Deanna I. Howes, Director of Communications, AJCU
September is always a busy month for AJCU and our member institutions, but this year takes the cake! In this issue of Connections, you will read about the impact of HEA (Higher Education Act) reauthorization on AJCU campuses, including Georgetown University, Le Moyne College and the University of Scranton. As always, AJCU’s Vice President for Federal Relations, Cyndy Littlefield, reports on the latest from Washington, D.C., including the fight to save the Perkins Loan Program and other campus-based aid programs.
In the midst of debates over HEA, Congress will also hear from Pope Francis, who will deliver an address to a joint session on Thursday, September 24th. Across the country, Jesuit colleges, universities, high schools and organizations will be among those groups eagerly anticipating his address. You can learn more about the national watch parties organized by our friends at the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) by clicking here.
The Pope’s visit inspired a collaborative marketing campaign for U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities, which you can read about in a recent article here in Inside Higher Ed. In just a few months, AJCU and members of the AJCU Marketing & Communications Network designed an advertisement, social media campaign and blog that help to explain how a Jesuit education produces transformational leaders like Pope Francis. For more information, please visit popefrancis.ajcunet.edu.
In next month’s issue of Connections, we will report on the 100th anniversary of Alpha Sigma Nu, as well as the upcoming inaugurations of four new presidents at Creighton University, Loyola Marymount University, Saint Joseph’s University and Spring Hill College. It’s certainly a busy fall, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
All the best,
Deanna I. Howes
Director of Communications, AJCU