By Deanna Howes Spiro, Director of Communications, AJCU
For nearly 500 years, Jesuit colleges and universities have made it their mission to educate students of all economic, social and ethnic backgrounds. Several of these institutions were founded specifically to educate immigrants, and continue to provide a home for them today. In light of last week’s announcement on the DACA rescission (which will affect a number of DACA students on our campuses), “serving the under-served” is a timely theme for this month’s issue of Connections.
You will learn about a young woman who escaped war-torn Benghazi and found a home at Georgetown University through the Georgetown Scholarship Program; under-privileged students in Chicago who are now able to obtain a college education through Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago; and an innovative leadership program at Regis University that helps young, at-risk Denver students prepare for high school and college.
In addition to these stories, you will learn about the many AJCU conferences and Jesuit alumni events taking place across the country this fall. Of note, the number of locations for the Jesuit Alumni Mass weekend has more than doubled over the past few years; click here to find out where you can attend one near you next month.
We anticipate a busy fall here in Washington as we prepare for our annual Federal Relations conference and bi-annual Congressional breakfast next month. These events will provide significant opportunities for AJCU presidents and government relations staff to interact with members of Congress and key staff from House and Senate education committees. You will learn more about these events and the latest news from Capitol Hill in Cyndy Littlefield’s federal relations report.
Once again, we are pleased to share this issue of Connections, which speaks to the heart of Jesuit education. We wish you a great start to the academic year, and look forward to supporting our students of need together.