Dear Faculty and Staff,

I hope you will take a few minutes to watch and listen to the Fall 2014 President's Update, the first I have done in a video format. I look forward to continuing to do these as an additional way to communicate with you and our extended community. 

Seattle University: President's Update Fall '14 from Seattle University on Vimeo.

The new dynamic in higher education presents us with a number of challenges and opportunities. Seattle University is well positioned, both academically and financially, for continued success. Our distinctive education is needed now more than ever. We have charted a clear path forward with the Strategic Plan and we will continue to invest in the priorities outlined in it.

 The path is not an easy one given the changing and increasingly competitive higher education environment. Like many universities, we have immediate challenges to work through. One involves the budget. We have a short timeframe to finalize the FY15 budget. The Provost, deans and vice presidents have been sharing with their divisions, colleges and schools the situation we have as well as how we must begin prioritizing for FY16. We know the challenges facing us this year are significant, as is the need to make additional strategic investments in future budgets. If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to work with your dean or division leader. 

As many of you heard in my remarks at the President's Welcome, or may have read in this week's Commons , I am committed to finding a way for us to engage in more dialogue around the issues in front of us. We are all in this together and we must all work together to find the best way forward. Each of us must play a greater role in recruitment and retention in this competitive landscape.

 Please know I welcome your thoughts and encourage you to share them with your school, college or division leadership. I will soon meet with a broader group of university leaders to further discuss how we might pursue building a stronger culture of dialogue. I look forward to discussing these issues with you at the next President's Forum in early November.

 Thank you for taking the time to watch this video and for all that you do for our university. I wish each of you God's blessings and great success in the year ahead.

 Sincerely, 

Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
President