Loyola University Chicago

Dear Members of the Class of 2011 and New Transfer Students:

I know many people have welcomed you to Loyola but I want to expend my personal welcome in the name of all of us here at Loyola. I trust that you were able to detect the enthusiasm for your arrival from groups like your Discover Loyola leaders and the upper-class students who volunteered to help you move in. As you can see, the campus is ready for you to settle in and begin your academic program.

All around you, you'll notice that buildings are under construction. Our renovation and new building program may cause some personal inconvenience at times, but I hope you are patient with us as we build better facilities and a more comfortable learning environment. Projects like the new School of Communications in The Clare at Water Tower campus, the new Information Commons (Library) at Lakeshore, the new turf and track on Loyola Avenue, the renovated Madonna Della Strada Chapel, and the renovations in Mundelein Center which will bring us new classrooms and performing arts facilities will be completed, or near completion, within this academic year. These projects will directly impact you this first year. More projects are planned.

My hope for you is that you begin to feel at home very soon. Be safe. Campus Security is composed of a professional group of men and women who protect our campuses and watch out for our security. They are very approachable.

Become fully engaged, especially in your classes. Take advantage of the services that are available, especially academic advising services. The faculty and staff are very approachable. While it may be a bit intimidating at first, you will find that taking advantage of a faculty member's offer to assist you is something about which they are quite sincere.

I'd encourage you to think about joining a student organization. (There are over 150 clubs on campus.) The new student government and Office of Student Affairs will be sponsoring a student organization fair on Wednesday, 29 August, in order to solicit your involvement and contributions. Similarly, you will soon learn that Campus Ministry is also a place for you to get involved. The programs in student affairs and campus ministry are some of the best in the country.

We are a community here at Loyola. You'll make many new friends. You'll face the freedom and the challenge of more independence and so will need to assess how you will balance all the possible things you could be doing with the things—like coursework—you must do. Many of you work, adding yet another set of pressures to your semester and year. My opinion is that the real challenge of the year will be learning how to manage the constraints on your time. We already know you have the talent to succeed.

I look forward to seeing you at the First-Year Convocation, at 4:00 p.m., Friday, August 24, at the Gentile Center. There, you will hear an inspiring talk and be formally welcomed. It will also be an opportunity for you to meet the students, staff and faculty who have come to welcome you to campus.

Sincerely,
Father Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.