Loyola University Chicago

Remarks by Reverend Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President, Loyola University Chicago

On the occasion of Faculty Convocation
Sunday, September 16, 2007

I want to begin by thanking the organizers of this first convocation, especially Tim O'Connell and Marian Claffey for their hard work on this event. I also want to thank Gerry McDonald for his words and his leadership of the Faculty Council. Our shared governance system is just a few years old and was modified recently to enhance participation in it by members of the Council and their appointees to the seven policy committees. Everyone is working to ensure that our governance processes are open, transparent, and as inclusive as possible. We also want the best individuals involved so that our decision-making has the benefit of experience and wisdom. I think we are making great strides in that direction.

I also want to welcome Christine Wiseman, our new provost. She has been on the job for only a few months but has already skillfully managed several consultative processes and in a short time here has already grasped our rather complex institution.

And, of course, I want to thank you for coming to this first faculty convocation. We have few opportunities to come together as a University faculty, and working on several campuses means that on any regular work-day about half of the faculty is disadvantaged and would have had difficulty attending a convocation. Thank you for taking some time from the other possible things you could be doing to be here this afternoon.

 
This convocation gives us the opportunity to reflect together on what we as a University are called to be and to consider how we are living up to that call. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we've been and where we are headed as an academic community. Our mission statement stresses that we are a "diverse community seeking God in all things, and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith." We might ask ourselves, then, how well are we able to accomplish this mission? Are there things we could be more intentional about and work harder at? Are there things we ought to attend to in a more careful manner? 

Given our recent past-both the downturn and new growth of the last ten years-we have changed in many ways and will continue to evolve into an institution that is more sharply focused on its mission and goals, and more capable of supporting productive scholarship and the formation of students at all levels of their studies. Because we are healthy from a variety of points of view, we might be tempted to rest on recent accomplishments, but that would be a mistake. Nor would returning to the past, to what some call "the good old days," be particularly fruitful. Where are we headed and where should we be placing our energy and focus?

Our recent history has shaped us in ways that have made us a different institution in some respects than what we were just ten years ago. As I say, by most measures, we are a healthy institution of higher learning, a research institution which takes teaching seriously. Fiscally, we are quite sound. In fact, we are becoming stronger each year, with surpluses that allow us to put money away to pay down debt, invest in new facilities, and expand our programs. Endowment growth has been rapid and continues to improve- we've enjoyed a better-than 50% improvement in endowment in three years, up from a low of 200M to the present 360M. Our reserves have been restored from a low of $20M to $150M.

 
Enrollments have never been stronger. We are now the largest Catholic research institution. We are larger than Boston College, Fordham, Georgetown, Notre Dame, and St. Louis University, the other Catholic institutions classified as Carnegie I Research institutions. Only two Catholic institutions are larger -- St. John's and DePaul; however, they are not research intensive institutions. The Stritch School of Medicine has grown to 540 medical students. The Law School has experienced tremendous growth in the quality of applications and entering class. Nursing is one of several schools at capacity and is becoming more selective due to its application growth. The School of Business has grown to 1,500 students and has decided to grow to 2,000 students, with 1,400 undergraduates. There are now 9,000 full-time undergraduate students. The change in our part-time numbers has been the most dramatic. In 1991, we had 9,700 undergraduates, but about 4,200 of these students were part-time. Today, we have over 9,000 students but only 800 are part-time. This is one indicator of the changed nature of our institution. We are not only larger, but more residential and more academically selective. This is a unique moment in Loyola's history. Only six years ago, we had 1,700 students living in our residence halls and today, there are 3,600 in our halls and another 3,000 in the immediate neighborhood.  

Thanks to- and because of- our enrollments, we are developing better facilities and an improved environment for learning and research. While we have not completely implemented our renovation and building plans, evidence of great progress is all around us. New classrooms in the Mundelein Center will replace the outmoded Damen Hall in two years. New laboratory facilities in the sciences are still coming online, and new library facilities on the lakeshore campus will open in December and be ready for use in January. Additionally, there will be a new and enhanced library facility on the Water Tower Campus as part of the next phase of development which we are about to embark upon. Upgrades in office and classroom spaces are scheduled for all our facilities.

Student services and recreational spaces have either recently been or currently are under construction. The Schools of Law and Business will undergo major renovations and additions to their space downtown following their plans for expansion and improvement of facilities. Additionally, Stritch is planning the construction of a major facility dedicated to research in order to build its capacity for bench-to-bed, translational research in several already-identified key areas of excellence. 

 
All three campuses have capital master development plans that will completely revamp our facilities, upgrading them to be more efficient, attractive, and better suited for our teaching and research responsibilities. Those of you who have been here for some time know the extent of improvements which we are already enjoying.  I am especially grateful to those of you who are often inconvenienced in your efforts to keep your teaching and scholarly duties going. I thank you for your patience with both the time-line and the inconveniences.

The physical manifestations of change and growth around us are not the complete picture of where we are today, nor do they tell the most important story. If anything, they are evidence of a deeper transformation occurring at Loyola. The most compelling indicators of our health are those in the academic life of the institution. New programs have been launched in every school. New Centers of Excellence have been formed to encourage and support interdisciplinary research. New enthusiasm attracting talented colleagues, thanks to growth in revenues and in external support, is bringing new life into many departments. Many of the doctoral programs are undergoing new scrutiny and in most cases, a more focused and a more competitive doctoral program is emerging. Despite the pain of the academic program review process, several departments have emerged with clearer direction for the doctoral program, more focused hiring priorities, and a better sense of how to attract the graduate student most likely to take advantage of faculty talent and interest. These programs are being enriched by a better quality of student as the pool of good-to-excellent student applicants grows. Important characteristics cutting across these areas that signal a vital and healthy institution -- and one that is thoroughly rooted in its Jesuit and Catholic mission -- include the growing internationalization of reach and scope these programs and the growing interest in linking programs with social justice concerns of the day.

 
The incremental changes of the past several years are likely to transform this institution into not simply one of the largest Catholic institutions, and certainly the most complex, but into one of the most diverse.  This includes diversity of student body, academic interest, and opportunity for scholarship and for service. At the same time, we need to become more intentional:  about the way we serve the Chicagoland area, about how we will reach a growing population of under-served minority students, and about how we will tackle the problems faced by society and the Church, as well as other faith communities. We are the institution that does not flinch from stating such goals.

Without enumerating the growing list of ways this is happening in my remarks this afternoon, let me summarize by saying that new programs in each school are making Loyola more attractive and more connected, and in a better position to influence the economic and social issues of the day and the area. New talent is coming to Loyola as we recruit a large number of faculty-replacing those who retire or leave and opening new positions. A number of new Centers of Excellence are being built on the strengths we have as scholars. These interdisciplinary Centers are helping us meet the challenging problems of the society that surrounds us and will advance our academic reputation in the community. They also serve as catalysts for new research endeavors and involve students in the academic enterprise.

To support this thrust, a capital campaign has been outlined and approved by the trustees. It will help us advance these projects by building endowments, supporting programs, and helping us build the infrastructure we need to do our work. That campaign involves an investment of $830M over the next five to seven years. We are seeking $500M from friends and donors, and investing $330M from our own resources. Nearly $200M has been raised to date and $100M has been invested from our own resources.  This includes nearly $60M in endowment to support the academic programs and scholarships.

 
What will keep us healthy as we expand and become more capable of advancing research and scholarship is our commitment to teaching, especially to our undergraduates. Recent work on reform of the core curriculum, realignment of teaching responsibilities, and hiring more faculty are evidence of our continued interest in delivering the best undergraduate program in the city. While interest in research opportunities and a growing concern with research productivity is something we hear about and discuss in our faculty meetings, we need to be mindful that our chief advantage amidst the competition here in Chicago -- with several world-renowned institutions -- is our focus on undergraduate education and the way this research-active faculty is able to offer a superior education to undergraduates. Research is directly related to the quality of the instruction we offer. An active research agenda also models for our students the life-long habits of inquiry and discovery which we want to be characteristic of our graduates.

In the past, Jesuit education often stood for erudition and a capacity for logical thinking and argumentation. Today, it needs to stand for a capacity for life-long habits of inquiry, for a passion for service, and the skills to lead in a manner that is ethically sensitive and principled. That is done best and done well only when the faculty are themselves engaged scholars. I believe we can truly say that Loyola offers the best under-graduate education in the city of Chicago because of the conscientious and scholarly faculty who deliver it. What we do here at Loyola, when we claim to prepare people to lead extraordinary lives, is give all our students the tools they need and the example to be ethical leaders, informed by real-world experience, with a passion for social justice.     

I would like to cite just a few examples in each of these areas:  new programs, new Centers of Excellence, new colleagues, more focused doctoral programs, and better quality of student.

 
New Programs: In the Medical School, we see a renewed interest in using research as a way of bringing better services to patients. The Stritch School of Medicine has also taken the lead in coordinating the efforts of other Jesuit Medical schools in the U.S. to develop minority recruitment strategies, manage international service opportunities, and explore a new venture in assisting the country of Vietnam in improving its medical and nursing education programs.

Nursing has moved into school districts like the Proviso School district and other collar-communities with programs that help young people and families deal with health challenges like allergies and asthma. It has expanded its ABSN program to allow more young men and women with a college degree, and especially those from minority communities, to complete a nursing program in a manageable time period.

Law has expanded its nationally ranked Health Law program, has put more resources into scholarship programs to increase its minority student enrollment, has developed a loan forgiveness program for students going into public law careers, and is increasing its outreach through its Civitas Law Program for children.

Business has recently launched an MBA in Health Care, retained its ranking as a top 20 AACSB accredited part-time MBA program, launched its Center for Risk Management and Corporate Governance, and recently partnered with Xavier Labor Relations Institute, our sister school in Jamshedpur, India.

The Graduate School is about to launch a new degree in public policy and has been in discussions with our health care schools about a program in public health, something that the new VP for Health Sciences, Dr. Paul Whelton, has publicly stated he is interested in.

 
The School of Social Work, at record enrollment levels, has launched several new initiatives including a new track that emphasizes the training of social work leaders and managers.  It is also engaged in several new partnerships, one with the Jesuit University, Iberoamericana, in Mexico. That new research initiative is designed to study the effects of immigration and migration on families. This careful look at the effect of displacement and disruption on the lives of children and families holds enormous potential for improving the way we assist the millions of families who migrate either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Education has seen a focusing of its doctoral programs. Several new faculty with strong research interests are adding to the range of degree programs moving into special education, for example. The new Center for Catholic School Effectiveness has become a national leader, along with Notre Dame and Boston College, and will jointly sponsor with them a series of national meetings on the future of Catholic elementary and secondary education. This effort is a direct response to the request of the American Bishops for assistance to help determine conditions for a vital Catholic schools system in the United States. Education has also launched a program for training faculty in education from Sanata Dharma University, a Jesuit university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The Institute for Pastoral Studies' new masters program in social justice has attracted more students than anticipated. The Institute, along with Law, Social Work, Business and Nursing, is considering the development of a targeted, specialized program at our Rome Center, under new leadership and direction by Emilio Iodice and Susana Cavallo.

Finally, the College of Arts and Sciences has launched new programs and will be launching a new school next year, the School of Communications, which will open at the Water Tower Campus. New majors in the communications area, notably journalism, broadcast and film studies, and advertising necessitated looking at the department of communications as other universities around the country have-as both a cognate field of inquiry and as a professional development school. CAS has also developed new programs in cognitive neurosciences, in the performing arts such as dance, and in several renewed minors.

This new activity takes energy and new talent. The University oriented almost 60 new faculty colleagues just a month ago. Twenty of these were in new positions. The rest are in non-tenure tracks or are replacing retired faculty or faculty who have moved on. New positions are being approved in the College as well as in Business, Social Work, Law and Education. We make efforts to expand deliberately, based on data regarding enrollments and program need. I thank you for your patience, especially if you are in one of the departments that need new faculty due to enrollment growth. Hiring 35 new faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences each year is not a simple job as you all know. The job of the Dean and his staff to manage the entire enterprise can be daunting, especially in the months of February and March when all the efforts of dozens of search committees come together in the hiring process.

To assist in attracting and retaining excellent colleagues, the University launched a process of building the number of endowed chairs and endowed professorships. While there are no hard and fast rules regarding whether these should be to support and retain colleagues already here or to attract new colleagues with significant research agendas, the endowed chairs will in most cases be used to attract new colleagues and the endowed professorships to retain colleagues. The Council of Deans is about to develop a set of policies for how the program will be developed and administered. To date, four new endowed chairs have been established in the College, three have been seeded in Law, and two of those will reach completion in the near future, thanks to several donors. Four professorships have been established to date, two in the College as well as one in Education and one in Communications. During the next three years, the University hopes to establish an additional five endowed chairs in the College, to complete two more in Law, establish at least one in Social Work, and ten in the Stritch School of Medicine. Our hope is also to establish approximately ten more endowed professorships throughout the various schools.
 

A brief word regarding the newly-established Centers of Excellence: These Centers are designed to help stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations and development of the faculty. The Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage (under the direction of Dr. Michael Schuck), the Center for the Rights of Children (under the direction of Dr. James Garbarino), and the new Center for Urban Environmental Research and Programs are all off to an excellent start and promise to fulfill just such a mission. It is the hope and intention of the University that Centers like these and others will be endowed-our goal is ten million each-in order that they will achieve stability and will not be subject to the financial swings that can plague an institution, such as what we saw here in the recent past. These endowments also allow the Centers to buy out course loads, to offer research stimulation funds, and to host a variety of programs that contribute to our intellectual vitality and hospitality to visiting colleagues. Along with the Center for Urban Research and Learning (led by Dr. Phil Nyden), the Center for Math and Science Education (directed by Dr. David Slavsky), the new Center in Business, the Center for Risk Management and Corporate Governance, mentioned earlier (and headed by Dr. Robert Kolb), and Centers in Law, Education, Nursing and Medicine, Loyola University hopes to demonstrate an institutional commitment to social justice and to scholarly pursuit of new knowledge in the service of the wider community, especially those whom we recognize as the least and the less fortunate.   
 

One last topic deserves mention, namely, our commitment to undergraduate education. As you know, (or perhaps I should say, as I became painfully aware), our recent set of problems was due in large measure to three factors: a slippage in undergraduate enrollments, a miscalculation of the effect of certain administrative decisions, and a realignment of the revenues coming from the hospital that followed upon the separate incorporation of our hospital in Maywood. The second of these, low undergraduate enrollments, showed us how dependent we are on our undergraduate students. It is also true that our reputation as an excellent teaching institution never suffered during that period of economic downturn. I have publicly said as much on other occasions and have pointed to the speedy recovery of enrollments as proof of this fact. (The size of the freshman class went from 1,000 to 2,000 students in only four years, and gained in academic quality at the same time as it grew 100 percent.)

I appreciate your hard work and know I express the sentiments of our students and your fellow administrators and staff when I say that you continue to carry our reputation to new heights and your hard work is appreciated.  May you have a rewarding and productive academic year.