Message From the President
There is reason for hope, even in difficult times.
There is no question these are challenging times for universities. Declining faith in higher education has combined with political polarization to put universities in the crosshairs. And rapid technological change is upending the economy and calling into question longstanding assumptions about the purpose and value of education. In this climate, it might be understandable for universities to hunker down, play defense and just hold on as best they can. But as a Jesuit, Catholic university, we are called to be a community of faith and to accompany our students toward a hope-filled future.
The most powerful way we can respond to our challenging times is by continuing to look to the future with a spirit of hope and optimism and to take bold action to move Seattle University forward.
And that is what we are doing. Seattle University is an institution very much on the move. Guided by a sense of purpose to be the premier private university in the Pacific Northwest, we seek to educate our students to be principled leaders and lifelong learners who know how to engage across differences and whose critical thinking skills prepare them to enter a world of technology-driven political and economic ferment. Emboldened by our optimism, Seattle University is continuing to invest in our future.
In early June we welcomed Cornish College of the Arts to Seattle University. We are delighted to have the students, faculty and staff of Cornish join—and greatly enrich—our Redhawk family as we launch a vibrant new era in arts education, creative excellence and cultural impact. Planning is well underway for the new Seattle University Museum of Art, a cutting-edge teaching museum that will house the $300 million art collection given to Seattle University by Dick and Betty Hedreen. And on July 1, Seattle University officially joined the West Coast Conference, the athletic conference we helped to found and the home to our West Coast Jesuit peers. In all aspects—geographics, academics and values—SU belongs in the WCC. It is great to be back.
You will read about this momentum in the stories that make up this edition of the magazine. Although our forward progress may be the what, it is our people who are the why and the how. Our students are the reason we continue to push forward in this essential work. And our alumni, friends, faculty and staff are the reason we are positioned where we are today and poised for even greater things to come. Thank you for believing in us, supporting us and pushing us to fulfill our mission in ways that meet the needs of our students and our times.
Eduardo Peñalver
President