Farewell and Thank You to President Jo Ann Rooney

September 23, 2022

Dear Members of the Loyola Community, 

The presidency of Dr. Jo Ann Rooney has seen the continued evolution and deepening of Loyola University Chicago’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and increasing diversity in its faculty and student body. As we say farewell and thank you to Dr. Rooney, we celebrate with gratitude the service of Loyola’s first lay leader and its first woman president. 

I am pleased to announce that Mundelein Auditorium will be renamed Jo Ann Rooney Hall to commemorate Loyola’s achievements under Dr. Rooney’s historic presidency. We were drawn to the Mundelein Center because of its connection to Mundelein College, the last private, independent, Roman Catholic women’s college in Illinois. The Auditorium is the space where the community comes together to mark important achievements, rituals, and milestones. It is fitting that the space where the Loyola community first met Dr. Rooney in 2016 will honor her legacy of service and leadership for future generations of students.  

At our recent meeting, Loyola’s Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to recognize and express our community’s deep appreciation for her service. The resolution notes Dr. Rooney’s leadership in creating new programs, increasing faculty and staff diversity, fostering a more inclusive community, and fundraising and fiscal stewardship that have left the University in the strongest position in its history, poised to invest in shaping extraordinary lives and communities of the future. 

All of us who love Loyola University Chicago have much to be grateful for in the leadership of Jo Ann Rooney. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Sincerely, 

 

Susan S. Sher (JD ’74)