SR0226 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0226 LRB103 32054 LAW 60977 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to recognize Loyola University Chicago, the only Jesuit Catholic University in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago originally opened its doors as St. Ignatius College on September 5, 1870; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago's School of Law opened in 1908, admitting both women and men; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine was founded in 1920; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago, initially having no home field for its football team, adopted the nickname "Ramblers" for all of its athletic teams in 1926; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago opened Arrupe College, an innovative two-year college for Chicago-area students with limited financial means, in the fall of 2015; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago additionally includes the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, the Niehoff School of Nursing, the Quinlan School of Business, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Schools of Education, Social Work, and Communications; and

WHEREAS, Today, Loyola University Chicago enrolls more than 17,000 students seeking undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, with 42% of its study body being students of color and 98% of its undergraduate students receiving grants and/or scholarships; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago had 2,418 students receive a Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) grant in 2023, more than one-half of all Illinois undergraduates attending the university; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago inaugurated Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., as its 25th president on November 3, 2022; and

WHEREAS, President Dr. Reed has been a distinguished leader and educator at Jesuit institutions for more than 20 years, previously serving as president of St. Joseph's University in Pennsylvania for seven years and holding several leadership positions at Fairfield University in Connecticut for 15 years; and

WHEREAS, President Dr. Reed is a student-centered leader committed to being an active participant in the academic, spiritual, and social life of Loyola University Chicago; and

WHEREAS, President Dr. Reed serves as chair of the Council of Presidents for the Atlantic 10 Conference, which Loyola University Chicago joined in July 2022; he also serves on the boards of the American Council on Education, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; and

WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago will celebrate its 153rd anniversary in September 2023; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Loyola University Chicago, the only Jesuit Catholic University in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the President of Loyola University Chicago, Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., as an expression of our esteem and respect.