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Faculty Presentations Focus on Teaching Truth, Healing and Reconciliation in Undergraduate Core

Faculty teaching one of Saint Louis University’s required Cura Personalis courses gathered in May for conversations focused on supporting first-year students as they engage with SLU’s historical ties to slavery in thoughtful and meaningful ways. 

 “Cura Personalis 1: Self in Community” introduces first-year students to self-discovery, community engagement, and the Jesuit mission while helping them explore identity, history, and place in the context of SLU and the St. Louis community. 

a woman pointing at a screen

Assistant to the President Nicci Roach talks about SLU’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation (THR) work during a May 11 session with faculty who teach the “Cura Personalis 1: Self in Community” course for first-year students. Photo by Sarah Conroy.

A required one-credit part of the University’s Undergraduate Core, the course also helps students navigate a range of perspectives as they reflect on how their education can be used in service to others. 

The sessions with faculty were led by Nicci Roach, assistant to the president, who has been directing SLU’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation (THR) efforts since the initiative was formally elevated to the Office of the President in January 2026. The move signaled a broader institutional commitment to and long-term investment in the work. 

Undergraduate students have engaged with SLU’s historical ties to slavery through readings, discussions and instructional materials since fall 2021, when the University launched its undergraduate core pilot program, including the Cura Personalis 1 course.  

“The classroom is one of the most important places where this work comes to life,” Roach said. “Faculty play a critical role in helping students connect past and present while creating space for inquiry, reflection and dialogue. Those classroom conversations help shape students into thoughtful, compassionate leaders in the spirit of cura personalis.” 

During the presentations, the discussion focused on strategies and resources to support faculty in teaching this material, including approaches for facilitating reflection, guiding discussion and supporting student writing on complex topics.  

Additionally, Roach shared updates on the latest steps the University has taken to address the harm caused by slavery and its legacy. 

“Over the past year, we’ve worked to better coordinate this effort across the University,” Roach said. “Truth, Healing and Reconciliation is not a single event or moment; it is an ongoing institutional commitment rooted in truth-telling, relationship-building and sustained action.” 

In addition to continued integration of THR-related topics into the Core, other efforts underway include: 

If you would like to learn more about SLU’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation efforts or if you would like to get involved in this work, email THR@slu.edu.