Jesuit Networking in the Business World

What should we note in our students who pass through Jesuit Higher Education institutions? Or even more importantly, as Father General Adolfo Nicolás asks, “What more do we need to do to ensure that we are not simply populating the world with bright and skilled superficialities?”
A clear opportunity to address this question will take place at the upcoming International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) Forum, which will be held at the Sogang Business School at Sogang University in Seoul, Korea from July 20-22, 2014. As highlighted by the theme of the Conference, “Mobilizing the World-wide Jesuit Network: Collaboration for Global Sustainability,” this forum will gather Jesuit business colleagues and associations to map and evaluate the collaborative projects already in existence and leverage these networks to help contribute to a more sustainable world.
IAJBS forms part of a larger initiative called the Global Knowledge Network for Jesuit Business Education, whose members include the Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education (CJBE), the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), la Asociación de Universidades Confiadas a la Compañía de Jesús (AUSJAL), and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP).
[pullquote align=”right”]Networking as a way of proceeding can only be understood from the perspective of finding innovative ways to embrace our mission.[/pullquote]As these institutions highlight in their mission statements, the distinctiveness of a Jesuit education is rooted in more than 450 years of history, its focus on justice, service, leadership, and a deep commitment to Ignatian inspired principles. How these institutions reflect these Ignatian values in their networking efforts and how they use networking for the good of the mission are also key research questions of the Jesuit Networking Project. As the project’s founding document mentions “Networking as a way of proceeding can only be understood from the perspective of finding innovative ways to embrace our mission.”
This video highlights the tangible benefits of forming part of a wider Jesuit Network, such as the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Building community, sharing experiences, benefiting from the perspectives of others and cultivating synergies for the development of the universal mission are just a few of the ways these networks are helping to train men and women for and with others.
Photo from Flickr by Ilho Song.