On September 29, 2017, Saint Xavier University (SXU) will be honoring their newest President Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D. with an inauguration.
The inauguration will take place at 10 a.m. in the Shannon Center’s Main Arena for the Installation Ceremony.
SXUNews reports that, “500 guests, including delegates, board of trustee members, Sisters of Mercy, faculty, staff, and students are expected to gather.”
Notable persons that will be present are Illinois State Senator Bill Cunningham, Illinois State Representative Kelly Burke, Cook County Commissioner John P. Daley, 19th Ward Alderman Matt O’Shea, and many other delegates from different colleges and universities.
SXU plans to continue the ceremony by having a symbolic journey connecting SXU’s rich 171-year history to today’s modern campus which will take place as the delegates process through the Quad under the original 49th Street Gateway arch to the north doors of the Shannon Center. Following the Installation Ceremony will be a reception held in the Robert and Mary Rita Murphy Stump Library. The Ceremony is open to the public.
The inauguration will take place during the week of SXU’s Spirit of Mercy Day and Homecoming.
Every year, SXU brings together the tradition of starting a new school year with a foundational feat of the Sisters of Mercy and celebrates a Spirit of Mercy Day. This year for the Spirit of Mercy Day Mass, Dr. Joyner and the presidential medallion will be blessed at McDonough Chapel of the Mother of Mercy at noon on September 27.
The night after, SXU will be partaking in the Homecoming football game, where Saint Xavier University will take on Taylor University.
President Joyner began her role as the university’s 20th president on January 1, following the retirement of the school’s former President Christine M. Wiseman, J.D. Joyner joined SXU with an extensive amount of experience and knowledge. In 2012, Joyner became the first female president at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
In 2014, “The Dayton Business Journal” named her one of the 50 Most Influential Businesswomen in the Dayton area.
However, her role as president at Wittenberg only lasted until 2015.
“Dr. Joyner is leaving Wittenberg University in a much stronger financial position and with talented staff members to continue the progress [that began] during her tenure,” stated Wittenberg Board Chairman, Timothy Murray.
Dr. Joyner also served in multiple vice presidential and decanal roles at Rollins College in Florida, and held administrative positions at Loyola University New Orleans where she attained a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Dr. Joyner later went on to receive her master’s and doctoral degree from Tulane University.
In the recent months, President Joyner, has shown her support for SXU students and faculty by releasing statements on important issues, such as the end of DACA stating, “We are a nation built on the talents and gifts of the many immigrants that have come to our shores. Our core values of respect, excellence, compassion, service, hospitality, integrity, diversity, and lifelong learning call us to stand as a united community in support of undocumented and DACA students.”
President Joyner, furthermore, shows her love for SXU on social media.
Joyner was sent a twitter post saying “Saint Xavier is my Dream School,” where she then tweeted back, “It is a dreamy kind of place. I’ve fallen in love with Saint Xavier.”
Shadia Judeh
News Reporter