Thank You, Loyola Faculty and Staff

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Coming off a beautiful week of celebration when our community came together to mark Commencement 2022 as well as to honor in person the Classes of 2021 and 2020, I am filled with gratitude for the talent, commitment, and dedication of so many across our community who care for our students and further our University’s vital Jesuit mission for Chicago and the world.

After two years of virtual ceremonies and celebration, simply being together in person was powerful. I am immensely grateful to the hundreds of administrators, staff, faculty, and students, who choreographed complicated programs, technology, and logistics for graduates and their loved ones.  It was particularly satisfying to honor graduates from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 with in-person events and photo opportunities during Celebration Weekend, since the pandemic deprived them of those opportunities earlier. Between all the events, we feted more than 7,000 Loyola graduates and welcomed their families and friends.

As I said in my Commencement remarks, our coming together in this way is a collective act of love and optimism.  We came together to mark a milestone in students’ lives and affirmed our worldwide community’s commitment to the values of Jesuit education, deeper understanding, and a greater justice that can only be achieved through education.

I want to express my deep appreciation for this community and the way it cares and comes together to advance the work as well as to lift and celebrate our students.   One could feel on the sun-drenched Quads a palpable excitement about the future of our graduates and the future of our University as we look to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.  My deepest thanks to all who helped make a memorable graduation experience for our students and loved ones in this very special graduation year. Thank you for your patience, kindness, creativity, compassion, and talent. Thank you to our entire community for everything you do every day to prepare Loyola students for their remarkable lives.

Sincerely,

Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD

President