Panelists Drs. Daniel Haggerty, Diane Zigo, Peter Norberg, & Mary Doyle Roche
From June 15-17, over 70 faculty and mission and identity officers from all twelve of the East Coast Jesuit colleges and universities gathered on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University for the inaugural meeting of Eastern Conversations. Plans for the gathering began in April 2008, when faculty and mission and identity officers from the East Coast Jesuit institutions met to consider initiatives that might strengthen collaborative efforts in the areas of mission and identity as they relate to faculty formation and development.
Modeled on the long-standing and successful Western Conversations and Heartland-Delta Faculty Conversations, this gathering was designed to provide faculty members from the East Coast Jesuit institutions the opportunity to establish connections and engage in dialogue with one another.
The theme for this meeting focused on learning about our current generation of students and how to balance the demands of academic life while also contributing to our shared educational mission of cura personalis. Building on his article in the Spring 2010 issue of Conversations, Dr. Nicholas Santilli, a developmental psychologist and Associate Vice President for Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Effectiveness at John Carroll University opened the conference with his keynote address, “In Search of the Millennial Generation – Can One Size Fit All?"
The next two days were followed by engaging conversations, and included a student panel who responded to the research presented by Dr. Santilli, as well as a faculty panel who reflected on the challenges of maintaining balance in academia.
Stephanie Russell, Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Marquette University, concluded the meeting with an inspiring and thoughtful address, “Gathering Up the Fragments – Reflecting on Our Experiences and Exercising Ignatian Leadership."
Photos and information for this story were contributed by Dr. Monica R. Sylvia of Le Moyne College. For more information on Eastern Conversations, please contact Dr. Springs Steele of Saint Joseph's University (610-660-1027 or esteele@sju.edu). For a full a schedule from the inaugural meeting, please click here.
