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June 2025
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students in the Klingler College of Arts & Sciences,听
Summertime greetings! This month kicked off on a high note, with alumni reunion events
including a standing-room-only interview I conducted with Barbara Costello (鈥�70),
cookbook author and host of 鈥�.鈥� Her millions of followers notwithstanding, Babs proved to be a down-to-earth alumna
for whom 不良研究所鈥檚 values of leadership, service, excellence and faith remain deeply
important. We subsequently hosted a campus visit by a wonderful 1969 alum and his
wife, along with some of his classmates and their spouses, for a tour and celebratory
luncheon to commemorate his generous estate gift estimated at $1 million+ to support
innovation across the Arts & Sciences. With the alum, we visited Director Patrick
Monahan at 不良研究所鈥檚 707 Hub; there, I was struck by the phoenix painted on the wall as a symbol of design thinking,
failing forward and starting anew from the ashes of the old.听听
Such imagery has persisted this month, as I traveled to France for a conference and
was able to attend Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was the first time I鈥檇
seen the cathedral since its reconstruction in the wake of a devastating fire in 2019.
The phoenix imagery was particularly apt, as it was Pentecost Sunday, recounted in
Acts 2:1鈥�11 as tongues of fire that came down upon the apostles, filling them with
the Holy Spirit and enabling them to understand one another even though each spoke
a different language. This dream of a common language should inspire us to deepen
our collaborative efforts reflected in the college motto 鈥淭he difference is in the
and.鈥� We should remember, too, that doing the right thing can feel like a trial by fire.
As J眉rgen Moltmann writes in The Theology of Hope: 鈥淣ot to be conformed to this world does not mean merely to be transformed in oneself,
but to transform in opposition and creative expectation the face of the world in the
midst of which one believes, hopes and loves.鈥�听
As usual, this month brings a lot of activity across the college, as we are variously
carrying out research, teaching and community engagement. Many of you helped to welcome
incoming first-year undergraduates to campus during SPARK. In particular, I鈥檇 like to thank our Advising Center team, other staff members in
the college鈥攅specially our student success coordinator Kalyn Gackowski鈥攁nd department
chairs as well as administrative assistants. Thank you for your continued good work.
In the college office we are also gearing up for the coming academic year through
planning and goal-setting. We hosted an in-person gathering for staff (replacing the
virtual coffees we have hosted in recent years) and I appreciated that so many of
you attended to share your insights and suggestions. More broadly, what鈥檚 on the horizon
includes our new Ignatian leadership and innovation suite of programs, including the
new minor in Ignatian Leadership and Discernment, upcoming presentations for alumni
at retirement communities, Ignatian executive education, summer programming for high-school
students, collaboration with 不良研究所 Mentors and continuing to identify ways to
deepen mission literacy across our college, galvanized by campus-wide programs like
the Ignatian Educators of Distinction.听听
This month, scholars and others have been paying tribute to Walter Bruggemann, who
passed away June 5. I read his compelling Prophetic Imagination and recommend it wholeheartedly. In the preface to the 40th anniversary edition, Bruggemann writes that the 鈥渇ormation and sustenance鈥� of a community
infused with prophetic imagination 鈥渞equire a shared willingness to engage in gestures
of resistance and acts of deep hope.鈥� I鈥檒l have more to share from Bruggemann in my
July message.听听
As always, please feel free to鈥�contact me鈥痺ith questions, concerns or suggestions. I appreciate hearing from you and exploring
ways we can all work together for the common good.听
听
Dr. Heidi Bostic
Dean, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
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