Michael Garanzini, S.J. Named Next President of AJCU

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) has named Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J. as its next president. He will begin his term on July 1, 2020.

Fr. Garanzini welcomes the opportunity to join AJCU and serve as its next president. He said, “This is an incredible honor for me, and I’m really looking forward to working with the presidents and our institutions as president of AJCU. This is a challenging time for all of us, and so the need to work together has never been more important. I know that I can count on our presidents to work closely and support each other, to ensure that Jesuit higher education continues to thrive for years to come.”

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Congratulations to the Newest #JesuitEducated Graduates!

The coronavirus pandemic has caused Jesuit colleges and universities to postpone their in-person commencement ceremonies, but the Class of 2020 is still being honored and recognized in a variety of meaningful ways. Click on the school names below to learn more!

From Wednesday, May 13 through Friday, May 22, the College of the Holy Cross will host a Senior Celebration Series, featuring Senior Exit Talks, a virtual tour of “hidden gems” on campus, and much more each day. On Friday, May 15, Creighton University will host School and College virtual degree ceremonies, followed by an all-University event on Saturday, May 16. John Carroll University will host a Liturgy for the Class of 2020, followed by a virtual Class Toast on Saturday, May 16, and a virtual Conferring of Degrees on Sunday, May 17.

On Friday, May 15, Fordham University will livestream its Baccalaureate Mass, featuring best-selling author, Rev. James Martin, S.J., as homilist. Fr. Martin will also receive an honorary degree from Fordham: his eighteenth from a Jesuit college or university (click on the video at right to learn more about Fr. Martin’s perspectives on Jesuit education in 2017). Fordham will host a videocast commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16.

Canisius College recorded a virtual degree conferral for graduate students on Wednesday, May 13, which is now available to view on YouTube. A virtual degree conferral ceremony will be recorded for undergraduate students this weekend. Click here to learn more about Canisius' support for the class of 2020.

Fairfield University will live-stream its Baccalaureate Mass on Sunday, May 17 at 11:00 AM ET. The University has also created a “social celebration” livestream of celebratory posts across various social media channels.

Georgetown University will live-stream a degree conferral ceremony featuring remarks from the University’s president, provost and prominent alumni, and a performance of the alma mater by a virtual choir on Saturday, May 16. Georgetown has also compiled a video featuring greetings to graduates from family and friends across the world.

Gonzaga University is compiling tributes for a congratulatory video from parents and family members of Gonzaga seniors. The University has also created a webpage featuring resources for graduates and profiles from the Class of 2020. Spring Hill College created a video celebrating seniors, featuring greetings from SHC’s president and other members of the campus community.

Marquette University collected images of graduating seniors as children and as adults for a daily series on Twitter. The University also created a congratulatory video featuring well-wishes from campus administrators, available on Facebook. Le Moyne College created a dedicated commencement page, featuring a congratulatory video from Le Moyne administrators, and a virtual performance of the College’s alma mater.

The University of Detroit Mercy has compiled a series of student spotlight stories, including an Iraq War veteran, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and is currently giving back to his local community by making 3-D printed face masks through his own non-profit organization. Rockhurst University created a YouTube playlist, featuring videos of four “Outstanding Grads” of the Class of 2020; additional profiles of graduates are featured on Rockhurst’s website.

Loyola Marymount University is hosting three virtual celebrations for its graduating students: undergraduates on Saturday, May 9; graduate students on Sunday, May 10; and law students on Sunday, May 17. LMU is also hosting a week of virtual events for undergraduates from Friday, May 8 through Friday, May 15; click here to learn more about the Class of 2020 at LMU.

Members of the senior class at Loyola University Chicago participated in a video capstone project to share their thoughts on graduating in the midst of the pandemic; the video is available to view on Instagram. Faculty and staff from Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business also turned to video to share their messages of congratulations to their graduating students. For more information on Loyola’s commencement plans, please click here.

The University of San Francisco created a virtual Commencement Hub, featuring video greetings from USF’s president and administrators of its academic colleges, as well as information on upcoming virtual celebrations. USF also shared a story on its efforts to ship caps and gowns to graduates; click here to learn more.

Loyola University Maryland will confer degrees to more than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students in a ceremony that will be livestreamed from Loyola’s website on Saturday, May 16. Learn more about this year’s graduates in a new celebratory video.

On Saturday, May 9, Loyola University New Orleans hosted a virtual celebration, streamed on YouTube, featuring a message from Loyola’s president, along with student performances and even a few celebrity guests! Click here to view it online.

Saint Joseph’s University will host a virtual conferral of degrees on Saturday, May 16. The ceremony will be live-streamed and available to view on social media channels after 9:00 AM ET; click here to learn more.

Xavier University’s Vice President for Mission and Identity and Chief Mission Officer recently shared a video in cap-and-gown, offering four characteristics in leadership for Jesuit-educated students; click here to view it on Twitter. Click here for a special website dedicated to the Class of 2020, featuring information on online events, including a virtual celebration on Saturday, May 16.

Additional Jesuit colleges and universities have posted information (including letters from presidents) on plans for future commencement ceremonies on their websites: Boston College, Regis University, Saint Louis University, Saint Peter’s University, Santa Clara University, Seattle University and The University of Scranton.

Please note: We will continue to update this page in the weeks to come. Please send your stories, videos and photos to AJCU’s director of communications, Deanna Howes Spiro, for submission: dhowes@ajcunet.edu.

27 Institutions: 1 Shared Mission

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