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Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's University
Contact: Dr. E. Springs Steele, Vice President for Mission and Identity Phone: (610-660-1027) E-mail: esteele@sju.edu

Mission Statement
The University's mission statement reads in part:
"Saint Joseph's is a Catholic and Jesuit university that instills in each member of its academic community: a love of learning and of the highest intellectual and professional achievement; moral discernment reflecting Christian values; and a transforming commitment to social justice.
The Catholic character of Saint Joseph's University springs from its historical relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, and from its embodiment of the great traditions of Catholic culture. For this University, Christ and the Church are sources of truth, guides and inspirations for life. Catholic values are normative, including: full respect for the freedom of conscience of each person.

The University's Ignatian identity derives from its founding by the Society of Jesus in 1851 and from the subsequent shaping of the University's development by the evolving world view of the Society. In ways consistent with its nature as a University, Saint Joseph's espouses the educational priorities of the Society of Jesus which include: searching for God in all things, pursuit of the greater good, the service of faith together with the promotion of justice, and the effective compassion for the poor and those in need.

The contemporary Ignatian vision of educating "men and women for others" assumes a Saint Joseph's University community - students, staff, and faculty - that exists as a vital cultural plurality, aware of and committed to its central identity, while yet open and welcome to all."

Orientation Programs
Orientations for new faculty and staff are sponsored by the Office of Mission working with the Office of Academic Affairs and are held throughout the year. Produced and administered by Juniors and Seniors, the iSJU program is the primary vehicle for the orientation of first year students. There is an annual orientation for new members of the Board of Trustees. Every meeting of the Board also includes a segment devoted to ongoing mission orientation.

Ongoing Educational Programs
The centerpiece of the conversations on mission at Saint Joseph's University is "The Catholics Intellectual Series" (CIS), which will begin this year with a lecture on the future of Catholic Higher Education by noted NCR analyst John Allen. Inaugurated last fall, our highly successful “Jesuits on….” luncheon series has introduced over 100 faculty and staff to Jesuit history and spirituality. The Ignatian Leadership Program is designed to cultivate leadership skills among Saint Joseph's employees that are based on Ignatian ideals. Ignatian Week - since 1998, in the fall of each year the Ignatian Identity Committee has produced a weeklong presentation focused on a variety of Jesuit themes. The Mission Office will also provide leadership for a three-year campus-wide review of our institutional mission, with particular attention to our Catholic and Ignatian identity, which will begin in the fall of 2010.

Integration of M&I into the Curriculum and Academic Programs
Last year The Office of Mission awarded nearly $35,000.00 in grants to faculty and staff in support of mission related research or programming projects. The purpose of the effort is to encourage as many departments and offices as possible to develop their own plan for and understanding of how each contributes intentionally to the mission of the University.

The annually published Faculty Bibliography shows increasing evidence of Ignatian topics in faculty research.

Our new curriculum contains a Jesuit Tradition Common Core in Philosophy and Theology, as well as a required course focused on the theme of Faith and Reason. Saint Joseph's University also hosted the first annual Eastern Conversations conference, modeled on the Heartland Delta and Western Conversations gatherings. Seventy faculty and mission officers attended from the twelve East Coast AJCU schools.

The Faith-Justice Institute organizes faculty and staff immersion projects and also organizes and coordinates more than four-dozen service learning experiences for undergraduates at various sites. The number of service-learning courses being offered with an approved faith-justice component has grown substantially. Under the Office of Campus Ministry, nearly 400 students spent a service-oriented week in Appalachia over the spring break and 350 students travel to 30 local service sites weekly. Formal reflection on all service experiences is required.  Finally, in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame and the Fox Leadership Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University is launching a pilot program for the Alliance of Catholic Education (ACE). It is a two-year graduate education program whose participants teach in inner city Catholic elementary schools in the Philadelphia area. They receive full tuition, free housing, a stipend, and live in community while completing coursework.

Spiritual Exercises/Retreats
Nineteenth Annotation retreats attract an increasing number of faculty, staff, and students each year. A number of different prayer programs are offered through campus ministry. Student retreats include one-day "getaways," and silent directed retreats. Weekend retreats are offered to faculty and staff and alumni. An active campus ministry program offers a variety of special liturgies, prayer services, inter-faith prayer services, counseling, etc.

Recognition Awards
Each year the University presents an annual Justice Award to a faculty member who embodies in academic achievement the Ignatian vision of education.

Evaluation of Effectiveness
All programs offered through the Mission Office, including the Office of Institutional Diversity and Campus Ministry, as well as the Faith –Justice Institute, have built-in evaluation. The Office of Mission is also cooperating with the Boston College research effort to identify forms of student behavior that correlate well with spiritual and intellectual development. Using the information obtained from this project, we plan to work with the Admissions Office to develop a profile of the sort of student applicant who would be especially open to a Jesuit education. Finally, a recent survey of both faculty and staff indicated that a high percentage of both felt that as individuals they understood the mission of the University and that their department or office contributed to it effectively.

Posted:7/26/2010