Message From the President

Moving On with Reflections on Leading SU

As I approach the end of my time as the 22^nd President of Seattle University, I have been reflecting on the past five years and what they have meant to me personally and professionally. Returning home to Seattle after several decades away to lead this remarkable academic community has been the privilege of a lifetime. Although the five years have flown by, I am struck by how much has changed, both for my family and at Seattle University.

In my own life, my two sons have grown from boys into young men. My older son is now a sophomore in college and my younger son will graduate from high school this spring. Although I had raised them right—meaning as Mariners and Seahawks fans—they still felt like outsiders when they arrived here from upstate New York in the closing days of the pandemic. It took them a while to settle in and find their friends but, five years later, I can report that they have become true Seattleites, which is to say that this community has become home for them. The same is true for Sital. Speaking for myself, during these five years, I have never grown tired of being able to pursue my passion for Jesuit higher education while living and working in this beautiful corner of the United States where I grew up. I am going to miss waking up to “The Mountain,” at least on the days when it is out.

For Seattle University, the past five years have been a time of meeting and overcoming challenges even while taking significant and bold steps toward a bright and ambitious future. Re-opening the university after COVID proved to be more complicated than shutting down. And the political and regulatory environments—at the local, state and federal levels—have added their own distinctive challenges. We have responded by fostering a culture of data-informed decision-making that has allowed us to become nimbler and more entrepreneurial. We have increased the speed with which we can stand up new programs and implemented processes for evaluating programs that might need to be scaled down. This culture has allowed us to seize opportunities when they arise, from the launch of the Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University to the gift of a world-class art collection to the invitation to (re-)join the West Coast Conference. Each of these efforts has involved the collaborative work of individuals and departments across the university. Each has required courage and creativity. And I hope all of them will contribute to a strong future for Jesuit education in the Pacific Northwest.

As I prepare to move back east (again), I look forward to watching Seattle University’s continued success from a distance. I am grateful to you for extending such a warm welcome to me and to my family over the past five years. We have become Redhawks for life!

Eduardo Peñalver
President

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