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A Message from the Chancellor

December 2008

Dear Friends:

I would like to extend a Happy Holiday Season and prosperous 2009 to you and your families.  I sincerely hope that this holiday season will be a time of joy, a special time with loved ones and friends and an opportunity to plan for 2009 and the many challenges it will surely bring.

Each new year starts with new resolutions--often small but meaningful expressions of hope that allow us to measure our own personal progress toward important goals.  It is also a time to consider resolutions as a UNO community.   This is particularly important right now in light of our economic environment at the local, state and federal level. 

In this year of celebrating the University’s 50th anniversary and the contributions we have made to our city and state, 2009 will bring a renewed sense of mission as we plan for the next 50 years.  We must look for new ways to ensure that our mission retains its vitality and its effectiveness.  We must look for ways to improve and strengthen our curricula, our educational programs, our facilities, and our resources to support our students and faculty. We must look for ways to ensure that this learning community continues to inspire new generations of leaders for this community and for communities all over the world.

This year and the years to follow will present new opportunities to enlarge the scope of our influence in our academic programs of excellence.  We must take advantage of those opportunities to ensure that our students graduate with the skills and frameworks of knowledge that they must have to be successful leaders in the future. 

Planning for the future of the University is ongoing and this spring semester, as each year, will be a time to evaluate, adjust and update the strategic plan.  Although economic, political and environmental circumstances may necessitate changing specific strategies, the overall vision remains the same…to be a great urban research university with outstanding academic programs, with exceptional and talented students who are dedicated to learning, with faculty of national and international stature and with a support staff possessing exemplary skills.

These past 50 years, UNO has weathered many ups and downs but I have no doubt that we will continue the momentum we have built as a dynamic institution of education, research, public service and economic growth for New Orleans, for Louisiana, for our nation and our world.  Together, we will enhance and preserve the academic greatness of the University of New Orleans.

With warmest regards,

Timothy P. Ryan
Chancellor