Meeting of International Networking Officers of Higher Ed

I attended for the first time the gathering of the International Networking Officers of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities – Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP) since I started my ministry at Fu Jen Catholic University in August. The meeting was attended on-site in Manila by 16 representatives from 10 member institutions (Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, Fu Jen Catholic University, Myanmar Leadership Institute, Sanata Dharma University, Sogang University, Sophia University, Xavier Learning Community) and virtually by three delegates from The Beijing Center.

At the outset, the President of AJCU-AP, Fr Roberto Yap SJ, welcomed all the participants and assigned us three goals: prepare the plans for the two flagship programs of the association, i.e. Service Learning Program (SLP) and Global Leadership Program (GLP), discuss possible development programmes for faculty and administrators, and consider which of the suggested JCAP priorities can be implemented by AJCU-AP.

I was impressed by both the process and the atmosphere of the gathering. I felt strongly that despite the differences between our educational institutions, there was a sense of belonging to a body, the “Jesuit” body of higher education. This became very clear to me when discussions arose about strengthening collaboration. There was a certain enthusiasm and willingness from older institutions to provide support to younger ones in the network. For example Ateneo de Manila University showed willingness to support The Beijing Center (TBC) through collaborative research and intellectual discussion, while TBC offered to share their experience and help the other institutions by providing support for mainland overseas students.

Mobility of scholars is something that can be envisioned in the network as there is a desire for mutual assistance and a strong will to strengthen solidarity with one another. Newer institutions like the Myanmar Leadership Institute can certainly learn from the experiences of the older institutions and benefit from the support of the network.

Through the discussions and commitments for collaboration, I also sensed a desire to continue to journey together (synodality). This desire to continue to walk and work together was seen in the proposals for the 2023 Service Learning Program (SLP) in Thailand and the 2023 Global Leadership Program (GLP) in Taiwan.

Besides these two, which are mainly student-centred programmes, I also heard a common call for magisin the network, in the sense that there was an emphasis on the need to develop programmes for faculty and administrators. Fr Johnny Go SJ introduced four possibilities that the AJCU-AP members can implement to this end: Training in Higher Education Ignatian Pedagogy, Ignatian Leadership in Higher Education, Graduate Certificate Program in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). His presentation was followed by discussion and feedback.

Mindful of those four proposals enunciated and the five priorities of JCAP presented by Fr Tony Moreno SJ, we initiated a process of discernment in common, which led us to define four priority items to be presented to the rectors of AJCU-AP in August 2023. These are Ignatian Leadership in Higher Education Training, Partnership Growth and Development with The Beijing Center, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) for AJCU-AP partner institutions, and Leadership and Friendship Retreat.

My university, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, will be hosting the 2023 Global Leadership Program from 6 to 12 August. GLP is a platform for enhancing the competencies and leadership skills of students in response to global challenges. By bringing students from member institutions together, it aims to foster understanding and cooperation between young people and empower them to become young leaders in their respective communities and countries. The specific topic of the GLP will only be revealed in March, but suffice it to say that it will revolve around the theme of environmental sustainability, which is related to the fourth universal apostolic preference of the Society of Jesus.

Source: Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific