This afternoon, Saint Joseph's University named Dr. Cheryl A. McConnell (pictured left) as its 29th president; she is the first woman to serve in the role. Dr. McConnell has served as interim president since last fall, after spending the previous three years as the University's provost and chief academic officer. She is a former dean of Rockhurst University and received her Ph.D. from Saint Louis University. From all of us at AJCU, we offer our congratulations to Dr. McConnell!
Jesuit Campuses Mark Ten Years of Pope Francis' Leadership
On March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the first Jesuit Pope to lead the Catholic Church. Ten years later, Jesuit colleges and universities are among the many institutions across the world that are hosting commemorative events and reflecting on Pope Francis' leadership throughout the month of March.
Last night, Gonzaga University hosted Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, for a lecture on caring for our common home. On Monday, Cardinal Czerny will speak at Georgetown University in honor of Pope Francis' tenth anniversary. Click here to watch a recording of his speech at Gonzaga, and click here to learn more about his upcoming dialogue at Georgetown.
Faculty at Fordham University and Xavier University have shared reflections on Pope Francis' first decade as Pontiff; click on the video below to hear from members of the Xavier community.
News from Jesuit Colleges & Universities
On March 24-25, Boston College's Forum on Racial Justice will host a free, student-led, in-person conference on "Critical Conversations and Student Voices Addressing Racial Justice in America."
Registration is open to members of the BC community, as well as students and faculty at Jesuit colleges and universities; click here to learn more.
Georgetown University announced the launch of a new Center for Health Equity; Le Moyne College completed the most successful giving day in its history; Saint Peter's University was featured on the new season of the Amazon Prime series, The College Tour; Seattle University re-launched its Early Career MBA program; and The University of Scranton continued its 50th anniversary series on co-education with an awards ceremony, covered by Scranton's Fox affiliate.
Mission Matters: Loyola University Maryland's upcoming Mission Week will focus on "Caring for Our Common Home"; Saint Louis University is launching a local version of the Ignatian Colleagues Program; and Santa Clara University announced plans to celebrate National Catholic Sisters Week.
We're just two days away from Selection Sunday for the NCAA D-I men's and women's basketball tournaments! But in addition to games, D-I conferences have also been focused on research and advocacy: Boston College students participated in the ACC's Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., while Creighton University students participated in the Big East Conference's Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium in New York.
The NCAA D-II women's tournament kicked off today with two Jesuit women's teams: Le Moyne College(playing tonight) and Regis University (played this afternoon). We congratulate all of the teams that have competed thus far in post-season play!
And we want to thank our schools for submitting even more fun March Madness stories for AJCU Higher Ed News this week! Fordham University's men's basketball coach celebrated his Fordham alumnus father in last night's post-A-10 quarterfinal game interview; Gonzaga University shared the history of its mascot, Spike; Marquette University highlighted the "domino effect" for this year's men's basketball team (pictured right); Saint Louis University's women's basketball team was celebrated on a new episode of the Billikens podcast; and the University of Detroit Mercy retired star player Antoine Davis' jersey after the conclusion of the Titans' season.
Upcoming Conferences, Lectures & Alumni Events
March is full of activity at our schools, as well as Jesuit parishes and organizations! Here's what's happening through the end of March both on-campus and online:
Monday, March 13: What Vibrant Parishes Do: Adopting Best Practices (in-person workshop hosted by The Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College; a recording will be sent to all registered participants)
Friday, March 24: Fish Fry (in-person event for Jesuit-educated alumni and friends at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver sponsored by the Denver Jesuit Alumni Network)
Tuesday, March 28: JRS/USA Advocacy Day (in-person and virtual event sponsored by Jesuit Refugee Service/USA)
AJCU Higher Ed News is a weekly e-newsletter that features the latest news and information from Jesuit colleges and universities. To submit a story or subscribe, please send an e-mail to Deanna Howes Spiro (dhowes@ajcunet.edu).
