*Original text in Spanish (translation to English by AI)
Loyola University brought together in Seville over a hundred deans of Business Administration (ADE) and directors of Jesuit business schools from around the world. July 14, 2023
The World Assembly of the IAJBS (International Association of Jesuit Business Schools) was held on the Sevilla campus under the theme "Educating for Global Citizenship."
For the first time, the Sevilla campus of Loyola University hosted the 28th World Assembly of the IAJBS (International Association of Jesuit Business Schools), which, under the theme "Educating for Global Citizenship," the Assembly brought together over a hundred deans, directors, and representatives of faculties of Business Administration and business schools of Jesuit universities from Europe, Asia, the USA, and Latin America.
This twenty-eighth edition, taking the baton from the one held last year at Georgetown University, sought to address, through various presentations and roundtable discussions, one of the major challenges that business schools and universities face in the field of business education: "How can they better prepare their students to lead the creation of a more sustainable, inclusive, just, and reconciled world?"
Throughout the event, participants had the opportunity to hear from renowned international experts from the academic and business worlds, including Ángel Rivera, CEO of Banco Santander in Spain. They also enjoyed working sessions to discuss and evaluate the best ways of collaboration within the Jesuit network and leverage relationships with corporations and companies to tackle today's world challenges.
A new generation of youth during the inauguration, Father Joseph Christie SJ, Secretary for Higher Education of the Society of Jesus, recalled how St. Ignatius established "the education of youth in schools" as one of the main ways to help others and how this ministry regains importance today through the intellectual apostolate to which Jesuit universities and higher education centers are called. In this regard, he emphasized that there are now 180 institutions worldwide within the network, including universities, colleges, faculties of theology, research centers, and other specialized centers, where more than a million students are educated.
Likewise, among the challenges that Jesuit business schools face, he mentioned their identity and their relationship with the mission of the Society itself, intellectual depth, connection with social reality, accessibility for the most disadvantaged, formation in faith in a context of pluralism and secularization, as well as comprehensive care for individuals and especially for the mental health of students.
Therefore, he invited to continue working to "integrate the Universal Apostolic Preferences into our institutions, to make the education we offer in the business sphere relevant in the changing context in which we live, responding to the needs of companies and institutions as well as to the expectations of students, and to promote greater collaboration and solidarity among our business schools and also to serve those in need."
On his part, Gabriel Pérez Alcalá, Rector of Loyola University, explained that this congress was held because "the multiculturalism of societies, the advancement of new technologies, environmental deterioration, or the growth of inequalities, require a new generation of resilient youth working for positive change in the world." In this sense, he recalled how Loyola University over its 10 years of existence has worked to "create thinking for the better and greater service of humanity, as well as to educate men and women for others, committed to the world's problems."
Finally, Jimmy Hill, President of the IAJBS, pointed out the importance of this forum as a meeting and reflection place to share experiences and best practices, strengthen the network, and establish a roadmap to realize the Ignatian mission of preparing young people to be the conscious, committed, and compassionate leaders that the world needs. The next meeting will be in July 2024 at the Australian Catholic University, a new opportunity to continue the network work of faculties of Business Administration and Jesuit business schools.
"Using the potential to have a positive impact on the world" Within the framework of this meeting, participants enjoyed various conferences, roundtable discussions, and working sessions to reflect on how to prepare students for the new labor paradigm in a global world. These sessions featured prominent academic and business experts, including ÁngelRivera, CEO of Banco Santander in Spain, who engaged in a dialogue with Pilar Castro, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Loyola University.
For Rivera, "the importance of developing all potential and using it to have a positive impact on the world still resonates five centuries after the founding of the Society of Jesus in all Jesuit business schools. In a way, the focus on the social impact of business is a concern we share at Santander," reflected the CEO. During the session, both speakers discussed the importance of purpose, humility, empathy, and integrity in today's leadership and the need for collaboration between the university and the business sector to bridge the talent gap.
Alongside Rivera, the plenary sessions also featured the participation of Inmaculada Martinez, President of the Expert Group and co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI); Antonio Vázquez, President and Counselor of H2B2; as well as distinguished academics from Georgetown University, Loyola Chicago, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Loyola Marymount, Esade, Seattle University, Boston College, and Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.
Anna Mendiola, from the Ateneo de Manila, received the "Tom Bausch Best Paper Award." Networking Likewise, the experience of Loyola University in recent years with universities in the network was presented, in a panel that included Scott Hendrickson SJ, Associate Provost for Global and Community Engagement at Loyola University Chicago; Isabelle Chaquiriand, Dean of the Business School at Catholic University of Uruguay; Pilar Castro, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Loyola University Andalusia, and Borja Martín, Director of International Relations at Loyola University Andalusia.
In this roundtable, the different collaboration models that have been implemented with these universities regarding academic exchanges, Faculty Led programs, research, and Executive Education were explained, with special attention to collaboration with Loyola Chicago and Quinlan Business School. At this point, Borja Martín explained that "more than 150 students have participated in the Dual Degree with Loyola Chicago, and in the last 8 years, there have been over 600 mobilities between Loyola Andalusia and Loyola Chicago for students, administrative staff, and teaching staff. This model responds to a deep internationalization aimed at multiplying opportunities between the universities involved, a collaboration that has received over 200,000 euros in support from Erasmus+ K107 and K171 funds."
Similarly, Pilar Castro emphasized Loyola University's commitment to international dual degrees, "reflecting Loyola's commitment to internationalization and to continue enhancing and strengthening networking, especially with Jesuit universities that are benchmarks in the business field." In this regard, in addition to the Dual Business Degree with Loyola Chicago, two more dual degrees in the field of Business Administration are added, one with Catholic University of Uruguay, and another with Loyola University New Orleans,nand another with Loyola University New Orleans, which will be launched as a novelty for the 23/24 academic year.
In parallel, the conference featured the presentation of over forty scientific communications. In this edition, Anna Mendiola from the Ateneo de Manila received the "Tom Bausch Best Paper Award" for her presentation "Framing messages towards pro-environmental behavior: A self-determination theory perspective.