Call for Proposals - Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

“We are called to be People of Good Will who choose compassion over hatred, empathy over indifference, trust over the cynicism that poisons everything it touches. Ministers, humanitarian workers, teachers, community leaders, and ordinary people who stand against injustice show us that dialogue is not weakness, reconciliation is not naivete, and that forgiveness is the only way to prevent hatred from deciding our future.” – Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., “Jerusalem is Calling,” 2025

Important Dates

November 16, 2026: Call for Proposals (CFP) submission deadline
January 26, 2027: CFP Decision date and notification by email
July 13-16, 2027: AJCU Faith, Justice and Reconciliation Assembly

To submit a proposal, please click here: Assembly 2027: Call for Proposals

We invite you to submit a proposal for the 2027 AJCU Faith, Justice and Reconciliation Assembly, which will be held at Loyola University Maryland on July 13-16, 2027. This Assembly, which has been held every 3-4 years since 2000, seeks to bring faculty, staff and administrators together to think collectively about major issues facing Jesuit higher education. Originally coordinated by volunteers and known as the Commitment to Justice Conference, this event, since 2024, has been redesigned as an Assembly, and is formally a program of AJCU.

In light of the current realities and challenges facing Jesuit higher education and our world today, this year’s Assembly will center on the theme, “Who Are We Called to Become?” As people of good will throughout Jesuit Catholic institutions of higher education, we come together to reflect on who we, our institutions, and especially our students, are called to become, as we create a society that stands against injustice and fosters reconciliation and forgiveness.

Assembly 2027 is centered around five commissions: teams of faculty and staff across the AJCU network studying issues affecting Jesuit higher education. These include the following:

In addition to these commissions, the review committee is now accepting proposals for Posters, Lightning Rounds, Roundtables, Incubator Sessions and Workshops that:

Meaningfully engage the connections between faith, justice, and/or reconciliation;
Balance conceptual and theoretical frameworks with concrete, pragmatic examples, preferably from more than one program or institution;
Foster discovery and address critical challenges through idea-sharing, community-building and reflection;
Engage participants interactively and encourage discussion.

Proposal Formats

Posters encourage broad dissemination of, and dialogue on, research, ideas, and practices. They allow presenters to share (a) models of faith, justice, and/or reconciliation-focused curricular and co-curricular frameworks, pedagogies, and approaches; (b) strategies for institutional transformation and community partnerships; (c) research findings and/or (d) high-impact practices for faculty development, community engagement, or coursework activities. In addition to the in-person poster session, posters will be continuously displayed in the Assembly area, and in an asynchronous, online poster gallery on AJCU’s website and YouTube channel.

Lightning Rounds (one, 5-minute summary per proposal) allow participants to highlight aspects of a program or approach; raise questions about a topic of interest; and connect with others at the Assembly. Each proposal will have five minutes to summarize their faith-justice-reconciliation research or project in a succinct and engaging manner. As in an elevator pitch, presenters will delineate the highlights of their work and explain its significance in a very brief span of time. When all five-minute presentations are complete, there will be a 15-minute Q&A, with an additional five minutes at the end for small conversations and networking. Tips gleaned from the American Historical Association for crafting a successful lightning round presentation can be found here. Proposals should include a brief overview of the topic to be presented; a clear description of how presenters will capture the audience’s attention; and three to five keywords that will assist the conference planning team to organize lightning round themes. Proposals seeking to present an entire program or a full traditional paper will not be accepted.

Roundtables are 20-minute interactive sessions that are intended to promote insights and conversation among participants related to the intersections of faith, justice, and/or reconciliation. They will open with a 3-minute presentation per proposal followed by a 15-minute discussion and questions. Roundtables accommodate approximately 8-10 people. Presenters will give the same presentation three times within the overall 60-minute session. After the presentation and discussion, attendees will be asked to move to another table in the room, so that the process begins again. The sessions are informal in nature. Proposals should include at least three discussion questions and evidence of how participants will be actively engaged throughout the session.

Incubator Sessions are 30-minute sessions designed for the presenter to gain input, consultation, and or suggestions for an idea, program, or workshop that is in the process of being created or needing to be tweaked. Presenters will describe their idea in five minutes and then offer 2-3 questions for which they are seeking input. Participants will then offer ideas and engage in conversation for 20 minutes. This session will repeat two times in the 60-minute block. For the proposal, presenters should describe their idea, program, or workshop and include questions for consultation. Presenters may also include any particular consultation, especially preferred groups, e.g., “student affairs professionals” or “faculty in graduate education” are encouraged to attend, etc.

Workshops are 60-minute sessions designed to learn new information, build skills and/or provide concrete takeaways. After an initial presentation (30-minutes maximum) of the central faith, justice, and/or reconciliation issues at stake, workshop facilitators guide participants through discussion, reflection, and interactive / collaborative activities. Proposals should include a schedule for how presenters plan to use their time; articulate clearly the specific activities designed to engage participants; and list specific takeaways.

Proposal Review Criteria

Relevance: The topic is current and relevant to faith, justice, and/or reconciliation; the 2027 Assembly theme, “Who Are We Called to Become?”; and/or the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs). Proposals may also be related to or distinct from the Assembly commission areas.
Interactivity and Engagement: The proposal includes explicit plans for involving participants in reflection, discussion, exercises, and other activities that will help them understand and apply the material.
Lessons Learned: The proposal provides evidence of lessons learned, challenges overcome (or not), and broad applicability.
Outcomes: Outcomes are clear, specific, and relevant. Activities, deliverables, and take-aways are clearly stated and appropriate for the proposed session type.
Participants and Perspectives: Proposals reflect diverse perspectives, innovations, disciplines, and strategies for change. Co-authored presentations and posters are encouraged.
Clarity: The proposal is well-written and clear.

Submitting a Proposal

To submit a proposal, click on and complete the Assembly 2027 Call for Proposals form. Required information includes the following:

Session format (Poster, Lightning Round, Roundtable, Incubator, or Workshop)
Session title (100-character limit, including spaces)
Brief description to be used in conference program, if accepted (150-word limit)
3-5 descriptive keywords (i.e., main elements/topics covered)
Name, title, discipline, Jesuit college/university, and contact information for each presenter. Please indicate which presenter will be the main contact for information regarding acceptance and scheduling.
The proposal description can be uploaded either as a .docx or .pdf file or cut/pasted into the Description of Session section of the form.
Any accommodations requested in order to participate fully in the Assembly.

Notification

Applicants will be notified by e-mail of the status of their proposal by January 26, 2027. Although proposals will first be considered in the category submitted, the review committee may decline a proposal for presentation in a specific format but recommend its presentation in a different one. If such a recommendation occurs, the presenter will be given a choice of participating in the new format or not presenting.

Correspondence will be sent only to the primary contact. It is the responsibility of the primary contact to disseminate all information regarding the proposal to all presenters.

The Assembly encourages paperless presentations. Presentation rooms will be formatted as Smart Classrooms. Any additional materials need to be brought by presenters.

Conference Registration

All session presenters are responsible for conference registration fees, travel, and lodging expenses. More information can be found on the Assembly webpage.

All accepted presenters should contact their campus chief mission officer and/or provost to inform them of acceptance. This will assist them as they determine their campus Assembly delegation.

We warmly invite members of the Jesuit higher education community from every discipline and department to bring your insights and best practices, your scholarship and pedagogical experience, your aspirations and inspirations, to enrich this gathering of colleagues in working toward faith, justice and reconciliation and discerning Who Are We Called to Become?

Questions? Please e-mail us at ajcuassembly@ajcunet.edu.