USD Magazine Summer 2021

DEAR TOREROS USD MAGAZINE

in student government, campus ministry, community service and more — all of which allowed me to meet other wise, compassion- ate, inspiring individuals. Slowly, through their mentorship, I came to understand that the purpose of JCU was not to field a win- ning soccer team or to offer the credentials necessary to get a good job. Instead, I realized, the mission of Catholic higher education is to help students dis- cover their most authentic selves while inspiring them to offer their gifts and talents to make the world a better place. My career in Catholic higher education — including the past 14 years at USD — have con- firmed that my story isn’t unique. I’ve had a front row seat to the ways so many USD students have been transformed by their experience as I was by mine. The vision of our founders, of the life-altering potential of an encounter with beauty, goodness and truth, is alive and well. Now more than ever, I’m con- vinced that the mission of this university is precisely what our world most needs. The holistic education we offer continues to help students discover who God has created them to be and to inspire them to dedicate their gifts and talents to address humanity’s urgent challenges. I can’t think of an endeavor more meaningful or important. I am, therefore, honored and excited by the opportunity to serve the USD community in the role of Vice President for Mission Integration. Michael Lovette-Colyer ’13 (PhD) Vice President for Mission Integration

T

fascinated me. That class, and that professor, changed my life. It was the first time I sensed that what I most deeply wanted was more than a good job and a prosperous life. The second-best thing that ever happened to me was the co-curriculum at John Carroll. During my sophomore year, while studying late one night in the student center, I saw a flyer advertising resident assistant applications. They must have been desperate for male appli- cants, because I got the job. The RA position led to involvement

he best thing that ever happened to me — be- sides meeting my wife and becoming a father — was the core curriculum in my under- graduate days at John Carroll University. I had decided to at- tend JCU, a small Catholic col- lege in Cleveland, Ohio, mostly because the soccer coach called and told me I could play on the team. That, and the red brick buildings, grassy quad and large oak trees made the place look, to my 17-year-old self, like college was supposed to look. Besides soccer, I went to college because

I assumed it was the path to a good job and a prosperous life. During my first semester of my first year, I was enrolled in Introduction to Religious Stud- ies. The professor was a wise, compassionate, inspirational Jesuit priest who challenged us to consider what the purpose of our lives was and encouraged us to explore how religious tradi- tions could inform the process of finding our answer to that question. Beyond what we stud- ied, there was something about the professor, an unmistakable, extraordinary goodness, that

USD MAGAZINE