When a community as deeply rooted as Lourdes University faces a moment, like the closure of a University, it is natural to feel a wide range of emotions – sadness, uncertainty, gratitude, and reflection. I share those feelings with you.

Lourdes has never been simply a place. It has been a promise: a promise to educate the whole person, to serve with humility, and to walk alongside one another with compassion and courage. As we move through the final chapter of our University’s life, my deepest commitment is to ensure that this promise is honored with care, dignity, and respect for every person who calls Lourdes home.

My vision during this time is grounded in who we have always been. We are a Community of Learning, committed to ensuring our students receive the quality education and support they need to prepare for their lifetimes, even in this season of transition. We are a Community of Reverence, called to lead with transparency, to act with deep respect, and to place people at the center of every decision we make. And we are a Community of Service, which means we care for one another with intention while also remembering that our impact extends far beyond these walls. Even in closure, we remain faithful to these commitments; to learning, to reverence, and to service.

Closure does not erase impact. The lives changed at Lourdes, through education, service, faith, and friendship, are living testaments to what this University has meant since its founding in 1958 and will continue to mean long after the institution itself has closed. Our responsibility now is to steward this legacy thoughtfully, ensuring that the values instilled here continue through the lives and work of our graduates and through the enduring ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania.

I ask each of you to join in this unique journey as we remain a community defined not by how we end, but by how we care, how we accompany one another, and how faithfully we live the mission entrusted to us.

Thank you for your trust, your resilience, and your love for Lourdes University. It is an honor to serve you during this sacred and challenging moment.

With peace and gratitude,

Sr. Nancy Linenkugel, OSF, DM

President, Lourdes University