From the President

Dear Alumni and Friends,

What a blessing it is to be at Newman in the midst of future scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, nurses, accountants, educators, journalists and theologians. Of course, I could go on and on.

As I visit with our students on campus and follow their continuing growth in their intellectual, spiritual and social development, I am reminded that we have a great responsibility. Our job is and has always been to give Newman graduates the skills, tools, knowledge and hearts they will need to succeed, inspire others and transform society.

When the Higher Learning Commission team of peer reviewers visited campus last spring for our ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation process, one of the things they were most impressed with was the Newman Studies Program (NSP). They commented on its uniqueness and recognized that what we are doing for the students — preparing them for future careers not yet dreamed of — is important for shaping the future of the workplace. I am sure you will enjoy reading about the way our professors work together to co-teach our NSP courses, integrating curricula that exists separately while also fostering important skills that will help students think critically in any situation.

But there’s more to education than just academics, and our students prove that with their service-minded attitudes and actions. Community service allows students unique opportunities to make a difference now and prepare their hearts and minds for future possibilities. Newman University has had the honor of being named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll six times over the span of seven years. Helping to foster our “Culture of Service” core value for our students is something we take very seriously.

A hallmark of the Newman student body is a very strong work ethic, and our first-generation students certainly exemplify this quality. Some of our hardest-working, goal-oriented students come from families who have never had a college graduate among them. Of the 2017 class of freshmen, for example, 43 percent were eligible for federal grants due to low incomes, and 19 percent have fathers who didn’t graduate from high school. We are able to provide these ― and all of our students ― exceptional education because of the generosity of our donors.

We know we have a big job to do. And so we remember the words of our namesake, John Henry Cardinal Newman — “If then a practical end must be assigned to a university course, I say it is that of training good members of society… It is the education which gives a man [or woman!] a clear, conscious view of their own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them.”

Thank you for everything you do to help us educate and prepare our graduates to transform society.

Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D.

Caritas Christi Urget Nos!