Welcoming Loyola's New President
At a May 3, 2022 campus event Loyola’s 24th President, Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, welcomed Dr. Mark Reed as Loyola University Chicago’s 25th President.
Thank you. I am very pleased to see so many colleagues here today to welcome Dr. Mark Reed as Loyola Chicago’s next president. Your presence here, reaffirms what we all know and about this Loyola community. There is a deep commitment and passion among faculty, staff, and students to the work of our Jesuit, Catholic mission. Most importantly, there is strong community engagement and excitement about the future of Loyola University Chicago and the opportunities that lie ahead.
This is a special day for Loyola. The choice of Dr. Reed as the 25th president, his history of leadership and passion for education, is directly aligned with all the university desires for its future. I could not be more pleased to have such a great new leader for Loyola.
I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Mark Reed for a number of years. I have always found him to be a collaborative leader, an active listener, a coalition-builder, and a strategic thinker who recognizes that progress occurs when we come together in community united by a shared sense of mission and values. He always asks thoughtful, probing questions and is not reluctant to engage in difficult but necessary discussions. He has a deep passion for education, and keeps the needs of the students at the forefront of his work. Spend time with Mark and you will quickly learn that he finds a way to draw out the best from his colleagues and with everyone with whom he engages.
In addition to serving on numerous other educational boards, Mark currently serves as Chair of the Council of Presidents for the Atlantic 10 Conference – which we will formally join in July – and was a strong supporter of adding our Ramblers to the conference. He recognizes that building strong external relationships is a critical piece of a president’s job, and he has a history of success in this area.
You have already heard about Mark’s lifelong immersion in Jesuit education and his deep commitment to its transformational impact. He is intensely and deliberately student-focused, understanding that the growth, well-being, learning and formation of each student, are the reasons we exist as universities. He appreciates the dynamic tension between cura apostolica (care for the work) and cura personalis, care for the whole person. Both are evident in his planning and decision-making and the way he engages with students and colleagues.
I am so excited about the future of Loyola University Chicago and how this community has grown in its confidence and belief that anything is possible and that it is our collective calling to embrace the audacious yet achievable goals that lead to long lasting transformative change in our communities. The possibilities continue to be endless with a renewal of strong leadership.
Thank you for your kind words today, Mark. I could not be more grateful for the time I have been part of this wonderful university, this community, and for the work we have accomplished together. The new strategic plan that emerged from the collaborative work across all of our campuses is already composing the next chapter for Loyola Chicago as it looks towards its next 150 years. Your leadership, your passion and your experience will bring a new dimension and strength, building on what is best about our university.
To our newest Ramblers, Mark, Kate and your family…welcome to Loyola University Chicago.