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May 2009 Dear Loyolans, As the 2008-2009 academic year comes to a close, we find much to celebrate. Earlier this month, we held the University's 139th Commencement exercises. Nearly 4,000 students from 10 schools became alumni of Loyola, including 185 graduates of the new School of Communication. We look forward to welcoming 132 Stritch School of Medicine students to our alumni family when they receive their degrees June 7. I congratulate all these students on their accomplishments. As these new graduates enter the workforce, we recognize the challenges they face in pursuing their professional goals. We also realize many of our alumni have been set back by the turbulent economy. We invite those who are facing challenges to take advantage of our many excellent career resources offered by the Alumni Relations Office and its Career Services program (visit LUC.edu/career). Everyone at Loyola is also keenly aware of the obstacles the current economy is placing in front of our current and incoming students, and we are doing all we can to ensure that students are able to stay in school and proceed toward graduation. As part of our effort to support Loyola students, we have created a program called the "Loyola Guarantee" to offer a range of financial aid and academic programs for families facing financial hardship (visit LUC.edu/guarantee). This is just one of a number of initiatives we've put in place during the current financial recession. I am happy to report that the financial health of the University remains stable, and we continue to implement fiscally responsible practices to help keep tuition increases to a minimum and maintain an excellent educational program. The Health System is also working diligently to fulfill its mission in spite of the economic downturn, and it has consistently achieved high patientsatisfaction scores. Every employee has made a renewed commitment to the patients and families served by Loyola's hospitals and clinics. On the lakeside campuses, we recently celebrated several milestones. The School of Law marked its 100th anniversary of excellence in legal education with a number of special events that culminated in its Centennial Gala at Chicago's Field Museum. Nearly 650 law alumni, faculty, staff, and students enjoyed the black-tie gala in late February. Also in February, the University-wide effort to recognize the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln was capped off with a sold-out lecture by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and expert Lincoln biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin. Most recently, the School of Business Administration's BBA program in ethics was ranked No. 1 in the nation in BusinessWeek's 2009 survey of top undergraduate business schools. Internationally, our programs in Rome and Beijing are flourishing. Additionally, we recently formed an exciting new partnership with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to establish a University Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City. The partnership, which became official in February, makes Loyola the first university in the nation to have a site location in Vietnam. Several key service projects are planned for Vietnam, including undergraduate experiences as well as Stritch School of Medicine service trips. I am pleased to report that we have named longtime English professor Francis L. Fennell, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Frank has been a member of the English department faculty since 1968 and faithfully served as interim dean of the college this past year. He emerged as the stand-out candidate among an impressive group of individuals from a national roster. We are all delighted that he has accepted the position. I am also pleased to announce that Robert D. Kelly, PhD, has been named Loyola's next vice president of student affairs. He is currently vice president for student development at Seattle University and will begin his new post July 1. As you know, Richard Salmi, S.J., who has served in that position since 2002, has accepted the presidency of Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. We are grateful for his exceptional service to Loyola's students over the years and wish him all the best in his new role. At the Health System, Richard L. Gamelli, MD, chairman of the department of surgery, chief of Loyola's Burn Center, and a world authority on the care of burn wounds and research, was named the 18th dean of the Stritch School of Medicine in April. In other news, our alumni recently took part in our second annual National Day of Service on April 18. Loyolans spent the day volunteering in Chicago and around the country on projects in schools, forests, community centers, and soup kitchens that fostered friendship, promoted service, and left a positive imprint on our communities. We are looking forward to the ninth annual Founders' Dinner on June 6, when we honor those who established Loyola. We have another stellar group of award recipients to celebrate while we raise money for students through the Presidential Scholarship Fund. I would also encourage you to mark your calendar for the upcoming Family Weekend on September 25-27. Last year's inaugural weekend of events was a great success, with more than 1,200 people participating over three days of activities (visit LUC.edu/familyweekend). I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all those Loyolans who have chosen to strengthen the University and Health System by supporting our capital campaign. Partner: The Campaign for the Future of Loyola has raised $310 million toward its $500 million goal, with more than 39,000 Loyolans supporting our mission of expanding knowledge in the service of humanity. We are particularly grateful for your support given these uncertain economic times (visit LUC.edu/partner). I wish you and your family a relaxing and enjoyable summer. As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely,
Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
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