog, I thought I would include some of the comments and insights that reveal the overall experience to you.

One of my colleagues wrote this: “Loyola University New Orleans has a great stake in the local New Orleans community. As a Jesuit institution, Loyola strongly values community service and social justice and is committed to ensuring that those ideals are instilled in both our educational programs and in our students. Students provide free media services to non-profit institutions in the New Orleans area through our Shawn M. Donnelley Center for NonProfit Communication. The University also actively involves those ideals in the classroom by including service learning components in many classes that students take.  The Loyola University Community Action Program is a student run organization which creates service opportunities for students so that they have the chance to give back to the local community. As an institution, we strive to create individuals who will be active participants to create positive change in their communities.”

Lizanne Coleman, one of our seniors, had this to say:

“Loyola offers so many great opportunities that it will blow your mind. Not only are you taught by professors but you are taught by professors who are currently active in the field they are teaching. I am a Music Industry Studies major and most of my teachers are artist managers, singers, or songwriters. I love the fact that this is true because not many people can say my teacher recorded a Willy Nelson album or my teacher is the manager of Nine Inch Nails. I believe there is no other college or university that has opportunities like the ones Loyola provides and offers, which is why I love Loyola!”

Kim Rankins from our financial aid office told me this: “Loyola offers a quality education in a family friendly environment. Its diversity and uniqueness attracts students from all walks of life.”

Similarly, Tara Johnson, also from financial aid, shared this moving sentiment: “Loyola is a wonderful school that values the holistic person. You will not only get a great education but the teaching will prepare you for the world ahead mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and morally. The world needs a good leader. And such leaders are what Loyola University cultivates.” I love that.

Mark Carter, senior admissions counselor, put it like this: “We are a community of individuals that come together to create new ideas and expand your horizons to make you ‘value’ your possibilities ahead.”

Katherine Gerbode-Grant, associate director of admissions, offered this excellent insight:

“What resonates with my families is that the students are coming into a strong  community where there is support, respect and trust among one another. Visiting families often share that we are one of the most welcoming campuses they visit. What this tells me is that our campus and the city reflect one another in their hospitality and spirit. What is both great and unique about Loyola is the mix of students we see on campus who make up our community. There are few places where you see so many different backgrounds and life experiences melding into one. Loyola is a place where you can be your unique self.”

It might be a cliche to say that college is the time when you discover yourself, but it certainly is true and Loyola delivers on that opportunity through its love of self-expression, its passion for seeking truth, and its commitment to others. The age of a college student aligns with their development and maturation and it is no accident that being enrolled at the right college drives one toward actualization of potential and manifestation of a fuller, more informed self.

We are all connected – this is a sentiment that shines through for all of us on Loyola’s campus. We seek to find God everywhere, and God is everywhere. When this is one’s world view, it’s hard to break up experience into disparate parts. And, so a Loyola education IS a whole person education. It is valuable in dozens of financial and structural ways; and it is valuable in intrinsic and meaningful ones, too.

God calls us to live full lives and to develop all of our talents. I think you will find that Loyola University New Orleans provides an uncommon experience, a foundation for growth and success. We are creative and distinctive. We are a restful and contemplative place with robust academics. We challenge and inspire; we delight and entertain. Our students and graduates are stars in their fields, and, even more important than that, they are A+ people as well.

Loyola is such a very special place.

I’m sure you will agree.

I hope you have had a chance to read part one of my three-part effort to describe some of the things that make Loyola University New Orleans both great and distinctive. Here is the first issue.

In this post, I would like to focus on our extraordinary academics and the experiences borne of them, again, with the help of my wonderful and insightful colleagues.

A theme that is emerging in our discourse is the benefit of small class sizes. Larger schools are often cramming 200, 300, 500 students into one class at a time. Can you imagine having the chance to speak one-on-one with your professor in such a circumstance? I can’t. But consistently having classes of 15, 20, 25 students? That’s an ideal environment, and it is one that creates outstanding value for students, especially since the classes are always taught by professors – not graduate students, or teaching assistants (be sure to ask exactly who teaches the courses when you visit a campus!). This condition also has created an environment where joint faculty and student research can thrive, and, this has really taken off on the campus, especially in the biological sciences. Something as simple as dropping in during office hours is an easier proposition when the student-faculty ratio is excellent. Our faculty-student advising is top notch, and it is one of the items most praised in our annual student satisfaction inventories.

Our dean of undergraduate admissions, Keith Gramling, believes that our class sizes, commitment to diversity, commitment to the development of critical thinking and communication skills really put us over the top. I think he is right, as we teach not only information but life-long skills that allow one to adapt to any circumstance (in life, in the economy, and so on). This focus – which is at the cornerstone of academic rigor – serves our students very well.

Keith also noted that Loyola strengths include our focus on interdisciplinary study, and this also resides nicely within the Jesuit tradition. Again, the experience here is not just about specialization, but a liberal arts education that opens one up to the world – and in so many ways. Life is not lived within the thin confines of one’s academic major. Our common curriculum and overall academic experience breakdown the walls of traditional disciplines and allow students (staff and faculty, too) the chance to expand their horizons.

We also provide incredible international experiences, along with bringing recruiting many international students to campus. One of my colleagues reminded me that for international students, especially those coming from Latin America, New Orleans is a great location – both in terms of ease of access and culturally.  For her, it was a very easy transition coming from a Latin country to New Orleans.

Regarding our College of Music and Fine Arts, Mary Petro, admissions counselor, writes this sterling piece about the College she works with most:

“What is so special about Loyola and our College of Music and Fine Arts is that the institution is incredibly integrated into the community.  Our faculty, staff, and students, alike, are deeply involved in the artistic realm of New Orleans.  Any given night of the week, you can find members of the Loyola community performing in local music venues throughout the city.  We pride ourselves in the dedicated artistic involvement of our affiliates, as it not only upholds the high caliber of musicianship that we cultivate in the classroom, but also creates new and exciting networking opportunities for our rising professionals.  The art of performance is an inimitable learning experience, and Loyola University New Orleans insures that each student will have consistent exposure to and ample experience in artistic presentation in the public realm.”

This notion of engaging the city is at the heart of Ignatian and Jesuit instruction and learning. And, wow, do we have a great city to engage, a social laboratory that is evolving in fast order. In that spirit, here is this insight from John Hails, admissions counselor: “[At Loyola], you have the value placed on diversity of thought coming from the Jesuit tradition and the value placed on cultural diversity coming from the city of New Orleans.” Similarly, Michael Decker, associate director of admissions and resident of San Diego, weighs in: “The two things I would love to share that I hear from my west coast students is New Orleans is an amazing city with true southern hospitality and the on campus experience gives a student all the support they need to grow as a person.”

In this post and others like it you can see how it is hard to separate any one of these themes from another – our location, inclusiveness and diversity, academics that transcend ordinary boundaries, consistent care and assistance offered to students, and an appreciation for whole person education.

We do so very much here at Loyola, and we do it very well.

See you soon for part three!

What a great week this is for New Orleans!

If you have turned on the television, odds are you have seen our city showcased on the news, Sportscenter, the NFL network, and so on. It is so much fun to be part of the city hosting a Super Bowl; and this is our record-tying tenth time. The city looks amazing, especially downtown, the French Quarter, and Uptown, which is where Loyola is, about 4 miles from the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

As we consider the great universities of this country, how many of them benefit so profoundly from their locations? How many of them are so lucky to be positioned in such a culturally rich, creative, festive, and soulful city as this one? Not many, I suspect. So, we at Loyola University New Orleans feel incredibly blessed to have this location, right in the middle of America’s most distinctive city.

I loved what Jabari Greer, NFL cornerback and occasional newspaper columnist, wrote about New Orleans in this piece for the Times Picayune. You can read it here, but don’t do what I did and read it on an empty stomach. At least I have near-immediate access to the food he is telling us about. You, living perhaps in a place a few hundred miles away or more, have to wait to partake.

As a New Orleans native, I love hearing the media talk of New Orleans as being as important to this game this week as the teams are. That’s quite a compliment and, certainly, this is how we see your Loyola education unfolding. New Orleans and your experience here are inextricably linked. They cannot be separated. We have the best food, music, culture, great employment opportunities, burgeoning technology and film industries (we’ve been called Silicon South and Hollywood South, respectively), and great park spaces to study, learn, and refresh your mind and spirit.

There is a growing intellectual tradition borne from this city’s identity. The Center for the Study of New Orleans, housed right here at Loyola, offers an example of this nexus – city and school – you select when you choose to be a part of our community.

I invite you to learn more about Loyola and New Orleans, two partners indelibly bound in these extraordinary times.

The public square is rife with debates about college these days. At Loyola, we welcome those discussions because we think what we offer is unique, purposeful, and excellent in the pantheon in American higher education. In the spirit of revealing the significant advantages of coming to Loyola, I’ve decided to write a three part series for this blog. Here is the first installment.

Some have questioned the value of college at all in these debates; and have said it is not worth the investment. Respectfully, I would contend that college remains an outstanding investment, especially if average loan debt is reasonable and the university works to make its education affordable, as we do at Loyola. Income potential more than doubles when one achieves a degree; one learns in college important life skills that help them carve out opportunities over a lifetime; one learns of oneself. So, the correct question is not so much college or no college? Rather, we should be asking: which college?

And I am very comfortable saying to you that Loyola is the college undergraduates should be giving very serious consideration. I’ve been talking about value and the advantages of Loyola to many of my colleagues and our students over the last few weeks and what started as a small project has blossomed into a springtime of stories, ideas, and obvious and significant advantages a potential Loyola student can expect to enjoy. I have included some of these insights here.

One of our students, J.A. Cunningham, kicks things off: “As a senior, I look back on my past four years and cannot think of a better place to have gone to college.  Loyola’s diverse community provides innumerable opportunities to challenge oneself for personal growth and to experience a city quite unlike any other.  Also, although we all come from different backgrounds, each person has a place here and we come together as one Loyola.”

In a meeting recently, Fr. Ted Dziak, our vice president for mission and ministry, was speaking encouragingly about the growth in spirituality among our new and prospective students. We have seen an increase in participation at retreats and in community service, he told us. I found Fr. Ted’s comments inspiring, especially when he said that one of Loyola’s values is that we assist students – all of our community members, really – in their search for meaning. We dare ask questions of faith and truth, both in and out of the classroom. There are not a lot of schools that have the freedom to do that, so we feel very fortunate to have this at the core of what we are and what we do.

Similarly, Lisa Alexander, enrollment management associate, had this reflection: “To grow as an individual under the mission of Loyola University New Orleans where Jesuits and Catholic leaders welcome their students to lead meaningful lives with and for others, to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue, and to work for a more just world. And, to find God in all things. Priceless…. ”

Dr. Cissy Petty, our vice president for student affairs, along with her team, has done a lot of work with integrating our mission into your experience outside the classroom. In this spirit of student life, I loved what Davina Hatton, who greets our guests when they arrive to Thomas Hall, had to say in these special insights:

“Sitting downstairs, I hear the Ambassadors tell visitors what they love most about Loyola, and two things definitely stand out: Loyola’s size and Loyola’s diversity. Students love the small class sizes, our faculty-student ratio, the personal, one-on-one attention they get. They love that they know everyone on campus and that everyone knows them. It is very much like a family. Loyola boasts an incredibly diverse study body, and all of the students I encounter are quite proud of that fact and eagerly share it with our guests.

From my own experience, I never regretted the decision to live off-campus during college until I came to work at Loyola. There is such an amazing campus life here that I realize now that I did miss out on something special. I strongly recommend that prospective students live on campus even if they live close enough to commute, if they can afford it.

Finally, I love New Orleans and I love Uptown, which is arguably the most beautiful part of the city. For people who want to experience New Orleans, this is absolutely the best place to do it.”

I really liked what Michael Barrera, financial aid counselor, had to say about this notion of value: “The value of a Loyola degree is the chance to join a community where your voice will be heard on Day One. You may not always agree with the various views, but you will have the chance to participate in a meaningful dialogue. Being part of a smaller school means that you will have the opportunity to make a bigger impact quickly. At Loyola you will join a community that values your opinions and talents. Loyola will instill in you the importance of cultivating your unique skill set in a way that contributes to a shared common goal. And these are experiences and lessons that will enhance your ability to succeed in your professional endeavors and wherever your life takes you.”

See you soon for part 2!

First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family have a wonderful and joyous holiday. This is a great time of the year and I always use it to reflect on what has been and what has the potential to be.

Obviously, our nation – the whole world is, really – is grieving over what happened last week in Connecticut. I would say that prayer, reflection, and love are the only things I can think of to help all of us make sense of our world at times. My prayer is that love finds its way into every heart. Peace on Earth is a very real hope of mine, and, I’m sure, billions of others. These, to me, are the finest gifts and promises of Christmas.

Last week, I happened upon this very thoughtful piece about Jesuit education at a website called The High School Graduate, and I wanted to share some excerpts with you. As you know, Loyola is a Catholic and Jesuit university, one of 28 in the U.S. This is an editorial authored by George C. O’Loughlin, who is the Manager of Information Services for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Enjoy and we’ll see you in the new year:

What Sets a Jesuit Education Apart?

With over 4,200 colleges and universities in the United States today, students planning to pursue a degree in higher education may face a difficult decision in finding the right school to fit their needs. Prospective students need to choose a school that gives them the experience and education necessary to be successful and lead fulfilling lives. With a tight job market and more and more people going to college than ever before, students must consider their options and decide what school will set them apart in the end.

For over 450 years, Jesuit education has been a model of academic excellence. Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world have managed to attract and nurture some of the best and brightest students and are committed to their mission of educating the whole person — intellectually, spiritually, socially. With 28 schools in 19 different states there is a Jesuit college and university that can meet every student’s needs.

Jesuit colleges and universities emphasize the importance of rigorous academic study and spiritual growth and have strong programs in liberal and professional studies committed to service. Jesuit colleges and universities prepare graduates to lead successful lives. For example, numerous political leaders who have graduated from a Jesuit college or university. In the 109th Congress alone, 47 members graduated from a Jesuit college or university. There are six alumni in the U.S. Senate and 41 alumni in the House of Representatives. Out of these 47 alumni, 30 received graduate or professional degrees from Jesuit Universities. Georgetown University, the first Catholic college in the U.S. (est. 1789), boasts the most graduates, with 21 alumni currently in the U.S. Congress. Jesuit graduates include former President Bill Clinton (Georgetown University) and 2004 Presidential candidate John Kerry (Boston College).

The Jesuit Community

Many prospective students and their parents have concerns about going away to school even if it doesn’t necessarily mean going too far. Parents and students want to know someone will help them in a time of need and want to know that they are being looked after and cared for. A college campus becomes a second home for students, and faculty, staff and peers become one’s extended family while in school.

Students at a Jesuit college or university not only become a member of their Jesuit campus community, but of the nation/world-wide Jesuit community as well. The nation-wide community includes nearly 200,000 enrolled students, 19,000 faculty members, and roughly 1.6 million living alumni.

International Initiatives and Jesuit Collaboration

In keeping with the Jesuit mission to teach social responsibility, Jesuit colleges and universities encourage students to take part in activities that foster the development of an open mind and heart in the service of others. Through study abroad and faculty exchange programs available on five continents, immersion trips that combine intense intercultural exchanges with spiritual reflection, and a wide variety of domestic and international service opportunities, students develop a better understanding of the world around them.

Some examples of highly successful immersion programs include the undergraduate immersion/study abroad program in Beijing, China, as well as the Casa de la Solidaridad immersion program in El Salvador. Through these international efforts, students and faculty members develop a better understanding of their surroundings, which ultimately leads to a fuller life, and a richer education.

While each Jesuit institution is separately chartered and legally autonomous under its own board of trustees, many collaborative efforts exist between the schools. One such collaboration that has been growing since its creation in 1999 is the Jesuit Distance Education Network (JesuitNET). Through JesuitNET, students take courses online, which allows students to take advantage of the strengths and course offerings of their sister institutions, as well as foster an exchange between the institutions, which also builds nation-wide relationships. Currently, there are over 300 online courses available for Jesuit students through JesuitNET.

With so little space, it is impossible to mention the individual strengths of our institutions, so we hope you take the time to look over the many academic, service and international programs available at our 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. Jesuit colleges and universities are committed to their mission of educating the whole person and helping students realize their full potential. We hope to see you soon on one of our campuses.