Astorga, Christina A.

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epublications@Marquette

Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 40 Re-creating Jesuit Higher Education: TheGeneral's Challenge Article 189-1-2011Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-JesuitUniversityChristina A. AstorgaFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationAstorga, Christina A. (2011) "Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-Jesuit University," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 40,Article 18.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol40/iss1/18Conversations 33Big Hearts andLopsided BrainsGiving engineering a compassionate contextJim F. ChamberlainTechnology is designed in an isolated labora-tory or shop, but its impacts are contextual.That context may include externalities of envi-ronmental degradation, social disruptions, orcultural incongruity. Engineers have alwaysbeen trained to design for function, but notnecessarily context or environment.  Nearly adozen U.S. Jesuit colleges currently offer engi-neering programs, and that many others offera dual-degree program with an external engi-neering school.  These colleges offer a uniquecontribution to the engineering profession thatis now being desired at other liberal arts col-leges. Opportunities for service learning,which takes place within Engineers WithoutBorders and Marquette’s Engineering ServiceConcentration, are best augmented by prayer-ful reflection upon cultural and societalimpact.  In the words of Fr. General Nicolás,these students have “both professional compe-tence and …a depth of engagement with real-ity that transforms them at their deepest core.” Because of their core curriculum, Jesuitstudents will already be inclined to ask thequestions that secular students are just nowlearning to ask in enlightened programs. Inaddition to “What is the correct answer / solu-tion?” they also ask “How might the solution bedifferent in different populations?” and “Howcan a more sustainable design be achieved?” Thestandard technical knowledge is now supple-mented by the magis of deliberate considerationof people, culture and environment.  In short, engineers are people with bighearts and lopsided brains. The sublime logicof computation must be balanced with thecompassionate nuances of reality. Fr. General’srecent message is to answer the “globalizationof superficiality” with “real creativity (which) isan active, dynamic process of finding respons-es to real questions.” Jesuit schools that offereither engineering or pre-engineering aremeeting a need that will only increase in thecoming decades. ■Rev. Jim F. Chamberlain, P.E., is an engineerand diocesan priest (Austin) who taught envi-ronmental chemistry and worked in campusministry at Spring Hill College, 2004-2005. Heis currently completing his Ph.D. in environ-mental engineering at Clemson University. The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-JesuitUniversityChristina A. Astorga Editor’s note. We invited a brief report onDuquesne’s Center for the Study of CatholicSocial Thought as an example of anotherCatholic institution that shares  the Ignatianvision.Most of the members of the Center’s Board ofExternal Consultants, as well as its speakers,are Jesuit-related. I myself have a long anddeep connection with the Jesuits having beentrained by them, and having been the firstlayperson chair of the theology department ofthe Ateneo de Manila University  and a profes-sor of moral theology at the Loyola School ofTheology in the Philippines.In a pluralistic and globalized world, thechurch can only be heard through persuasion,engagement, and most importantly through itsgenuine prophetic witness.  The Center isengaged with the social and natural sciencesso that Catholic social thought can influencescholarship in the pursuit of the university’ssocial justice mission, and that the resultsmight benefit the poor and marginalized.Through its conferences, faculty researchawards, and student article awards, the Centerwas not at the margins, irrelevant, and withoutvoice; it was, in the words of PresidentCharles J. Dougherty, changing the culture ofthe university.A student wrote after the this year’sArticle Award conference on torture: “I wasrequired to attend for a class, but unlike mostother requirements, I loved this. I was sad andsorry to see it end.” Faculty who participatedincorporate the conference’s results into theircourses and scholarship. The Center has alsobecome a vital part of the Pittsburgh commu-nity and was selected by the Association ofCatholic Colleges and Universities as one ofthe six, out of hundreds of centers/institutes atCatholic colleges and universities, to make apresentation at the national convention. ■Christina A. Astorga is founding director of theCenter for the Study of Catholic Social Thoughtat Duquesne University.The AppalachianInstitute: Balancingthe Scales Mary Ellen CassidyThe mission of the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J.Appalachian Institute at Wheeling JesuitUniversity is to initiate programs and collabo-rate with both local and national partners tosolve problems facing the people of centralAppalachia. These programs embody the spir-it described by Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., in hisApril 2010 address. Each has an opportunityfor “a profound engagement with the real” topromote the “universal good.” The Institute’s experiential learning tripsthrough southern West Virginia offer participantsfrom all over a chance to interact with academ-ic experts, community members and leadersfrom government, corporate and civic organiza-tions to learn about water quality, energy andpublic health issues. They are challenged toreflect, analyze and then act to build sustainableand healthy communities. The Institute’s serviceimmersion trips give participants the opportuni-ty to work with disenfranchised Appalachianneighbors at clinics, soup kitchens, head startand other community programs. Along with trip programming, academicresearch projects “engage the creative imagina-tion and academic rigor” of students and facultyto solve problems facing Appalachia today. Inaddition, educational forums and conferencesallow the Institute to network with other univer-sities and community partners to share resourcesand exchange ideas. The Institute’s advocacyprograms balance the scales of justice by engag-ing citizen advocates to change political andeconomic systems that block efforts towardshealthy, sustainable communities. ■Mary Ellen Cassidy is director of theAppalachian Institute at Wheeling University.A Fairfield University student completes alog of her service trip to the Pine Ridgereservation in South Dakota.1Astorga: Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-Jesuit UniversityPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 20112Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Vol. 40, Iss. 1 [2011], Art. 18http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol40/iss1/183Astorga: Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-Jesuit UniversityPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2011

Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-Jesuit University

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Reports: The Ignatian Spirit at a Non-Jesuit University

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