Van Hise, Joan

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epublications@Marquette

Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 39 Article 192-1-2011Alpha Sigma Nu. Scholarship, Loyalty, Service:What Do They Mean?Joan Van HiseFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationVan Hise, Joan (2011) "Alpha Sigma Nu. Scholarship, Loyalty, Service: What Do They Mean?," Conversations on Jesuit HigherEducation: Vol. 39, Article 19.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol39/iss1/19Conversations 47My father, a proud graduate of aJesuit high school and college,wore his Alpha Sigma Nu tie barevery day of his working life. Recently, an Alpha SigmaNu newsletter listed the threecore principles of Jesuit educa-tion and Alpha Sigma Nu: schol-arship, loyalty, and service. My father clearly con-nected with the first two, but the third, service,seems to be a more modern interpretation of what itmeans to be “Jesuit educated.” How has what we mean by the phrase Jesuit-educated changed since my father’s Jesuit days?My Jesuit journey has been different from that ofmy father – and the journey on which today’s stu-dents have embarked. All the males in my father’s family went to Jesuithigh schools and colleges. At that time there werenumerous Jesuits on campus - in the classrooms,even on every floor in the dorms. My father’s highschool and college experiences were separated byWWII. When he started college, he was one of manywar-weary veterans in his early 20’s who also hap-pened to be a college freshman. He mixed cocktails in his room every nightbefore dinner — a clear violation of the dorm’s noalcohol rule. And each night the Jesuit prefect wholived on the floor would come knocking when heheard the cocktail shaker saying, “Bill, you’re notallowed to have a drink before dinner – unless youmake one for me too.” In a truly Ignatian manner, thatyoung prefect recognized the importance of adaptingto the circumstances of his students. So my image ofJesuit education was one that inspired loyalty andadapted well to changing times. When an older sib-ling attended a Jesuit high school, academic excel-lence was emphasized in the brand description. I started at a small Jesuit college where I wastaught by professors who challenged me intellectu-ally in stimulating classes. Unfortunately, the worldoutside the classroom was homogenous, closed-minded and overwhelmingly anti-intellectual. Afterone semester, I transferred to another Jesuit college,one that was diverse, open, and accepting. But wasthis change more as a result of the external environs– a large urban area rather than a small city in alargely rural area? And, while I did receive an excel-lent education, I managed to complete my B.S. com-pletely untouched by the Jesuit charism. No curapersonalis, men and women for others, finding Godin all things, magis; no mention of Ignatian spiritu-ality or the Spiritual Exercises. Perhaps it was because I was in the businessschool and so many of the faculty worked full-timeoutside of school to support their families. But notone class ever addressed any aspect of anythinguniquely Jesuit. The business school essentiallyoperated separately from the rest of the University,and in that, modeled for us how we should sepa-rately compartmentalize faith and reason.At the university commencement exercises, manyof the graduates from the business school waved dol-lar bills as the Archbishop of Sao Paulo spoke of ourresponsibility to help the poor. It was the first time themessage had been shared with most of the graduateson the commencement field. Unfortunately, the oppor-tunity to share that message had passed; it was too lit-tle, too late for most of us. And so I became a Jesuitgraduate, with little new insight into what it meant tobe Jesuit-educated, except, perhaps, that lay facultycould also contribute to a Jesuit education. ALPHA SIGMA NUScholarship, Loyalty, Service:What do they mean?By Joan Van HiseWhile I received an excellent education, I was completelyuntouched by the Jesuit charism.1Van Hise: Alpha Sigma Nu. Scholarship, Loyalty, Service: What Do They Mean?Published by e-Publications@Marquette, 201148 ConversationsIn three years of public accounting following col-lege I learned that ethics were negotiable to many. Ileft the business world and retreated to the safety ofmy Jesuit cocoon for a master’s degree. Here I benefit-ed more from individual interaction with the faculty;but was that only because I was a graduate student? Iam still not sure. The phrase cura personalis had comeinto vogue – and was tossed into the school’s exten-sive promotional literature, along with the brand“Jesuit” with abandon. I was nearing completion ofanother Jesuit degree, and no closer to learning whatit meant to be Jesuit-educated.Before I finished my MBA, I was offered theopportunity to join the faculty at the school at which Iwas studying. Did the Jesuit character of the universityand my own experience as a Jesuit-educated studentinform my teaching there? I practiced cura personaliswith aplomb, I emphasized ethics in all of my classes,and did my part to support academic excellence. I alsogot to know my former professors in a different way,as colleagues. They were good and caring men – yes,men (I was only the third female on the business fac-ulty!) – and wonderful colleagues. But, for most ofthem, their relationships with their students started andended at the classroom door. When I left the faculty six years later to concen-trate on my doctorate and raising my growing fami-ly, I still had not been touched by much that I couldidentify as uniquely Jesuit. Yet, for some reason, Ifelt an affinity to the Jesuits – loyalty I guess. WhenI discussed job placement with my dissertation com-mittee some years later, I insisted that I would onlyteach at a Jesuit university. I’m not sure why. Afterfinishing the PhD, I was home with my kids whenmy next opportunity came knocking; it seems theJesuits weren’t finished with me yet. Perhaps I happened back into Jesuit educationat just the right moment in time in 1997, but I soonnoticed that my concept of being Jesuit-educatedwas being enlarged. There was more to Jesuit edu-cation than cura personalis and academic excel-lence; a Jesuit education should address “the serviceof the faith which absolutely demands the promo-tion of justice.” So the focus had changed: scholar-ship, loyalty — and service too. As the integral links between faith, reason, andjustice became more apparent to me, the topicalcontent of my courses expanded. I started weavingin the concepts of Catholic social teaching. I incor-porated more examples of accounting in not-for-profit organizations, and encouraged my businessstudents to consider non-traditional career paths,including a service year after graduation. Teaching ethics through a living and learning res-idential college that focused on the exploration ofvocation, I had my first formal introduction to theIgnatian pedagogical paradigm. With guidance fromsymposia and thoughtful colleagues, I began to adoptan Ignatian approach in more of my classes. “Who amI?” “Whose am I?” and “Who am I called to be?”became common questions in my classes, and in mydiscussions with students in the office. I experiencedthe Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and learned of thepowerful connections between the Exercises andIgnatian pedagogy. Reflections became requiredassignments in many of my classes. In short, I, theteacher, joined my students in learning. What does it mean to be Jesuit-educated today?You might wonder that I haven’t yet figured it out.The mission statement of Alpha Sigma Nu states“Our mission is to understand, appreciate and pro-mote the ideals of Jesuit education — openingminds, doors and hearts to a lifelong journey in wis-dom, faith and service.” As one on that lifelong jour-ney, I have come to see the phrase “Jesuit-educated”in a new light. In our 24/7 world we realize that students typi-cally spend more than 90 percent of their hours eachweek outside the classroom. That’s a lot of time! ButI am not troubled by this – as the Jesuits followingWWII adapted for the returning veterans, we arelearning to adapt to this new reality by creatingintentional living and learning communities for ourstudents. You may have heard that the “golden days” ofCatholic Jesuit education are behind us. These sagesspeak of the golden days when Jesuits accounted forthe majority of the faculty on campus. My localpaper recently ran an article on how the shortage ofpriests is affecting . One Jesuit was quoted as saying“Without Jesuits, how can you call yourself Jesuit?” I must respectfully disagree with those who feelour best days have passed. The presence of anAlpha Sigma Nu chapter on a campus is evidencethat the values of scholarship, loyalty and service arecherished. The challenge is to make them operativethrough intellectual engagement enlivened by thequest for justice and faith.  ■Joan Van Hise is associate professor of accountingat Fairfield University.For most of the faculty, their relationships with students startedand ended at the classroom door.2Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Vol. 39, Iss. 1 [2011], Art. 19http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol39/iss1/19

Alpha Sigma Nu. Scholarship, Loyalty, Service: What Do They Mean?

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Alpha Sigma Nu. Scholarship, Loyalty, Service: What Do They Mean?

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