Dear Loyola,
On Monday, most of us head into the classrooms again, another beginning to the semester. I cannot wait to see you all in person – to give you a (virtual, masked) hug and to find out how the hurricane affected you.
I must admit, there have been moments during these last tough weeks when I have felt pretty tired, as I imagine you all do. For years now, we have been buffeted by a global pandemic, enormous forest fires, too many hurricanes to count and terrible political division. It is enough to make us feel powerless, tempted to climb deeper into our own bubbles. It is enough to persuade millions of Americans to leave their current jobs in search of greater meaning.
But as the sun shines on our campus again, I have been reminded that what we do here gives us real power. What we do at Loyola matters.
Students, we need you to learn everything you can from our brilliant faculty, to sharpen your skills to go solve the problems of the world. We need you to be the scientists who will help us stem the impact of climate change and the business leaders who lead the economy towards resilience. We need you to design better health care systems, legal structures and societal institutions. And (in one of the great strengths of Loyola), we need you to create the writing, music and art that will inspire human empathy, that will bridge the gaping chasms in our political discourse.
Come back, safely and soon. We have work to do.
Prayers and blessings,
Tania Tetlow
President
