Father Linnane, S.J., addressed the Loyola community Friday, Feb. 12 in his first speech since returning from his six-month sabbatical in London, England. His speech focused on re-connecting and deepening the Jesuit mission, both on-campus and in the greater Baltimore community.

Father Linnane opened his speech by thanking interim president Susan Donovan for taking such good care of the school and community while he was gone. He even joked that it was a good time to leave given the stressful environment of the unrest that occurred in April of last year. On a more serious note, he talked about his renewed energy and excitement in engaging with the Loyola community again.

The first issue Linnane addressed in his speech was the school’s budget issues. He acknowledged the school’s dependence on tuition revenue, which was greatly disrupted when fewer students enrolled following the unrest at the end of last year. He said the school needs to achieve a more balanced budget, claiming it’s a top priority for next year.

The second focal point of his speech were issues of racial injustice facing Loyola and Baltimore. Linnane urged the audience to be passionate about this issue saying there is, “No room for racism or intolerance” at Loyola. He announced the creation of a task force for racial justice, which will be run by Heather Lyons, a professor of psychology. The task force will implement training for all of Loyola’s community members next fall.

His final point addressed the importance of deepening the school’s connections and service to the greater Baltimore community. Linnane suggested the audience see the Baltimore community as a “dear neighbor,” saying, “Baltimore’s challenges are our challenges.” Father Linnane attended a meeting, along with other university presidents, with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake when he returned to the U.S. where they spoke of the need to source and hire locally to help bring more life and hope back to Baltimore. This is a theme that he hopes to expand through Loyola’s CCSJ and York Road Initiative.

Linnane ended his speech by expressing his desire that this would be the “year of the city” in which Loyola’s community would engage more deeply with the Jesuit mission to work alongside our community members. He thanked all of Loyola’s students and colleagues for continuing to make Loyola great.

Photo from Loyola University Maryland (loyola.edu).