People behind the places
Every day, a quiet army of caretakers shapes the campus we call home: tending flowers, fixing pipes, keeping students safe and making UD’s mission possible.
On summer mornings, as the sun is still rising from behind the chapel’s blue dome, I’m greeted to campus by the buzz of distant mowers, stretches of green lawn and beds of nodding hydrangea bushes.
It’s early, but a whole crew has been here before I arrive, making their mark on this beautiful campus. Others have worked through the night, keeping the hot water running and the Internet humming. I frequently see Teresa tending to the flowers around the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception as if it is her own front lawn, and she talks with pride about creating beauty for others to enjoy.
We often talk about the University of Dayton as a city — a place where students live, eat, learn and play; where faculty and staff work and grow; and where alumni are always welcome home. Like most cities, it has street lights and roads, classrooms and offices, a swimming pool and a post office.
It operates efficiently and unceasingly only because of the skill and sweat of so many whose workplaces are not always seen.
Whether it is bursting pipes on Christmas Eve, the security of the campus during vacations or the need to feed international students who were stranded during the early days of the pandemic, UD’s caring staff support the needs of our special campus — usually behind the science and with little fanfare.
UD’s caring staff support the needs of our special campus — usually behind the science and with little fanfare.
This issue’s feature “Indelible Work” helps bring their labor into the light. And it’s an opportunity to thank our staff for all their service to UD.
It’s also an excellent reminder that this work is central to all we accomplish here. It supports every endeavor. Because of them, New Student Orientation is that much more inviting for our incoming students and their families. Stander Symposium presentations shine with audio and video support. Faculty have the tools and assistance they need to focus on research and scholarship that bring breakthroughs into our world.
Their service supports our mission.
You ARE UD!
My gratitude runs deep for Gerald, Gaynor, Teresa, Maddie and so many other hard-working staff across the University. You ARE UD!
They are all infinitely valued. Thank you.
A version of this article appears in print in the Autumn 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 6. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE