On Tuesday, August 29th, the University community received a shocking email from the Office of the University President.
The email contained the news of the untimely passing of Dr. Samuel Jay, a faculty member within the University’s Center for Access, Success and Achievement, or CASA.
Jay had just recently completed his Ed.D from the University of Delaware, with other CASA faculty members throwing him a celebration in the library just the week before his passing.
“This is a devastating loss to our community; Sam loved his work and was highly dedicated to our students, going above and beyond to help them achieve personal and professional growth,” University President Rev. Peter M. Donahue, O.S.A, Ph.D said in the email to the community.
Jay was deeply committed to education and supporting underrepresented and underprivileged students on campus, which aligned perfectly with the mission of CASA. CASA provides resources for students of color and Pell Grant eligible students, since they are the demographic of students most likely to drop out of college. CASA provides additional support with resources such as the Lending Library, in which students have access to free textbooks and novels for their classes.
Throughout the first few weeks of the semester, CASA students frequent the Lending Library stacks within Falvey to access their free textbooks and check them out for the semester. Jay was heavily involved in the Lending Library project, and Falvey Library honored him in a post after his passing, highlighting his dedication to the project.
“… a few weeks earlier, he helped build out CASA’s lending library through a 600-pound book donation made by outgoing Villanova students,” the post read.
After his passing, CASA opened its doors to students, offering food, licensed counselors and a safe place to grieve. Students came and went all day, signing cards for family and writing notes to Jay on post-it notes that were then stuck to his door. While the office was filled with emotions, it was clear that Jay was loved by so many. Flowers, food and notes speaking to Jay’s wonderful character made for an emotional but beautiful tribute for a truly amazing Villanovan.
Jay’s CASA coworkers, who had become more like family, honored him in an email specifically to the CASA community after his passing.
“We write today to let you know how important you were to him and how you gave life to his dream of being a teacher and educational leader,” Ms. Nicole Davis said in the email. “Though Dr. Samuel Jay has passed on, his legacy of educational excellence lives in your aspirations and dreams for the future.”
Jay touched many students, and everyone who met him, even if briefly, felt his warmth and his passion for education.
On Friday, September 8th, CASA hosted a celebration of life for Jay in the Villanova Room. Students, faculty and those who knew Jay well spoke about him. While emotional, it was clear from the event that Jay touched many people in his life and in his work. Reverend Naomi Washington began the memorial by offering some words of comfort for those who knew Jay to manage their grief, anger, and sadness in this difficult time.
Coworkers and students stood up to speak about how Jay made an impact on them. Pictures were shared, tears were shed and laughs were had, all in remembrance of CASA’s “gentle giant,” as he was known within the CASA office. The memorial ended with a balloon release.
True Villanovans commit to the University’s motto of “Veritas, Unitas, Caritas.” Jay went above and beyond these pillars of the University, providing support, kindness and mentorship to so many students and being a warm presence in the CASA office and Villanova community. The University has lost a true, hardworking, big-hearted Villanovan who will be deeply missed by all who knew him. However, his dedication and passion for his work will live on through the legacy he built for himself through his work in the short year and a half that he was a part of the CASA staff.
