Another academic year at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College has been completed, and I am mindful of the blessings that come with another year! I celebrated my 60th birthday a few weeks ago and the milestone both illuminated the years that have passed and created within me a new passion for the future. The same is true of our Woods; the years that we have been blessed with generations of students brings thanksgiving and a renewed determination to future generations.
This year, as you know, brought new and unprecedented challenges. I believe that SMWC has navigated them with our faith on display and our focus on the students intact. If you have not yet had the opportunity, please visit our website and read the stories detailing the acts of service that poured forth from our alumni, students, faculty and staff. I’m certain that Saint Mother Theodore Guerin is pleased to see her legacy living on in such tangible ways!
We continue to enroll new students in each of our programs and expect to open in a face-to-face way this fall. We are, of course, following CDC protocols for social distancing and cleaning. We are also considering class sizes and the fall calendar as we make the best decisions for students and employees. Enrollment continues to be strong in all programs, and we anticipate more than 500 students in the campus program. We may even break the all-time College enrollment record for the campus program, which was set in 1966!
The College has always been forward-looking in meeting the needs of her students. We are eagerly awaiting a couple of special events in the life of our ever-evolving legacy. We are hopeful for a successful attainment of funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to add the first doctoral degree program at The Woods. We also plan to break ground in June on a brand-new residence and dining hall, opening the building for use in August 2021. Our enrollment continues to grow at a steady pace, and there is new interest among graduate students to live on campus. I would love to know your thoughts about naming the building. We will be excited to share the news with you as both these opportunities unfold.
The need to move Reunion to next year broke my heart in much the same way as the events that were lost this spring to our students. For those of you who graduated in years ending in 0’s or 5’s or from the MLD program, please know that there is a feeling of loss here to not be with you this year. How grand our celebration will be next year! I was glad to be able to connect virtually as we toasted all Reunion classes! As of the writing of this message, we have kept up with the Woods Fund with nearly $75,000 left to raise to meet the $1.1 million needed by June 30, 2020. Please keep this in your prayers as we move to the end of this fiscal year.
How blessed we are to be part of an institution with a deep legacy, a firm commitment to both our faith and our students and a willingness to grow and change with the needs of society and our students. The Woods truly is “dark and deep,” inspiring us ever onward. May God bless you during this time and always!