Jeff Fowler, Assoc. Dir. of University Marketing and Communications
Good morning everyone and welcome to this very exciting day for Saint Louis University. We want to welcome everyone here today. We know we have many faculty, staff, students, student-athletes, trustees, members of the administration, Billiken fans, and members of the media. So we welcome you all here today, and we're glad that you could all join us on this very exciting day. At the head table is Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick, University Provost Dr. Joseph Weixlmann, University President Lawrence Biondi, SJ, and Coach Rick Majerus. Before I begin, I'd like to alert the media that after the remarks are made, Coach Majerus would like to take a few questions here at the podium, and then we'll break off for one-on-one interviews. Coach Majerus will be out in front of the podium here; Father Biondi will be over to my right; Cheryl and Dr. Weixlmann will be over to my left; and some of our student-athletes will be at the back of the room. We know that many of you here today want to welcome Coach Majerus, and we want to certainly give you that opportunity. One thing we would ask is that because some members of the media are on deadline for noon shows today that you allow the media to get their interviews done first. I know Coach Majerus will certainly want to welcome all the other fans that are here to welcome him here today. So, we'll begin today with remarks from Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick.

Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick
Thank you Jeff. Good morning. It is wonderful to see members of the board of trustees, community leaders, Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno, donors and fans, members of the faculty and staff, coaches, student-athletes, and media representatives in attendance today. Thank you so much for coming. We're gathered this morning to officially introduce our next head coach for men's basketball at Saint Louis University, Mr. Rick Majerus. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is truly an historic year for Billiken athletics. On August 29 we broke ground for the new on-campus arena; during the fall we had an historic three of our teams - men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball - make NCAA play; and in December, in another historic moment we hosted the NCAA 2006 College Cup; and now, on April 30th, we are adding another significant and historic moment. We're beginning an exciting era of Billiken basketball with the hiring of Coach Majerus. Coach, welcome to the Billiken family. (applause) Personally, I cannot wait to see the new arena completed, filled with screaming fans, and having Coach Majerus lead our team to 20-point victories - little pressure there, Coach. It is now my pleasure to turn over the microphone to the President of Saint Louis University, the man behind this hire, Father Lawrence Biondi, for the formal introduction.

Lawrence Biondi, S.J.
Thank you Cheryl. It is indeed my pleasure to formally announce that a legendary name in basketball will be the next head coach of Saint Louis University men's basketball. In the last week or so, Rick Majerus and I have met and talked on numerous occasions. We spent several hours last Friday in Chicago and cemented the deal. We've talked extensively about a shared commitment to taking SLU's men's basketball program to the next level. He has committed his heart and his soul to leading this effort, and I have committed the financial, physical, and personnel resources he needs to get us there. We both share a common intensity and drive to have our Billiken athletes succeed, both on the court and in the classroom.

Today a new chapter in Billiken basketball begins with the hiring of one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time. A man who has won 422 games in his illustrious career and who has taken his team to the postseason 15 times. Rick is a coach who lives and breathes basketball and who sees the future of what we have at SLU. He will be here to open the Chaifetz Arena for the 2008-2009 basketball season. A couple Saturdays ago, with cranes moving around and after the workers left the arena site, he and I stood on the very spot of center court where the Billikens will play their first game in November of 2008 in the $85 million dollar arena.

Rick Majerus is at home at a Jesuit University campus. He received degrees and coached at Marquette. He understands what is special about a Jesuit education, and he understands and is committed to my desire to have SLU become the finest Catholic University in our nation. Having a successful basketball program is part of that goal, and I'm pleased we have so many passionate Billiken fans who want the best for our basketball program. With this announcement today, and after you hear from Coach Majerus, I hope that Billiken fans everywhere and the media realize that SLU reaffirms its commitment to taking its basketball program to the next level. Over the past week, much was written - some of it was speculation and rumor and even some nonsense, and some of it was factual and accurate. But the bottom line is that SLU has been, and continues to be, committed to Billiken Athletics. I promise you, Rick Majerus is sitting here next to me today because he believes in SLU and its thousands of Billiken fans are indeed passionate and committed to making our men's basketball program one of the best in the country.

Some who don't know Rick might ask `Why is he such a special coach?' In the November 2000 interview with The Sporting News, here's some of what Rick said: `I like practice. I love teaching. I love to see a kid get a degree and an education. I enjoy the college campus. I love the fans and the college students. I like the alumni association -- you know, the rah rah rah and all that. I like the band rather than that fabricated music. I like the fact that we have students who are cheerleaders, and who really care.'

The decisions that have been made over the past few weeks and the announcement being made today are done for one reason only - to propel our men's basketball program forward. Rick, I am sure, will tell you it won't happen overnight, but it will happen. We have signed a six-year contract, and it's my hope that Rick will be at SLU well beyond that. So this is a truly exciting day for men's basketball at SLU. It's an exciting day for me. I'm not only the President. I'm also a Billiken fan. After talking to Rick Majerus, I can't wait for next season to begin. He will bring skill, leadership, pride, passion, and commitment to our Billiken basketball program.

The root of Rick's last name, Majerus, is derived from the Latin word "Magnus," meaning "great." I hope, Rick, that as your name indicates, you will bring your great experience to make great things happen with our men's basketball team in the great Chaifetz Arena in the many years to come. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride and pleasure that I introduce to you the new men's basketball coach at Saint Louis University - Rick Majerus.

Rick Majerus
Thank you. Now a couple things Father - the name is really from Luxembourg, and I think it means "sausage-eater" (laughter). So we never he got that Latin name back in Sheboygan. And secondly, when we were at half-court we had a jump ball -- I won (laughter)... But no, I want to thank you very much. It's an honor and a privilege. I went to what many here would perceive "St. Louis North," Marquette University up in Wisconsin. I got a Jesuit education, and it has been terrific. Father Kelly, Father Schlimmer, Father Walsh, Father E. Corbert Walsh ... I mean I can go on and on because these guys have been part and parcel to my life. Father Kelly I met at 22, and we still go out ... I just appreciate them very much. I'm a better person for having been around them, and I'm actually a better coach.

Father Biondi is terrific. He has a great passion. He is an unbelievable competitor. He has singleness of purpose, passion and drive, and I think I can reciprocate that in kind with the basketball program, which I really think is, in many ways, the toy store of the university. I realize it's a cancer center, it's a law school, it's the discovery of self, yes, it's an education. If you ask somebody what comprises an education, it's knowing who you are and what you can perceive about the times in which you live. That was and is really the best part about the Jesuit experience I had.

You know, I really believe - I mean I don't know if I believe all of it now - but the greatest mystery of faith in having gone to mass every day in grade school, every day in high school... the greatest mystery of faith to me is not the Resurrection, or the Virgin birth. I want to know if the Corinthians ever wrote back! (laughter) I got a Mormon boy on the team back there, Jeff [Coffey], and he's scratching his head saying `What?' (laughter)

But I really appreciate Father's drive and his commitment to academics. My first commitment is not the winning, it's the education. If we were to convene as a team to win, and only to win, I'd have been at pro basketball a long time ago. You know, I enjoy the fact that Andre Miller and the 11 guys that I placed in the NBA got a degree. That means far more to me than any amount of money that Keith Van Horn has made or assists Andre Miller's given out, or anything else that would be a basketball statistic. So I share with Father, and I envy him being at peace with himself and with his soul. I sometimes am searching myself for that. I remember Father Kelly giving me "The Divine Milieu." The book was interesting to me, the mental gymnastics of it - the Ignatian way of life - and I want that for my players. I hope they can run into the Kelly and Schlimmer kind of guys that I ran into in my life over the course of my career at Marquette. I remember all those guys, exciting kind of an interest and a passion for me in education.

Before we go any further, I want to say that we mean no disrespect or to extend any insensitivity to the Josh Hancock situation [St. Louis Cardinal pitcher was killed in an automobile accident two days prior]. I feel so bad for the young man and his family. I mean that sincerely. I've been there with players in that situation, and you know I'm a big baseball fan as well. I took Henry as my confirmation name because Henry Aaron was my hero. You know as the priest went down the line it was like `Michael, Thomas ... Henry?' You know, but (laughter) I love baseball. I wanted to play it, and I really respect the Cardinals and [Tony] LaRussa. Ever since I read "Men at Work" by George Will, I have had a great fascination with men in managerial positions. But with regard to the Hancock family, you know, they can seek solace in the fact that Father and so many others represent what really is the greater purpose of life.

I want to thank my former players. Coaches don't win games, players win games. Somewhere back there my players are there. They should be front and center. As I met them, I really enjoyed all of them. They try so hard in a very difficult school that's academically challenging to be good students, and I appreciate that about them. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank ESPN, though, because it was an honor and a privilege to work there. I spent three seasons there with the world-wide leader, and believe me, they are the world-wide leader. R.B. Williamson, my ultimate boss, and then Dan Steer, my most immediate boss - terrific guys. One night on the air we got confused whether Isaac Rabin was a violinist or a pianist. I said it wrong, and we argued for an hour whether that was pertinent to the production. But I enjoyed the passion that they brought. I had two great broadcasters there - Dave O'Brien and Mike Mullinary - that worked alongside me, and I was about ready to end their careers short. They're glad I left. (laughter) Barry Sass was a producer for the wraps, and I loved working alongside Dick Vitale, who belongs in the Hall of Fame. I loved his passion for the game. He wouldn't make it as a coach. (laughter) No, Dick was a good coach, but he has just a good vibe about ball. Many nights I sat next to Reese Davis and then this last spring we went to two shows. They were West Coast specials after the NCAA Tournaments, and Reese would want to go down to the cafeteria, and we'd sit there until four in the morning, just talking ball. I loved ESPN and I respected it, and it was an honor to be there - I want to thank them.

Brad Soderberg did a good job. He was a good coach. He passes a baton to me, as I will one day to another. Brad's a very nice guy, and, unfortunately, situations happen, and we all move on. But I do want to acknowledge that the kids are on track academically, and that he did a good job as a coach.

I do want to thank the coaches I worked for. I worked alongside the great Al Maguire. What an honor and a privilege, you know? I really love Coach. I learned so much from him, and I think about him all the time, and it was just a tremendous experience to then work alongside Hank Raymonds, a former St. Louisan - a lot of you probably remember him as "Hiney" Raymonds. He was just a terrific basketball mind. He was the epitome of what the Jesuit life is all about. Hank was a good guy, and it was a pleasure to sit there in 1977 and be a, well, I was a water boy really, but to win that national championship. Don Nelson - the great Don Nelson - I worked for him, alongside Dell Harris. You know, I can't say enough about what I learned there. George Karl, probably one of my two or three best friends, and I'll still visit with George. You know it'd be fun to bring George here so my players can see his passion and commitment and get a real life experience. Don Donoher, the old Dayton coach, was like a father to me. He'll be over here a lot. Don's 75 years old and was a fantastic coach - went to two final fours at the University of Dayton, and played the great Wooden Team in triple overtime and lost. I love Donoher, and I hope that he'll come. He came to Utah almost once a month and sometime stayed for five or 10 days, and it wasn't fun to sit up with me at 3 AM in a film room, but he did that. You know, sometimes I'd be the guy to fall asleep, and he'd be the guy to stay up and look at the film. So, I thank all them.

Richard Chaifetz is the lead in terms of the arena, but certainly everyone's buying a brick - I'm buying a brick. But I thank him very much for his contribution, and it'll be a honor and a privilege, like it was for me at Utah playing in the John Huntsman Arena. He was a man in the cancer center, and that was his dream, and he built the arena and named it just for the one point he scored at Penn. He was a great friend of mine, and I'm really looking forward to becoming great friends with Richard as well, as the arena bears his name. It's special for the University, the players, and certainly for the coach.

I'm looking forward to corroborating with Cheryl. She's very bright, and I think she can help me, especially after being through that NCAA washer-and-dryer. I want to tell you that I'm looking forward to working with Janet Oberle. She's a compliance officer.

I want to say most of all again that, I just want to reiterate this fact, that I'm honored to be here, and I mean that sincerely. It's an honor and a privilege in America to have a job ... You know, my dad built toilets. I'm sorry...I just need a moment, you know, because I got to thinking about my dad. (Pauses) I had great parents. I hope that one day the players on my team will be great parents, be a parent like my dad and my mom were. So I'm honored to be here today. I respect the position. I respect players, because players win games. Am I a tough coach? Yeah. Father's a tough Father (laughter). Be careful, we're gonna have to sumo! (laughter and applause) He just conceded that I'd win that! (laughter) How `bout that for YouTube TV. whatever that is ... the two of us rolling around in a sumo pit! (laughter)

But anyway, I sincerely mean that and am indebted to so many. I just hope that my players can be like [former Billiken] Joe Wiley, and I'll tell you why. He used his education, used basketball - didn't let basketball use him. He's an upstanding leader in the community. He leads a wonderful life, has a great sense of self, self-esteem, and that's what you want out of a Jesuit education. That's what you want out of the NCAA student athlete's experience. Give him a hand. (applause)

There are 28 or 30 Jesuit schools, and they all basically have the same mission statement. Yet the thing that's common to all of them, explicable to all of them is that the term "student-athlete" is not an empty oxymoron. You know, it's about a vibe of that discovery of self that I eluded to earlier, and I stand by that statement. Tommie's [Liddell III} going to be a terrific player. This kid [Kevin] Lisch is good, I love the Mormon boy who's a walk-on, Jeff [Coffey]. You know it was funny, I came here and some of the guys were talking and I said now "I got to tell you about these Mormon boys...There's no Mormons here." I said that rhetorically, and a kid raised his hand and said `I am!' So..." (laughter) But I respected those guys. They went on a mission. I used to tell them all, let me tell you guys something. You go on a two-year mission, and I respect them for it. They're a lot better people than I could ever hope to be. You go out two years, you come back, and you think you've made a sacrifice. That priest on the end of my bench for my entire year, and I do hope we have a team chaplain if not maybe we can get one. No, I like that priest on the end of the bench, not that he's going to help win. You need only read Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" to understand that you don't want to pray for victory in that situation. I'll tell you guys something, that priest on the end of the bench took the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for the rest of his life. I said that's no money, no honey, and a boss. (laughter and applause) I said that's why your two-year mission is a little bit diminished relative to the commitment these gentlemen make, so much for the good of others. So thank you.

Father Biondi presents Majerus with a SLU basketball jersey and baseball cap.

Thank you, thank you. (Long period of applause) It's about the only jersey I have ever gotten, Coach McGwire used to talk to my teams in the NCAA Tournament whenever he did the games, and the guys would ask him how their coach was as a player? And at that time we had Willy Wompom, an Indian mascot, and he would come out on the floor kind of like the Billiken - and eerily I look like the Billiken (laughter). Anyway Coach would always say, `You know something I would put Willy Wompom in the game before I'd put your coach in the game.' So I never got to play in a varsity game, but I was a walk on, and I did play freshman ball, and it was a great experience for me. Hopefully these kids will have a better experience. It was nice to get the jersey even if it doesn't fit.

Any questions anyone has? I promise you this I will stick around. I want to thank Rick Riley. I was supposed to induct him into the Sport's Casters Hall of Fame today for Sportscaster of the Year. It was on the docket for over a year. Rick's a good friend, and he understood why I couldn't make it. He was very good about that. I want to make my apologies to the Indiana Coaches Association. One thousand coaches strong showed up to hear me Friday night, and I was with Father [in Chicago]. That was the first speaking engagement I've missed in my life. I offer my apologies to those coaches, and I hope they'll understand the extenuating circumstances. That's about it, I will answer any questions. I will stay around and meet any fan, any student, anyone who wants to meet and talk. I'll be here to the last August hum as they used to say at the Cards game. And I'm looking forward to meeting each and everyone. So any questions?

What attracted you to the Saint Louis job?
I went to Marquette, so I like the academic venue. That was very important to me. I know the education that the kids will receive, and it really is about your education. The sad thing in America is we get all these kids who want to be pro players, and it's so difficult. If you have a good education, then you can have a great career or like a Joe Wiley you can do both. The education, the mission of the University, the academic agenda are what I like. I like Father's passion. I enjoy Father. Cheryl, [former Stanford basketball coach] Mike Montgomery has good things to say about you from Stanford. I look forward to collaborating with her. I've met a lot of wonderful people already, and I think Father's committed to moving the program up big time and has made that commitment. The arena is evidence of that. I'm calling it a 100 million dollar building. By the time you put all the stuff in it, it will be well over 100 million. It's a great situation.

Why get back into coaching?
I saw this as an opportunity. I thought about coming back this year, and I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I've forgotten how to do it. The players don't feel that way perhaps after last Friday. It was funny sitting there with Tommie [Liddell III] the other day, and then a young guy that we had signed the other day, uh pardon from East St. Louis (from the crowd ... Anthony Mitchell), Anthony came over. I talked to Anthony, and it was like looking at Andre Miller or Byron Wilson. It was like looking at Doc Rivers all over again. He was really excited to come here. He really wants to come and get an education. He's going to summer school. His buddies aren't going to summer school. I miss that. I loved ESPN. I love what I did, but I'd go on the court at Villanova or sit in the film room with Coach K at Duke, and I missed it. I love practice, and I love the kids. And I like the game. If you ask me what I like most, I like practice, and I like planning for the game. And I like going to graduation. I like seeing a kid become a Joe Wiley, that evolution of life. Whether that guy be Van Horn or Andre Miller or whoever.

Will you be able to sign any additional players for next year?
Well...because of the timing... I mean today is the last day you can be out, and I'm here, and I didn't sign until Friday. I really like AT [assistant coach Angres Thorpe] He's done a terrific job, particularly him. You know you gotta play the hand that you are dealt, and we're trying to find someone. You don't want to panic in these situations, you know? To me it's not about this year, but it's about laying a groundwork for the program. I told Father I operate on the heart-attack theory, and I mean that. If I drive down the road and maybe my number's called... I mean whatever Father's done, it's been great. It'll be terrific for the next guy, and it's what you have to do. But I loved the practice the other day, and when you asked about that, I really enjoy practice. I like practice more than almost anything in life, including eating. (laughter)

Who will be your assistant coaches?
I want to hire an excellent staff. I don't have like a 1 and a 1a. I've got one direction to go. To tell you the truth, I could introduce a couple gentlemen today, but then they'd become of a footnote as opposed to Wednesday or Thursday they get their day, and we can talk about how good they are and what they've contributed. The one thing I want to get back here is one of my former players in a position Father created that other schools have, because he could really help these guys as students and players.

Can you make SLU successful right away?
Whatever I need I think Father has accommodated and provided for. I just need some time. I don't want to use "young" as an excuse not to win. It's going to be different for the players and different for me. I want to get accustomed to it. But, I think you win an NCAA game by winning, you know, every game. I coached against [former Wake Forest standoug Tim] Duncan, and the thing about him is he never took a possession off. In the four years I saw him evolve and we played, and then he and Van Horn went 1 and 2 subsequently in the NBA draft, you know I'm never going to take a day off. I don't take a possession off in the gym. I mean, I think we'll be fine ... we're going to be light two or three scholarships perhaps this year but you know you have to look at problems as opportunities, which is what I'm doing. You just have to take it in steps. That's what it is here. But a lot of these guys, they've got a terrific academic advisor in Mary Clark. She is committed to the academics, and the school is committed to the academics. I mean it's a demanding school, but that's good though. It stretches you. As we said, there's a lot of evidence of that out there.

How is your health?
Well, I think my health is good. I mean, I'm never going to wear a 42-Regular. (laughter) But, I swam this morning at the Missouri Athletic Club. I swim one measured-mile every day. On a real good day I'll go about a mile and a half. That's probably twice a month or so. Outdoors, what they call "a long course," I may go two miles, maybe like 10 times a year. I think my health is good, or I wouldn't do this. It wouldn't be fair to them if I wasn't committed to it and my health wasn't good. I mean, I really raised a lot of money for cancer, because I really believe in that cure. You never know when that's gonna strike. You just don't know. But I'm really excited about this job, and I'm really excited about coming here to this University and bringing other people in. You know, the nice thing about this team is you've got a guy like [Kevin] Lisch or this [Bryce] Husak kid, who's in Grad School. I really enjoy this kid, you know, I had a lot of kids like him at Utah, or a guy like Tommie. I want an `A' effort. And Andre Miller's graduation as a `C' meant as much to me as the six or seven Academic All-Americans I used to coach. Or the last call before I came today was from Rick Hall from Ball State who was the Student-Athlete of the Year in America. But yet I'm just as proud of Scott Nichols on my Ball State team, a kind from inner-city Detroit who got his degree and is now an extern agent extraordinaire in Indianapolis and a volunteer to many good causes, which was part of the Ball State experience that I want to make part of this experience.

What style of basketball do you want to play?
Well, you know what, you actually bring up a great point. One thing I do is I look at a player's strengths and try to put him in a situation where he can do what he can do, not what he can't do. I got that most of all from Don Nelson with Ricky Pierce, and his utilization in taking Pierce off the scrap heap and then Ricky went on to become a great player for us when I was with the Bucks. So, I really have to assess these players. You know, I had them for an hour and a half, and I was trying to get a message across to them. I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed that perhaps more than anything. I had a wonderful time with Father and some of the administration Saturday night, and I really have many good friends. I'm lucky. But I really like that practice situation the best. So how I'd like to play - we want to push it, we want to break. We want to get out in transition. Number two is we're going to play man-to-man defense. Third, we're going to run NBA plays, and fourth we're going to put a priority on defending and rebounding. All these guys look at the NBA - I mean, we do know this: the greatest player in the game, [Michael] Jordan, was also the greatest defender, and those few nights when that ball didn't drop, he locked you up, and [Ron] Harper, [Scottie] Pippin, and Jordan put on the greatest defensive exhibition I've ever seen.

Any more questions?? Now you know, someone is going to ask me about my NCAA rule violations, and I'll just tell you about those. I don't minimize them at all. I made a mistake. I went through that washer-and-dryer. Now, Rick Riley wrote a great column called "Corrupting our Utes" which was all about food - donuts and bagels and things like that. I have a hard time swallowing hard on the Van Horn situation, taking him out the day his father died and making him pay for his meal, which was one of my violations, listed as #2 in degree of grievousness or seriousness. But I don't minimize them. I want to help here, and I want to be compliant. I respect them. You know, I thought they were wrong in that rule, but I've got to try and live with it as best I can.

Ok, well I don't want to end on that bummer of a note because it's been terrific. It really has. I want to thank you all for coming - the students, the Billiken, the cheerleaders, the dance team, the faculty.

You know every year I attend a Mark Twain seminar down at Cal Berkeley, because I'm a Mark Twain aficionado and somewhat of a scholar in that area. To me, I'm always like "You know what? You want to go to war? Fine, let's go to war. Someone dies, here's the five boons of life." You know, its interesting to see where he wrote "The Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court," where he made that turn. If you're religious and you want an affirmation of your faith, you probably have to look at "The Mysterious Stranger" published after his death as the evolution of a man who was born with hope.

You know I said to Father the other night, `You know I love going to lectures in Utah.' College lectures, not a lecture with, you know, Sheryl Crow coming in or something like that (laughter), but I went to listen to Stephen F. Hawking, "A Brief History of Time." I have no arithmetical aptitude - zero, zilch. I do know the 35-second clock, though, and hopefully we'll be one of the teams in the country that utilizes the 2-for-1 situation when the clock goes down. But when Father and Joe were talking the other night, they were sending me to 14 people for great lectures. I'm looking forward to going to those because I'm kind of a geek that way, and I enjoy that.

It's interesting how my players are that way. It was funny to see which kids, when I talked to them about certain books, were writing down the books in the team meeting. Hopefully when they leave here they'll all write the books down. That's what I would like. That would mean more to me than any game we ever win. I mean, I want to win - who doesn't? Everybody wants to win. My record speaks to that. But I hope my greater legacy will be kids that had a better life, and culminate with an education and the Joe Wiley's out there. And that's why I want to go back to coaching. And I want to work with the Boys' Clubs, and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters. You know, if I could do it tomorrow and I got a guy who'll give me his plane, I'd take my whole team over to Africa for a program called "Choice." The NCAA wouldn't approve of it (laughter), but we'd build a school there. I've been over there, I've done that. I've enjoyed it. So those experiences, like when we go to New York, I want to take my guys to a play like Mcgwire took me to a play. My dad made toilets; you know, my mom and dad never graduated from high school. So ... I'm sorry. It's sad when I talk about my parents because I wish my dad could be here. And, I got a mom that means the world to me.

So, thank you, I'll stick around. You know, I'd be remiss if I didn't say how grateful I am for all of you to be here today. I'm appreciative of Father and this opportunity to be back here in the Jesuit experience. Thank you. (applause)