University President Fr. Mark Poorman sent an email to the University community Thursday morning expressing his thoughts on the results of the presidential election. Below is the email, in full:
Dear University of Portland Community,
Like so many of you, I watched the election process on Tuesday and continue to think about the post-election landscape. It has been a week offering many questions and so many people yearning for public expression and shared understanding. As a university campus, it is our responsibility to turn questions and uncertainty about critical events into meaningful dialogue and to reaffirm our commitments to human dignity and inclusivity.
As we come to the end of this week we can reflect on the opportunity to renew our purpose as an institution of higher learning. We need to be available to each other and to our wider communities as leaders of respectful dialogue with a rich understanding of historical context and a place of reasoned analysis. Most critically, as a Holy Cross institution we are aware that intellectual understanding cannot be furthered without attention to the heart and hands. Basil Moreau, who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross, guides us to cultivate a premier education that places human dignity at the core of all that we do and demands attention to the complementary truths of faith and reason. We have been devoted — each and every one of us at the University of Portland — to helping each other discover and use the gifts of creativity, communication, and analysis, always with respect and open hearts.
Our statement on diversity and inclusion is paramount and we have identified our responsibility and commitments “to foster an environment that values, honors and respects the inherent differences in our students, faculty and staff populations and that benefits from the ideas, experiences and perspectives of a diverse and inclusive community.” This is central to our Catholic identity, our Holy Cross mission, and our purpose in higher education.
I’m deeply grateful for the extraordinary work we do together that nourishes hearts, minds and souls. We will continue to be a community of prayer, thoughtfulness, and integrity, and with these gifts we will continue to transform the world around us.
As always, my prayers are with all of you.
Sincerely,
Fr. Mark
