Immersion Experiences are Essential for University Leaders
Stephen A. Privett, SJ, President of the University of San Francisco

Immersion experiences can open eyes, destroy prejudice, and change lives. I have watched countless students return from developing countries as changed persons, with renewed hearts eager to live as men and women for others. The University of San Francisco believes so strongly in the value of these immersion trips that we’ve expanded the concept: they’re now a regular part of leadership team formation.


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A Meaningful Issue
Melissa Collins Di Leonardo, Former AJCU Vice President for Communications
Please note that this Editor's Note was written by Melissa Collins Di Leonardo, former AJCU Vice President for Communications and Editor of Connections, prior to her departure from AJCU in February 2013. Future issues of Connections will be edited by Deanna Howes, AJCU Director of Communications.
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Federal Relations
Cynthia A. Littlefield, Vice President for Federal Relations, AJCU

Please note that this report was written in February immediately after President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on February 12, 2013. Since that time, sequestration has gone into effect.


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Up Close and Personal with ‘A Faith That Does Justice’
Jacqueline Peterson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, College of the Holy Cross

When Rev. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, delivered his famous speech, “The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education,” at Santa Clara University in 2000, I was there. I didn’t know it then, but it was a defining moment in my personal and professional development—a moment that set in motion a transformation in how I think about learning, faith, justice and my role in the world. Yet, I may never have realized how truly important a moment it was, if not for immersion experiences that came later and gave meaning to Fr. Kolvenbach’s words.


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The Frontier in Our Backyard: Santa Clara University Presidential Staff Spends a Day in a Challenged San Jose Neighborhood
Rev. Michael C. McCarthy, SJ, Edmund Campion University Professor and Executive Director, Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, Santa Clara University

The 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus four years ago called upon Jesuits to build bridges. Inspired by the Gospel mandate to foster right relationships with God, one another, and creation, Jesuit apostolates are urged to find new frontiers and work there. Moreover, the Congregation recognizes the intellectual apostolate as a privileged place to construct these bridges between rich and poor, “establishing advocacy links of mutual support between those who hold political power and those who find it difficult to voice their interests” (GC 35 Decree 3.28).


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THIS ISSUE’S SUGGESTED READINGS

Green, Madeline F. Measuring and Assessing Internationalization. Washington, DC: NAFSA, Association of International Educators, 2012.

Hudzik, John K. Comprehensive Internationalization: From Concept to Action. Washington, DC: NAFSA, Association of International Educators, 2011.

Mapping Internationalization on U.S. Campuses: 2012 Edition. Washington, DC: American Council on Education, 2012.

Van der Water, Jack, Green, M. and Koch, K. International Partnerships: Guidelines For Colleges And Universities. Washington, DC: American Council on Education, 2008.

Creighton Faculty Research Supports Learning, Medical Discovery
Amanda Brandt, Marketing and Communications Student Intern, Creighton University

Creighton’s commitment to science and research can be seen through the work and discoveries of two science professors: Charles Brockhouse, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biology, and Juliane Soukup, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry.


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Canisius College Professors Find Summer Treatment Program Effective for Children with High-Functioning Autism
Eileen C. Herbert, Director of Public Relations, Canisius College

Two randomized clinical trials show the Institute for Autism Research Summer Max Program at Canisius College results in increased socialization for children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.


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Connections is the online monthly news publication of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). Connections is produced monthly, except for June, July and August. For more information, please contact Deanna Howes, AJCU Director of Communications: (202) 862-9893 or dhowes@ajcunet.edu.