My first few months at Seattle University have been exhilarating. I am grateful beyond words for the warm welcome extended to me by so many on campus and in the wider community and am reminded, time and again, how special the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of this university are. Thank you.

We are an institution that has been blessed in many ways and yet is poised for something even greater. Our vision is to become one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit and Catholic universities in the world, educating with excellence at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. Pointing the way toward the fulfillment of that audacious vision is our five-year plan, Reigniting Our Strategic Directions: A Jesuit University of Distinction for a Time of Change, 2022-2027.

Originally launched in 2020, we updated our original strategic plan to address and take into account new realities that emerged these past two years, not least the unprecedented disruption presented by COVID-19 and the appointment of the first lay president in the university’s history. The revised plan reflects the voice and contributions of our entire campus community. The Board of Trustees formally approved them at its November 2021 meeting.

At the heart of Reigniting Our Strategic Directions is a commitment to welcoming our students into a vibrant educational and co-curricular experience and community that prepares them to be leaders for a world in need of healing and bold, new thinking. In particular, our goals for the next five years are to:

• Reimagine and revise our curriculum
• Strengthen professional formation for all members of the Seattle University community
• Enhance the student experience
• Promote inclusive excellence
• Reposition Seattle University for growth

The three greatest challenges before us, as I see them, are the existential threat of global climate change and ecological sustainability; the scourge of racial injustice coupled with widening economic inequality; and the promise and perils of rapid technological transformation.

Our Jesuit heritage, our insistence on academic rigor and our location at the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic regions all position us to be at the forefront of responding to these imperatives. As I put it in my inauguration remarks earlier this fall, the combination of these strengths means that there is nowhere better than this place to imagine somewhere better than this place.

Thank you for supporting Seattle University and being a part of our journey forward.

Eduardo M. Peñalver
President