Dean Transition at Arrupe College

November 20, 2019

Dear Loyola Community,

We write to share the news that Fr. Steve Katsouros, S.J., the founding dean and executive director of Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago, has announced his reassignment by the Society of Jesus to develop a nationwide network of post-secondary schools based on the innovative Arrupe College model. Fr. Katsouros will serve as dean until August 2020, through the fourth Commencement of Arrupe College.

In 2014, Fr. Katsouros came to Loyola to start Arrupe College, a two-year school designed to provide a Jesuit liberal-arts education to low-income students who would graduate with minimal debt. Fr. Katsouros led the creation of an innovative program that has become a national model of quality higher education for students who might otherwise not have access. His vision, energy, and outreach have modeled for Arrupe students—and indeed all of us—the human qualities, the drive, and resilience that make the seemingly impossible possible.

Student outcomes at Arrupe are substantive and inspiring. While only 13 percent of community college students nationally earn an associate’s degree in two years, 51 percent of Arrupe students have done so. Nearly 90 percent of on-time Arrupe graduates have matriculated to a four-year program, and 49 percent of these students earned their bachelor’s degrees in four years. Nationally, an average of 27 percent of comparable students complete bachelor’s degrees in six years. Thanks to Fr. Katsouros, his colleagues, and the supportive relationships they have helped to build within and outside the University, Arrupe quickly became a part of our University fabric and culture.

In the coming days, the University will announce membership of a search committee that includes faculty, staff, and students who will work with leadership to conduct the search for the next dean of Arrupe College. We are confident that we will recruit a new dean with the passion and expertise needed to capitalize on the momentum of Arrupe College, working with faculty, staff, and students to take the college to its next level of quality and success.

We are deeply grateful to Fr. Katsouros for his pioneering work at Loyola and for the many ways Arrupe College has made Loyola a stronger university. We are pleased that he will continue this greatly needed work by collaborating with Catholic universities across the country to expand this model on a national scale.

Fr. Katsouros has asked to share his own personal message announcing his transition to his new Jesuit assignment. We will share details of events celebrating Fr. Katsouros and Arrupe in the coming months. In the meantime, please join us in wishing Fr. Katsouros much success in his new and important mission.

Sincerely,

Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD
President

Margaret Faut Callahan, CRNA, PhD, FNAP, FAAN
Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Innovation