In April 2024, Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ, provincial of Jesuits West, announced that he was forming a Jesuit Higher Education Commission, to be tasked both with supporting those who serve in the apostolate and developing a vision for higher education in the coming years. The idea for the commission arose from conversations between Fr. Carroll and Fr. Bob Niehoff, SJ, the provincial assistant for higher education.
From January 3-5, the commission had its first in-person meeting at St. Clare’s Retreat at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains in beautiful Soquel, California. Fr. Tom Curran, SJ (UCS), the former president of Rockhurst University, who is assisting Fr. Niehoff with the commission, helped facilitate the meeting.
According to Fr. Niehoff, the idea was to get people together in the same room because many of the commission members did not know each other or know each other well. The attendees shared meals and liturgies and spent time with Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ, chancellor of Seattle University who has been helping the Jesuits West Province develop capacity in communal discernment. Fr. Sundborg, who is a proponent of “experience rather than explanation,” had the group go through a discernment together.
In his welcome letter, Fr. Carroll set the stage for the discernment by asking attendees to engage the central question facing Jesuits West at this moment: How does the province best support the ministry of higher education? That simple question evolved into a proposition for discernment: The Jesuit Higher Education Commission will commit to work together to understand and address the challenges of the experience of Jesuits working in our five universities.
The feedback about the communal discernment experience was positive, and when the group reconvenes virtually in March, the matter for discernment will likely be expanded to include a conversation about prioritizing what Jesuits could or should be doing at our five universities.
Commission members include: Fr. José Badenes, SJ, vice-provost for academic programs and professor of Spanish, LMU; Fr. Matt Carnes, SJ, vice president for mission and ministry, SCU; Fr. Sean Dempsey, SJ, associate professor of history and department chair, LMU; Fr. Thomas Flowers, SJ, assistant professor of Ignatian formation in the College of Philosophy and Letters, Saint Louis University; Fr. Pat Lee, SJ, rector, USF; Fr. Joseph Nguyen, SJ, assistant professor of theology and religious studies, USF; Fr. Dennis Smolarski, SJ, professor of mathematics and computer science, SCU; Fr. Quan Tran, SJ, lecturer of religious studies, Gonzaga University; and Fr. Eric Watson, SJ, associate professor of chemistry, Seattle University.
