Saint Louis University to Launch Local Ignatian Colleagues Program Next Fall

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University is launching a local Ignatian Colleagues Program in the 2023-24 academic year. The launch of the program follows a pilot process at SLU that started in 2021.

“The pilot for the ICP @ SLU has been a very profound experience for the participants and for me personally,” said Virginia Herbers, mission formation director. “It is a wonderful opportunity to learn more, do more, and be more with regard to SLU’s mission, with a diverse group of colleagues from all different parts of campus. Our hope in the Mission Office is that this will provide a source of personal renewal, deeper understanding of the mission, and life-giving community for as many people as possible here at SLU.”

The Ignatian Colleagues Program at Saint Louis University (ICP @ SLU) is an immersive mission-formation experience open to SLU faculty and staff. Cohorts of six to eight members will form each fall and meet monthly over the course of the academic year to discuss Ignatian scholarship, experience Ignatian spirituality and engage in Ignatian service.

ICP @ SLU participants form a community of colleagues tethered by a common Ignatian heritage and Jesuit mission. 

The cohorts will work together over a two-year period. During that time, the cohorts will explore the intellectual, spiritual, and service-oriented aspects of Ignatian thought. At the end of the program, each participant will present a capstone project showcasing how the ICP has informed their role at SLU.

Joining our Jesuit University Colleagues

SLU has been a part of the national ICP program through the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) since 2015. The national ICP “seeks to develop Ignatian partners in Jesuit higher education who are capable of and committed to assuming leadership within the Ignatian spiritual and educational heritage and who will sustain their school’s Jesuit Catholic character into the future. It also seeks to enhance local, regional, and national networks of Ignatian leaders who work collaboratively to enrich Jesuit higher education.”  

ICP @ SLU has been built within the same structure but is tailored to SLU’s local needs and unique service opportunities. It is open to participants from all backgrounds, cultures and faith traditions.

For more information or to nominate a colleague for the program, visit the program page or contact Herbers at virginia.herbers@slu.edu or 314-977-5208.

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Saint Louis University’s Office of Mission and Identity ensures that the principles and traditions of Catholic, Jesuit higher education, and the mission and core values of SLU are integrated into operations, structures, programs and practices, and the formation of its students, faculty, staff, administration and board members.