Weekly Update from the President

Dear Members of the University Community,

This is my latest installment of updates on the University and our progress toward the Spring semester.

This week we have begun moving administrative offices back to campus. It is good to be back on campus and in the City. I am back in my room in Biever Hall where, at the moment, it is unusually quiet! (For those worried about health issues, I am breathing the air and drinking the water!) Daily there are new signs of life in the New Orleans.

Last week I continued my visits to alumni clubs and students. I was in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. While in Washington I spent a day visiting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. In those meetings, I spoke about the need for Federal assistance to help stabilize colleges and universities that have been affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Unfortunately, President Bush’s funding request, which came out on Monday (31 October), was smaller than was expected and contained no money for higher education. This is not the end of the story. We will continue to work with other colleges and universities to shape the legislation. We also have the support of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

While on Capitol Hill I also continued to raise the need for FEMA to fulfill its promise for housing for faculty and staff. To date, they have said they are willing to help, but they have yet to act. Our congressional delegation and their staffs promised to help in this area. I know this is a problem for other universities and I am working with others to find solutions. I have said all along that the University is ill equipped to become a landlord or run rental properties. But we will continue to try to open doors for faculty, staff, and students.

I was also able to visit with Assistant Secretary of Education, Sally Stroup. She is the Assistant Secretary for Post-secondary Education and a Loyola alum. She and her staff have been most helpful in working through the regulatory issues surrounding student loans and financial aid.

Later this week I will travel to visit alums, students, and families on the west coast. This will be the last of my trips.

Registration begins on 15 November. This process will be very important for us as we plan for the Spring semester.

I look forward to seeing you back on campus for the start of classes on 9 January.

With prayers and best wishes,

Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D.

President

2 November 2005

Posted on November 2, 2005