Maggie Needham
As my senior year at Saint Louis
University draws to a close, I am amazed at how much has changed since I first
stepped foot on SLU’s campus, in 2011. I have seen this university struggle to
find its place as a Jesuit institution in the city of St. Louis, and I have
seen our campus polarized by issues that should have brought us together. This
polarization has stunted our growth as a community, and it has prohibited us
from doing the hard work that our Jesuit mission proclaims.
I have also seen many students, faculty
and staff dedicate their lives to furthering the mission of our university --
“the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of
humanity.” President Fred Pestello has become an invaluable member of our
community, taking the time to understand SLU and to work with student and
faculty leaders, to continue and to strengthen their work.
When I made the decision to attend SLU, I
did so based on the school’s commitment to service, rooted in its Catholic,
Jesuit values. I wanted a school that would challenge students to be women and
men for and with others, as well as clarify my understanding of social justice.
These are the values that make SLU such a meaningful institution; and they are
the reason that so many of us choose to invest our lives in the SLU community.
These are also the values that Pestello
has embraced and that make him an exemplary leader for our university.
His leadership is moving SLU strongly in
the right direction, aligning the school’s actions more closely with its
mission. The actions of our new president have been, from the beginning,
informed by a dedication to living the the mission’s values. He has explicitly
chosen to pursue truth, with every decision he makes, and to engage SLU and St.
Louis community that he now calls home. His presence on campus has been marked
by listening, collaborating and communicating, with transparency.
Pestello’s interactions with the Occupy
SLU movement in October are a prime example of how he lives the Jesuit mission.
He could have immediately shut down the protest or confronted the activists as
unwelcome outsiders. However, that approach would have ignored the school’s
mission in favor of pretending that injustice in St. Louis does not affect us.
But the SLU administration, under the leadership of Pestello, used the
opportunity to engage in dialogue about racial inequality and learn from voices
in our community that are often relegated to the margins.
In an email to the SLU community on Oct.
18, Pestello explained: “What we needed most was to listen and learn and find
common ground.” His actions showed the humility and courage that we will all
need, if we want to make a positive, enduring change. The pursuit of truth
requires that we listen to those around us and learn from their experiences.
And service to humanity requires us to take concrete steps to bring justice to
all communities.
In agreeing to the Clock Tower Accords,
Pestello demonstrated that he was willing to take those concrete steps. He
agreed to work with others to strengthen SLU’s relationship with the city of
St. Louis, to support students of color at SLU and to engage in dialogue about
race. He also agreed to recognize the part that SLU has played in
racial-justice issues, with a commissioned sculpture, which would, as Pestello
noted, “honor our shared Jesuit values that promote inclusion rather than
division.”
This sculpture -- regardless of its final
form -- will serve as a testament to SLU’s place in history and in this city,
and it will serve as a hopeful reminder that, as always, there is more work to
be done.
From day one, Pestello has advocated and
practiced open dialogue and humility. He has used his position and authority at
SLU to explore how the university community can better serve others. That is
servant leadership. And that is valuing social justice, love and unity.
Pestello lives the mission of our
university, and he challenges and inspires us as students to live the mission,
as well. He challenges us to understand complex issues and engage with those
different from us. I appreciate all he has done for SLU in the months he has
been here so far, and I look forward to seeing how SLU continues to grow under
his servant leadership after I graduate.
