Caress Dean’s office in A305A in the Warde Academic Center, The Xavierite
This week’s editorial is a little different. Instead of writing broadly about campus life, we want to speak directly to someone new — Dr. Caress Dean, Ph.D., Saint Xavier University’s new Provost.
You began your tenure earlier this semester, stepping into one of the most important roles at any university. The Provost serves as the chief academic officer — the person who ensures that what happens in classrooms reflects the mission, standards, and heart of the institution. You oversee faculty, curriculum, and the academic vision that shapes every student’s experience.
At SXU, your arrival comes at a turning point. The university is at a crossroads — balancing tradition and change, small-school community and big-picture pressures.
Students and faculty alike feel this moment could define what Saint Xavier stands.
First, we want to say thank you. Thank you for being here and for caring enough to listen and even read this newspaper that we take so much pride in. That simple willingness to engage already means a lot.
But as students, we also want to be honest about what we’re experiencing.
Many of us came to SXU for its close-knit feel — the professors who know our names, the small classes, the sense that we matter. Those things are real and meaningful. They’re what make this place special.
Yet alongside that sense of community, there’s frustration.
Course offerings have shrunk across several departments. Sociology, English, Spanish, History, and Religious Studies have all faced cuts that make it difficult for students to complete degrees or explore electives that once defined SXU’s liberal arts core.
Some required classes disappear for semesters at a time, and schedules often overlap in ways that make graduation planning complicated.
Advising is another concern. Students have expressed frustration with frequent advisor turnover and inconsistent communication. It can feel like no one fully knows how to help, and that uncertainty leaves students anxious and disconnected from their programs.
Even beyond academics, communication across campus is an issue. Students too often hear about important events, departmental updates, or even the passing of beloved professors secondhand.
It’s hard to feel part of a community when you’re not informed about what’s happening in it.
Then there’s the matter of community itself. SXU has long been a commuter-heavy campus, and many students say it’s difficult to feel included when there’s no central place to gather.
There’s no true student union or casual space to just exist between classes. One student described walking into public spaces on campus as a kind of “humiliation ritual,” surrounded by groups that already know each other. It shouldn’t feel that way. We shouldn’t need an “in” to belong.
If Saint Xavier wants to strengthen its identity as a Mercy institution, community must come first. We believe in the mission of Mercy — compassion, service, connection — but those values need space to live and breathe beyond the classroom.
Dr. Dean, that’s where you come in. We know these challenges aren’t new, and that change won’t happen overnight. But your leadership represents a chance to reset the tone — to build a culture where students, faculty, and administration work together instead of talking past each other.
We’re excited you’re here, because if you succeed, we all succeed. SXU is already full of bright, passionate people who care deeply about this university. Our professors are mentors who go above and beyond. The friendships we’ve built here will last long after graduation. And our student newspaper exists because we believe in this community enough to hold it accountable — and to celebrate it when it shines.
So, Provost Dean, we invite you into that conversation. Help us strengthen the academic foundation that drew us here in the first place. Help us make SXU a place where students don’t just attend classes, but truly belong.
Saint Xavier has the heart of a great university. With your guidance, it can have the voice of one too.
Welcome to SXU, Dr. Dean. We’re glad you’re here — and we’re ready to build this new chapter together.