New Principal: Dr. Jordan ’88

This year, Dr. Paul Jordan ‘88 takes on the role of principal at Loyola High School, returning to lead the same campus where he once was a student.

For him, this step is both professional and deeply personal.

“So it’s a little bit different for me because I was a student and then immediately after college came back and started teaching here.”

Dr. Jordan’s long history with Loyola gives him a unique perspective. He has years of experience as a former coach, teacher and assistant principal, making him one of the most recognizable figures on campus.

“I taught for five years, and was a basketball coach and math teacher. This is my 28th year in administration, but I was an assistant principal for 27 years, so it’s a little bit more of a subtle move than it would have been if I came to a new school or a drastically new role. But I feel like I was living in a space that was very proximate to the job that I’m doing now. Being able to see what the principal was doing and being of assistance there. I’ve worked for a number of different principals while I’ve been working here, so the job was familiar to me.”

After graduating from Loyola in 1988, Dr. Jordan earned his B.S. in Business from the University of Southern California. He continued his studies and earned two Master’s degrees in Education and School Administration before ultimately being asked to return to Loyola.

“After graduating from USC, I planned to stay just one semester when a Jesuit I knew asked me to teach while a faculty member was on sabbatical. I immediately fell in love with Loyola from a teacher’s perspective. What started as one semester turned into a full-time role—and 34 years later, I’m still here.”

What stands out most about Dr. Jordan is not simply his résumé, but his devotion to Loyola’s mission. He often speaks about the way Loyola shaped his life as a teenager and how that motivates him now to create opportunities for students. He hopes to remind Cubs that a Jesuit education is about much more than academics—it is about becoming men for and with others.

As principal, Dr. Jordan aims to build and strengthen the community by expanding upon what has always made Loyola a close-knit environment.

“One is trying to build more community. I feel like we’ve kind of gotten away from that a little bit, but the fires last year and Braun’s death started to bring us together. There’s this quote in this book that I read, ‘we use crisis to crystallize who we are as a community,’ and I think that started to happen. I saw the best of Loyola in those situations and I want to capture that and move forward.”

For students, he hopes his leadership creates a culture of openness and trust. He believes high school is a time to take risks, explore new activities and find unexpected passions.

He often points to his own story, planning to spend just one semester teaching, only to discover a lifelong vocation, as proof that opportunities come when one is willing to step outside of their comfort zone.

To close, Dr. Jordan offered words of wisdom to current Loyola students on how to make the most of their time here.

“Take advantage of every opportunity and don’t be afraid to fail. You have a safety net here—people will lift you up. Put yourself out there, be willing to be vulnerable, and that’s how you’ll grow.”

With these final words, Dr. Jordan sets the tone for his tenure as principal, urging students to embrace challenges, trust the support of their community and grow into the kind of leaders our Ignatian values guide us towards.