Provost’s Welcome: Embracing Opportunities for Excellence

September 6, 2024

Dear Faculty Colleagues, 

Welcome back! Now that the academic year is officially underway, I am excited to share some important updates and reflect on the opportunities ahead of us in AY24-25. 

First, I am delighted to start the semester with three new deans in place in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, LMU Loyola Law School, and LMU School of Education. Deans Richard Fox, Brietta Clark, and Estela Zarate, respectively, took office over the summer and have already been making headway in meeting with their constituents and discerning their top priorities for their colleges and schools. While Deans Clark and Fox are no strangers to LMU, I hope you’ll take a moment to welcome and congratulate each when you see them this fall. 

In just two short weeks, LMU will host visitors from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) as part of our reaffirmation process. From September 18-20, the WSCUC peer reviewer team will be meeting with a range of individuals from across the university during scheduled meetings as well as open forums for students, staff, and faculty. Accreditation is incredibly important for our university, and I am deeply grateful to the WSCUC Accreditation Review Steering Committee, led by Russell Mayer, Interim Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Effectiveness and Assessment, who has been working behind the scenes to prepare our institution for this crucial visit and evaluation. If you have yet to read the self-study report, I encourage you to do so. I also hope you will attend the in-person open meeting for faculty, which will take place at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18, in the Von der Ahe suite of the William H. Hannon Library, if your schedule allows. If you cannot make it (and I imagine many interested will have a conflict), please feel free to share feedback directly and confidentially with WSCUC by emailing [email protected]. 

As President Snyder mentioned in last week’s message, and as the countless political news stories, text messages, and emails indicate: we are entering into an election season. College campuses are among the best places for young minds to express their political identities, engage in debate, and explore what their vote means for the next four years. I am grateful for the work of our colleagues across campus to get out the vote, and I am delighted to see the compelling coverage from the Media, Arts, and a Just Society’s Election 2024 initiative on social media and in the Loyolan. Additionally, this year’s Bellarmine Forum focuses heavily on the election and critical issues faced by institutions of higher education, with an impressive array of speakers and events. I again encourage us to navigate the complicated and sometimes emotionally charged conversations surrounding the election and the many crises we face at home and abroad with care for the whole person and by meeting people where they are, as St. Ignatius taught us.

Lastly, as recently mentioned in Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Kawanna Leggett’s message, the university has updated the Campus Posting Policy and the Time, Place, and Manner for Social Action policy for Students. Providing greater clarity and accessibility for our student body and campus community, these policies are important to review and, if necessary, discuss with your students, student organizations, etc. 

I am forever grateful for your scholarship, your embodiment of LMU’s mission, and your role as teacher scholars on our beautiful and inspiring campus, where your dedication shapes the future of our students and our university community. 

Sincerely,
Tom

Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
Professor of Chemistry