This week, Spring Hill College named its next president: Mary H. Van Brunt, Ph.D., who currently serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania. A Jesuit-educated graduate of Saint Joseph's University, Dr. Van Brunt will begin her tenure as the first woman president of Spring Hill in January 2023. Click here to learn more.
All of us at AJCU congratulate Dr. Van Brunt and thank her predecessor, Dr. E. Joseph Lee, II, for his service to Spring Hill and the AJCU Board of Directors!
Santa Clara & Loyola Maryland Celebrate Inaugurations
What a week it has been! Last Friday, Santa Clara University kicked off this year's inauguration season by installing Dr. Julie Sullivan as its first woman and first lay president. Click here to learn more about the ceremony and watch highlights in the video below!
On Wednesday, Loyola University Maryland inaugurated Terrence Sawyer, J.D. as its first lay president (pictured right). Click here to watch video recordings of the ceremony, as well as Tuesday's Mass of Thanksgiving. The Catholic Review also features photos and quotes from the ceremony; click here to view them online.
This afternoon, Fordham University will inaugurate Tania Tetlow, J.D. as its first woman and first lay president. Click here to learn more and watch the livestream at 2:00PM ET.
All of us at AJCU congratulate our newly inaugurated presidents! We will share highlights of Fordham's ceremony and preview the October 22nd inauguration of President Steve K. Stoute at Canisius College in the October 21st issue of AJCU Higher Ed News.
AJCU Welcomes New Senior Advisors for Formation
We are so pleased to welcome two former presidents to our team! Rev. Michael J. Graham, S.J. and Rev. Kevin O'Brien, S.J. have recently joined AJCU as Senior Advisors for Formation Programs. Fr. Graham (former president of Xavier University) will support the AJCU Trustee Forum, while Fr. O'Brien (former president of Santa Clara University) will support the AJCU Leadership Institute.
AJCU's president, Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., said, "We are very excited that two extremely competent and gifted Jesuit educators have joined our team. They will be helping us build our capacity to form the leadership of our colleges and universities in the Ignatian tradition."
News from Jesuit Colleges & Universities
Gifts and grants: Canisius College received a grant from the Cullen Foundation to support its Western New York Teacher Residency Program; Creighton University received $3M from its Department of Health Sciences–Multicultural and Community Affairs to support Creighton's Community Health Advocate program; a Loyola Marymount University professor received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to research lung cancer stigma; Marquette university received a $3.34M grant from the National Institutes of Health to study mobility in people with multiple sclerosis; a team of faculty from Saint Joseph's University received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to study potential therapies to treat triple-negative breast cancer; Seattle University received a $1.5M award from the National Science Foundation to support recruitment for its College of Science and Engineering; and the University of San Francisco received a $1M gift to endow a new scholarship in engineering.
More news! The College of the Holy Cross hosted Noble Peace Prize winner and Russian journalist Dmitry Murato for an on-campus lecture; John Carroll University announced a new Bachelor of Science degree in nursing; Le Moyne College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity; Rockhurst University dedicated a new statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; Saint Louis University was named the latest JED campus to support mental health and wellbeing; Saint Peter's University partnered with PwC to pilot a new experiential accounting program; Spring Hill College reported a 7.7% increase in undergraduate enrollment for the current academic year; and The University of Scranton announced plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary of coeducation.
And in a partnership with the University of Notre Dame, Boston College received a $7.9M grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to address disparities in the U.S. Catholic Church and support the growth of Hispanic leaders. This grant will fund "Haciendo Caminos," a joint initiative including several Jesuit institutions: Fordham University, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University New Orleans, and Santa Clara University.
Jesuit Alumni Mass Weekend & More Events Across the
Jesuit Network
Jesuit Friends and Alumni Sunday Mass weekend is back! On Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, Jesuit parishes (including many on college and university campuses) will invite Jesuit-educated alumni and friends to attend Mass and engage in fellowship together. These Masses are organized and sponsored by the Jesuits East Province; click here to learn more!
Here's what else is happening on campus and online over the next two weeks:
Saturday, October 22 - Sunday, October 24: Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (in-person event in Washington, D.C., with live-streamed sessions, sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network)
Finally, the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative invites the AJCU community to join in the last three lectures of its Fall 2022 virtual series on Monday, October 17, Monday, October 24, and Monday, October 31. Click here to learn more.
AJCU Higher Ed News is a weekly e-newsletter that features the latest news and information from Jesuit colleges and universities. To submit a story or subscribe, please send an e-mail to Deanna Howes Spiro (dhowes@ajcunet.edu).
