PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Dear friends,
When witnessing the tiniest of leaves sprout from the trees and feeling the warmth of the sun after a long winter, it is hard to disagree that spring is a season of optimism and growth. However, as an educator, fall is the time of year that provides me with the most hope and vigor. For it is fall that brings the onset of a new school year and with that, the energizing possibilities of what lies ahead. So it is no coincidence that the relaunch of our alumni magazine is in the heart of our Fall Term. With each issue you will learn how your university is making an impact, turning initiatives into actions, and demonstrating the triumph of hope over adversity. Today, learn about Professor Fromm Reed advocating before Congress about the importance of communities in healing traumatic childhood experiences and why Mary Jane Hender co-founded Reading Power, an early literacy intervention program. Discover why former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan challenged NLU to lead the national conversation on the importance of excellence in education and check out the achievements of fellow alums like John G. Morikis, CEO of Sherwin-Williams Co., in our News and Notes section. We recently were ranked in the “Top 10 Nationally for Grads Making a Difference.” A career survey, conducted by Payscale.com and reported by MONEY Magazine, stated that more NLU grads are in jobs that make the world a better place and are happier because of it. This is a testament and a confirmation of what we already knew about our alumni – that the principles of service, commitment to community and social equity on which NLU was founded continue to be the pillar of our work to this day.
You can follow President Megahed on Twitter @PrezMegahed
We also received notification that NLU was awarded two major U.S. Department of Education grants totaling $4.8 million to support
enrollment and graduation of Hispanic students in STEM-related programs and provide first-generation students and veterans with support in transitioning to post-secondary education. Watch for more details on these two initiatives in our next issue and the opportunities they create for NLU, its students, and the communities we serve. While the hum of laptops replaces the sound of pages turning, we are still, at our heart, the school that began with our founder Elizabeth Harrison’s radical idea that every life matters and every individual deserves an opportunity to get a quality education regardless of their zip code. Be it Pre-K through 12 educators or our myriad of other professionals, National Louis remains committed to preparing individuals who are empowered to create opportunity for others in the communities they call home. Evidence that we are still walking in Ms. Harrison’s footsteps are on the pages of this magazine, and I hope you will enjoy reliving our past successes with us, and looking forward to what the future brings.
Best regards to all,
Nivine Megahed, Ph.D., President
We welcome you to stay engaged between semi-annual issues of this magazine by visiting nl.edu/alumni.
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National Louis University VIEW | Fall 2016
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