In a letter written in 1541 to fellow Jesuits on mission, Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola gives advice about “dealing with others.” Ignatius wrote almost 7,000 of these correspondences over his lifetime, a record that rivaled the great letter-writers of the period. What is striking to me about this five-centuries-old communication is its enduring relevance to us today. Ignatius writes:
“Be ready to listen for long periods and until each other has had his say…We should be kind and compassionate with those who are sad or tempted, speak at length with them, and show great joy and cheerfulness, both interior and exterior, to draw them to the opposite of what they feel, for their greater edification and consolation…In business matters be generous with your time; that is, if you can, do today what you promise to do tomorrow.”
This Ignatian messaging came up for me this week during Georgetown’s Staff Appreciation Day taking place on the Capitol Campus. Mission in Motion has reflected in the past about this event and considered the mission significance of this convening of gratitude for the work of university staff.
What stood out for me in Ignatius’s letter is his encouragement to the Jesuits under his care to be “generous with your time.” Ignatius also emphasizes speaking “at length” as well as showing “great joy and cheerfulness” and listening for “long periods.” These encouragements are hardly novel nor is Ignatius the first supervisor and manager to ever give this advice. But what makes this instruction useful for us today is that these encouragements provide insights about how we might advance Georgetown’s mission on the Capitol Campus in the years to come.
The accelerating development of Capitol Campus (evident this week by the launch of a new website) and the anticipated opening of 111 Massachusetts Avenue (the new home for SCS and several other university units) make these particular suggestions for mission animation especially relevant. The growth of Capitol Campus, which will bring together representatives from all of Georgetown’s academic units in one location, will require long periods of listening. A vision for interdisciplinary collaboration between these different schools and units will depend on faculty and staff creating space to listen and listen well. Such collaboration will take time to develop organically, and events like the one make mutual understanding more likely.
Building a hospitable campus that welcomes both undergraduate and graduate students in a range of programs will take some of the kindness and compassion that Ignatius encourages. This week’s staff appreciation event showcased how all of Georgetown’s employees have an important role to play in building such an inclusive culture for current and future Hoya students. Staff are already being called on and will continue to be called upon to collaborate in new ways to meet the needs of the diverse student populations that will call Capitol Campus home. There will be opportunities for increased coordination amongst staff as community formation on Capitol Campus evolves and changes over time.
Staff Appreciation Day is a welcome opportunity to pause and reflect on the many ways that university staff work together to realize Georgetown’s mission. Relying on the resources of our Ignatian heritage and tradition, including the voluminous correspondence of St. Ignatius, can support all of us in the staff community as we guide an ambitious vision for Capitol Campus.