A Message from the President

As a Jesuit institution of higher education and as citizens of the world, we are called to promote environmental justice and to be stewards of our common home. Today, I am pleased to announce Saint Joseph’s University’s commitment to a seven-year sustainability planning process to become designated by the Vatican as a Laudato Si’ University.

Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, “On Care for Our Common Home,” the Laudato Si’ initiative calls on Catholic and non-Catholic institutions worldwide to protect our common home with real and lasting solutions. Saint Joseph’s University’s plan, the President’s Laudato Si’ Initiative on Sustainability and Stewardship, will focus on three main principles rooted in Jesuit values: environmental stewardship, social justice stewardship and cura personalis stewardship. 

Environmental stewardship means striving to minimize our environmental footprint through initiatives like energy conservation (e.g., renewable energy sources), sustainable practices (e.g., waste reduction, water conservation), LEED-certified construction and promoting green spaces on campus. Social justice stewardship goes beyond the environment to focus on the interconnectedness of environmental and social justice issues to promote a just and equitable future for all. And cura personalis stewardship extends to fostering a well-being that recognizes the environment as an integral part of human health for all, especially marginalized populations.

The seven-year Laudato Si’ journey will include the identification of baseline and target sustainability areas, a sustainability plan framework, a leadership guidebook to contextualize key decisions and incorporate recommendations, and integration into the University’s strategic plan and core operations.

I am grateful to Brian Dooner, BS ’83, and Marlene Dooner, BA ’83, longtime Saint Joseph’s supporters, who are funding our initiative, and to Clint Springer, PhD, associate professor of biology, director of the Institute for Environmental Stewardship, and director of the Barnes Arboretum, who will lead our University’s seven-year Laudato Si’ journey. There are also many of you who have helped implement numerous sustainability and stewardship programs over the years, and those individuals have laid the foundation for the formalized, public-facing phase of our work. 

Just as Pope Francis has called on educational institutions to rally around actionable change, I invite you to do the same as we take on this urgent and critical mission.

Sincerely, 

Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD
President