Catholic and jesuit identity in higher education christian higher education - Peck & Stick

Catholic and Jesuit

Identity in Higher

Education

Authors: Kirk Pecka; Sheldon Stickb

Affiliations: a Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska,USAb University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska,USA

DOI: 10.1080/15363750701818394

Published in: Christian Higher Education, Volume

7, Issue 3 July 2008 , pages 200 - 225

Publication Frequency: 5 issues per year

Download PDF (8 MB) View Related Articles

To cite this Article: Peck, Kirk and Stick, Sheldon 'Catholic and Jesuit Identity inHigher Education', Christian Higher Education, 7:3, 200 - 225

Abstract

This study incorporated an instrumental embedded case study design to explore how15 faculty members and an administrator at one Catholic institution of higher educationdescribe their responsibility to promote the academic mission of Ignatian spirituality.Interviews included Jesuit, Catholic, and non-Catholic faculty, and the president ofHoly University. It was determined that participants' ability to foster Ignatian spiritualitywas dependent upon their religious beliefs and a willingness to promote valuescommon to Catholic and Jesuit faith traditions, despite facing multiple challenges tofulfilling the academic mission. A conceptual model developed that demonstratedrelationships among academic administrators, faculty, and students, and how theinteractions influence the ability to foster Ignatian spirituality and preserve afaith-based identity at Holy University. Additional perspectives from members at HolyUniversity and other Jesuit institutions of higher learning need to be explored todevelop a greater understanding of the academic mission of Ignatian spirituality.

Introduction

Johnson (1997) and earlier Veysey (1965) stated that nearly all institutions of highereducation support a tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service grounded inhistorical significance. It was, and continues to be, an amenable declaration, but in1998 Buckley altered that claim by saying Catholic universities added a “full faith-experience moving towards intelligence and of finite intelligence moving towards itssatisfaction in transcendent completion” (p. 16). The implication of Buckley'spronouncement was that Catholic institutions of higher education are not distinct from

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the church, and are expected to foster a “search for the whole truth about nature, man

and God” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 1990, p. 1). The power behind Buckley's claim was

magnified by the “Ex Corde Ecclesiae,” issued in 1990 by Pope John Paul II, whichdescribed and outlined an Apostolic Constitution for Catholic Universities.

Ex Corde Ecclesiae

Ex Corde Ecclesiae is a constitution that called for Catholic universities to renew theiridentities as being both “universities” and “Catholic,” and stipulated four essentialcharacteristics:

(1) Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the universitycommunity as such; (2) A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholicfaith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks tocontribute by its own research; (3) Fidelity to the Christian message as itcomes to us through the Church; and (4) An institutional commitment to theservice of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to

the transcendent goal which gives meaning to life. (Ex Corde Ecclesiae,

1990, pp. 2-3)

In addition, Ex Corde Ecclesiae contained a list of General Norms to assist Catholicacademic institutions to accomplish their missions while being in concert with thedesires of the Holy See.

Two norms in Ex Corde Ecclesiae pertained to faculty teaching at Catholic institutionsof higher education, and served as the genesis for the work reported in this article.Paragraph 3, Article 4 stated, “Catholic theologians, aware that they fulfill a mandatereceived from the Church, are to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church as theauthentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition” (1990, p. 9). Second,Paragraph 4, Article 4 stated, “In order not to endanger the Catholic identity of theuniversity or institute of higher studies, the number of non-Catholic teachers shouldnot be allowed to constitute a majority within the institution, which is and must remainCatholic” (p. 9). The interpretation of those norms was that the church had authorityover certain practices in Catholic colleges and universities. But not everyone agreed to

the literal authority Ex Corde Ecclesiae claimed. Some expressed doubt regarding ajudicial interpretation, particularly in institutions where the apostolate was not formally

adopted (Currie, 2001; Heft, 1999; Moser, 2002; Wilson, 2001).

In addition to generating conversation regarding Ex Corde's ostensibly authoritativeposition, the document expressed a concern for retaining the Catholic identity ininstitutions of higher education. It stated, “All professors are expected to be aware of

and committed to the Catholic mission and identity of their institution” (National

Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2000, p. 15).

A literal interpretation of those two norms led to the conclusion that the Holy See'sdeclaration meant that faculty persons at Catholic institutions of higher education hadto act in accordance with the mission of the church if not its tenets. Adding to thecauldron was the importance for educating respective faculty about Catholic values,because in so doing the result would be enhanced retention of the Catholic identity.

Buckley (1998) claimed that Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) was a “call for a muchstronger, much more concrete affirmation of the Catholic character of (American)


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universities, the grasp of the promise inherent in such an identity, and the directionthat its character or identity be found in its purpose, an organic unity between thegospel and culture.” Furthermore, it was contended that “American Catholicuniversities will not likely receive a more authoritative summons to articulate theiridentity, to develop a deeper sense of what they are” (pp. 23-24).

Study Location

Holy University, a pseudonym for an institution located in the Midwest, was founded in1878 through the execution of the will of Mary Holy. She was the widow of EdwardHoly, an early pioneer of the transcontinental telegraph, who wanted to establish auniversity in the Midwest. The Jesuit Order was asked to manage the university and

has done so since the institution's doors first opened in the late 1800s (Holy

University Bulletin, 2001). Currently, Holy University is one of 28 independent Jesuitinstitutions of higher education in the United States, is a comprehensive teachinginstitution consistently ranked as a top-rated private institution of higher education in

the United States (Holy University Bulletin, 2001), and has more than 6000 students

matriculating in its various colleges and graduate programs of study (Aschenbrenner,

1982): medicine, dentistry, business administration, the arts and sciences, law,nursing, pharmacy and other health-related professions.

An overarching goal of the institution has been to foster a sense of spiritual well-beingas a part of developing graduates for the betterment of society. Achieving that goal hasbeen accomplished through Holy University's identity with the Society of Jesus and itsassociation with the principles and morals encompassing the Catholic faith.

Holy University and Ex Corde Ecclesiae

During his inaugural address as the 23rd president at Holy University, Rev. John P.Spirit, S.J., reaffirmed the importance of the relationship between the Jesuit missionand that of the Catholic Church, and reemphasized the relationship Holy Universityhad with the church by stating:

Holy University has recognized its special relationship to the CatholicChurch at both the local and the universal level. In this context of a Catholicuniversity, theology, philosophy, and moral behavior are integral as weprovide a setting where religious experience and secular experience join in

dialogue to meet the issues of the day. (Spirit, 2000, p. 3)

According to Father Spirit (2000), Ex Corde Ecclesiae was an exemplary instrumentencouraging renewed efforts “to foster the Catholic identity and mission of HolyUniversity and other like institutions” (p. 5). It was a living document developed by theCatholic Church but subscribed to for the purpose of reuniting the faith and traditionsof Catholicism with the intellectual underpinnings of higher education.

Holy University was chosen for this case study due to its faith-based philosophy rootedin the Jesuit mission and declared emphases on maintaining an integral relationshipwith the Catholic Church. An inherent assumption was that faculty persons at HolyUniversity upheld the mission of the institution as a center for both intellectual and


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spiritual development. Support for that premise came from President Spirit (2000)who stated the university “interprets the church to the world and the world to thechurch” (p. 5). Those words strengthened the belief that Holy University was aninstitution not only espousing the importance of gaining knowledge and wisdom, butwas a center of learning where the academic community and students alike activelysought to explore the true spirit of humanity.

This case study attempts to explore how selected faculty members at one Jesuit andCatholic institution of higher education describe their responsibilities for fulfilling theacademic mission of Ignatian spirituality. By doing so they are directly fostering theCatholic and Jesuit identity of the institution.

Grand Tour Question

How do selected members of the faculty at one Catholic/Jesuit institution of highereducation describe their responsibility in fulfilling the academy's academic mission ofIgnatian spirituality?

Subquestions

How do faculty persons at Holy University describe its academic mission withregard to promoting the teachings of Ignatian spirituality?

1.

How do faculty persons at Holy University describe the Catholic Church'sexpectations for the institution to influence, directly or indirectly, the teachings ofIgnatian spirituality?

2.

How do faculty persons at Holy University describe administrative expectationsfor fostering Ignatian spirituality?

3.

How do Jesuit, Catholic (non-Jesuit), and non-Catholic faculty persons at HolyUniversity perceive their religious orientation with regard to fostering Ignatianspirituality?

4.

How does the personal spirituality of the participant faculty persons at HolyUniversity influence their academic role?

5.

How do the participant faculty persons at Holy University describe challengeswhen fostering Ignatian spirituality?

6.

How do the participant faculty persons at Holy University describe professionaland/or personal rewards when working in a faith-based institution seeking to bein compliance with a directive to instill Ignatian spirituality?

7.

How do participant faculty perceptions of Ignatian spirituality compare to theviews held by the president for Holy University?

8.

Method

Data were collected using semistructured interviews with the university president and15 participant faculty persons representing multiple undergraduate degree disciplines.Excluding the president, interviewees were selected purposefully to obtainrepresentation from three religious backgrounds: (a) Jesuit faculty, (b) Catholic(non-Jesuit) faculty, and (c) non-Catholic faculty. In addition, all participants heldprimary academic appointments consisting of a minimum 50% teaching workload ofundergraduate education.


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Participants

Fifteen faculty participants and the president of Holy University were selected for thestudy. A chaplain employed at Holy University recommended 31 faculty members forthe pool: 8 Jesuit, 10 Catholic, and 13 non-Catholic faculty persons. A second list ofcandidates was solicited from an institutionally based Faculty Mission and IdentityGroup to ensure that a diverse group of potential candidates were being considered.That list contained: 1 Jesuit, 4 known Catholics, and 7 unknown religious affiliations.Finally, a third list of 8 candidates was obtained by consulting with the Office ofCampus Ministry at Holy University, again to diversify the selection of potentialparticipants. That list contained: 0 Jesuits, 2 Catholics, and 3 unknown religiousaffiliations. All of the potential participants were separated according to being Jesuit,Catholic, and non-Catholic. In situations when the religious orientation of a prospectiveparticipant was not available, the name was placed in a category labeled “unknown”until personal contact could be made for verification. From the completed list ofpotential participants a listing was made with names representing each of the threereligious affiliation categories. The rationale was to ensure there would be sufficientparticipants in each of the three categories.

Prospective participants were contacted initially by telephone. The title, purpose, briefexplanation of the study, and time commitment to participate all were described toeach individual. Upon receipt of a verbal consent to participate, an informed consentform and letter explaining the study were provided through use of an on-campus mailservice. All participants received, signed, and returned a copy of consent prior to beinginterviewed. Only one person, who originally agreed to participate, later declined. Thatindividual was a non-Catholic faculty member, and after reviewing the list of interviewquestions, notified the researcher of an inability to discuss Ignatian spirituality for lackof understanding the concept. All remaining persons initially contacted for the studyagreed to participate during the initial phone conversation. A replacement participantwas chosen from the list developed.

Participant Demographics

Relevant demographics appear in Tables 1-6. Importantly, an inclusionary criterionwas that a person had to have been employed at Holy University for a minimum ofthree years to ensure they were acculturated into the community of the institution. The15 faculty members consisted of 10 males and 5 females, with the sole administratorbeing the university president, a male.

TABLE 1 Demographics according to Faculty Rank or Title (N = 15)*

ProfessorAssociate

Professor

Assistant

ProfessorInstructor Director

*Administrator/University President (16th person interviewed)

N = 1.


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ProfessorAssociate

Professor

Assistant



N = 1.

N = 5 N = 5 N = 3 N = 1 N = 1

TABLE 2 Average Number of

Years Employed at Holy

University (excluding the

President)

Male Female Aggregate

16.2 yrs 11 yrs 14.4 yrs

TABLE 3 Departments Represented

Academic Department Number of Participants

Political Science 1

Classical and Near Eastern Studies 3

Sociology and Anthropology 1

Arts and Sciences 2

English 1

Justice and Peace Studies 1

Education 1

Theology 4

Fine Arts 1


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Administration (President) 1

TABLE 4 Selected Characteristics of the Non-Catholic Faculty Participants (N =

5).

Claire Marco Ronaldo Wonka Sister Anne

All had earned their terminal Academic Degree and varied between the ranks ofAssistant through Full Professor. One participant (Marco) had a modestundergraduate teaching assignment (30% FTE).

HighestDegree Earned

Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D.

AcademicRank

AssociateProfessor

Professor ProfessorAssociateProfessor

AssistantProfessor

AcademicDepartment

PoliticalScience

Classical andNear EasternStudies



SociologyandAnthropology

Length ofEmployment atHoly University

28 years 8 years 9 years 10 years 4 years

UndergraduateTeaching Load

100% 30% 99% 100% 90%

TABLE 5 Selected Characteristics of the Catholic Faculty Participants (N = 5).

Bill Harry Jane Eyre Martin Rose

In the above table it can be seen that four of the five participants held the highestAcademic Degree for their discipline. The one person without a terminal degree wasassigned the title of 'Director' for the Department of Justice and Peace Studies. Allpersons in this category had instructional assignments ranging from 50% to 100%FTE.


Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. M.A. Ph.D.

AcademicRank

Professor AssociateProfessor

AssociateProfessor

Director AssociateProfessor

AcademicDepartment

Arts andSciences

Arts andSciences

EnglishJustice andPeaceStudies

Education


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TABLE 6 Selected Characteristics of the Jesuit Faculty Participants (N = 5)

RJH Inigo Murphy Andy Bobadilla

Table 6 shows three Jesuit faculty persons held terminal Academic Degrees, four ofthem were Theology Instructors, and they ranged in faculty rank from Instructor(Murphy with two Masters Degrees and three years of tenure at Holy University) toRJH with 31 years at Holy University.


Ph.D. Ph.D.2 MastersDegrees

3 MastersDegrees

Ph.D.

AcademicRank

Professor Professor InstructorAssistantProfessor

AssociateProfessor

AcademicDepartment

Theology Theology Theology Fine Arts Theology




75% 75% 100% 100% 100%

All participants in this study chose a personal pseudonym for the purpose ofanonymity, but were aware that the information culled would be made available to theprofessional community in aggregate form, except for the Holy University president.The resident of Holy University was assigned the pseudonym Fr. Spirit by theresearcher. The following tables display demographic data regarding the participantsfrom each faculty unit.

Data Collection

Interview Protocol

Interviews were scheduled at a time and place convenient to each participant. Theaverage time for each interview session was between 40 and 60 minutes. All interviewswere audiotaped, using two microcassette recorders sequentially, and the researchermade handwritten notes to complement the recordings. Each person interviewed wasprovided with 14 predetermined questions prior to data collection following a procedure

outlined by Creswell (1998). Open-ended questions were utilized, and whennecessary, question probes (also on the questionnaires) were incorporated. Of note is


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that the interview process used in this study was piloted in a previous research project

(Luparell, Wackel, & Peck, 2003).

Interview Transcripts

Each set of interviews was transcribed by the researcher within three days using aportable electronic transcription unit. To enhance internal validity the transcriptionswere returned to respective participants by electronic mail for a review of content and

accuracy, a process Merriam (2001) referred to as member checks. After receivingfeedback from individual participants, transcript data were then manually coded into

categories and themes as outlined by Creswell (1994) and Strauss and Corbin

(1998).

Data Coding

Transcript data were analyzed using both open and axial coding procedures as

described by Strauss and Corbin (1998). Strauss and Corbin explained open codingas a process whereby text data were analyzed by identifying, naming, categorizing,and describing phenomena. Text data in this study were organized for open codinganalysis by organizing participant responses to the sequence of interview questionsinto 13 distinct segments, one for each participant's response to a given question. The14th question asked was not related directly to any aspect of the study, and thereforenot coded. It was open-ended in the sense of inquiring whether a participant wanted toadd information or address something not covered.

Open coding of text data consisted initially of identifying key words and word phrasescharacterizing the overall meaning of participant responses in relation to each interviewquestion. The initial coding process continued for the 13 questions until the researcherdetermined data collection had been exhausted. The findings from that initial codingprocess yielded a list of 13 distinct groups of open codes that related to the 13interview questions. Then that set of 13 groups of coded word and word phrases wereanalyzed further and coded into conceptual subcategories. Depending on the numberof open codes listed in each group, between one and eight subcategories wasgenerated. Subcategories were written in the right-hand margins of participanttranscripts, and used later for axial coding.

Results

The axial coding process yielded 10 unit themes. Catholic and non-Catholic participantunits each were described by three themes, while four themes emerged from theJesuit participant unit. Unit themes from all participants then were used to deriveaggregate case-study themes.

Strauss and Corbin (1998) described a method of constant comparison used tocompare two or more data sets to identify emerging phenomena. The method wasincorporated in this study to compare all 10 participant unit themes. Unit themes weregrouped by similar meanings, and then analyzed to identify aggregate case-study

themes. A total of three aggregate case-study themes emerged. Figures 1, 2, and 3


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display the three case-study themes, and corresponding participant unit themes used

for analysis.

FIGURE 1 Case study: Aggregate Theme One.

FIGURE 2Case-Study: Aggregate Theme Two.

FIGURE 3Case-Study: Aggregate Theme Three.

Discussion

Theme One: Faculty Role to Foster Ignatian Spirituality Influenced by

Religious Beliefs


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The ability to foster Ignatian spirituality varied according to religious faith beliefs, but itwas an important factor reflecting the overall identity of Holy University. In this study,non-Catholic participants were less inclined to openly express or discuss Ignatianspirituality presumably because of not fully understanding the concept.

For example, Marco revealed how his non-Catholic faith background influenced hisability to foster Ignatian spirituality. He said, “I have a conservative Jewish backgroundwhich is not, as one might think, the most traditional. It is Orthodox Jewish, but in aworld where we really did not discuss spiritual matters, it was not a part of myupbringing.” He added,

Although the institutional history betweens Jews and Catholics has notnecessarily been very good, nonetheless, there is a lot of commonalitybetween Jews and Catholics. There is a sense of history, there is a strongsense of ritual that is both a life cycle, and the annual cycle, there is asense in which the biblical text is very important, but it does not limit J it isnot God's revelation that limits it to that.

Marco's comments were viewed as meaning he was willing to find commonalitiesbetween his Jewish faith, and Catholicism; however, it also indicated a recognizedlimitation. He was not able to adequately address the concept of Ignatian spiritualitybecause it was a form of spirituality uncommon to the Jewish faith.

Regardless of perceptions, non-Catholic participants expressed a sense of comfortand belonging at Holy University. They reported having faith beliefs similar to or, atminimum, not contradictory to Ignatian spirituality. When expressing her beliefs aboutfostering Ignatian spirituality, Sister Anne replied,

Well, I think that is largely because I am Lutheran and we are so close toCatholicism. You know, in a real deep sense, Lutheranism is stillCatholicism without the Pope. So we try to foster real reflective and almosta bold J bold is the word Luther said J bold spirituality. So it is veryconsistent with my own spiritual development.

Jesuit and Catholic participants were comfortable with and agreed to the general ethosof Ignatian spirituality. However, Jesuit participants described being more overt aboutdiscussing the topic with students, and colleagues. That was not surprising becauseIgnatian spirituality was considered an essential element to the Society of Jesus, andthus an integral part of being a Jesuit faculty member at Holy University.

Theme Two: Academic Mission of Ignatian Spirituality Fostered by a

Responsibility to Instill an Ethos of Shared Values

The second theme to emerge emphasized the importance participants placed onpromoting and role modeling a shared system of values as a way to foster Ignatian

spirituality. Charisms, such as cura personalis (Latin for care for the whole person), the

magis (Latin for the more), and men and women for and with others, were just a fewexamples of values mentioned by participants. Participants described severalmechanisms to foster Ignatian-based values including faculty role modeling,interactions with colleagues and administrators, and demonstrating an attitude of caretowards students in their personal growth. When asked about opportunities she had tofoster Ignatian Spirituality, Claire stated,


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I would like to think that a lot of what I do fosters spirituality in a veryindirect sense because I confront students to think about their values, and Icertainly confront people to think comparatively about religion, and aboutwhat they are going to do with their lives.

Another point of view was expressed by Jane, who offered a more definitive descriptionof how Ignatian spirituality was manifested in human behavior. She stated,

I think the way spirituality is integrated is in your disposition. Disposition isthe word I would use, your disposition toward your work, your dispositiontoward your students.

Finally, RJH reflected on a personal concern he had for fostering Ignatian values.When asked what he liked about his faculty role and ability to influence students, hedescribed the freedom he and other faculty in the theology department had to expresspersonal beliefs, and “safe commitments.” He stated,

Kids are trying to find meaning in life, and we can help them. I think wecould help them more than we do if we overcome our self-consciousnessabout our own faith. And maybe it is just outside of class we feel free toshare, but I still think there is a role in class for integrating theJ findingGod in all things J not as a major, but at least in context for the study of adiscipline.

Theme Three: Prevailing Institutional Tensions Pose Barriers to

Fostering Spirituality

The third theme identified concerns participants had regarding their ability toadequately foster Ignatian spirituality at Holy University. The participants cited multiplechallenges to fulfilling the academic mission due to a lack of faculty commitment, alack of personal time to develop spiritually, increased faculty and studentsecularization on campus, and a lack of a formal rewards system recognized byadministration. When asked about academic administration's expectations for faculty tofoster Ignatian spirituality, Andy replied,

I think the key is in the hiring process. When people are asked J they aregiven Holy University's mission statement, which is rather simple, andasked, “Do you think that you can support the Catholic and Jesuitworldview as a faculty member here?” And of course most people say yes.It is making everyone conscious that this is a sectarian university.

Another challenge to fostering Ignatian spirituality was articulated as a lack of a formalrewards system. RJH explained that faculty members typically were recognized foraccomplishments by elevation in rank and awarding of tenure. His issue dealt with,“What if a person is an active person practicing and witnessing to the centrality of theChristian life on campus. Should not that be a factor for tenure? Is not that personembodying the identity we are trying to teach?” Harry echoed the thoughts of RJHwhen he stated,

We try to foster this celebration of truth in all forms, and they call it anintegrating vision of reality. The way we do stuff here, I think, the tryingJinterdepartmental, interdivisional faculty forums and things like that I thinkworks to foster that. Beyond that, expectations do not get to the point of job


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performance though.

Additional challenges mentioned, by selected participants, as inhibiting an ability tofoster Ignatian spirituality included a lack of time and resources. When asked aboutthe challenges to fostering spirituality, Sister Anne stated,

I think I alluded to that earlier, that there is this notion that lots of times ourjobs are based on something other than spiritual ends, that there are allthese busy agendas. The numbers and the time and all that stuff that justtake you away from thinking about what am I really here for, what am Ireally doing, when behind the scenes, there is never any doubt you know.And the support is there if you really reach out for it. But you can getcaught up in thinking, really what I am doing is working in a salt mine,because I have got so much work to do, so little time, and everybody isunder pressure, and you know if you do not look for the spiritual part, youmight miss it.

Bill added that the amount of time he spent fostering the intellectual growth ofstudents and developing professional relationships with colleagues deterred him frompersonal spiritual growth. He poignantly stated, “I have come to a fate where time withmy students is more important than time with my God.”

So lack of time for faculty to foster their own spirituality was perceived as anotherchallenge to addressing the academic mission at Holy University, a challenge Murphymay have summarized best when he said, “Time J You know, I would go there first,but I am busy, and I know my colleagues are busy, they are going 15 different waysfrom Sunday, and what any spirituality, any spiritual discipline takes is time, and toreflect, to pray, to journal. J I think that is one of the keys.”

Limitations on participants' abilities to foster Ignatian Spirituality were multifaceted.However, no particular challenge superseded another in terms of significance; ratherthey were all equally expressed as creating tension among faculty to fulfill theacademic mission of Holy University.

Administrative Perspective

Father Spirit, president of Holy University, was interviewed to learn how facultymembers' observations on fostering Ignatian spirituality compared to the perceptions ofa key academic administrator. His position granted him authority to govern,communicate with faculty, and function as a human liaison between Holy Universityand the Catholic Church. His opinion about the role of faculty at the institution wasconsidered instrumental in this case study.

Four themes emerged from Father Spirit's interview: (a) spiritual mission fostered byengaged faculty and administration, (b) spirituality fostered through values, andrespect for Catholic identity, (c) institutional identity challenged by secularism, and (d)academic mission sustained by graduate outcomes.

Interview questions for Father Spirit were modified from the faculty questionnaire. Theintent was to address his role as an academic administrator being in a position toencourage faculty members in the academic mission of Ignatian spirituality.

In relation to the first theme of “engaging faculty in the spiritual mission,” Father Spirit


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said that he encouraged faculty to foster Ignatian spirituality by challenging themduring faculty orientation speeches. When asked to address new faculty hires, he toldthem to “be hard on the students, and to engage the students, give them the tools forinquiry but not the answers, and how to make ethical decisions without the answers.”When he spoke to students he relayed a similar message by saying, “I have told thefaculty to challenge you, and I have told the faculty to give you the tools but you havegot to reach your own conclusions.”

To engage students in the Jesuit mission, Father Spirit emphasized the importance ofquality teaching, and how it relied upon the methods used for instruction. He stated,

You know it is not Jesuit education simply to amass the facts, and pass anexam. That will get you into medical school, but it will not get you a place inheaven kind of thing. You know there is more to life than that. The mereacquisition of knowledge is not a Jesuit education. There has to be thereflection that goes with it. And that is both sides, I mean that is J servicelearning to me is an absolute dead end, just another trend or novelty ifthere is not a reflective piece in there.

Engaging students by incorporating methods of active reflection on personal behaviorswas a hallmark of Ignatian pedagogy. Father Spirit emphasized the concept of usingreflection as a pedagogical strategy and explained it by providing examples during theinterview, including projects related to student engagement with the poor.

Research Implications

Theme One: Faculty role to foster Ignatian spirituality influenced by religious beliefs.

Implication: Hiring faculty members who supported the academic mission ofIgnatian Spirituality might have implications on preserving identity in Catholic andJesuit institutions of higher education.

Theme Two: Academic mission of Ignatian spirituality fostered by a responsibility to

instill an ethos of shared values.

Implication: A high level of importance was placed on fostering human values infulfilling the academic mission of Ignatian spirituality at Holy University. Catholicand Jesuit institutions might benefit from further exploration and facultyeducation on promoting a set of shared values to foster an academic mission ofIgnatian spirituality.

Theme Three: Prevailing institutional tensions pose barriers to fostering spirituality.

Implication: Administrators and faculty in Catholic and Jesuit institutions of highereducation need to consider many factors creating potential barriers to fulfillingacademic mission.

Themes: Father Spirit

Theme One: Spiritual mission fostered by engaged faculty and administration.


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Implication: Both academic administrators and faculty members are accountableto fulfilling academic mission, and collaboration between the two entities isessential.

Theme Two: Spirituality fostered through values, and respect for Catholic identity.

Implication: This finding supported the second participant case study theme. Itsimplication was discovering the importance of teaching shared values, asopposed to requiring faculty to foster Ignatian spirituality explicitly.

Theme Three: Institutional identity challenged by secularism.

Implication: The concern about increased secularization in higher educationimplied the need for ongoing dialogue between Catholic and non-Catholic facultyand administration in Jesuit higher education; an important reminder for bothadministrators and faculty alike.

Theme Four: Academic mission sustained by graduate outcomes.

Implication: This theme was specific only for Father Spirit, but was deemed asbeing significant when identifying a tool to measure success in Jesuit education.

Delimitations and Limitations

This study was limited by several factors, including both delimitations and limitations.

The three delimitations were (a) a relatively small number of participants (N = 16), (b)the study was conducted at only one out of the 28 Jesuit institutions of highereducation in the United States, and (c) only faculty members teaching undergraduateeducation were interviewed for this study.

Delimitations

In this study, only 15 participants were selected. Including a larger number ofparticipants might have resulted in data leading to different unit and aggregate casestudy themes. In addition, including more participants would have increased thechances of selecting persons from a greater number of scholastic disciplines andacademic departments.

The decision to explore faculty perceptions at only one Jesuit institution of highereducation composed the second delimitation of the study. Holy University was chosenas a site of convenience. The researcher was affiliated with the institution, thusproviding a better understanding of the campus culture, and simplifying the process ofparticipant selection. In addition, this research was designed to be a case-studyexploration; therefore, it was logical to select only one Jesuit institution for study. Thisdesign, however, limited the ability to generalize the findings to other Jesuit or secularinstitutions of higher education.

A third delimitation to this study was selecting participants who were primarilyresponsible for teaching only undergraduate education at Holy University. Thisdelimitation was established intentionally to maintain a level of homogeneity in the typeof participants interviewed. It was assumed that faculty members in graduate and


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professional programs at Holy University held different perceptions about fosteringIgnatian spirituality, based on the type of student they encountered, as opposed tofaculty in undergraduate education. Based on that assumption, faculty personsassigned to teach graduate level education were intentionally excluded.

Limitations

Four limitations to this study were acknowledged. First, participants were selectedusing a “snowball or chain sampling” procedure described by Patton (1990, p. 176).This technique was used intentionally to select participants who might provide rich,thick data regarding Ignatian spirituality. Had other faculty at Holy University beenchosen, different themes might have resulted from data analysis.

Second, the faculty questionnaire used in this study might have biased participantresponses. Thirteen questions were developed based on modifications made from an

unpublished study using a similar questionnaire (Luparell, Wackel, & Peck, 2003).However, the same questionnaire was used during all interviews, and questions wereasked in the same order to decrease researcher bias.

The research questions used in this study might have influenced participantresponses. For example, an operational definition of Ignatian spirituality intentionallywas never offered to participants prior to or during data collection. Had one beenprovided, data might have resulted in different case study themes.

A third limitation is related to the procedures selected for data analysis of participantinterviews. Data in this study was analyzed without using computer softwarecommercially designed for qualitative research projects. Although use of computersoftware might have resulted in alternative thematic development, participant data inthis study was perceived as being adequately manageable for manual coding withouta computer database.

A fourth limitation in this study was researcher bias. Data analysis was conductedsolely by the researcher and thus subject to the sensitivity and integrity of one

interpretation (Merriam, 2001). In this case, the researcher was a declared Catholic; acharacter trait potentially influencing data interpretation based on personal beliefs andassumptions. As a result, generalizing the findings of this study to a larger populationof Holy University, or to other institutions of higher education, was limited.

Recommendations

Five recommendations were derived from this study. First, this investigation was basedon a small number of participants at Holy University. Although appropriate forcase-study design, future research might incorporate a greater number of participantsto explore the potential for additional thematic results. In addition, participantrepresentation from other academic departments at Holy University, or otherinstitutions, should be considered.

Second, this study was designed to explore faculty responsibility to foster theacademic mission at only one Catholic and Jesuit institution. A future studyinvestigating the same phenomenon at other Jesuit and/or Catholic institutions might


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shed a different light on the topic.

Third, data from this study were dependent upon the faculty questionnaire used forinterviewing participants. Standardizing the questionnaire or using an alternativeapproach to the interview process might result in different findings.

Fourth, this study interviewed 15 faculty members, and one administrator (president)at Holy University. Future studies should consider interviewing other constituents suchas authorities in the Catholic Church, a greater selection of academic administrators,and students directly involved with participants selected for data collection. Theadditional perspectives might be instrumental in acquiring a more in-depthunderstanding about how Ignatian spirituality is fostered in Jesuit education.

Finally, aggregate themes from this study would benefit from a more in-depthinvestigation. Two themes indicated fostering Ignatian spirituality at Holy University wasbased on the religious beliefs of participants, and an ability to foster Catholic andJesuit-based values. A third theme described several factors challenging the ability forfaculty to foster spirituality. Collectively, those findings were interpreted to mean thatfaculty responsibility for fostering the academic mission of Ignatian Spirituality wasmultifaceted, and subject to various interpretations. Further research might benefitthose interested in exploring faculty responsibility to fulfill a faith-based academicmission, and how it contributes to preserving institutional identity.

Conclusion

In this study, motivation to foster Ignatian spirituality was not expressed explicitly byparticipants. Instead, it was viewed as an activity reflecting individuals values in anacademic environment open to freedom of expression. Jesuit, Catholic, andnon-Catholic participants were inclined to discuss responsibilities in relation tofostering spirituality in more general terms.

Multiple challenges limited the ability of participants in this study to foster the missionof Ignatian spirituality at Holy University including a growing concern over increasingfaculty secularization. Although findings from this study are limited in scope ofgeneralization they are relevant to institutions of higher education where fosteringacademic mission is paramount to upholding specific faith-based traditions forpreservation and strengthening of identity.

In a publication entitled The Illustrated Book of Sacred Scriptures, Timothy Freke

(1998) described the concept of spirituality as being a complex phenomenon whenexplored through a perspective from ancient scripture and wisdom. In the book'sintroduction, Freke described a “common human spirituality,” a spirituality of cohesionrather than diversion among various cultural religious beliefs. He stated,

Each tradition offers something unique and yet essentially similar. Is thisreally surprising? Aren't people of every race and time different and yetuniversally human? If our common ground is to be found anywhere, it is inour spirituality which takes us beyond the apparent separateness of thingsto a vision of oneness, lifting us beyond our personal differences to theunifying knowledge of God. (p. 12)

Father Kolvenbach (1989) described a similar vision about spirituality, and one evenmore specific to those affiliated with Jesuit institutions. He proclaimed,


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The many views of all members of the higher education community whofollow Ignatius with their own perspective must come together to affect theuniversity's life and the developing Ignatian tradition. In this way value-centered education evolving out of the ideals of Ignatian spirituality and theGospels will continue in Jesuit institutions. (p. 7)

If Ignatian spirituality truly does imbue more similarities than differences between faithbeliefs, then it should be viewed less as a threat, and seen more as a commonality tobe embraced by all religious traditions, including those represented by facultymembers at Holy University.

References

1. Aschenbrenner, G. (1982) The Jesuit university today: An introduction to the

Ignatian vision in higher education. The Scranton Journal pp. 2-10.

2. Buckley, M. (1998) The Catholic university as promise and project GeorgetownUniversity Press , Washington, DC

3. Creswell, J. W. (1998) Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing

among five traditions Sage , Thousand Oaks, CA

4. Currie, C. (2001) As I see it: Ex Corde Ecclesiae's challenge to the Catholic

University — Retrieved January 15, 2003, from http://www.companysj.com

/v181/asiseeit.htm5. Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) — Retrieved March 12, 2001, from

http://www.cin.org/jp2/excorde.html

6. Freke, T. (1998) The illustrated book of sacred scriptures. TheosophicalPublishing House, Godsfield Press , Wheaton, IL

7. Heft, J. (1999) Have Catholic colleges reached an impasse?. The Chronicle of

Higher Education, 46 (12), B6-7 — Retrieved July 31, 2002, from

http://chronicle.com

8. Holy University Bulletin (2001) Holy University mission statement, 92(4).

Omana, NE Holy University Publications9. Johnson, E. Goodchild, L. and Wechsler, H. (eds) (1997) Misconceptions

about the early land-grant colleges. The history of higher education (2nd ed) (pp.

222-233). ASHE Reader Series Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing , NeedhamHeights, MA

10. Kolvenbach, P. (1989) Themes of Jesuit higher education. Extracted from two

addresses by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, delivered June 7,

1989, at Georgetown University and Georgetown Prep. Heartland III Conference,

Creigton University, May 22-25, 2000 — Retrieved October 24, 2002, from

http://www.creighton.edu/Heartland3/r-themes.html

11. Luparell, S. , Wackel, J. and Peck, K. (2003) Faculty perceptions of their

responsibility in fulfilling the academic mission of spirituality: A single case study

in one Catholic Midwestern university — Unpublished manuscript, University ofNebraska-Lincoln.

12. Merriam, S. (2001) Qualitative research and case study applications in

education Jossey-Bass Publishers , San Francisco, CA13. Moser, M. (2002) A warm heart and a clear eye: Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the

university. Conversations 22 , pp. 19-23.14. National Conference of Catholic Bishops (2000) The application of Ex Corde

Ecclesiae for the United States. United States Catholic Conference Washington,

DC — NCR Online. Retrieved November 26, 2002, from http://www.natcath.com


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/NCR_Online/archives/102502/102502.u.htm

15. Patton, M. (1990) Qualitative evaluation methods (2nd ed.) Sage , ThousandOaks, CA

16. Spirit, J. (2000) President's inaugural response embracing the future together

— Retrieved June 24, 2002, from http://www.Holy.edu/President/Speeches

/Inaugural.html

17. Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1998) Basics of qualitative research: Techniques

and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.) Sage , Thousand Oaks,CA

18. Veysey, R. (1965) The emergence of the American university University ofChicago Press , Chicago, IL

19. Wilson, C. (2001) Implementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae in the United States:

The civil law implications for American Catholic colleges — A presentation to theAnnual Meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

Retrieved November 26, 2002, from http://www.accunet.org/ece/wilson.asp

List of Figures

FIGURE 1 Casestudy: Aggregate Theme One.

FIGURE 2Case-Study: Aggregate Theme Two.


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FIGURE 3Case-Study: Aggregate Theme Three.

List of Tables

TABLE 1 Demographics according to Faculty Rank or Title (N = 15)*

ProfessorAssociate

Professor

Assistant



N = 1.

N = 5 N = 5 N = 3 N = 1 N = 1

TABLE 2 Average Number of

Years Employed at Holy

University (excluding the

President)

Male Female Aggregate

16.2 yrs 11 yrs 14.4 yrs

TABLE 3 Departments Represented


Political Science 1


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Classical and Near Eastern Studies 3

Sociology and Anthropology 1

Arts and Sciences 2

English 1

Justice and Peace Studies 1

Education 1

Theology 4

Fine Arts 1

Administration (President) 1

TABLE 4 Selected Characteristics of the Non-Catholic Faculty Participants (N =

5).




Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D.

AcademicRank

AssociateProfessor

Professor ProfessorAssociateProfessor

AssistantProfessor

AcademicDepartment

PoliticalScience




SociologyandAnthropology


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100% 30% 99% 100% 90%

TABLE 5 Selected Characteristics of the Catholic Faculty Participants (N = 5).

Bill Harry Jane Eyre Martin Rose

In the above table it can be seen that four of the five participants held the highestAcademic Degree for their discipline. The one person without a terminal degree wasassigned the title of 'Director' for the Department of Justice and Peace Studies. Allpersons in this category had instructional assignments ranging from 50% to 100%FTE.


Ph.D. Ph.D. Ph.D. M.A. Ph.D.

AcademicRank

ProfessorAssociateProfessor

AssociateProfessor

DirectorAssociateProfessor

AcademicDepartment

Arts andSciences

Arts andSciences

EnglishJustice andPeaceStudies

Education




50% 100% 66% 100% 60%


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TABLE 6 Selected Characteristics of the Jesuit Faculty Participants (N = 5)

RJH Inigo Murphy Andy Bobadilla

Table 6 shows three Jesuit faculty persons held terminal Academic Degrees, four ofthem were Theology Instructors, and they ranged in faculty rank from Instructor(Murphy with two Masters Degrees and three years of tenure at Holy University) toRJH with 31 years at Holy University.


Ph.D. Ph.D.2 MastersDegrees

3 MastersDegrees

Ph.D.

AcademicRank

Professor Professor InstructorAssistantProfessor

AssociateProfessor

AcademicDepartment

Theology Theology Theology Fine Arts Theology




75% 75% 100% 100% 100%

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