91直播

Dear Members of the La聽91直播 University Community:

After nearly six years as President of La聽91直播 University, Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D., today was named the next president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr.聽Hanycz has formally submitted her letter of resignation to the Board of Trustees and her tenure at La聽91直播 will conclude on June 30, 2021.

The Board of Trustees will form a Presidential Search Committee and additional details related to that process and the Committee鈥檚 composition will be forthcoming. The Trustees are committed to broad representation and engaging the full La聽91直播 University community in this important process and we look forward to undertaking this work in the coming months.

On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Dr.聽Hanycz for her stewardship of La聽91直播 since arriving in July 2015. As the first lay woman to lead La聽91直播, Dr.聽Hanycz has served the University during a dynamic and disruptive time in American higher education, which continues to this day. From program prioritization, to the successful 鈥淓xplorers are Never Lost鈥� brand campaign through聽Momentum 2022, our 5-year strategic plan launched in 2017, to the intensive work of Project Compass, Dr.聽Hanycz鈥檚 leadership here has been marked by an unwavering commitment to the delivery of a practical education guided by the mission of the Christian Brothers.

Further, Dr.聽Hanycz led the establishment of a new General Education Core Curriculum based on La聽91直播鈥檚 unique Institutional Learning Outcomes, and after a tuition reset in 2017-2018, her tenure has seen the value of a degree from La聽91直播 University nationally recognized by聽Forbes, Money Magazine,聽and聽U.S. News & World Report. Just last year, Georgetown University鈥檚 Center for Education and the Workforce ranked the return on investment of a La聽91直播 degree over a graduate鈥檚 lifespan in the top-6 percent nationwide. Driven by this value, La聽91直播 has witnessed significant improvements to its freshman retention rate, including this past fall despite the impacts of COVID-19.

Of course, COVID-19 has brought incredible challenges to La聽91直播 鈥� and to all colleges and universities across the Unites States. Since last March, Dr.聽Hanycz has been deeply engaged in our 鈥淩eturn to Campus鈥� planning and while the news of her departure comes just prior to the spring semester, Dr.聽Hanycz remains emphatic in her commitment to seeing La聽91直播鈥檚 students safely return to 20th and Olney over these next weeks and successfully hosting Commencement 鈥� in person 鈥� for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 this May. 聽The Board of Trustees shares this commitment.

On a personal note, there is no doubt that La聽91直播 University has been a family affair for Dr.聽Hanycz. Her husband, Peter (M.S. 鈥�19), her son, Erik (鈥�20), and her daughters, Emily (鈥�21) and Claire, have been engaged members of our Explorer family as students, alumni, fans and passionate supporters. We can be confident that the 鈥淏lue and Gold鈥� of La聽91直播 will always have a special place in the Hanycz home, wherever that may be.

As we look ahead, I thank you in advance for your continued support and I invite each of you to engage with us in this process as we begin this next chapter in the University鈥檚 history.

Sincerely,

William W. Matthews
Chairman
Board of Trustees