View from the porch: Loyola looks ahead with its new strategic plan
President Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., reflects as Loyola shares its roadmap for the University’s future
Former Loyola Trustee and President Emeritus of UMBC Freeman A. Hrabowski III, Ph.D., takes a selfie with Provost Cheryl Moore-Thomas, Ph.D., and President Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., during a meet-and-greet before he speaks at the 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation. Photo by Larry Canner.
During my 25 years at Loyola, I’ve participated in strategic planning several times. Each time the University goes through the process, Loyola has taken important strides forward.
Loyola University Maryland has established itself as a prestigious Jesuit, liberal arts university that creates ethical, innovative, transformative leaders. Our esteemed alumni bring honor and distinction to Loyola. Prospective students and their families are applying and enrolling at record levels.
At this important time in our history, we are asking: What is next for our University?
To answer this critical question, we have created a roadmap for Loyola’s future: our next strategic plan.
This plan comes at an exciting moment. The world of higher education is in flux. Technology is changing rapidly. Issues of justice—including environmental justice—are front and center. As you’ll read in this issue, the world of work as we know it has evolved in fascinating ways. Loyola cannot stand still. While staying true to our traditions and values, we must continue to move forward, taking strategic steps to graduate individuals who not only achieve success, but also lead a life of significance.
We’ll start here in Baltimore, partnering with Mercy Medical Center to launch a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will have an incredible impact. But we’re also looking and thinking beyond Baltimore to make sure we are preparing and educating our students for all that our world will need.
As I travel to visit with alumni in different parts of the country, they are eager to share their Loyola memories—and I love hearing them. They are also curious about what Loyola is like today, how it has changed since their time on campus, and what the future holds. I assure them that the characteristics they love most about Loyola remain strong—and that we will continue to strengthen those as we move into this next chapter. We are dreaming big and stepping forward in faith.
As we embark on our new strategic plan, Together We Rise: Loyola University Maryland’s Plan for 2030, we look forward to sharing more about the path ahead for Loyola.
We hope you’ll join us. Together we share a love for Loyola. Together we imagine a beautiful future. Together we rise.