Dear Loyola community,
Last week was the perfect showcase of everything that makes Loyola University New Orleans special. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who had a hand in it. This was a moment for our institution to shine, and you made the most of it.
The Loyola week events were meaningful, engaging, and so much fun! I cannot wait for next year’s faculty/student basketball game. It is easily one of my favorite Loyno traditions that I’ve encountered since I started in June. This year’s focus on cura personalis is very timely as we are grappling with disturbing world events. We must remember to take care of ourselves and to treat one another with respect at all times.
I am exceptionally grateful for everyone who worked hard to make our campus picture-perfect for all of our events. I saw physical plant employees giving everything a fresh coat of paint, new banners on our campus and on St. Charles Avenue, informative and beautiful directional signage, and many more impactful actions that made our campus shine for all our visitors. I am grateful to our sponsors, CCI Productions and The Tobler Company who also helped beautify our campus ahead of these events. And I am very thankful for Sodexo who generously provided refreshments to all our events, from robing rooms to Colechella, to the reception following the inauguration ceremony.
The music at all of the events was spectacular. The talents of our students and faculty in the College of Music and Media were on full display, to the delight of all who heard them. I am also grateful to Ken Weber, associate director of student life and ministry, who composed an original Responsorial Psalm for my Missioning Mass.
Additional individuals who I would like to recognize are Alicia Bourque for so excellently chairing the inauguration committee, Laurie Leiva and Angela Turnbull for their tireless work attending to a million small details, and Desirée Rodriguez for masterfully meeting the needs of our many out of town guests.
Ultimately I would like to thank each and every one of the faculty, staff and students who had a hand in making last week come to life. I know that many of you spent time planning for contingencies that didn’t even come to pass. Some of you laid the groundwork for our events months ago and others of you joined into the effort in the past week to help make our celebrations run smoothly. A small army of you worked to make sure our campus, people in the New Orleans area and beyond knew about this special week. It was truly a collaborative effort and I cannot be more proud to be part of this extraordinary community that can pull together in such a vibrant and meaningful way to celebrate a milestone in Loyola’s history.
This is a moment we all share in, and I am glad that you were by my side every step of the way. I look forward to everything else we can accomplish together.
With gratitude,
Dr. Xavier Cole
President
