ICJHE Holds Meeting in Rome

The International Committee on Jesuit Higher Education (ICJHE) met last October 29-31, 2006 in Rome.  It was attended by the following members of the committee: Father Vincent Braganza (South Asia), Father José Ramón Busto (Europe and Lebanon), Father Paul Locatelli (North America), Father Daniel Ross (East Asia and Oceania), Father Luis Ugalde (Latin America) and Father Thomas Roach (Secretary for Education) and for the first time a representative from Africa, Father Isangu Mwana Mfumu, was present.  The first part of the meeting focused on the reports on Jesuit Higher Education in the following regions: Africa, East Asia & Oceania, Europe & Lebanon, Latin America, North America and South Asia. 

The following are the main points of the report from each region:

AFRICA
A committee of five Jesuits has been established to study the feasibility of starting a Jesuit university in Africa.  Various models are being considered.  It has been suggested that a full-time person be assigned to the project and that each Province/Region have a representative on the committee.

EAST ASIA AND OCEANIA
Last spring the presidents of the Jesuit universities met with the Major Superiors who have universities in their Provinces. The Constitutions and By-Laws of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities-East Asia and Oceania (AJCU-EAO) have been revised.
The Province of China has appointed a Coordinator for Higher Education.

EUROPE AND LEBANON
The board of the Association of Jesuit Higher Education Institutions of Europe and Lebanon (ASJEL) met last spring and considered three topics: areas of specialization offered by the member institutions, evaluation of the quality of academic programs, and the intellectual apostolate in the Society.

LATIN AMERICA
The 29 Jesuit universities are seeking ways to relate to the other 170 universities in Latin America which are Catholic or Christian. All Jesuit educational institutions in Latin America are engaged in implementing the Proyecto Educativo Común. 

NORTH AMERICA
The five-year evaluation of the implementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae was carried out mostly by a conversation between Jesuit presidents and their local Ordinaries.
Many Jesuit educational institutions are drawing up formal agreements defining the relationship among the institution, the local Jesuit community and the Province.

SOUTH ASIA
Efforts continue to establish Xavier Central University, a central university to which Jesuit institutions of higher education will be affiliated.  The Assistancies of South Asia and East Asia-Oceania are promoting collaboration by encouraging the presidents of their universities to attend the meetings of their counterparts.

After the presentation of the reports, the members turned their attention to the next meeting for Rectors/Presidents of all Jesuit universities. It was decided to hold the meeting after the new Father General is elected.  The theme of the meeting is JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE NEXT DECADE: VISION, PRACTICE AND PLANNING. It would be a three-day meeting to be held within two years of the new Father General’s election.  The Father General will determine the venue of the meeting.  Target participants aside from the Rectors and University Presidents are lay members and colleagues.  Rectors and University Presidents will be asked to keep in mind the desire to have a significant presence of women in the meeting. With regard to the theme, it is hoped that the new Father General will present his vision for the apostolate of higher education.  The section on practice and planning will center on strategies for increasing collaboration among Jesuit universities.

To help prepare for the meeting, the members of ICJHE will poll the Rectors/Presidents in their regions on these two questions:  1. What are the five main challenges/priorities facing our Jesuit universities in the next decade?  2. What are our current practices of collaboration among ourselves and across apostolate lines?

The planning for the future meeting of Rectors/Presidents will continue when ICJHE gathers next autumn.

The final item on the agenda concerned the position of the Secretary for Education.  It was suggested that at this time of transition, it might be opportune to review the current situation in which the Secretary comes from secondary education.  A specific question is this: Is there a need for a “Secretary for Higher Education?”  The members agreed that although there is definitely no need for a full-time “Secretary for Higher Education,” it might be of some value to have someone who could relate more directly with the Jesuit associations of higher education as well as with organizations such as the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU). 

The next meeting of ICJHE was set for November 22-24, 2007.  The day for arrival is Wednesday, November 21, and the day for departure is Sunday, November 25.