Translating Ignatian Values Into a Virtual Space in Jesuit Universities and Colleges
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between American, Jesuit college and university Chief mission officers and non-traditional students, particularly online and/or graduate students. The study involved qualitative interviews involving 24 of the 28 American Jesuit higher education institutions. Participants were asked about formation, assessment, and programming for graduate and online students. Triangulation involved the interviews, member-check on those interviews, and a process of reviewing and coding publications and electronic media content from each school in regard to their mission offerings. Gerald Arbuckle’s refounding theory was used as a theoretical base for this project. Refounding theory is an anthropological model created to help religious institutions discern what to do when their institutions are in decline. Arbuckle’s work asks members of each institution to discern what really lies at the core of their charism or mission, and what can be removed. He calls for institutions to be prophetic and ready to shed institutions, programs and cultural elements that are no longer working and use a focus on original charism or mission to discover ways to serve more vibrantly. The interviews were detailed and quite open. They create a picture of an emerging culture of mission work on campus. This new horizon involves a focus on formation programs for all employees as they face a challenging new century in the history of Jesuit education.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Educational technology
Recommended Citation
Holt, Patrick John, "Translating Ignatian Values Into a Virtual Space in Jesuit Universities and Colleges" (2018). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10824041.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10824041
