Tag: Jesuit Education

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SCS 2024 Commencement Celebrates Graduates, Encourages Compassion and Cultivation of Life-Long Relationships

This year’s SCS Commencement featured poignant reflections about the state of the world and how graduates can contribute to peace, justice, and the common good. Watch the ceremony on Facebook.

After months of diligent preparation, the SCS Commencement Ceremony last week was a triumphant experience of celebration and meaningful reflection on the purpose of our education at Georgetown. For the first time, SCS was the first school-based ceremony of the weekend and the event took place on a beautiful May afternoon in Washington, D.C. With planes overhead in the flight path of the airport and the familiar chimes of the Healy Hall bells, the sounds and sights of the graduation festivities created an atmosphere of excitement and joy. Occurring against the backdrop of profound challenges for humanity in the country and around the world, each set of remarks invited the proud graduates to consider the deeper meaning of their time at Georgetown. In this way, the SCS Commencement featured many direct references to Jesuit values and the Ignatian principles that guide the University’s mission. 

Norah O’Donnell served as the Commencement Speaker and invited SCS graduates to reflect on the quality of their relationships as the key to a “well-lived life.” 

Fr. Greg Schenden, S.J., Director of Campus Ministry, gave the invocation prayer that called upon the graduates and the entire community to continuously commit to the “ongoing work of formation” in a “spirit of belonging.” His prayer reminded the assembled of the “gift of our mission” that is realized through the practices of discernment and reflection that ultimately lead us to be in solidarity with all.  Rabbi Rachel Gartner, Senior Advisor for Spiritual Care at SCS, delivered a moving benediction to close the ceremony. Rabbi Rachel’s prayer centered on gratitude and the “gift of our lives” that help sustain us to meet and address the “brokenness and anguish of our world.” A broad vision and a wide horizon are needed, prayed Rabbi Rachel, in order to rejoice fully when we “can all rejoice together.” Both religious leaders signaled the shared commitment across the religious traditions represented at the University to work for peace, justice, and the common good. 

Norah O’Donnell, Anchor and Managing Editor of “CBS News,” as well as a Triple Hoya (including two SCS Degrees: a Master of Liberal Studies and an honorary degree awarded at the ceremony), delivered the primary commencement address. O’Donnell, referencing the deeper mission and purpose of Jesuit education, called on the graduates to be inspired by their relationships. She distinguished between three kinds of relationships: the relationship with the self, between the self and family and friends, and between the self and the larger community. At each of these levels, reflected O’Donnell, we are called to find meaning and purpose: “This I know is true. Of all that I have done and learned through my education here at this same graduate school, from friends and family to interviewing the most fascinating people in the world, it is this: The quality of your life is built on the quality of your relationships. That’s it. That’s my thesis for a well-lived life.” O’Donnell’s reflections acknowledged the growing cultural and political polarization in the country and around the world, encouraging more listening and more compassion and curiosity toward those with differing views. 

In addition to these poignant reflections, the SCS Commencement featured the usual business of graduation, including the awarding of more than 1,000 degrees. This annual exercise is one of the cherished opportunities for all of the SCS community to be together and celebrate the shared purpose of our educational endeavors. SCS is a school with a diverse portfolio of programs and offerings, but it is ultimately united by a mission to transform its learners into graduates who can realize a better future. 

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Getting to Know the Context of the School of Continuing Studies

 This week’s post is a contextual introduction to the School of Continuing Studies, inspired by the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. 

Last week, Mission in Motion offered an Examen reflection, inspired by the University’s Jesuit heritage, to help graduating students reflect on the meaning of the coming Commencement exercises. This week, I would like to apply some of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP), the inspirational framework for teaching and learning in Jesuit schools inspired by the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the principles and practices of Ignatian spirituality, in order to fully appreciate the meaning of the SCS approach to learning on the eve of Commencement. The IPP is an interrelated and interconnected process that supports the student and the teacher as whole persons throughout the learning process. An Ignatian Pedagogical approach begins with Context, moves to Experience, and then follows with Reflection, Action, and Evaluation. The cycle is continuous and dynamic.

The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP) is an interrelated set of dynamics organized around a meaningful learning process, with Context at the beginning. 

Inspired by the IPP and its stages of learning, I would like to offer a brief reflection on the context of SCS. My hope is that sharing a bit more about the reality of the School will be helpful over the coming week of Commencement, especially for those traveling to the graduation events and meeting SCS for the first time. This introduction to the context of our learning community will hopefully help visitors appreciate how the School achieves a unity of mission and purpose in light of the diversity of students, modalities, and disciplinary approaches. 

According to the IPP, context refers to the establishment of the background conditions and factors that influence the learning situation for students and teachers. According to the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy at Loyola University Chicago, context is:

“Clearly the background of the framework. As St. Ignatius directed, we always want to recognize how the time and space we occupy, and the socio-geo-political happenings of our day have relevance for our teaching and students’ learning. Context is constantly evolving and therefore must be under on-going consideration.”

The foundational importance of context is related to the insistence by St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises to enter into a “Composition of Place,” at the start of imaginative prayer and meditation exercises. The retreatant is invited to consider all the physical and material details of the scene in which one is entering so as to faithfully and humbly acknowledge what is already at work in a particular situation. We can then apply this approach to context by exploring all of the basic details that comprise the School of Continuing Studies. One way to do this is to enjoy this four-minute video introduction to the history of the School. Another way to do this is to read the latest SCS Dean’s Report, which provides both descriptive statistics about the composition of the School’s students, staff, and faculty but also a values-driven orientation to the mission commitments of SCS programs and initiatives.  

Reading through the 2022-2023 SCS Dean’s Report is a good way to better understand the mission and purpose of the School and who it serves. 

One might most fully appreciate the context of SCS by spending time reflecting on its particular mission: “To deliver a world-class, values-based education to a diverse array of communities and individuals throughout their academic and professional careers; to improve employability and develop workforces; and to contribute to building a civic-minded, well-informed, and globally aware society.” You might become more familiar with how SCS realizes this unique mission, in the context of Georgetown’s overall Jesuit mission and purpose, by spending some time reading through the examples shared on the Mission in Motion blog. 

I hope that a fuller picture of who SCS is and why it operates helps all of us appreciate the deeper meaning of the Commencement exercises. This is a time for celebration of student accomplishments. It is also a time to reflect on who we are as a School and why our mission matters for the betterment of the world.

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An Examen Meditation for Commencement Season

This week’s post is a suggested reflection in advance of Commencement. 

In a few short weeks, Georgetown will host more than 10 different Commencement ceremonies that celebrate the graduating class of 2024. As staff and faculty, the annual occasion of Commencement is a refreshing reminder of the ultimate academic purpose of the university. For graduating students, the excitement of walking across the stage marks a terminus, an end point that is also the beginning of something new. These days of Commencement stir up so many emotions, some in concert and some in conflict. How am I different today than when I entered my Georgetown program? How am I being called to use the gifts of my Georgetown education in service of the world’s great and pressing needs? What does the future look like in a time of great disruption, uncertainty, and instability? 

These questions are natural and present an invaluable opportunity for deeper reflection, prayer, meditation, and counseling with trusted guides. With these much-anticipated graduation events on the horizon, I invite all of us in the Georgetown community to contemplatively consider these prompts in an Examen style of meditation. My hope is that taking time to quietly recollect our feelings in advance will lead to more grounded savoring of the exciting events to come. 

Composition of Place – First, take some time to notice the context of your life. Where are you? As you prepare for Commencement, how would you describe your world? Bring to mind all of the rich descriptive details that compose the scenes of your daily life. For example, to what communities (professional, personal, civic, religious, etc.) are you devoting yourself? What are the situations you observe on a daily basis? How are you being influenced by the places and spaces that surround you? 

Gratitude – Second, for whom and for what in your life are you the most grateful? What are the experiences, persons, and places from your time at Georgetown that arise as the most significant gifts? Allow yourself to notice everything that constitutes gratitude, but sit with the most important gifts for a longer period of time. Relish these gifts. 

Emotional Review of Experience – Third, go over the major experiences of your time at Georgetown and permit yourself not only to recall and remember these times but also how you feel now, in the present, about them. Try to notice the most significant feelings that come to the surface during your review of the Georgetown experiences you’ve had. What  brought you deep gladness and joy that put you more in touch with your sense of purpose and belonging? What brought about the opposite inner movements, namely dryness, desolation, or discouragement about your sense of self and how you relate to a larger purpose in life? 

Make a Commitment to Your Future – As you prepare to enter fully into the time of Commencement being ushered forth into the next steps of your life, make a resolution about how you would like to commit yourself to choices and actions that help realize your true self. Are you noticing yourself being challenged or invited to make a positive impact in some small or large way? What is justice and the common good asking of you in your particular situation of life and work? 

I invite you to cherish any opportunities for some quiet reflection in the week leading up to the formal ceremonies of Commencement. Look back with delight as you look forward with hope! Congratulations, Class of 2024! 

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Career Counseling in an Ignatian Key

In her book, “Coaching with Careers and AI in Mind: Grounding a Hopeful and Resourceful Fit for a Digital World,” Adina Terry offers much needed insights about how to prepare job seekers for success in the turbulent digital age. Some, like the World Economic Forum, refer to our current epoch as the Fourth Industrial Revolution characterized by the advance of cyber-physical systems and artificial intelligence. In so many ways, the world of work has dramatically changed and preparation for these economic realities require a reimagining about how to provide career counseling. 

footprints and directional arrows - photo by imelenchon via Morguefile

This week’s post offers insights about career counseling in this digital age from the tradition of Ignatian discernment. Image from “Four Strategies for Discernment” by Vinita Hampton Wright at IgnatianSpirituality.com. 

The career counseling literature stresses the need for flexibility, adaptability, and lifelong learning in navigating the demands of work at a time of digital innovation and disruption. Much of what job seekers need is related to the development of technical skills and expertise necessary to fulfill the ever-changing demands of jobs that meet current economic and social needs. But more than technical practices, interior dispositions and capacities to tap into one’s deeper sense of meaning and purpose are necessary to align one’s skills to available work opportunities. In this way, career support needs to be about the “Whole Person,” a values-based commitment made explicit in the Spirit of Georgetown. 

Thankfully, SCS offers a set of resources to support students on their professional journeys, including career coaching from a certified career counselor. These curated resources are in addition to program-specific professional preparation and advising that take place within classes and in applied networking opportunities that occur outside of the curriculum. I believe that spiritual accompaniment resources should also be considered part of the overall well of support for career development. Students should consider their pastoral engagements with the suite of Georgetown’s multi-faith chaplains and staff, which occur in individual consultations and group settings like workshops, fellowship, and retreats, an important part of their career preparation. 

Engagements with spiritual guides can help students discern their “calling,” which scholars in an article in the journal The Counseling Psychologist entitled, “Purpose and Meaning in Career Development Applications,” describe as “linking what clients do at work to a broader impact” that “can enhance a sense that they are living out a calling and promotes purpose and meaning in their careers.” The key to this understanding of “calling” is that individual flourishing does not take place in isolation but depends on connecting one’s own well-being to the well-being of the entire community. Calling is truly a shared project. Calling is not discovered in a single “aha moment,” but discerned over the longer term. How, you might be asking, can one’s calling in work be discerned over the longer term of a career that needs to withstand the dynamic forces of an economic system in flux? 

Discernment is one of the essential practices at the root of the Jesuit tradition of spirituality and leadership. This approach necessitates that the seeker regularly grows in sensory awareness of their inner movements. These habits of self-awareness, cultivated through the Ignatian examen of consciousness, lead the individual to notice their emotions, feelings, affections, desires, attractions, and repulsions. The reflective stage of the examen invites the seeker to make meaning of these inner experiences. Am I being inclined by my inner movements to experience more connection and alignment with my true self and my authentic identity before my ultimate source of meaning (e.g., God, Ultimate Mystery, etc.)? Or am I noticing a troublesome disconnect between what I deeply desire for myself and how I actually feel? This journey of discernment requires regular attention to these subtle interior changes and this process should be supported by a trained spiritual guide. 

William Spohn, in his article “The Chosen Path” in America Magazine, presents the transformative possibilities of utilizing an Ignatian framework in making career decisions. Spohn names this potential for transformation through Ignatian spirituality as the opportunity to “discover our personal calling by aligning our gifts and aspirations with what we see as the deepest needs of our world.” We must remember that discerning one’s vocation is a continuous exercise and it is not generic, but a unique journey experienced as a “call to individuals tailored both to their talents and the community’s needs.” By bringing one’s deeper desires into the career discernment process, the individual taps into possibilities for self-growth and community service that extend beyond their technical skills and training. I hope that all involved in the career support ecosystem consider the multidimensional and holistic dimensions of assisting students on the journey to meaningful work. 

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2023 Dean’s Report Highlights SCS Commitment to Integrating Jesuit Values

The 2022-2023 SCS Dean’s Report shines a spotlight on how Georgetown’s Jesuit values come to life across the school’s diverse portfolio. 

Regular readers of Mission in Motion should be well aware of this platform’s enthusiasm for the diverse ways that SCS students, faculty, staff, and alumni uniquely live out the University’s Jesuit values. In recent years, the blog has especially focused on how the set of values in The Spirit of Georgetown present invaluable opportunities for deeper personal and social transformation during times of conflict, adversity, and challenge. As we continue to transition away from the COVID-19 global pandemic and face ever-changing social and economic dynamics in the world around us, the mission of SCS to deliver a “world-class, values-based education to a diverse array of communities and individuals throughout their academic and professional careers” could not be more important. 

The 2022-2023 SCS Dean’s Report, “Catalysts for Change,” exemplifies the spirit of the SCS commitment to living out Georgetown’s Jesuit values across the School’s extensive portfolio of educational offerings. What really distinguishes this year’s report is the degree to which every article and every piece of data presented connects to a thread of The Spirit of Georgetown. You will read about students and alumni across a range of professional disciplines who are applying their values-based SCS education in the service of justice and the common good. Those unfamiliar with the organization of SCS and its many different programs will learn how each professional field represented at the School has something to offer in making the world more just and generous. For example, the report highlights the way that Amanda Fratterelli, 2023 graduate of the Master’s in Integrated Communications program, used her Capstone project to raise global awareness among Gen Z about malaria. The skillful and creative deployment of communication and media resources to inspire others to care about the needs of the least advantaged and most vulnerable is truly at the heart of Georgetown’s Jesuit values. 

The Dean’s Report tells the story of how SCS shares the Spirit of Georgetown with students, faculty, and staff through inclusive retreats and other spiritual programs. 

This year’s report also features several articles that call attention to the very explicit ways that SCS manifests The Spirit of Georgetown. In particular, an article I authored about how SCS offers inclusive, Ignatian-animated retreats for students, faculty, and staff, “SCS Cares for the Whole Person: Restorative Spiritual Retreats,” tells the story about what is possible when adult professionals take time for spiritually grounded rest and renewal. Always faithful to the dynamics of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, SCS retreats strive to faithfully meet participants where they are on their professional journeys and present resources and practices that can deepen their interior lives. Readers of the report will also find an interview with Rabbi Rachel Gartner, SCS Senior Advisor for Spiritual Care, and learn how SCS delivers retreats in a way that recognizes and honors the incredible diversity of our community. 

An article about the School’s partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), “Empowering Bright Futures: SCS and the Jesuit Refugee Service Increase Educational Access,” amplifies a deeply mission-aligned project that speaks to how SCS leverages its educational assets in service of the world’s great needs. Mission in Motion has previously reflected on this incredible partnership model, led by the English Language Center (ELC) at SCS, which connects SCS staff and faculty volunteers with JRS-support refugees seeking weekly English conversation and mentorship. My hope is that readers of the Dean’s Report will take away from these examples how it is possible to deliver a transformational suite of applied professional programs in ways that meet both the needs of the marketplace and the needs of the common good. 

It is with healthy pride that I encourage you to check out the 2022-2023 Dean’s Report and reflect on how SCS continues to advance Georgetown’s critical mission in many unique ways. 

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SCS Convenes Interdisciplinary, Intersectoral Series on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

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This week’s post considers the deeper ethical questions at the root of artificial intelligence and highlights a series of events at SCS on this topic. 

A day does not go by without artificial intelligence, or AI, making headline news. The advent of new AI applications, like ChatGPT, has been much discussed in higher education. Georgetown is no exception to this phenomenon, with the University devising new protocols around the use of AI in classroom settings in an effort to preserve academic integrity. The growth of AI tools, and their deployment through commercial and military entities, has sparked much discussion in the academy. There is growing recognition that AI brings both possibilities and perils as this set of techniques and technologies becomes more broadly adopted. 

Pope Francis, for example, in his New Year 2024 World Day of Peace message, comments on both the enormous potential for human flourishing presented by AI as well as the ethical pitfalls. On the one hand, Pope Francis notes that advances in science and technology remedy “countless ills that formerly plagued human life and caused great suffering.” These gains for human flourishing are notable and reflect the awe-inspiring power of scientific discovery and new applications of research. On the other hand, Pope Francis comments about the significant ethical and moral challenges posed by this burgeoning technological movement: 

“The inherent dignity of each human being and the fraternity that binds us together as members of the one human family must undergird the development of new technologies that serve as indisputable criteria for evaluating them before they are employed, so that digital progress can occur with due respect for justice and contribute to the cause of peace. … We need to be aware of the rapid transformations now taking place and to manage them in ways that safeguard fundamental human rights and respect the institutions and laws that promote integral human development.”

Christopher Brooks, a professor of Computer Science and Engineering at peer Jesuit institution the University of San Francisco, echoes these points in an article in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: “Artificial Intelligence: The Brave New World of Moral Issues.” Brooks makes four fundamental claims related to potential misunderstanding that the operation of AI is automatically a net positive for humanity. He advises that ethical caution is necessary as this set of practices and tools become more commonplace because 1) Data is not information; 2) Information is not knowledge; 3) Knowledge is not understanding; and 4) Understanding is not wisdom. He goes on to affirm the contributions that Jesuit education can make to growing a base of wisdom about the ethical applications of AI. Given that “idea of reasoning about reasoning, asking those deeper, more fundamental questions, is a hallmark of Jesuit education,” Brooks argues that Jesuit education can advance the ethical considerations of this conversation through ideas of discernment, invitations to choose the “Magis” or better choice, and solidarity, which “reminds us to know and connect with the people affected by this technology.” The imperative to deeply interrogate the ethical and moral repercussions of AI has a special place, therefore, in the teaching, research, and service that occurs at a Jesuit institution like Georgetown.

Georgetown SCS is taking a leading role in this ongoing public discourse by launching a semester-long series, entitled “Responsible AI: Intersectoral Seminar Series.” This timely series investigates how diverse sectors, many of them represented among the degree programs offered at SCS, are navigating the challenges of AI deployment. The series is an excellent representation of how SCS uniquely advances the larger Georgetown mission to encourage “reflective lifelong learners” who might become “responsible and active participants in civic life.” 

Rooted in the SCS scholar practitioner model, the series showcases on speaking panels a diverse professional array of leaders working in fields like urban planning, project management, marketing and communications, and journalism. The mission commitment of Georgetown to advance knowledge that supports human flourishing and the common good is manifested in how the series presents an interdisciplinary approach to these vexing ethical questions that touch upon overlapping and interdependent facets of human life. The fact that every degree program has something important to say about this ongoing discernment is a testament to the enduring ethical importance of the SCS programs. 

Emerging technologies should be rigorously assessed from the vantage point of various ethical frameworks. Georgetown SCS is bringing interdisciplinary attention, rooted in the ethical principles that animate the mission of the University, to these important questions. I hope you check out the remaining events in the spring semester series! 

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Reflecting on “Eloquentia Perfecta” as Center for Social Impact Communication Celebrates 15 Years

This week’s post highlights the 15th anniversary of CSIC and the ways that this mission-serving Center brings to life the Jesuit characteristic of perfect eloquence. 

In an article in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, “Rhetorical Education in the Jesuit Mode With Five Bullet Points for Today,” Jesuit historian and long-time Georgetown professor Fr. John O’Malley, S.J., reflects on the distinctive characteristics of Jesuit education. Central to O’Malley’s presentation is the way that the art of communication factors into the training and education provided in Jesuit schools. He makes note of how the humanistic tradition values the gifts of oratory and public rhetoric as a way of serving the common good. The schools run by Jesuits for the last five centuries have evolved and taken on many new forms, but one consistent thread is a commitment to eloquentia perfecta, or perfect eloquence. Fr. O’Malley describes the concept in this way: 

“This expression took hold in the Jesuit tradition as capturing the most immediate goal of rhetorical training. The goal was achieved through the study of great literature in one’s own language and in the languages of other cultures. Eloquence, a word sadly out of fashion in most quarters today, is the skill to say precisely what one means and to do so with grace and persuasive force. It is the fundamental skill needed by anyone in a leadership position, however humble. It is a skill, as well, that helps one ‘get ahead’ out in the marketplace, and sometimes get farther ahead than those with nothing more than the technical skills of the trade.”

The notion of perfect eloquence arises as SCS prepares to celebrate on December 4 the 15th anniversary of the Center for Social Impact Communication (CSIC). This Center has stood out since its founding as an indispensable mission-serving entity at Georgetown. CSIC’s focus is on supporting the social impact sector to meet the most intractable issues faced by society and it does this by “embracing the blur.” What does this mean? According to CSIC, “embracing the blur” acknowledges “the level of effort it takes to create measurable—and sustaining—social impact. The problems we seek to solve are too complex for one sector to tackle, or one functional area to own. … Embracing the blur means uncovering your own unique strengths and recognizing how they can work synergistically with those of your collaborators to ultimately create impact.” As an educational unit, CSIC accomplishes this critical social change vision in several ways. 

The Center works through applied research, graduate courses, community collaborations, and thought leadership. CSIC helps clients apply for pro-bono services, including marketing, communication, fundraising, and journalism services from SCS graduate students. By matching real-world clients addressing real-word social needs with Georgetown students, CSIC is integrating the Spirit of Georgetown values into the applied curriculum of SCS. One of the Center’s signature courses, “Cause Consulting,” provides students with the opportunity to share integrated communication services for non-profits and socially responsible businesses. The measurable positive impact of this course alone is notable, with over 22,000 pro-bono support hours contributed over the last decade and more than 75 clients served through the partnership. This is just one example, in addition to others like applied research and “Strategic Storytelling,” in which CSIC at SCS is helping support social transformation through the power of effective communication. 

The story of CSIC is truly one of using communication with both “grace and persuasive force,” a combination that reverberates with the Jesuit tradition of eloquentia perfecta. 

The 15th anniversary celebration for CSIC will take place on December 4. Be sure to visit CSIC at its homepage.

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This Veterans Day, Reflecting on the Military-Connected Patron Saint of Jesuit Education

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St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was a military veteran like many SCS students. This week’s post considers the relevant connections between this saint of the 16th-century and the military-connected population at the University. 

This semester, a group of SCS staff are going through the four-part Ignatian Tradition Seminar, a deep exploration of the enduring meaning and significance of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. The four-part series takes place over the span of a semester and invites close reading, group discussion, and discernment about how to make Jesuit mission and values, as they arise from the life of Ignatius and the development of the Jesuit order, a part of one’s work at Georgetown. The seminar examines the history of Ignatius and the founding of the Jesuits, the origins of Jesuit education, contemporary Jesuit commitments to social justice, and the ways that Jesuit universities like Georgetown bring to life their Ignatian identity. 

Each Jesuit institution is unique, reflecting the context of its operation. This particular seminar at SCS emphasizes Georgetown’s abiding commitment to multi-faith and inter-religious dialogue. Of particular interest to the SCS participants is the opportunity to consider the relationship between the School’s hallmark incorporation of technology into learning and the heritage of Jesuit history and values. In other words, what can a 500-year-old tradition of humanistic education offer the ongoing development of innovative online and technology-mediated learning like at SCS? 

Through all of the seminar’s many conversations,St. Ignatius remains a central character in the narrative. Participants engage with the many personae of the patron saint and what relevance this 16th-century Spanish figure bears today for our work and study at Georgetown. Mission in Motion has previously reflected, as part of the Ignatian Year 500, about the aspects of the Ignatian biography that most align with the culture and characteristics of SCS. There are four ways that St. Ignatius and his story align so closely to the community of learners at SCS. St. Ignatius was: an adult learner, used technology as part of his leadership strategy, developed a model for incorporating contemplation into a busy and active civic life, and served in the military. It is this last attribute, Ignatius as military veteran and wounded warrior, that motivates this week’s reflection in light of the Veterans Day holiday.

Georgetown honors its military-connected students and faculty through dedicated resources and celebrations of the stories of these individuals that focus on their service. The core of the University’s efforts extends from student veterans to military spouses, caregivers, and other military-connected persons. A sizable military-connected population exists at SCS and has access to a comprehensive set of resources provided by Georgetown’s Military and Veterans’ Resource Center. 

The whole-person approach to caring for student veterans is evident not just in tangible resources but also in intentional messages and the creation of hospitable spaces for this community. At last year’s SCS commencement, for example, Jason Kander, military veteran and accomplished politician, gave a stirring address that focused on the particular mental health challenges facing military veterans. Kander made the point that self-care is not selfish, an idea that might seem anathema to a community that is so accustomed to putting others’ needs before their own. This emphasis on self-care provides a relevant connection to the military meaning of the Ignatian story. 

In their article in the magazine Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, “Wounded Warriors: Ignatius of Loyola and Veteran Students,” Thu Do and Mary Dluhy make explicit the contemporary relevance of St. Ignatius for modern military veterans: 

“Ignatius is recognized as the patron saint of veterans because of his knighthood and military experience. Like Ignatius, veterans, service members, and wounded warriors experience both physical and spiritual sufferings. Leaving the military and returning to the civilian life, veterans often miss the sense of commitment to an important mission, deep fellowship, and intense stimulation on the battlefield.”

Ignatius provides a set of discernment resources and a structure for spiritual development that can help any person grow into the meaning and purpose of their life. The Ignatian biography, which included dramatic shifts in vocational choices—from courtier to soldier to pilgrim and finally to administrator of a global company—reveals that a person’s deeper meaning and purpose can stay the same even as the circumstances of one’s life can change. The important takeaway for veterans and other military connected students is that the entire University community has an important role to play in helping this community reconnect to their sense of mission and purpose after military service is complete.

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Jesuit Heritage Month Presents Opportunities to Pause and Ponder Georgetown’s Mission

Mission in Motion recently posted about the ongoing Mission Priority Examen that Georgetown is undertaking this academic year. This reflective, university-wide process of more deeply considering how effective Georgetown is at living out its Catholic and Jesuit mission will provide insights that shape the future of this work at the University. One of the themes that typically emerges in this collaborative process of reflective self-assessment is how to make explicit what it is often implicit in terms of Georgetown’s Jesuit mission and values. 

 The bell at the top of Dahlgren Chapel on Georgetown’s Hilltop Campus is a visible sign of Georgetown’s Jesuit identity. This week, Mission in Motion explores the reflective possibilities of November’s Jesuit Heritage Month.

Every November, the University makes this movement toward the explicit with Jesuit Heritage Month, a series of events and programs intended to invite deeper connection with the Jesuit values and the Spirit of Georgetown. Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., Vice President for Mission and Ministry, describes this annual occasion as an opportunity to reflect on not only the Jesuit and Catholic dimensions of Georgetown’s unique identity but also the ways that the Jesuit values affirm a commitment to interreligious understanding: 

“This month is also a time to reflect on, and reaffirm, the core aspects of our university mission. Since its founding in 1789, Georgetown has been a home for all faiths. Our commitment to interreligious understanding – especially over the last 25 years – is rooted in our Catholic and Jesuit identity, informed by the documents of Vatican Council II on interfaith dialogue, and shaped anew by the call of Pope Francis to deepen our fraternal love for one another. These values shape the best of who we are as a university.”

As a mission integrator for the SCS campus, I am aware that many in the community feel like Georgetown is a very active place, sometimes too active. Every day at the University there are public events and other gatherings promoted through regular emails broadcasted to the entire Georgetown community. Each week, a list of events communicates the depth and breadth of conversations happening across the campuses. Students, faculty, and staff, who are busily engaged in the work of academic excellence in classrooms, have to make decisions about what extra-curricular experiences enhance their academic pursuits. The amount of potential activity to choose from can feel overwhelming. Especially for our adult learning population at SCS engaged in professional education, there are significant opportunity costs in choosing how to expend limited resources of time given other demands of work, family, and civic obligations. 

My invitation is to spend this Jesuit Heritage Month as an opportunity to pause and slow down. There are some good events to spur deeper engagement with the materials of Jesuit mission and values. You can check out the list here. But I also invite you to take a pause, especially in the context of the coming Thanksgiving holiday, and reflect on what Georgetown’s mission means to you. Is this mission at the center or the margins of your conscious awareness? Do you desire a shift or a transformation of your understanding of Georgetown’s mission and how it might be relevant to your work and study at the University? 

At SCS, we work to bring the Jesuit values to life in ways that meet the contextual needs of our unique community of learners. One of the ways you can directly engage with the spirit-mindfulness tradition of Jesuit practices is by signing up for the SCS Daily Digital Meditation. The meditations take place each day of the workweek at 12 p.m. ET. The sessions all occur on Zoom (registrants receive the link and instructions for joining via email) and last around 15 minutes. From Monday through Thursday, the session is organized as a mindfulness meditation that consists of a short body scan, intentional breathing, and then a period of silent, centering meditation with a melodic piano track playing in the background. The Friday meditation is reserved for an inclusively presented Examen meditation, modeled on the reflective practice arising from the Ignatian tradition of spirituality. The Examen consists of five reflective prompts that invite participants to notice with sacred awareness the significant events of their past week, exploring in more reflective detail times of gratitude, consolation, desolation, and hope for the week ahead. 

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Georgetown Reflectively Assessing Its Mission Effectiveness

Being a Jesuit and Catholic University, Georgetown belongs to a national and global network of colleges and universities that are united in a common purpose. While each particular school context is unique, there is a shared heritage across the institutions rooted in Ignatian principles and values. Every now and then it is important for participating schools to enter into a reflective process about how Jesuit mission and values are coming to life in special and characteristic ways at these particular places. In the United States, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) sponsors a process called “The Mission Priority Examen (MPE)” in order to reflect as a network on the Jesuit characteristics of individual institutions. With the support of partners in Jesuit higher education and the governance of the Jesuits, the MPE process helps schools discern where to focus their mission energies into the future. Each AJCU member institution goes through the process every seven years. 

This week we explore the Mission Priority Examen taking place at Georgetown this year, a process that occurs every seven years at Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. This is an opportunity to highlight the many ways that SCS lives out Jesuit mission and values, including this ongoing partnership to increase educational access for refugees in Amman, Jordan, through the Jesuit Refugee Service. 

Georgetown President DeGioia recently announced that the University is undergoing the MPE process this academic year. The basis for the MPE, which is intentionally situated more as an examen (learn more about this Jesuit spiritual practice) and less as a formal accreditation methodology, are some core Jesuit sources: “Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education” and “Universal Apostolic Preferences.” The seven characteristics are intended to reflectively consider all aspects of the University’s life, culture, operations, and impact. The uniting theme that brings these characteristics together is a recognition of gratitude for the centuries-old tradition of Jesuit education and a hope that such a mission-committed foundation will be realized into the future. The Universal Apostolic Preferences, described in this earlier post, are anchoring orientations of all Jesuit works across the world. Of special importance to Georgetown’s self-reflection as a university is its commitment to “Journeying with Youth: Accompany Young People in the Creation of a Hope-Filled Future.” 

My hope is to encourage more reflection in the SCS community about the MPE process and encourage more sharing about how Georgetown might grow in mission effectiveness in its work of student formation, interreligious dialogue, Ignatian spirituality, inclusive community, and global engagement. There are two primary ways to add your voice to this conversation: 

  1. All members of the SCS community should consider sharing their feedback via this University survey. 
  1. Current SCS students are invited to participate in a live conversation during the month of October with SCS Associate Director for Mission Integration, Jamie Kralovec (i.e., me). Please reach out to Jamie if you are interested in joining this discussion. 

Mission in Motion was created to shine a spotlight on the many ways that SCS lives out its Jesuit mission and values in ways that are distinctive. SCS has played an important role in bringing the Jesuit heritage to life in curriculum design, technologically enabled learning, global engagement and service, community partnerships, and much more. This is an important moment for the SCS community to reflect not only on the strengths of these various efforts but also on how the School can further deepen its commitment to mission effectiveness. I hope you will join in the process!