• IN MY RECENT VISIT TO ROME, AS A CELEBRATION OF OUR 150TH ANNIVERSARY, I MET BOTH POPE BENEDICT XVI AND FATHER GREG GAY, SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE VINCENTIANS;

• THEY SENT THEIR GREETINGS TO ALL AT NIAGARA UNIVERSITY

• THEY SENT THEIR BLESSINGS TO US ON THIS GREAT OCCASION

• THEY TOLD US TO CONTINUE TO BE THE UNIVERSITY THAT WE ARE—CATHOLIC AND VINCENTIAN!

IF WE RENEW OURSELVES—WITH REFLECTION—WE WILL BRING NEW RESULTS TO OUR STUDENTS AND THE WORLD THAT NEEDS US!

I WOULD LIKE TO CALL MY PRESENTATION TODAY—A MEDITATION.

• LET ME DEVELOP THIS MEDITATION IN SUCH A WAY THAT:

• IT LISTS MANY OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS OUR 150TH YEAR

• MAY THIS BE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON YOUR SHARE IN THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS—AND YOUR RENEWED COMMITMENT TO DO MORE OF THE SAME.

• I WANT THIS TO BE A REFLECTIVE MOMENT, A PRAYERFUL OPPORTUNITY.  THIS IS SOMETHING WE ASK OUR STUDENTS TO DO AS THEY LEARN AND GO OUT TO APPLY WHAT THEY LEARN.  TO TAKE TIME TO REFLECT AND EVALUATE IS ESSENTIAL ESPECIALLY IN THIS RUSHED AND CROWDED WORLD OF TODAY.

• CLOSE YOUR EYES/LOOK AT THE SCREEN OF OUR 150TH YEAR VIDEO—

1.     WE HAVE COMMITTED OURSELVES TO SPECIAL PROJECTS THIS YEAR, AND WE HAVE EXPENDED EXTRA TIME AND ENERGY TO MAKE NIAGARA UNIVERSITY EXCELLENT.  I THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU FOR THAT.  LET ME CITE SOME CONCRETE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• PREPARING FOR MIDDLE STATES

• IMPROVING OUR ASSESSMENT, PLANNING AND BUDGETING SYSTEMS AND SKILLS

• IMPLEMENTING NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN ONTARIO

• RECRUITING LARGE NUMBERS OF NEW PERSONNEL WHO RICHLY ENHANCE NIAGARA UNIVERSITY

• PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION FOR OUR NEW SECURITY BUILDING AND OUR NEW ACADEMIC COMPLEX AND NOW THE EARLY WORK BEING DONE ON OUR SCIENCE BUILDING

• MAKING SURE OUR 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS ARE WELL-PLANNED AND SPECIAL

• WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR JOHN STRANGES AUTHORING A NEW HISTORY OF NIAGARA UNIVERSITY AND HAVING AN AWARD-WINNING SPECIAL 150TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE EAGLE

• MAKING SURE OUR RECORD NUMBER OF NEW STUDENTS ON CAMPUS ARE WELL SERVED

• DEVELOPING NEW APPROACHES, MATERIALS AND RESEARCH TO IMPROVE STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND OUR UNIVERSITY REPUTATION

• HANDLING ALL THE LOGISTICS TO MAKE THE MOST OF OUR RECENT RETURN TO THE BIG DANCE—AND THANKS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR COACHES, STAFF AND STUDENT ATHLETES FOR A GREAT AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR

• THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS

2.     WE ARE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR GROWTH AND WELL-BEING—AS A TOTAL PERSON, THE WHOLE PERSON THAT THEY WISH TO BE.

• AT THE START OF OUR ACADEMIC YEAR, NIAGARA UNIVERSITY HAD MANY PUBLIC PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF OUR STUDENTS

• I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO ADDRESS THOSE PROBLEMS WITH STRENGTH AND SENSITIVITY IN KEEPING WITH OUR MISSION

• I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK DONE WITH THE NEIGHBORS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES REGARDING MCKOON AVENUE

• WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A NEW ATHLETIC CODE OF CONDUCT, WE HAVE REVISED OUR STUDENT JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND HANDBOOK, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A NEW POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND WE HAVE RECEIVED A GRANT FOR OUR SPECIAL PROGRAM ON UNDER-AGE DRINKING

• I AM SORRY FOR OUR STUDENTS’ MISTAKES AS THEY ARE!

• I APOLOGIZE TO ALL, WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE UNIVERSITY, FOR SUCH BEHAVIOR

• WE ARE HAPPY WE TOOK THE BULL BY THE HORNS AND INITIATED MANY VIP CHANGES

• WE MUST CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER, DEAR COLLEAGUES, ALL OF US, TO BANISH THE “PARTYING SCHOOL” LABEL THAT MAY EXIST IN FACT AND IN PUBLIC PERCEPTION.  WE HAVE MADE MANY GREAT ADVANCES TO CHANGE—WE MUST WORK HARDER!

3.     WE HAVE STRENGTHENED OUR COMMITMENT TO MISSION.  THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED:

• WE HAVE NEW CORE VALUES:  CREATIVITY, KNOWLEDGE, SPIRITUALITY, INTEGRITY, COMPASSION

• WE HAVE STRENGTHENED EFFORTS AT LOCAL CITY REVITALIZATION (INCLUDING COPC, BORDER COMMUNITY, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, TOURISM LEADERSHIP

• WE HAVE STARTED/RENEWED OUR EFFORTS AT MEETING IN THESE SPECIAL WAYS:

                      COMPANIONS OF ST. VINCENT

TO TALK AND SHARE ABOUT CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL TRADITION AS NIAGARA UNIVERSITY

• WE MUST DO MORE FOR OUR COMMUNITY!  SO MANY OF YOU ARE ALREADY INVOLVED.  BUT I SEND OUT THE CALL FOR MORE OF YOU TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN SUCH A CENTRAL PART OF OUR MISSION.

4.     WE CONTINUE TO CHANGE THE LOOK OF OUR CAMPUS:  NEW, BEAUTIFUL ENTRANCE WAY INTO CAMPUS FROM WITMER ROAD; WE PLAN NEW BUILDINGS—SCIENCE, PLAYING FIELDS, DINING, HOUSING, STUDENT CENTER AND THEATRE:

• WE WANT TO KEEP CENTER OF CAMPUS FOR BUILDINGS/GREEN WALKING SPACE

• PARKING WILL BE ON THE PERIMETER OF THE CAMPUS

• WE WILL HAVE WALKWAYS OF IMPORTANCE/GATHERING PLACES

• CLEANER/MORE BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS (NO CIGARETTE BUTTS, PLEASE)

5.     WE MUST NOW DO NEW STRATEGIC PLANNING – THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT!

6.     WE NEED MORE TRANSPARENCY IN PLANNING AND BUDGET—BUT WE HAVE DONE WELL, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE CHALLENGED FOR THE FUTURE AS COSTS INCREASE AND ENROLLMENT WILL MOST PROBABLY GROW AT A SLOWER PACE (ALL PREDICTIONS, ESPECIALLY FOR NORTHEAST)

7.     WE SHOULD TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN ALL THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE AREA OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE LEARNING.  WHAT A CLEAR AND SPECIAL NICHE WE HAVE—IT IS RECOGNIZED—AND THANK YOU ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED WITH EXCELLENCE TO THIS.

8.     WE WILL SOON START (MAY 2) OUR PUBLIC PHASE OF OUR CAMPAIGN!  THIS IS A VIP MOMENT FOR US.  COME GATHER AND CELEBRATE WITH US!

9.     WE ARE ALWAYS TRANSFORMING OUR UNIVERSITY.  WE ALL WISH IT TO BE THE STRONGEST UNIVERSITY.  WE KNOW THERE ARE AREAS WHERE WE ARE STILL DEFICIENT…E.G. MORE F-T FACULTY/GREATER DIVERSITY…BUT WE ARE ALL WORKING TO CHANGE THAT.  THANK YOU!  I HOPE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS REFLECTION/REPORT!  I HOPE YOU FEEL PROUD!  IN CONCLUSION, WE MUST WORK TOGETHER!!  WE MUST ALWAYS DO MORE!

10.   OUR STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS AT THE CENTER OF OUR FOCUS AND CONCERN.  WE MUST ALWAYS CONSIDER THEM IN ALL THAT WE PLAN AND ALL THAT WE DO.  THIS 150TH CELEBRATES MUCH:

• OUR ALUMNI AND PRESENT STUDENTS

• ALL WHO MAKE NIAGARA UNIVERSITY EXCELLENT FOR THEM—YOUR PREDECESSORS AND YOU

• NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, AS A VINCENTIAN UNIVERSITY, HAS ALWAYS HAD ST. VINCENT’S SPIRITUALITY AT THE HEART OF ITS PURPOSE AND MISSION.  WHEN ONE STUDIES WHAT VINCENT TAUGHT AND WROTE IN HIS LIFE, ONE FINDS CERTAIN CORE VALUES.  ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CORE VALUES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS IS THAT A VINCENTIAN/NIAGARA EDUCATION STRIVES TO INTEGRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVING THE POOR INTO THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.  EVERYONE AT A VINCENTIAN UNIVERSITY SHOULD KEEP THE PRIMACY OF THIS VISION ALIVE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI.  GRADUATES OF A VINCENTIAN UNIVERSITY SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER, AS SISTER LOUISE SULLIVAN, D.C., WROTE IN “THE CORE VALUES OF VINCENTIAN EDUCATION,” THAT “EDUCATION WAS THE MOST FAR REACHING FORM OF SERVICE, FOR IT ENABLED THE POOR TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY, FIND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT, AND THUS ENHANCE THEIR SELF-RESPECT AND CONFIDENCE.”  BY PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION, NIAGARA UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN ABLE TO GIVE THIS VISION OF SERVICE TO OTHERS TO INFLUENCE THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY LIVE THEIR OWN LIVES.

• TRY TO INCORPORATE SUCH A MEDITATION/REFLECTION INTO YOUR COURSE.  IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LAST FEW CLASSES, BREAK THE HIGH PITCH AND NERVOUSENESS AND EVEN EXCITEMENT AND BUSYNESS—AND STOP AND PROVIDE THEM WITH REFLECTION TIME (DYNAMICALLY/CREATIVELY)—AND EMPHASIZE THIS “IMPORTANCE OF THE POOR” IN THEIR LIVES AND WORK.  I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU!  I BEG YOU!

FINALLY

11.   THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! 

        GOD HAS BLESSED US!  I AM SURE OF THAT!

        YOU HAVE BLESSED US!  I AM SURE OF THAT!