Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues, 

While this May is a challenging time, it is also a month full of reminders of the critical role that the University of New Orleans plays in our region, and beyond. 

We celebrated commencement with an arena full of happy graduates and their proud family and friends. Some quick facts about this year’s graduates:

• 51% of the graduates were first generation students, or the first in their families to pursue a baccalaureate degree
• Nearly half of the graduates were members of minoritized groups or international students
• Our graduates ranged in age from 19 to 73 years old
• Graduates represented 32 U.S. states and territories and 33 countries
• 23 of our graduates were veterans
• 52% of our graduates were women
• 68% of our graduates received an undergraduate degree or certificate 

Each day last week was replete with smaller ceremonies honoring graduates at the department or program level—I so enjoyed attending as many of these as I could, and it is great to know that our university-wide celebration at Lakefront Arena is complemented by so many more intimate gatherings that celebrate our students’ myriad achievements. 

As a reminder, a university Town Hall is scheduled for today at 3:15 p.m. in the Homer Hitt Alumni and Visitors Center Ballroom to share an update on our efforts to realign our budget with our student enrollments, and to listen to the concerns of faculty and staff. We will also be joined by University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot and several of his colleagues, who have been incredibly supportive to our leadership team. While this is a difficult time, I am grateful for the support that so many people, internal and external to our community, have shown for the University of New Orleans and the students that we are so incredibly fortunate to support. Nowhere is this more evident than through the accomplishments of our graduates. 

With UNO Pride,

Kathy Johnson, Ph.D.
President
The University of New Orleans