National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education

Sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, the goal of the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education and its publication, Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, is to strengthen the Catholic and Ignatian identity of our 28 colleges and universities.

Conversations is published in print to coincide with the start of the fall term and online the rest of the year. First, each essay is written to stimulate the campus dialogue — through departmental discussions or faculty symposiums — on the pursuit of various ideals. Second, through our various departments — feature articles, forums, book reviews, reports, and on our website— we want to keep the conversation going to build on the progress we have made.

National Seminar members, representing various institutions and disciplines, consult widely each year as they develop Conversations themes and topics. Articles are solicited from across the country to explore many varied topics, from the core curriculum and hiring for mission to global vision, social media and diversity.

The Seminar grew out of a conversation 35 years ago at Georgetown University, when participants from Jesuit higher education in the United States gathered to discuss their hopes for what Jesuit higher education could and would be in the future.

Members of the Seminar:

Theresa Beaty is an associate professor of chemistry at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Ron Bernas, Conversations editor, is director of communications at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan.

Matthew E. Carnes, S.J., is an associate professor of government and vice dean for faculty and graduate affairs for the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Alice V. Clark, secretary-treasurer of the Seminar, is a professor of music history and associate dean of the College of Music and Media at Loyola University New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ernesto Colín is an associate professor of teaching and learning at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Sacha M. Coupet is a professor of law at Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., (ex officio) is president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

Kari Kloos is a professor of religious studies and assistant vice president for mission at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J., is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Brian Paulson, S.J., (ex officio) is president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

James P. McCartin, chair of the Seminar, is an associate professor of the history of American Christianity at Fordham University in New York, New York.

Michele C. Murray is senior vice president for student development and mission, and dean of students at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Stephanie Russell (ex officio) is vice president for mission integration at the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

Catherine Swender is an associate professor of English and writing at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.

Dũng Q. Trần, Conversations web and associate editor, is an associate professor of organizational leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Aaron Willis is director of Ignatian Formation and the Bannan Forum in the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.

Recent past members of the Seminar:

Gerard A. Athaide is a professor of marketing at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland.

Christopher Brooks is a professor of computer science at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California.

Angela Canda is an associate professor and chairperson of psychology at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.

Diane Ceo-DiFrancesco is a professor of spanish and faculty director of the Eigel Center for Community-Engaged Learning at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

David J. Dzurec is a professor of history and an interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

+Patrick J. Howell, S.J., past chair of the Seminar, served in the Mission and Ministry Office at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Jennifer Maney is director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and coordinator of the Catholic Jesuit Higher Education Cooperative at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Nancy Rourke is an associate professor of religious studies and Catholic Studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

Stephen C. Rowntree, S.J., past secretary-treasurer of the Seminar, is emeritus professor of philosophy at Loyola University New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Nicholas Santos, S.J., is rector of the Jesuit Community and an associate professor of marketing at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Edward W. Schmidt, S.J., past Conversations editor, serves as a Jesuit scholar in the Center for Mission and Identity at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lucas Sharma, S.J., past web and associate editor, is a trustee of Seattle University.

Michael F. Tunney, S.J., past secretary-treasurer of the Seminar, is provincial assistant for higher education of the Jesuits U.S.A. East Province.

Rachel Wifall is a professor of english and director of the University Honors Program at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey.