Why attend a Jesuit University?

For many, a complete educational experience is about more than earning a degree and enjoying better personal opportunities.

There are twenty-eight coeducational colleges and universities in the United States that combine higher education with the 500-year-old Jesuit tradition. While each institution operates independently, they share a spirit of partnership and dedication to a greater commitment:

• Providing value-centered education that follows the intellectual and spiritual traditions of the Society of Jesus.
• Fostering academic and spiritual excellence
• Bringing the reign of Christ in justice, love, and peace to the world.

Gonzaga University is a member of this Jesuit Educational Network.

The Purpose & Themes of Jesuit Education*

The Purpose
To produce students who can contribute intelligently and effectively to the welfare of society because they are competent and virtuous.

The Themes
Academic Rigor – Being true to the internal integrity of an academic subject is necessary for the students to be able to benefit themselves and society intelligently.

Learning Integration – Students engage in learning so that the results become part of their outlook on life… thinking through to a personal understanding, in contrast to just memorizing information.

Eloquentia Perfecta – Students are able to debate and discuss the subject matter in small circles, to write and speak with stylistic excellence, and to engage in public debate.

Discernment – Students will develop character by building convictions and habits based on good values and ideals, and hence will be able to make wise decisions in a wide variety of situations.

Cura Personalis – Teachers will have personal knowledge of the students and will help them reflect on the circumstances of their own lives, to advance their spiritual welfare and intellectual progress. Counseling, group activities, and religious activities are linked to and supplement academic instruction. The good example of the teachers’ own lives is counted on to inspire students to virtue.

Curriculum Blending Past and Present – To enable students to express their religious humanity in contemporary society, the curriculum should combine material from the past with enduring value and integrate it with newly emerging knowledge.

Social Justice – St. Ignatius affirmed the exceptional dignity of all human beings and advocated their full development. Students and teachers are to act toward themselves and others in a way that affirms the dignity of all. Today this requires not only an attitude that looks for God in all people and all things, but a program of study that includes analysis of social systems for their impact on human dignity.

Holistic Wellness – Full human development requires balanced attention to intellectual, spiritual, and physical growth.

*Excerpted from The Jesuit Spirit of Education: Ignatius, Tradition, and Today’s Questions by Wilfred L. LaCrois, S.J., Rockhurst University, 1989.

Gonzaga's M.A. in Organizational Leadership program offers a certificate in Servant Leadership, designed for men and women who seek to lead with the values and ideals embodied in the Jesuit tradition.