President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

(Julie Banks and Tom Weckesser are the 2024 recipients of the Lackner Award, given annually to lay faculty or staff who have made a significant contribution to the Catholic and Marianist character of the University of Dayton. Banks is director of retail operations and Weckesser is executive director for the office of the president. Here are Eric Spina's reflections from a Feb. 9 dinner honoring them.)

What a wonderful evening!

This has been such a beautiful night of celebration that radiates with the love and respect we have for Julie and Tom. How about one more round of applause for these two simply beautiful people?!

Father Jim is fond of saying that we shouldn’t canonize the Lackner Award recipients, but I will admit that it’s going to be hard. Very hard. I’d like to take just a moment to offer a few of my own reflections about our 2024 honorees.

Julie and Tom are extraordinarily good at their jobs, but they are even better people. Both share a deep sense of the history of the Marianists in Dayton and an appreciation for the Marianist values that animate our campus — and they live those values every moment. Indeed, Tom and Julie are both bridge builders who quietly, humbly, and lovingly lead by example — and with their caring, generous hearts.

They show up. Always! And they’re present, truly present — in mind, body, and spirit — to those who seek them out for help and advice.

It doesn’t take long when you’re in their presence to realize that their Catholic faith is not an add-on in their lives. It is a central part of their identity, and they model what it means to live lives of deep faith — and meaning.

Julie, thank you for being the backbone of UD’s retail operations and a caretaker of our Catholic, Marianist mission. I appreciate your devotion to selfless customer service and hospitality while keeping a vigilant eye on the bottom line.

In times that call for change, you take to heart the words of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade who proclaimed, “New times call for new measures.” In particular, your work behind the scenes to source and offer a selection of fair trade merchandise in the Bookstore is exemplary. As is the way that you engage with excited students and alumni when they approach you about their GREAT, NEW, YOU-GOTTA-HAVE-IT retail product they want you to sell at the UD Bookstore. I know for a fact that, whether you buy and display their product or it never sees the light of day, that people feel seen, heard, and respected by you.

You are a remarkable custodian of the Marianist charism with a very visible presence on campus as an MEA. The energy and time you devote to building the Mission-Based Staff Retreat and mentoring students in the Marianist Student Communities reflect your longstanding commitment to passing on our core values. Thank you for your generous and faith-filled heart.

Tom, what can I say about someone I work so closely with every day? You help keep the President’s Office — and the President!! — running smoothly with your calm demeanor and an unfailing can-do attitude. You’re reliable, collaborative, detail-oriented, and consistent in your approach to everyone. No matter their position or status in life, you treat every person with respect and kindness, even on the days when you are juggling dozens of balls in the air. You are the quintessential servant-leader.

Like the Marianists who founded UD, you took a leap of faith when you moved from a position of influence and impact in UDIT to work alongside some untested, new president who had never worked at a Catholic university. As executive director of the president’s office, you have been patient, kind, and caring in helping me understand through your words and actions the history of UD, the essence of the Marianist charism, and the expectations that come with leadership within this Catholic and Marianist university.

Your willingness to do the easy and the hard, the visible and the invisible, the mundane and the critical with the same attention to detail, the same care, and the same focus on excellence has truly made a difference, and helps to make the University a special place. Whether running the search for a new provost, setting the agenda for a leadership meeting, or arranging for the annual administrative retreat, Tom, you model the Marianist spirit of service and care for others. You make everyone around you better, Tom, most especially me. Thank you.

Tom and Julie, you are both blessings to the University of Dayton. Thank you for living the values of our Marianist university every single day. You inspire me and everyone whose lives you touch.

You are so worthy of this recognition and, both personally and on behalf of a thankful University of Dayton community, I congratulate you and thank you!