Forming Leaders in Jesuit Higher Education
The Ignatian Leadership Seminar (ILS) is a formation program sponsored by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). The Seminar is designed for faculty and administrators who are new to Jesuit higher education or who have assumed new leadership responsibilities at their institutions.
Through the ILS experience, participants develop an appreciation for what is distinctive about Jesuit higher education. They are exposed to foundational topics, including Ignatian spirituality, history and pedagogy, learn how to apply Ignatian leadership principles to their roles as faculty and administrators, and build a network of colleagues and community within the AJCU network. Participants come from many departments and roles, among them faculty, student life, finance, communications, athletics, and more.
Program Components & Goals
The Seminar has two parts. The first is a series of eight virtual sessions held on the first Tuesday of each month (click here for 2025-26 schedule). These sessions begin in October and conclude in May, and are led by subject matter experts from across the AJCU network. Over the course of eight months, participants are introduced to the foundations of Jesuit education: Ignatian spirituality; the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola; the history of the Jesuits; and Ignatian pedagogy.
The second is an in-person capstone experience structured around the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus and held each year at Loyola University Chicago during the first week in June. Over four days, participants engage with Seminar Faculty and each other as they apply Jesuit leadership principles to the pressing issues of higher education today.
Participants will leave the Seminar with a grounding in the foundations of Jesuit higher education; a deepened sense of community; an understanding of the issues facing higher education; and empowered to enrich the Jesuit mission of their home institutions.
Nominations
- Nominees: Presidents and Chief Mission Officers at AJCU member and associate member institutions are invited to submit nominations beginning in March of each year for the cohort beginning in the following fall.
- Tuition: Tuition for the program is $3,500 per participant. This covers lodging, materials and other expenses related to the capstone program at Loyola University Chicago. Travel is not included, and should be arranged between the participant and their home institution.
If you are interested in participating in the program, please reach out to your institution’s president and/or chief mission officer.
For more information, please contact Dr. Jeanne Lord, Program Director, at lordj@georgetown.edu.
What Participants Have to Say:
