Meet President Linda LeMura

How We Change the World

The work done on the campus of a Jesuit college or university is carried out Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, for the greater glory of God. This motto of the Society of Jesus articulates a profound and dynamic aspiration and commitment that enjoins us to honor and value all work that contributes to our common good. These sacred words have guided those of us at Le Moyne College along our journey from a small liberal arts college with an almost exclusively Catholic student body and faculty to a larger comprehensive, multicultural and religiously diverse institution. The changes that have shaped Le Moyne over the decades have not occurred in a vacuum. They exemplify an optimistic and forward-looking response to the evolving needs of a rapidly changing world.

People and the institutions where they study and work sometimes eagerly embrace change and sometimes resist it. While change brings needed innovation and newness into the world, it sometimes requires us to let go of our current ways of thinking, working and being. Since March 2020, we have experienced change that has challenged many of our norms and routines. True to our common values and sense of purpose, members of the Le Moyne community met these challenges in ways that inspire deep gratitude and profound respect. Healthcare workers pushed themselves to their very limits, physically and emotionally, to meet the needs of their communities. We share three of their powerful stories in this issue of New Heights. We also investigate the critical role trust plays in helping us to respond to an array of challenges from the pandemic to the environmental crisis, and the ways in which Le Moyne can help to promote such trust among its students. Finally, we meet a young alumnus who is certainly embracing change as he prepares to serve as a Fulbright scholar and English teaching assistant in Vietnam.

There is no more rewarding work than that done for the greater glory of God. And every day as I encounter students and faculty members who dedicate themselves to making the world safer, more just and more equitable, I stand in awe of their vision, faith and unselfish commitment to improving the lives of others. This is how we embrace change as a Jesuit institution: by educating our students to use their knowledge, skills and values to shape a world that sees in each individual life true dignity, meaning, and purpose. This is how a Le Moyne education changes the world for the better.