Dear Assumption Staff,
I’m honored by the opportunity to help lead Assumption into the next chapter of our shared story, and I join our trustees in thanking President Cesareo for his 15 years of leadership.
I am convinced of two things. One is that there will be challenges ahead. The second is that we are up to meeting those challenges head on. The Assumption community has been through a period of unparalleled sacrifice. I'm profoundly grateful for what you’ve done over the past two years. Opportunity awaits as we begin anew—now.
While this is a period of interim leadership, leadership can’t wait. Neither can a mindset of growth. The trustees have charged me with beginning the transition to Assumption’s future right away. I believe the keys to that future include:
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Improving the Student Experience: Everything we do must put our students at the forefront. They are why we’re here. They, like our faculty and staff, have endured immense sacrifice. It's time to listen to them. It's time to address their concerns about the campus experience. It's time to make every one of them feel embraced and respected.
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Defining our Catholic identity in Educational Terms: We stand in a unique tradition of education that speaks universally. It is valuable. It is valued. And it's a story we need to tell.
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Investing in Continued Excellence and New Revenue: Assumption's challenge is not that we spend too much. The imperative is leveraging who we are and what we do to generate more enrollment and new revenues. To be sure, we'll still have to make tough decisions to position ourselves for the opportunities ahead. But it is the opportunities that are paramount. They include investing in continued excellence in our existing liberal arts, pre-professional and professional programs; marketing who we are more compellingly; better utilizing our campus year-round; and seeking a larger and more diverse share of the market, especially in transfer and graduate students.
All this, and other priorities you identify, won't come from the top down. We're in this together and will find our way forward together. I am committed to transparency and collaboration. When there’s tough news, I’ll tell you. When I get things wrong, I want to know. When you have ideas, I'm eager to hear. And I'm eager for us to have opportunities to hear each other. I'm working on ways to facilitate communication across the campus. Meanwhile, please share ideas, concerns or anything else on your mind with me at next@assumption.edu. Every day I possibly can, I’ll have lunch in Taylor. Please join me. My office and inbox are always open to you as well.
There's more to come. For now, let me say this by way of welcoming a new chapter for Assumption: During this period of interim leadership, your trust is the most important asset I can have. My job, starting now, is to earn it. I'm grateful for the opportunity to do so.
