IAJU Pre-NAFSA Get-Together: Showcasing the Strength of Jesuit Global Collaboration
Past May, the vibrant city of San Diego played host to NAFSA, the largest international education conference in the United States. In the days leading up to the event, Jesuit universities from around the world gathered for the IAJU International Education Conference’s Pre-NAFSA Get-Together—a celebration of collaboration, mission, and global connection.
Originally launched in 2018 by the Mexican Jesuit Universities (SUJ), this pre-conference gathering has grown into a meaningful tradition. After last year’s successful event, SUJ extended an invitation to Jesuit institutions across the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) to co-host the event. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with 10 Jesuit universities from the AJCU, AJCU-AP, AUSJAL, and Kircher networks coming together to co-host this year’s gathering.
Co-hosting universities included:
- Ateneo de Manila University
- ITESO
- Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University Maryland
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Sophia University
- Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City, Puebla, Tijuana)
- Université de Namur
Held on Sunday, May 25, the event welcomed nearly 70 international educators, most of whom were from non-Jesuit institutions. It was a vibrant space for building relationships, sharing ideas, and celebrating the shared mission and global reach of Jesuit higher education.
Throughout the evening, one key message stood out: If you're working with a Jesuit university, you're engaging with a distinctive educational model—rooted in mission, committed to social justice, and strengthened by a global network. Jesuit universities collaborate across borders and continents, forming strong, mission-driven alliances in service of a more just and connected world.
To all who attended—thank you! Your presence, insights, and openness to collaboration helped make this event a success. We’re deeply grateful for your interest in working alongside Jesuit institutions, and we hope that the conversations started here will continue to grow.
Looking ahead, we’re already excited for next year’s Pre-NAFSA Get-Together in Orlando! Plans are taking shape, and we can’t wait to grow this incredible community even further. We hope to welcome even more institutions into this vibrant, mission-driven network of collaborators, because when Jesuit universities come together, amazing transformation happens.
Are you
interested in co-hosting the 2026 event?
We’d love to hear from you! Please contact:
Della Burke ([email protected])
Sophie Paret -Roux ([email protected])
Let’s keep building bridges—together.
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