Message from Provost Chinyere

Dear USF community,

Whether you are getting to know our community for the first time, a continuing student or a member of our dedicated and passionate faculty, librarians and staff, it is an honor to accompany you on your journey as we strive together to unleash the power of Jesuit education to build a more just, humane and sustainable world.

My father came to the US in the 1960s to study medicine on a government scholarship from an impoverished rural community in Southeastern Nigeria. Driven by a desire to build a better life and serve his community, he was exiled as a result of the Biafran war and ultimately settled in Los Angeles where he raised a family and built a practice as a heart surgeon. Holding fast to his vision of serving his community, he would return frequently to the village with antimalarials and other medical supplies to provide life-changing surgeries. From my father, I learned the transformative power of a rigorous and values-based education, not only for the individual, but for an entire community.

As I enter my second year in the role of Provost/ Vice President of Academic Affairs, I am inspired by our students’ commitment to discovering their calling, serving their communities, and acting on their visions for global social justice and environmental justice. USF students, like my father, attend college to generate economic prosperity for their communities and to build a life of meaning and purpose. At USF, they find talented and diverse professors who care deeply about teaching, and about the whole student–body, mind and spirit. They are supported by a team of faculty, librarians, support staff and academic coaches dedicated to their success. They embark on an educational journey that encourages experimentation, collaboration, going beyond one’s comfort zone and engaging deeply with local communities and the civic life of the city of San Francisco. And they enjoy a uniquely global and diverse campus, where the intellectual contributions, creative visions and leadership of BIPOC communities, international students, first gen students, students with disabilities and LGBTQIA students are respected and valued. 

At USF, we work together to build a global, inclusive and equitable community where each individual has the space to be themselves, as well as the support to find out who they are becoming. We are a community of learners, scholars, activists, artists and practitioners who learn from one another and co-create our experience together. I invite you to join me on this deeply transformative path of self reflection and community building rooted in justice and joy.

Warmly,

Provost Chinyere

July 27, 2022