A new year starts with much anticipation and some anxiety. I feel it this year more than ever as my own daughter has started as a First-Year student at Loyola. Her experience, so far, has exceeded all our expectations. This is the kid that two years ago did not even want to come to our Fall Open House. She came, reluctantly, after I insisted. Then something amazing happened. In no small part because of the great sense of community she intuited at Loyola, she left with an open mind to the possibility of attending Loyno. Less than two months into her first semester she appears fully integrated in the community. She loves her classes, joined a sorority and made many friends. This is the type of close-knit experience we want our students to have and I am very happy to report we are doing a great job.

This year we continue to work towards the reconstitution of a College of Arts and Sciences, which will be made a complete reality in the fall of 2016. The departments currently housed in HNS, the Humanities and the Natural Sciences, will come together with the departments of Criminology and Justice, Political Science, Sociology, and the School of Mass Communication. I am very excited about the new collaborations and interdisciplinary programs that will result from the renewed College of Arts and Sciences.

I will end my short introduction to our newsletter remembering our dearly departed Rich Wilson, who died after a short fight with cancer in May of 2015. Rich was the beloved senior academic advisor in our college who helped so many of our students succeed in their studies and graduate. Many have sent their deepest sentiments of solidarity with us in this difficult time. I thank you very much for your kind words. This newsletter includes a way for us to continue to remember Rich and his mission to educate students through the Richard Wilson Memorial Scholarship. If you are able, please contribute to this fund in Rich’s memory.

You can make your gift online: https://spark.loyno.edu/rich-wilson-scholarship