I’m excited.

On Saturday, November 14, we are hosting our annual Jazz Brunch Open House for prospective students and their families. I suppose we could just have an open house, but this is New Orleans and Loyola we are talking about - our guests deserve the best we can offer! So, ours includes a jazz brunch, outstanding music from our students and faculty, and a litany of opportunities to learn more about our creative and dynamic professors, our brilliant and convivial students, and the many others who comprise the Loyola community, a team passionate about each student’s success.

You can learn more about our Jazz Brunch Open House and RSVP to it here.

I hope to see you in beautiful uptown New Orleans on November 14!

I think it’s very easy to be short-sighted with many of our investments. The housing market has been crushed in recent memory, the stock market has been up of late but it’s taken months for folks to come back to it after getting hammered in 2007 and 2008 and - who knows - another correction could be right around the corner. Given these disappointments, all of us are a bit sheepish about our investments, and we probably should be.

This reality tends to spill over into people’s thoughts about higher education. As families take a look at colleges this fall they are often reminding themselves of considerations of cost as they tour residence halls, classrooms, student centers, libraries, and - in our case - chapels, museums, service centers, and as they stare up at statues of Jesus or St. Ignatius (perhaps in prayer for guidance).

I am biased on the subject of Catholic, Jesuit education, having attended a Jesuit high school and twice - once for my undergraduate degree and once for my Master’s - a Jesuit university. I just think we provide the best possible education because our approach is not just to teach skills that are useful in next year’s economy. We teach the vital skills, values, philosophies that are essential in any economy. What I learned twenty years ago in college I will use twenty years from now. I will impart these lessons to my daughter and she will be equipped with more that the average person because my education was more than the average person’s. My parents were not short-sighted when they made the investment in my Jesuit education, and I am now filled with a lifetime’s worth of gratitude for that.

I’ve written several blogs about the value of a Jesuit education, and the value, specifically, of what we offer here at Loyola. I hope you’ll find these entries helpful as you decide how to invest in your future:

• Another Article About the Economy
• Education as Investment
• Value..and Values

I’m excited.

On Saturday, November 14, we are hosting our annual Jazz Brunch Open House for prospective students and their families. I suppose we could just have an open house, but this is New Orleans and Loyola we are talking about - our guests deserve the best we can offer! So, ours includes a jazz brunch, outstanding music from our students and faculty, and a litany of opportunities to learn more about our creative and dynamic professors, our brilliant and convivial students, and the many others who comprise the Loyola community, a team passionate about each student’s success.

You can learn more about our Jazz Brunch Open House and RSVP to it here.

I hope to see you in beautiful uptown New Orleans on November 14!

Thursday, September 17 is Constitution Day and I am excited to bring that news to you.

Cathy Simoneaux in financial aid has a great web page to help you learn more about Constitution Day.

Roger White, one of our leading professors in political science, is hosting a forum on civic engagement in honor of Constitution Day. This program is redolent of the Peace Conference he helped host - with the aid of many students - last semester.

The American Constitution is, of course, the cornerstone of all our rights and freedoms, from disagreeing with your brother on who the best candidate for president is to our abilities to vote and receive fair due process. Worldwide, our Constitution has set the stage for an ever-widening participation in government and an ever-evolving democracy.

Democracy - far from perfect - was perhaps best summarized by Winston Churchill:

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

You can read more about Constitution Day and the signing of the United States Constitution here.

In the spirit of Twitter, I thought I’d write a quick account of some recent thoughts I’ve had while in and about Loyola and New Orleans. So, here’s a series of micro-blogs:

1. “Loyola opens doors.” My assistant, Erin Sutherland, came into my office the other day and said that I should blog about how Loyola opens doors. I said, “Ok.” And she said, “No, literally. I was in the Danna Center and I overheard a new student say that she could not believe how polite people are here-that they’ll go out of their way to hold a door open for you.” Erin and that student are correct; it’s amazing how courteous people are here.

2. Weather. It’s kinda hot today - drink your fluids if you are local. I’m not going to lie: summer is pretty brutal around here, but there is a transition in September and, as we ease into fall, we are generally treated to about 9 months of great weather (check out these averages, courtesy of weather.com). Incidentally, this stretch roughly coincides with the academic year. I’ll take it!

3. Parents. Mine are amazing - kind, considerate, supportive, brilliant, creative, dynamic, patient, wise - and so are the many parents who send these students to Loyola each year. The start of a new academic year has me reflecting fondly on all the things parents do for their kids to help them succeed and we are blessed to have the support of many thousands of families each year. Thank you.

4. It’s time to apply to college. If you are a prospective student, it’s time to start filling out your application for admissions. Do the forms and begin sending along your academic records. We’re going to be reading them soon! Also, schedule a visit soon. If you have not been here yet or even if you have, we’d love to have you and your family on campus!

5. I love being in the Superdome. I grew up there - so it seems. Last Sunday, as I enjoyed the Saints 45-27 victory over the Lions while sitting next to my brother, I found myself reflecting on that building and what it means to all of us who call New Orleans home. Yes, it was a piece of the symbol of the failure of government after Katrina, but it’s been a part of the New Orleans skyline for 34 years. It’s been associated with more good than bad by 1000 times over. It’s a beautiful arena; worth a visit if you have the time to catch a game.