President's Message on Equity and Inclusion

Since its founding 165 years ago, Loyola University Maryland has evolved, growing and adapting to meet the needs of a changing population of students. As a Jesuit, Catholic university, we must recognize that we have much work to do, taking steps to promote diversity, while confronting racism, hatred, bigotry, and prejudice in every form. We can only live out the Jesuit ideals that are integral to our mission if we are actively working toward greater understanding, greater peace, and greater justice on our campus, in our community, and in our world.

Loyola is steadfastly committed to the education of our students, as well as the support of our faculty and staff. Our strong and active commitment to diversity should help ensure that differing views are welcome, expressed, and heard, and that learning and open discourse can thrive. Conversations should begin in the classroom and continue throughout the campus and the community, engaging multiple perspectives and viewpoints, and embracing the opportunity for deep, important conversations on both ongoing issues and topics of the day. The unique thoughts, insights, and questions each of us can bring to those discussions can only strengthen our community.

We cannot simply speak of our commitment to being a diverse community where each person feels valued; we must demonstrate that through active efforts promoting diversity, recruiting and retaining a diverse student population, hiring faculty, administrators, and staff of diverse backgrounds, and fully embracing our role as a leader for and with our city, Baltimore, our state, and our nation.

Thank you for doing what you can to help Loyola become a more compassionate, inclusive, welcoming community, one that promotes diversity, combats racism, and works to create justice and peace.