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Invited
Commentary
Letter to Faculty Senate
Stritch School of Medicine
from
Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President,
LUC
January 10, 2005
In 2003 one of our alumni magazines featured a story which
characterized Loyola University Chicago as experiencing a
“renaissance.” I think there is a good deal of truth
in this characterization. We are a good university
moving deliberatively and in a focused way toward greatness.
We have emerged from difficult financial times with a
renewed commitment to our core values and a renewed sense of
who we are and what we can become. Enrollments are
strong. New buildings and new programs are coming on
line. Staff, student, and faculty morale is higher
than it has been for many years. Finances are in order
on all four of our campuses. The new University shared
governance system appears to be working. We have a lot
of work to do yet, we know. But we have rolled up our
sleeves and are fully engaged in the effort. We have
made plans and set goals. We see ourselves as well
along the journey toward notable and noteworthy excellence.
With
this background in mind and as we enter into the New Year, I
thought it would be helpful to provide you with an update on
some of the projects and initiatives currently underway
which impact the Medical Center in order for us to work
together to further the University’s strategic priorities.
First, I think it is important to point out that the
University is spending a considerable amount of time
planning for how we will expand our investment in research
and scholarship in order to take full advantage of its
academic strengths. The efforts of the Research Task Force,
established in August 2003, laid the groundwork for the
research blueprint now unfolding. We are working to improve
the support of researchers and teaching-scholars by
reorganizing and enhancing research services; developing
strategic centers of excellence by building on existing
strengths and opportunities; and attempting to increase
externally funded research activity in ways that are
consistent with the University’s mission and strategic
goals.
Second, we are looking to build a stronger program in health
sciences education, research, policy analysis and biomedical
ethics. Loyola's potential for building a critical
reputation in key and select medical and health related
fields is well underway at Stritch with several centers of
excellence already developed. The Niehoff School of Nursing,
already nationally ranked, has distinguished masters and
doctoral programs. In order to better integrate and
coordinate these existing programs, discussions have begun
between the School of Nursing, the School of Medicine and
the leadership of the Medical Center with the goal of
transferring administrative responsibility for the School of
Nursing from the Provost to the Vice President for Health
Sciences by the end of this academic year. This
administrative change and strategic realignment of the
health science schools will heighten the potential for
research opportunities, expand graduate education and health
sciences and impact our overall contribution to Catholic
healthcare.
Third,
in order to take full advantage of our potential to
significantly increase our share of research funding, a new
research structure will be headed by a new Vice President of
Research who will report directly to me and reside at the
Medical Center. I am happy to report that the recruitment process is well underway.
Provost Facione and Dr. Barbato are co‑chairing the search
committee made up of Linda Janusek, Ph.D., School of
Nursing; Kenneth Johnson, Ph.D., Sociology; David Crumrine,
Ph.D., Chemistry; Allen Samarel, M.D., Chairperson of the
Research UPC; and Tarun Patel, Ph.D., Pharmacology. The committee has developed a
list of job expectations and a job description, and has
engaged an outside search firm to help identify potential
candidates. We anticipate beginning the interview process
in early February.
Fourth, the University has begun the process of planning for
a multi-year comprehensive capital campaign. An internal
campaign planning committee made up of staff and
administrators from both the Lakeside and Medical Center
campuses has been meeting since last September developing
the campaign’s parameters and assessing the University and
Health System’s financial needs and priorities. Although
the exact target has not yet been established, it will be
somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million dollars. Of
this, $300 million would go toward health sciences, medicine
and nursing. While we still have a considerable amount of
due diligence that needs to be completed, the University
anticipates including in the campaign plans to build a new
$60 – $80 million dollar medical research building in order
to expand and enhance our research capacity at its Maywood
Campus.
Fifth, with the announcement of Dr. Stephen Slogoff’s
intention to retire as Dean of the Stritch School of
Medicine and Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Dr.
Barbato and I have decided to split the two positions held
by Dr. Slogoff and to begin the search process for a new
Dean. Dr. Slogoff was unique in his ability to effectively
manage both our university’s Medical
School and the Medical
Center’s clinical programs and so selecting his successors will be a formidable
challenge. We all owe Dr. Slogoff our gratitude for his
outstanding leadership and many years of dedicated service
to the University.
Sixth, since we have a long and distinguished history of
graduate education and scholarship in a variety of fields,
we want to assure and enhance the effectiveness of our
graduate programs. The search for a new Graduate Dean,
whose sole responsibility will be the guidance of our
doctoral and masters graduate programs apart from the MD and
JD, has already begun. Dean Isiaah Crawford is the Chair of
that search committee, which is being aided by an outside
consultant. The Graduate Dean will be charged with the
responsibility of quality control and leadership in the
development and implementation of graduate education, the
evaluation of graduate degree programs and graduate faculty,
as well as the enhancement of academic and support services
to our graduate students. Another challenge will be to work
hand in hand with the Vice President of Research, the
Provost and the Vice President for Health Sciences to help
determine and support the strategic centers of excellence
for Loyola
It
will take several years to fully accomplish all that we hope
to do. Therefore, I hope to utilize this new Faculty Senate
Web Page to keep you informed as we move forward.
Certainly, the success of our efforts is critically linked
to a spirit of cooperation and enthusiasm and creative
leadership. It is my belief that we are charting a course
in basic and applied research and in graduate research and
professional education programs that will permit Loyola to
achieve greater national recognition, support the research
efforts of our faculty, respond to the educational and
research needs of Chicago and the nation, and enhance the
learning environment of our students as we prepare them to
lead extraordinary lives.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Garanzini, S.J.
President
