April 17, 2024

Registration for summer and fall classes begins this week! This is an opportune moment to connect with your student about their plans for this semester and their time at Loyola; are they prepared to choose classes? Does their current major or plan of study align with their goals?

The Office of Advising & Coaching is here to assist them. You can use this link to find who their Advisor-Coach is, and your student can drop by during walk-in hours (M-Th, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 – 4:30 p.m.).

Summer Session can help your student catch up, get ahead, or check off a Loyola Core requirement before returning in the fall. With multiple start dates, many online options, and sessions ranging in length from 2–14 weeks, the Summer Session is flexible so your student can stay engaged without disrupting summer plans.

Encourage your student to explore summer courses available in the Course Catalog on LORA Self-Service and talk to their advisor about the best options for their plan of study. For individual questions and support, please email summer@loyno.edu. 

Your student may qualify for an additional academic resource on campus. As summer approaches, we want to remind you that TRIO is here to help! TRIO Student Support Services is a grant-funded academic program that will provide holistic support to students, and keep them motivated towards completing their bachelors degree. 

In order to qualify, students must meet one of the following criteria: first generation college student, Pell-eligible, and/or receive accommodations from the Office for Accessible Education. Here are some of the services provided by TRIO:

Your student can apply for TRIO today!

Questions? Reach out to Monica Curtis, TRIO Director at triosss@loyno.edu. 

In order to provide your student with the maximum financial support, they need to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible. Send your FAFSA to Loyola by using our Federal School Code: 002016. Don't forget that we will be sending out financial aid packages a little later than usual this year due to changes to the 2024-25 FAFSA affecting all colleges and universities. Loyola’s Office of Financial Aid is here to support you. Please reach out to our office by calling 504-865-3231, emailing us at finaid@loyno.edu, or scheduling an appointment.

The Loyola Center for Counseling and Education (LCCE) is the university's 2024 GiveNOLA Day campaign-sponsored project. GiveNOLA Day is on Tuesday, May 7.

The goal of this 24-hour event hosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation is to inspire people to give generously to nonprofits, making our region stronger and creating a thriving community for all. Learn more at givenola.org/LCCE.

On Loyola Loyal Day, 1,055 donors came together to far surpass our goal of 900 donors. Your generosity unlocked a challenge gift of $300,000, bringing the total raised during Loyola Loyal Day to $410,340! We succeeded together because of your support. Once again, you have shown what it means to be Loyola Loyal, and we THANK YOU!

A Message from University Chaplain Thomas Ryan, Ph.D.

What qualifies me to teach Bible courses to Loyola graduate students is my “terminal degree,” my PhD in Theology. Oddly enough, the word “degree” shares a Latin root with the word “graduation.” Both derive, at least in part, from gradus or “step.” “Graduation” and “degree” imply not an ending but another step along the way. What I don’t like about the pairing of “terminal” and “degree” is that it implies completion, as if there were no more steps to take. 

Yet, to be human is to be unfinished, to be always taking new steps. Hopefully, to be a Loyola graduate is to be aware of our incompleteness, and the opportunity, not failure, it implies. 

Ignatian spirituality supplies the spiritual foundation for Jesuit education and is well aware of our incompleteness. Magis, a key Ignatian theme meaning “more,” urges us always to strive for the more because we are unfinished. The Ignatian phrase AMDG (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, “to the greater glory of God”) implies that Jesuits and their students don’t strive for God’s greatest glory (because that would imply completion) but for God’s ever greater glory.

I salute our graduates as they celebrate a beginning, not an ending this year. May they continue to take ever more effective steps in support of their own flourishing and that of all people and all creation. 

Here's a roundup of the latest news from Loyola Wolf Pack Athletics. 

The Loyola baseball won its 30th game on Tuesday, April 9, which makes it four straight seasons of reaching that mark. It's also the fastest the team has reached 30 wins during the Wolf Pack Athletics new era (1991-present). The regular season is coming down to the wire with the Wolf Pack squarely in the SSAC title hunt. Keep up with the Pack.

The Loyola men's and women's golf teams won the Wolf Pack Spring Invitational on April 8-9. It was the women's team's third team win of the spring, while the men captured their first team win in two years. 

Spring is an especially busy time of year for Loyola’s School of Music & Theatre Professions, as students gain real professional experience working behind the scenes and on the stage at world-renowned festivals like French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest. Meet two of Loyola’s talented music students graduating this year! 

“I chose Loyola for the fantastic music professors that we have—I have been so blessed to start working with my current voice teacher before college, so coming to Loyola felt like the right step for me. Loyola has helped me prepare for the music industry by providing me with active experience both in classes like our Opera Workshop and at gigs around the city like Opera on Tap and the New Orleans Opera Association.”

Graduating in May, B will be attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for graduate studies starting this fall. B offers some advice for the next class of incoming music students:  

“Something I’d encourage other music students at Loyola to do is be confident in creative choices. My senior recital is coming up on April 30th in Roussel Hall, and I’ve designed so much of this recital to be different than a traditional voice recital. I’m letting my creative vision take my repertoire to a grander level of performance—this also means I get to sing and collaborate with students and teachers on my recital.”

“This university has been incredibly beneficial in and outside of the classroom because of the people. The students and faculty have always pushed me to be better in every way. My standards have always been high, but being surrounded by people who share the same sentiments has truly made it worthwhile.” 

During his tenure at Loyola, Zac has had the opportunity to work with musical legends like Saxophone Instructor Wess Anderson, while also gaining professional experience within New Orleans—a city known globally for its musical scene. 

“The best tips I have for anyone continuing the legacy that is Loyola would be to trust the process. It’s not about motivation, it’s about consistency. Do what you need to do to improve yourself from where you were yesterday. Excellence isn’t bought, it’s leased, and rent is due every day.” 

Loyola also hosts a busy lineup of performances around campus. Check the Loyola Presents website to find out how you can support our talented student musicians.

HOWL! Loyola welcomed prospective students and families to campus for preview days in the spring—giving them a taste of campus life and academics.

Loyola sponsored the Esplanade in the Shade Stage at French Quarter Festival over the weekend, giving students an opportunity to perform for packed crowds. 

It's almost time! We can't wait to see Loyola families and supporters at Commencement.