A Letter from Dr. Jake Bucher

"The Call to Community"

I had this theme of community queued up for a February newsletter, intending to discuss the ways in which we gather for each other and for others outside of Regis. But we do not gather in a vacuum; the grief and unrest of our communities come with us into our classrooms, offices, and conversations. And we are now gathering at a time when communities across our nation are wrestling with pain, loss, and a deep questioning of who we are and what we value.

In recent weeks, Minneapolis has been rocked by multiple fatal shootings involving federal agents and residents, including the killing of a beloved ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, and earlier, the death of Renée Good. These tragedies, along with the deaths of Keith Porter, Parady La, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, Victor Manuel Diaz, Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, and Geraldo Lunas Campos just this year have stirred anger, grief, and urgent calls for justice and accountability.

In moments like this, we must care for each other – and we must muster the soul of our institution. Universities are not ivory towers detached from the world’s troubles. We are citizens with stewardship over both truth and community, places where minds wrestle with complexity, where faculty and staff model inquiry and compassion, and where ideas are forged into action that serves the common good. Our responsibility is not to stand apart from civic pain but to engage it wisely, ethically, and constructively.

Amid the noise and pain of public conflict, our campus must remain a place where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued – and physically safe, because it is essential to human flourishing and to our Jesuit principles. We have friends and colleagues here at Regis with ties to Minnesota, friends and colleagues feeling vulnerable due to targeted identities, and friends and colleagues feeling the general weight of violence and uncertainty. It is for them, and for ourselves, that we must come together as a community. To that end, University Ministry (drop-in hours 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.), the Provost Office, Community for Belonging, and Counseling Services are available to provide space, connection, and conversation.

Part of the conversation can include ideas for what to do in serving beyond our Regis community. From community partnerships, solidarity with organizations, outreach to legislators and representatives, to public scholarship and service, the impact of our work should stretch into neighborhoods, workplaces, and civic institutions, helping to bridge divides rather than widen them.

As we continue this semester, let us renew our commitment to dialogue over division, to solidarity over silence, and to informed action over apathy. The world needs institutions rooted in knowledge and conscience now more than ever, and I believe this community will rise to that call with courage and care.