Universal Apostolic Preferences

The conveners of ten working groups of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) met for the first time in Rome from December 15 to 16 with the aim of fostering collaboration and aligning efforts towards a common vision: Jesuit universities as agents of social transformation in a world that desperately needs it.

This past August, the Jesuit commitment to the Universal Apostolic Preferences came to life through an inspiring global initiative connecting two continents. The Xavier Institute of Engineering (XIE) in Mumbai, India, and the Xavier Jesuit Institute (XJI) in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, joined forces once again to deliver Joy of Python—a program designed to expand educational opportunity and help close the digital divide in the Nigerian cities of Benin City and Lagos.

On the 31st of July 2023, the North-West Africa Province (ANW) of the Society of Jesus signed an MoU with the Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) for higher education at the margins.

The IAJU Global Citizenship Fellows Program is an initiative of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the International Association of Jesuit Universitiesthat empowers students from Jesuit universities around the world to become leaders in global citizenship. In June 2024, the latest cohort of fellows gathered in Rome for a transformative week-long study tour.

The recent gathering of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) Board members at the General Curia in Rome, on March 25-26, 2024, marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing deliberations on the promotion of Jesuit Identity and Mission of Jesuit higher education institutions worldwide. With representatives from all regional networks, the meeting delved into crucial topics ranging from strategic planning to the promotion of Jesuit values in a rapidly changing world.

In a series of posts, we have shared with you some reflections on Jesuit university networks. In the first post, entitled “A vision on Jesuit University Networks,” we analyzed the context in which these networks have developed in recent decades and raised questions about their usefulness and the circumstances that make their creation desirable.