By Deanna Howes Spiro, Vice President of Communications, AJCU
Eight months have passed since the pandemic transformed Jesuit higher education, from in-class teaching to predominantly online platforms. How have our institutions fared? From a virtual Shakespeare festival to an online physics retreat, we think it’s gone pretty well.
In this issue of Connections, you’ll learn about the creative ways that Jesuit institutions in the United States (and Canada!) have been engaging their students, faculty and staff throughout the summer and fall. With so many schools planning to continue offering courses online in Spring 2021, we hope that these examples will inspire other institutions to incorporate some of these best practices into their classes and programs.
We also hope that you will visit the AJCU Faculty Teaching Commons – a new forum for faculty to connect with others within their discipline, and to share best practices for online teaching via Google Docs. From communications to dentistry, there’s something for everyone! If you have questions about the Commons or would like to see another discipline added, please contact AJCU’s Vice President for Mission Integration, Dr. Stephanie Russell: srussell@ajcunet.edu.
We are very thankful for all of the universities and organizations that contributed the nine (9!) articles to this issue of Connections, possibly our largest edition yet. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we hope that everyone across the AJCU network has a wonderful, safe and healthy holiday filled with joy and gratitude.