Dear Friends, As we begin the fall semester, we emerge energized by what has been a particularly busy summer.
In the midst of an active session of summer courses and a number of campus improvement projects, we hosted guests ranging from the Missoula Children’s Theatre youth camp at the Quick Center to sold-out crowds for the Professional Lacrosse League at Rafferty Stadium. Beyond arts and athletics, we continued our mission to advance access to education, hosting students from Brooklyn Jesuit Prep for their 16th annual four-week Student Leadership Academy and launching our third cohort of Fairfield Bellarmine students.
Personally, I was grateful for opportunities to meet with alumni, parents, and students—both current and incoming—at wonderful locations up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Additionally, at the end of June, Fairfield colleagues and I joined leaders and faculty from 200-plus Jesuit universities and higher education apostolates for the International Association of Jesuit Universities’ triennial meeting at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. There, we discussed the global challenges for higher education that require our collective reflection and attention.
A highlight of the meeting was an address from the Very Reverend Arturo Sosa, S,J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who reminded us: “A university under the responsibility of the Society of Jesus is therefore called to create. A creative capacity that is demonstrated above all in the ability to be ahead of its time, several steps ahead of the present moment.”
A Jesuit, Catholic university’s creative capacity stems not only from its ability to look forward, but also from its liberal arts tradition. Thus, we were particularly excited to affirm our commitment to this tradition and to celebrate the naming of the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, officially unveiling new signage a few weeks ago.
