Office of the President 

October 10, 2003

Thank you so much, John (Smithson), for that introduction. I am grateful for the confidence you and the Board of Trustees have shown in me. I accept the responsibility of the presidency of Saint Joseph's University, and I do so in the warm embrace of the family and friends with whom God has blessed me.

To my immediate and extended family -- and, yes, there are quite a few of us! -- I say "thank you" for coming. Those of you from large families know that any excuse to get together is most welcome, and the Lannons can absolutely spot a great time no matter how far they have to travel. Thank you, and I love you all.

To my colleagues and friends, past and present, you represent a lifetime of associations without which I surely would not be standing here today. From Mason City, Iowa, to Omaha, from Boston to Milwaukee to Philadelphia, your friendship, counsel and support has made my ministry in education and my vocation to the priesthood all the more special. Traveling even farther are two very dear friends of the university, Mr. and Mrs. Erivan Haub, who are here all the way from Germany. Thank you.

To the presidents and delegates from other colleges and universities, you know better than anyone the challenges that await me. You also know that with every challenge comes an opportunity, and I look forward to working with all of you in the months and years ahead. Saint Joseph's is honored by your presence here today, and we are so thankful you could join us.

We have a number of elected officials with us this morning. Please join me in welcoming Jim Ettelson, president of the Lower Merion Township board of commissioners; our state representative in Harrisburg, Louise Williams Bishop; and Philadelphia city councilman Michael Nutter. The university works very closely with each of these individuals on a wide range of issues, and I am delighted they could be here.

The governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Edward G. Rendell, is with us this morning. Thank you for your remarks, Governor Rendell. Saint Joseph's University is grateful beyond words, as am I, that you went out of your way to come. Thank you.

To our neighbors, community partners and representatives of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, especially Bishop McGinnis, to our alumni and friends, to my brothers in the Society of Jesus and our provincial, Timothy Brown, S.J., of the Maryland province, I say "thank you" for being here and for your many acts of kindness in welcoming me to Philadelphia.

I'd also like to acknowledge James Grummer, S.J., provincial of the Wisconsin province. Jim is the person who made me available for the presidency of Saint Joseph's University. So, if you like what I do, thank me; if not, blame him!

To the administration and staff, I am grateful for your untiring commitment to the mission of this university. To the faculty, whose contributions can never be measured, I thank you on behalf of the generations who have benefited from your wisdom and your knowledge. And to our students, whose hearts and minds are so open to us, I am humbled by your unfailing spirit and hopeful that just a little of it rubs off on me. More to point, I'm delighted we're all here together.

Why are we here?

Our good friend, Father Nicholas Rashford, said in his own inaugural address -- 17 years ago to the day, in fact -- that "the history of Saint Joseph's is its inheritance, and the university is its people." I believe both statements to be true, and my short time on campus certainly bears that out. We are all descendants of a proud history, and one reason we're here is to carry it through to future generations.

Personally, I can think of no greater honor than to succeed Father Rashford as president. Through his and the efforts of many others, our university has been elevated to new levels of achievement and acclaim.

The entire Saint Joseph's community owes Nick a tremendous debt of thanks and I, for one, am most grateful to inherit such a legacy.

St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, provided Saint Joseph's and its sister Jesuit institutions a different kind of legacy more than 450 years ago. He answered the question -- why are we here? -- in typically direct fashion. St. Ignatius urged his followers then and now "to go forth and set the world on fire." That is the Ignatian vision in its truest sense, and perhaps why so much is asked of us as sons and daughters of a centuries-old promise.

I've only been on campus since July, but can report first-hand how brightly the Ignatian fire burns in our midst. I've seen the energy of a thousand new freshmen, witnessed how deeply our returning students love Hawk Hill. I've felt the passion of our alumni and the dedication of our faculty and staff, and I am awed by the commitment to excellence at every level of this university. Those five words -- "The Hawk Will Never Die!" -- are much more than a slogan, but a mindset embraced by generations whose lives have been touched by this very special place we call Saint Joseph's.

And none have been touched, or touched me more, than the students who energize all of us day in and day out. They represent our shared future and remind us of our immense responsibility. And that, of course, is the most vital reason we are here.

When one looks back on the defining moments in the history of our university, they have all revolved around student engagement. From Willings Alley to Stiles Street, from Juniper and Filbert to City Avenue, students are indeed the heart of -- and reason for -- this enterprise. Saint Joseph's has enjoyed no greater blessing than the generations of men and women who have graced our campuses, past and present.

Thirty-five years ago, a former president of the college recognized this fundamental truth and asked many of the same questions we ponder today. "I want to clarify," he said at his own inaugural, "just why we of Saint Joseph's are here this morning. It is not primarily to salute the 23rd president, but, rather, to celebrate the totality of Saint Joseph's as a community of learners."

I may not be as eloquent as Father Terrence Toland, S.J., but I share his thoughts about the role of a president and am deeply moved that he is with us here. Terry, thank you for all you did for Saint Joseph's.

Any chance you'd like your old job back?

"A community of learners." Father Toland embraced the essence of Saint Joseph's and lit a path we still travel today. To me, learning isn't about knowing the answer as much as it is asking the right question. From the student assistants in our residence halls to an impressive and innovative faculty, the right questions are asked every day at Saint Joseph's. And the ongoing search for answers is why we are here.

It should be of some comfort, perhaps, that our most elementary questions have stood the test of time. Among his new presidential priorities in 1968 -- No. 6 on the list, I believe -- Father Toland wrote: "I am asking the entire college community to give the highest priority to the further exploration of the autonomy proper to a contemporary Catholic college, its relationship to the ecclesiastical magisterium, and the implications of the dynamic interplay between a faith commitment and academic freedom."

Father Toland was so far ahead of the curve as to be almost clairvoyant. In our own time, Ex corde Ecclesiae sets out four essential characteristics for any Catholic university or college:

• First, a Christian inspiration marked by mutual courtesy, mutual respect and a caring for one another.

• Second, collaboration among professors of diverse disciplines, both in their research and in their teaching.

• Third, a vigorous campus ministry and a strong life of liturgical worship.

• And, fourth, a Catholic university or college should be distinguishable in the world of higher education by an attitude of service (ECE, No. 13).

Those characteristics sound very much like what we experience every day on this campus, but there is even more. The Jesuits, not surprisingly, have their own interpretation with respect to questions of identity and the application of church doctrine in an academic context. Yet where some may feel a certain tension in these issues, I see engagement. Where others may chafe at what they perceive as a threat to autonomy, I see instead a continuum on which universities and the church seek a proper but necessarily shifting balance of purpose and priority‹a balance that assures institutional autonomy as well as Catholic identity.

The Jesuit Conference of the United States, responding to the 34th General Congregation and recent addresses by the superior general of the Society of Jesus, "attests to the importance of the work of higher education today and to the need for all who are involved in this enterprise to be committed to its distinctive character as Jesuit and Catholic. What governs the enterprise of Jesuit higher education is its sense of mission."

The contemporary embodiment of that mission on campus is an education distinguished by intellectual excellence and academic rigor. At the same time, our universities must reflect a specific Jesuit character.

In an address at Santa Clara University in October, 2000, Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach made clear that "to be Jesuit, a university must act in harmony with the demands of the service of faith and the promotion of justice."

At Saint Joseph's later that year, on the occasion of the university's 150th anniversary celebration, Father Kolvenbach called for a new century of Jesuit works. "We are called," he said, "to make a difference. We are called to be of the faith. We are called to be co-creators of a just world with God and our fellow human beings. We are called, as Ignatius preached, to make use of every ounce of the great gifts of God and, ultimately, to make a good world better."

Why are we here? Father General has clearly given us an answer.

Academically, a Jesuit education is consistent with excellence and scholarship. Saint Joseph's University was born in the rich tradition of inquiry and innovation that characterized 19th-century Philadelphia. What Franklin brought to the founding fathers, the early colleges brought to an expanding region and beyond.

It is hard to imagine this metropolitan area without its 87 colleges and universities. They are an economic engine, of course, but the discovery of new knowledge and the exporting of it to succeeding generations embody what this city -- and nation -- are all about. Much as William Penn brought religious freedom to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, our schools stand for academic freedom and a spirit of discovery fundamental to American life.

Saint Joseph's University has never shirked its responsibility to develop and deliver that knowledge, and we never will. Celebrations like this one are important reminders of our mission, and the scholarly aspect of what we do is essential to that mission.

Why am I here?

Let me tell you a story about my dad and me. Shortly after finishing elementary school, I was unusually quiet one day. My dad asked, "What is wrong with you?" I said I loved my school and did not want to leave. He said to me, "Son, everyone is replaceable."

This was not quite the support I was anticipating. In addition, I don't want to give our trustees any ideas so early in my tenure here. . . .

My dad, thankfully, had a few more words for me. He said, "It's time for you to go on to high school. Once you get started, you'll come to know why you belong there."

Now, at a similar point in my life -- a time of transition and new challenges -- I know again that my dad was right. I am coming to appreciate very much why I am here.

I'm here because I found something very special at Saint Joseph's University. That something special is you. This is also where God has called me, and where God has blessed our university community with so many gifts. All we are, and all we will become, bears witness to the greater glory of God.

Allow me, once again, to say how grateful I am to have been chosen by the Board of Trustees to serve as president of Saint Joseph's University. What exists here fundamentally is a university of rising expectations, and it is our collective responsibility to fulfill them. It was not just an impressive record of accomplishment, but also the promise of greater things to come, which first drew me to Saint Joseph's.

In the coming years, we shall commit ourselves to accomplishing even more -- to becoming a university of higher academic stature, true to the marvelous Jesuit/Catholic mission of educating women and men to lead lives of purpose. We are resolved to attract even more gifted students, to hire and retain an outstanding faculty, to offer courses that are both intellectually and spiritually challenging. At the same time, as we have throughout our history, we want to make a Saint Joseph's education available to the economically disadvantaged, especially the economically disadvantaged from the Philadelphia area.

We will achieve these and other important objectives because. . .

The vision for Saint Joseph's is to be recognized as the preeminent comprehensive Catholic university in the Northeast. We embrace this goal not out of institutional ambition, but because the special kind of education we offer is so vitally important for our students in an ever-changing world.

• Saint Joseph's is vitally important because it teaches that there is more to education than acquiring knowledge, where our graduates are intellectually curious.

• Saint Joseph's is vitally important because it develops all human capacities to the fullest, where our graduates discover and nurture all of their God-given talents.

• Finally, Saint Joseph's is vitally important because our graduates are inspired by the Gospel to make the world a better place, where they realize they are privileged people who have a responsibility to those less fortunate. That is, to be men and women for others . . . for a lifetime.

In recent years, Saint Joseph's University has taken tremendous steps forward. But Jesuit education is not about being good; it is about always becoming better. Aspiring for "the more" -- the magis -- is one of its fundamental traits.

Striving to become better brings us that much closer to realizing the unique potential within all of us. How we rise to this challenge helps define us, as individuals as well as institutions, and clarifies further why we exist.

The theme of our inauguration week activities has been "Strengthening Minds, Opening Hearts." It is poetic, but also realistic, for us to move forward in ways that are both cognitive and reflective. The mind must be challenged and expanded, to be sure. But, without a compassionate heart, knowledge exists in a kind of vacuum our God never intended.

Why are we here? To meet the responsibility of greater expectations, to answer the call of making a good world better, to commit ourselves more fully than anyone thought possible. We are here to pursue excellence, but always with a conscience.

Excellence with a conscience. Let that be the legacy of Saint Joseph's University. Let that be the difference we make. Thank you, and may God continue to bless us and Saint Joseph's University.

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Special assistance on this address was given by Dr. Richard H. Passon, vice president for academic affairs; Robert Skomorucha, assistant vice president for government and community relations; and Joseph M. Lunardi, assistant vice president for university communications.