Welcome to the Fall 2025 Semester!

Welcome to the start of the Fall 2025 semester! I hope the summer months offered you time to rest, reflect, and reconnect.

Beginning with next week's Move-In Days and Weekend of Welcome, the campus will soon be buzzing with the energy and excitement that mark the start of a new school year. Debbie and I are looking forward to greeting students and their families as they arrive, and I hope to see many of you at events and gatherings in the weeks ahead. I will be doing my best to be out and about—because seeing our students, both new and returning, is the best reminder of why we do what we do.

Over the summer, there have been several enhancements to our campus environment—part of our continued efforts to support student success and create spaces where our community can thrive. From refreshed classroom and residence hall spaces to new gathering areas, upgrades to academic and athletic facilities, and ongoing beautification across the grounds, these improvements reflect our commitment to offering an inspiring, welcoming place to learn and work.

At the heart of our work is the mission of Saint Mary’s College: to provide a transformative education rooted in the Lasallian, Catholic, and liberal arts traditions. One of our guiding principles, Respect for All Persons, will serve as the College’s institutional theme this year—a call to action for how we teach, learn, lead, and live together.

"At the heart of our work is the mission of Saint Mary’s College: to provide a transformative education rooted in the Lasallian, Catholic, and liberal arts traditions." 

—President Roger J. Thompson

In that spirit, and in ongoing alignment with our values, we have taken meaningful steps to strengthen belonging and accountability across campus. This is not a checklist that will end the effort once tasks are completed, but a sustained commitment—one shaped by listening, learning, and adapting to the evolving needs of our students, faculty, and staff. These include, but are not limited to:

• Required training for all faculty, staff, and students focused on interrupting bias and building community;
   
• A task force to review the Student Code of Conduct to reinforce language around bias, harassment, and student safety;
   
• New and expanded programming within Weekend of Welcome, First Year | First Six, and new residence hall dialogues designed to promote inclusion, identity exploration, and connection;
   
• Increased visibility of reporting tools and resources across campus, including updated signage in residential communal spaces and restrooms, clear points of contact, and a new “Report and Support” website resource for the community;
   
• A unified leadership training day for all early-arrival student leaders, grounding them in shared values of accountability and respect; 
   
• The task force for the installation of security cameras, composed of representatives from students, faculty, staff, and De La Salle Christian Brothers across campus. They are meeting to discuss policies and procedures moving forward. You may see some pre-approved installations starting around campus to begin this process. 
   
• And continued efforts to strengthen alumni identity groups and support faculty engagement in inclusive practices.

These initiatives represent a more intentional commitment to our mission—one that invites each of us to shape a community where dignity, equity, and mutual care are not only expected, but lived.

As we begin this academic year together, I invite all of us to reflect on what it means to honor the humanity in one another—and to put that reflection into action.

With deep appreciation for all that you bring to Saint Mary’s, and with best wishes for the semester ahead,

Roger J. Thompson, EdD
President