Just received the email that Father G. is stepping down. Obviously, I am grateful that he took the initiative to invest in the basketball and athletics program, but mostly I'm grateful that he restored the University to prominence and financial stability after inheriting what i would call, "a gigantic mess."

I was fortunate enough to live in Campion Hall with Father Garanzini his first full year on the job. He's an incredibly nice guy, but wow, was he driven. As kind and funny as he was to share a hallway with, I knew that he was someone who you didn't want to ever get in his way, and his toughness and vision has really been a great thing for Loyola. Here's to hoping our next president (hopefully another Jesuit) is equally, or MORE, interested in the success of our Athletics Department and Basketball program.

One of my first thoughts was that they had better not give Big an interview. Lord knows he wants the job and Lord knows he'd be terrible at it. We had to come back from being in the red once before...

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Cigarboy sucks!

OH Wow !!! God bless Fr Garanzini. It was my pleasure to be introduced to him by the Calculator Lady's husband--we all know who he is-- on my special day that cold Feb day last year. A Great man has led a great University back to the top of a list of fine Illinois Universities. Who knows at this time where God will lead him ? Wherever it will be , will be the better for it.
GODSPEED , FATHER and THANK YOU !!

What that man has managed to do for the University in the past 14 years is unbelievable. I know that there are some who have been critical of him, but like his decisions or not, the guy was a leader and whenever he had a vision, he dove into it full force until it got done. A president of a University is such an important and demanding position, and it takes a special person to be able to make the hard decisions, lead, and cater to many different groups in order to make progress. I suppose the best question to ask at the end of someone's tenure in a position like this is, "Is the University in a better position than when he took over?" My answer is a confident, "YES."

It looks like he will still be around as the Chancellor, which is good to hear. I really hope that Loyola is able to find a JESUIT to be the next leader of the institution, who will do his best to try and retain it's Jesuit and Catholic identity. As of 2013, over 63% of American Catholic University's were lead by Lay persons, and I really don't want Loyola to be a casualty of that growing number. Georgetown did not bring in a Jesuit and recently, St. Louis hired a lay person to run their school. Overall, I just hope Loyola can find someone to carry on Father Garanzini's dynamic legacy.

He is a great leader, and he leaves behind an enormous legacy. He will be missed in a day to day capacity at Loyola, but Jesuit education worldwide will be better by his attention.

Like ToledoRambler, I shared a hall with him as an RA in Campion, and it was inspiring to get to know him a little bit.

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That's a big loss for Loyola. I don't think this was completely unexpected, but I wonder why he would choose to step down mid-year rather than wait for the school year to finish?!

Date is June 30

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Apparently, I'm not on the email list for such announcements. I saw a cryptic tweet about leadership changes at Loyola that mentioned Fr. Garanzini, but I never imagined that he'd be stepping down.

Ordinarily, this thread would probably belong out of the men's basketball area, but since his leadership allowed us to repair the financial difficulties of the late 1990s, get back to fiscal health, make investments in athletic facilities, get out of the HL, and do what was needed to compete in the MVC, it belongs here.

I don't see any reason why Fr. Garanzini's emphasis on getting Loyola back into competitiveness athletically wouldn't be matched by the next president of the university. I think there are some real differences made concerning campus life and attitudes about sports since the men's volleyball championship and the move to the MVC. Steve Watson is a solid hire for AD, and the team is having some success on the court. It's really an untapped publicity and student life amenity for Loyola to upgrade athletics, and all things considered it's a bargain.

I questioned whether it belonged in the basketball forum, but his mark on the basketball program, like you said, was huge in letting us take the next step in rebuilding our program. As mentioned, Gentile Renovation, our move to the Valley, his ability to raise money to improve ALL the facilities to make the University a more attractive landing place for recruits.