State of the College Address

On Wednesday Sept. 12 Father Linnane gave the annual State of the College Adress in the Alumni Memorial Chapel. The speech consisted of several parts which included a review of the 06-07 school year, the success of the Year of the City initiative, he also discussed the Prepare for Tomorrow plans as well as the strategic plan for the future. While he was speaking, i could not help comparing him to Koro. I realized that Fr. Linnane is like Koro in several ways, he seeks to link the past with the future. A lot of his speech focused on the Jesuit ideals of Loyola College and that is in much the same manner as Koro teaches the ideals of the Maori.
The new Strategic Plan which Linnane says can make Loyola "...be recognized as the leading Catholic Comprehensive University in America." The plan includes five steps: continuing a strong Jesuit identity, maintaining a vibrant university climate, a diverse campus community, both in ideas and race, civic and community engagement, broad resources to support new endeavors. This part of the speech really ties into the Jesuit mindset of finding God in all things as well as cura personalis- care for the whole person. These ideals are not only Jesuit but also what Ihimaera wantedd to get across in his book Whale Rider. I was very pleased that i went to the address, I am glad to know that the college has a strong plan for becoming one of the preeminent schools in the country by sticking to the strong values we have, but also expanding and building for a future with more interaction between the faculty and students, and the school as a whole with the greater Baltimore community.