Dear Friend of the University:

In response to questions raised after my January 19 letter announcing the appointment of a new director for the Saint Ignatius Institute, I have prepared this additional information in a Question and Answer format. My intention is to clear up misunderstandings and dispel doubts about the University’s commitment to the SII. Let me state very clearly that it is our hope that the Saint Ignatius Institute will be widely recognized as the premier program of its kind in the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Shortly after accepting the presidency of USF I embarked on my first official visit – to Archbishop William J. Levada. I wanted to personally tell him that USF remains at the service of the local Church. For me, this was an important and characteristic step. After serving as the Principal of a Jesuit high school, I pursued a degree in Catechetics from The Catholic University of America because of my interest in and commitment to handing on the Catholic tradition. I served two terms on the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Certification and Accreditation that reviews all ministry training programs across the country in the name of the bishops.

I accepted the presidency of USF because, among other considerations, of its record of outstanding service to the city and Church of San Francisco and because of its unique capacity to be "the light shining on the hilltop." As stated in my inaugural address, it is the Catholic tradition that "maintains that our deepest desires – to know and to love – are of God, and far from being doomed to frustration impel us beyond ourselves towards the fullness of truth and love, which we believe is the person of God." I am deeply committed and determined that the University, faithful to its Jesuit Catholic tradition, challenge itself to pursue together with all men and women of good will that truth and love which alone satisfy the longings of our hearts and the needs of our too human world.

Sincerely,

Stephen A. Privett, S.J.