Rev. Theodore Munz, S.J. (2011)

Visionary. Driven. Pragmatic. Deeply spiritual. These are all words that describe Loyola President Rev. Theodore G. Munz, S.J. Over the course of his thirteen years as Loyola's president, he has dreamed big dreams and turned them into realities with a rare combination of faith, foresight, and financial acumen. His tenure as president has left an indelible imprint on the academic and spiritual life of the school. However, his impact on Loyola Academy athletics and its athletes has been equally profound. Perhaps no president in our history has done more for the student-athlete. In 2000, fundraising for Loyola's new Glenview Campus, one of Fr. Munz's most visionary initiatives, began. Loyola met its $10 million fundraising goal and the 60-acre campus opened in 2003 with 10 state-of-the-art playing fields. The 10-court Rose Catharine Schuba Memorial Tennis Park, dedicated in 2005, enabled the school to host tennis tournaments for the first time in its history. In 2007, Athletic Department formed a partnership with the Stanford University-based Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit established to promote positive, character-building experiences in sports for young athletes. Also in 2007, the Turf Initiative was launched to install artificial turf on two Glenview Campus playing fields to maintain a safe, high-quality playing surface for Loyola's athletes year round, regardless of weather. Loyola kicked off the first phase of its Foley-O'Donnell Athletic Commons project in Summer 2008 and completed construction on a world-class outdoor track and turf football field. Finally, Loyola's leadership initiated a feasibility study in 2008 for a new Aquatic Center. Fr. Munz has ushered the school through an era of unprecedented change. His indefatigable pursuit of excellenceÑ in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in the communityÑhas culminated in a legacy of impressive scope and breadth. Loyola Academy had thrived under his leadership. In virtually every measurable dimension, he left the school in a far better state than when he became president. Above all, Fr. Munz has worked diligently to strength- en the school's Jesuit identity and the formation of Loyola's students, faculty, and parents in the teachings of St. Ignatius. Hiss legacy to Loyola athletics will be a lasting one. Loyola's Ramblers, and the entire Loyola community, will continue to reap in the years and decades to come the myriad benefits of his conscientious stewardship and his passionate commitment to Jesuit education and to the student-athlete. Fr. Munz was ordained in 1983. He is a graduate of the University of Detroit and has an MBA from the University of Chicago. His theological degrees include a Master of Divinity and a Masters of Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley.