Alpha Sigma Nu THE HONOR SOCIETY OF JESUIT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
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MAGIS MEDAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Nominate a deserving alumni member
34th TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE ENERGIZES ATTENDEES
Challenging speakers, great discussions, and a “contagion” of Ignatian spirit
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NEWLY ELECTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Read about our new board members
2018 ASN BOOK AWARD WINNERS
Winners from The Sciences
ASN LEADERS LEARN AND SHARE
Takeaways from students, alumni, and faculty members
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE HONOR SOCIETIES
Winter 2018
ASN AT THE DEUSTO ASSEMBLY Kate Gaertner, Executive Director
When a Jesuit from Madagascar and a Jesuit from Managua were seated next to me at the opening dinner of Deusto Assembly 2018, I knew that my experience at this conference would have great impact on Alpha Sigma Nu and be life changing for me. The Assembly was appropriately called Transforming our World Together. As the room filled with 300 Jesuit higher education leaders from around the world who had traveled to the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, there was an overwhelming sense of common mission, of shared challenges, and of a coalescing camaraderie. This past July, Michael Garanzini, SJ (Saint Louis `71), Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus, convened university presidents, rectors, provosts, and mission officers to explore the most urgent priorities for Jesuit universities and to create a network to address today’s challenges. The General Congregation 36 called for greater use of networks and more intentional collaboration for the promotion of faith, justice and reconciliation, and this Assembly answered that call. A panel including Basque president Iñigo Urkullu, King Felipe VI of Spain, Father General Arturo Sosa, SJ, and the Deusto rector José María
Guibert, SJ, inaugurated the Assembly with a discussion on the impact of Jesuit education in their countries and their lives. Thanks to an international steering committee, the full agenda included addresses from Cardinals Giuseppe Versaldi and Gianfranco Ravasi, as well as Indian author Pankaj Mishra and economist Gael Giraud, SJ. For all committed to the Jesuit mission, the most impactful conversations concerned the six task force topics which discussed challenges for Jesuit higher education and areas for potential collaboration. These were the topics of small group discussion, and clearly, will shape future discussions and strategies across Jesuit higher education: • Civic and Political Leadership Formation: Universities should identify and cultivate leadership talent among Jesuits and lay persons • Education of the Marginalized: Jesuit education is empowering and should reach those most in need • Environmental & Economic Justice: How can our institutions address economic, social and political changes necessary to survive in our “common home”?
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