08/12/2026
A reflection from University President Ann Marie Fallon, PhD:
"Last Friday our student-athletes participating in Fall sports moved back into the res halls. Our football players and their families were lined up in front of the KLC well before we officially opened, buzzing with excitement and eager to get their room keys and move boxes into their new spaces.
As you all know, my first day at Saint Mary was in July—a time when there are far fewer students on campus. But as of our first move-in day, there is a definite new vibrancy at USM. There’s a kind of buzz in the morning when I arrive on campus and see players already down on the new turf. In spite of the heat and the humidity, Spires are out in force preparing for a new season.
These early, humid mornings I think about all the ways we have prepared for this moment. We understand what it means for our students, and everything that’s gone into getting here: the early morning training and late-night homework sessions, the stress of applications and college visits, summer jobs, and FAFSA and tuition bills. We have run the gauntlet to be together this year and I'm excited to be running with all of you.
While I was out cheering on families climbing to the 5th floor of Maria, I also got to hang out with some younger siblings. One little sister, about four years old, stood out to me. She was so excited about the idea of her brother going to college, even if she couldn’t yet understand the enormity of the step he was taking.
Watching her, I thought about the generational impact of these life decisions, the chance her family and her brother were taking. Perhaps, years from now, when it is her turn to decide what comes next, that going to college will seem that much more possible because she once helped her big brother move into USM.
That’s one of the things I am beginning to appreciate about this community. While it might seem sometimes like we run these races solo, we are all carrying one another across the field as a team.
In the days ahead, more students will arrive, classrooms will fill, and Saint Mary will once again be at full stride.
I, for one, can’t wait."
