Citizenship & Democracy / Jesuit Prison Education
Student Spiritual Growth & Mental Health / Justice & Reconciliation / Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm
Commission Abstract: The charge of this Commission is to inspire every North American Jesuit college and university to make environmental sustainability and justice a hallmark of their institutions through transformative actions in mission, leadership, facilities, and academics. The Commission members formed five working groups that developed twelve proposals for transformative change in business operations, academic affairs, community formation, civic engagement, and networking. Group discernment called for combining these proposals into four integrated proposals for education, research, formation, and operations. The Commission will also share the findings from the AJCU Eco-Social Inventory: the first comprehensive compilation of environmental sustainability and justice-related activities at affiliated institutions. Specific proposals align with the seven goals of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, and include strengthening curricular commitments, a peer-to-peer commitment letter, and a common AJCU website to foster collaboration across institutions.
Co-Chair: Christopher M. Bacon, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Santa Clara University. He is an environmental social scientist with expertise in sustainable food systems, livelihoods, agroecology, community-based research, food security, environmental justice, sustainability, climate adaptation, and transdisciplinary collaboration. Bacon has been the Principal Investigator on three collaborative multi-year grants (two from NSF) since 2015, and Co-Pi on several smaller grants (e.g., California Environmental Protection Agency EJ Grant). Bacon serves on the editorial board for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, and a frequent reviewer for articles/books, grants, and awards. He is an active member of the Environmental Justice and the Common Good Initiative and a co-organizer of the South Bay Food Justice Collaborative.
Co-Chair: Michael J. Schuck, Ph.D. is a Professor of Roman Catholic Social Thought in the Department of Theology and a Professor of Environmental Justice in the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. in Ethics and Society from the University of Chicago. He is the Founding Director of the Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University and currently assists the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Human Development with global university engagement in the Laudato Sí Action Platform. His published works include That They be One: Social Teaching of the Papal Encyclicals, 1740-1989 (Georgetown University Press, 1998), Democracy, Culture and Catholicism , with John Crowley Buck (Fordham University Press, 2015), and the online textbook in integral ecology, Healing Earth.
Commission Members
- Nicole Bouvier-Brown, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry & Director of Environmental Science Program, Loyola Marymount University
- Douglas Christie, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University
- Yolanda Cieters, Associate Director of Sustainability, Seattle University
- Dan DiLeo, Associate Professor and Director, Justice and Peace Studies Program, Creighton University
- Jennifer Eagleton, Associate Director, Georgetown Environmental Justice Program, Georgetown University
- Julie Gafney, Assistant VP, Strategic Mission Initiatives & Executive Director, Center for Community Engaged Learning, Fordham University
- Tracy Harvey, Sustainability Director, Loyola University Maryland
- Mary Haskins, Professor of Biology, Rockhurst University
- Brian Henning, Professor, Philosophy and Environmental Studies & Director, Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment, Gonzaga University
- Lindsey Kalkbrenner, Director of the Office of Sustainability, Santa Clara University
- Alice Kaswan, Professor, School of Law, University of San Francisco
- Rev. Mark Mackey, S.J., Assistant Professor of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago
- Susan Margulis, Professor of Biology and Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Canisius University
- Chad Raphael, Professor of Communication and Co-Coordinator, Environmental Justice & the Common Good Initiative, Santa Clara University
- Jeanette Rodriguez, Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the Institute of Catholic Thought and Culture, Seattle University
- Thomas Ryan, University Chaplain and Professor of Theology and Ministry, Loyola University New Orleans
- Nancy Tuchman, Dean, School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago
- Mariah Webinger, Associate Professor of Accounting, John Carroll University
Commission Materials (click on titles to download PDF files)