Unfinished Business: The Past and Future of Jesuit Higher Education

Jesuit education burst upon the world in the sixteenth century as an academic innovation. Committed to both secular and sacred learning, it frequently confronted challenges during its long history. In the early twentieth century, when U. S. Jesuit higher education adopted the best features of mainstream learning, it was often accused of abandoning its distinct mission. The system faces new demands in our secular era. What is the future of Jesuit educational leadership today? Are there elements that are essential in the on-going evolution of the Jesuit educational tradition?

Gerald McKevitt, S.J. is Emeritus Professor of History and University Historian at Santa Clara University. He is an expert on Jesuits in the western United States and has written about Christopher Columbus, Jesuit higher education, 19th century Native Americans, and the history of Santa Clara University.

Please RSVP at www.scu.edu/ic/bannan

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About the Bannan Institute
Bannan Institutes are yearlong, thematic programs hosted by the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University. All events are free and open to the public. Please RSVP at www.scu.edu/ic/bannan

Spring 2015: Leadership and the Intellectual Life
Tradition, Innovation, and Transformation
The Jesuit, Catholic intellectual tradition has long been marked by rigorous and critical interdisciplinary engagement, dialogue, and a commitment to innovation and transformation. This quarter’s lecture series will examine the foundational and dynamic mission and means by which Jesuit, Catholic universities seek to form whole persons, engaged citizens, and accountable leaders.