SXU Announces 2020 Commencement Ceremony Speaker
Saint Xavier University (SXU) is pleased to announce former Saint Xavier University Board of Trustees member Mary Clare Loftus '65, RN, M.Ed., as the 2020 commencement speaker. Loftus will receive an honorary degree Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa, and will share her knowledge and expertise while congratulating 2020 graduates on achieving their high-quality degrees.
Though COVID-19 restrictions prevented 2020 ceremonies from being held last year, Saint Xavier will honor 2020 graduates on May 8, 2021. To comply with local and state guidelines, and to ensure the safety of SXU students, their families, friends, faculty, and staff, the 2020 Commencement ceremony will be held virtually.
A proud and active alumna of SXU, Loftus graduated from the School of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in 1965 and received her M.Ed. from Loyola University Chicago in 1973. Loftus worked at Mercy Hospital as a staff nurse and nurse instructor and was designated Western Springs Woman of the Year in 1998. She went on to raise four children while embarking on a career of volunteer leadership, most notably with SXU.
Loftus joined the SXU Board of Trustees in 1996, serving from 1996-2007 and 2011-2018. She worked with many trustee committees, including student affairs, advancement and trusteeship, as well as the 2003 and 2009 Presidential Search Committees and the Presidential Advisory Council from 2010-2011. She has contributed in the planning of the School of Nursing's 75th anniversary celebration, the SXU Golf Classic for the last 23 years and the Class of 1965's 50th Class Reunion, spearheading its fundraising efforts to garner more than $60,000.
She is a recipient of the Sister Dorothy Marie Peschon Award in 2005, which recognized her contributions to the Saint Xavier community, acknowledging her as an SXU graduate whose life is marked by service, compassion and a yearning for knowledge. Along with her husband, the late Dr. Gerald Loftus, she received the Shield of Saint Xavier Award in 2011 – the University's highest honor.
The couple have been among Saint Xavier's most generous lifetime donors and supporters. In recognition of their contributions, the Loftus Room, located in Rubloff Hall, was named in their honor. The Loftus family donated to the Chapel Campaign in 1999 and named the Chapel Cross for their friend Sister Gwendolyn Durkin, R.S.M.
Most recently, Loftus made a substantial commitment to establish the Gerald F. Loftus, M.D., and Mary Clare Loftus, RN, M.Ed. Endowed Professorship for SXU's School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SONHS), which is the first professorship named after an individual or family in the University's 175-year history. Loftus desires for the gift to enhance the prestige and reputation of SXU's nursing program in perpetuity. Loftus remains engaged in program development and funding student scholarship support.
For more information, visit the Commencement web page or email commencementFREESXU.