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Mission Forward: SLU Nearing End of Year-Long Discernment of University’s Commitment to Catholic, Jesuit Mission

by Maggie Rotermund on 10/28/2024
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210/28/2024

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University will wrap up its year-long institutional process of discernment with an on-site peer visit this week. The visit will be conducted by colleagues from three peer Jesuit universities.

The Mission Priority Examen (MPE) is a self-led process intended to reaffirm a Jesuit university’s commitment to its Catholic, Jesuit mission and the ways the University might continue to live out the mission in the future. The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and the North American Jesuit Provincials have established the MPE for Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and Belize, a process requested by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus. 

St. Ignatius

Statue of St. Ignatius outside DuBourg Hall. SLU photo by Sarah Conroy. 

The MPE process is grounded in the examen, a practice of Ignatian reflection, and invites the campus community to reflect upon areas of strength in embodying our Jesuit, Catholic identity and opportunities for deepening SLU’s mission. SLU last conducted the MPE in 2018-19.

The process began with a University-wide consultation,  which led to several small group meetings to assess the mission and how students, faculty, and staff saw that vision play out on campus. Focus groups included students, faculty, staff, members of the Board of Trustees, alumni, donors, parents of current students and community and neighborhood partners.

“The MPE gave us the opportunity to engage our SLU community in substantial conversations about what it means to be a Catholic, Jesuit university,” said David Suwalsky, S.J., vice president for Mission and Identity and chair of the MPE steering committee. “Our outcomes were hopeful as well as aspirational. Who could ask for more?”

A preliminary report was drafted over the summer. Following the Peer Review Committee visit to campus, SLU’s self-study and the peer review report will be shared with the Provincial of the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in December.

The MPE process offers an opportunity for open reflection on the ways that the University can more fully live its values and work toward its aspiration to transform society in the spirit of the Gospels. Four priorities were identified for SLU to proceed with over the next few years. They are:

“The mission priorities outlined for our SLU community are an expression of what the participants had to say about the future of our Catholic Jesuit mission,” said Virginia Herbers, director of mission formation at SLU and MPE steering committee co-chair. “As we prepare for a transition in University leadership, I hope the articulation of this vision can serve as a compass for the next president.”

The full preliminary report is available for the SLU community to read.

The peer review process visit begins Tuesday, Oct. 29, and continues through Thursday, Oct. 31. The three-person team is chaired by Mardell A. Wilson, Ed.D., provost at Creighton University. Wilson served as the Dean of the Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences at SLU from 2014 to 2020. Additional reviewers include Daniel R. J. Joyce, S.J., vice president of Mission and Ministry at Saint Joseph’s University, and Michael Serazio, Ph.D., professor of Communication at Boston College.

While on campus, the team will participate in listening sessions with groups around campus, asking questions such as:

Read a letter from Wilson to the SLU community

The MPE process was launched in December 2023, at the invitation of Thomas P. Greene, S.J., provincial superior of the Central and Southern Province. University President Fred Pestello, Ph.D. invited a steering committee representing the university community to begin its work. Comprised of faculty, staff and administrators from every academic unit, the steering committee convened focus groups on the north campus, south campus, School of Law, Madrid and virtually.

 “The SLU community has spoken and the self-study is thoughtful, thorough, and creates a clear path forward,” said Thomas Reynolds, provincial assistant for higher education for the Central and Southern Province.

Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.