At the opening ceremony of Arete College on September 12, Dr. Robert Wood sent his blessings through the video message to express his congratulations. The transcript of his speech is as following.

Hello and welcome to Arete.   

I am Dr. Robert Wood the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at St. Louis University.  St. Louis University or SLU (as we call it) was founded in 1818 at the confluence of the two largest rivers in North America, the Mississippi and the Missouri.  At its inception the city was little more than a trading post for Americans beginning their migration west to explore and inhabit the western united states, indeed St. Louis is referred to as the “Gateway to the West.”  I suspect some of you are familiar with our skyline as the “Gateway Arch” sits at the edge of the Mississippi river and rises 630 feet from its shores so it is easily seen from our main campus.   

As an academic, I am a biologist by discipline and training.  Having spent most of my research career working on the genetics and evolution of riverine fishes.  Currently however in my role in the Provosts Office I oversee all Academic programming and curricular elements for both our graduate and undergraduate students.  In this role I spend a lot of time thinking about curricula and a lot of time in discussion with faculty colleagues about what makes a truly outstanding curriculum.  My take away from this, is that a solid foundation in a rigorous, liberal arts education that is grounded in service and outreach, makes an indelible mark on students and sets them firmly on a course headed for success.   

Although we are only a little over 200 years old, St. Louis University participates in a tradition of Jesuit education that goes back 450 years.  When the University was first founded, the city of St. Louis was in its infancy.  As development of the city continued and many businesses and families began to move away from the city core, we as an institution made an intentional decision to remain in the city very near our original location.  

Today, St. Louis University is located in the heart of downtown St. Louis and as an institution we are committed to a mission of service and outreach that is foundational to our educational approach.  “Men and women for others” is a phrase you routinely hear on campus as our goal is precisely that.  The formation of men and women, through a solid liberal arts education, that is grounded in service and outreach to our local and regional neighbors.  It is for this reason that we are so supportive of Arete and what they are trying to achieve.  

As an institution we are not new to international education.  We have had a long-standing commitment to working with Chinese students and have more than a 15 year history of solid enrollments from China.  In fact, in Spring of 2021 (in the midst of the pandemic) we still had more than 200 new Chinese students enrolled in our academic programs.  

I want to tell all of you that we as an institution are very excited to work with Arete. I feel strongly that the curriculum they have developed is informed by the absolute best practices in undergraduate education and will without question place all of their students on a trajectory toward high academic achievement. 

With that I will close by once again welcoming each of you to Arete, and for those of you considering Saint Louis University I look forward to meeting you in person in the near future. 

Best of luck for a solid year of success.