Going through this document now entitled The Promotion of Justice in the Universities of the Society. (i.e. the Society of Jesus) Fr. Kolvenbach insisted that the real criterion for evaluating the Society’s universities is found in what the students become (2000b). Our schools should be judged by the human qualities which their graduates develop, not only in their professional or intellectual field, but also in their psychological, moral, and spiritual lives (Kolvenbach, 2006). Jesuit education is a matter of giving “the students values that go beyond acquiring money, fame, or success” and of forming “leaders concerned for society and the world and desirous of putting an end to hunger and conflict in the world” (Kolvenbach, 1989b, 59). We are confronted here with one of the key indicators of excellence in a Jesuit university: in the end, what type of persons do our students become and what are they doing with their lives? Although universities must bear witness to moral integrity, high professional standards and spiritual depth, they are not responsible for the decisions that their alumni/ae make as free human beings. However, they need to be creative in finding ways to evaluate the impact of university operations and not be content merely with assessing the activities themselves. This requires that something be done in orde rto consider qualitative aspects, which is always more difficult to do. Given the present document’s perspective of the promotion of justice, we might follow up on our graduates in some of the following areas: What kind of work do they carry out, and in what way do they benefit the human community? What have been their most important decisions, and what values guided them in making them? What causes are they supporting or promoting without self-interest? To what degree do they take into consideration the impact of their professional decisions on those who occupy the lowest place in society? (Kolvenbach, 1989b, 46-47; 2000a, 118-119) How do they try to counteract the environmental deterioration produced by our ordinary way of living? How do they take part in the public life of their city or nation, whether by voluntary associations or political parties? Do they pay taxes? What part of their income do they set aside to help others? Given that this conception of excellence may be far removed from the norms usually employed in university rankings, it may generate tension within the institution. It is therefore necessary to identify carefully the key issues for evaluation. The very choice of questions helps the university to decide what goals it seeks in the formation it offers students. The desired outcome is that the repetition of this type of evaluation of impact will inform the decision-making process regarding a university’s policies for the admission of students, teaching priorities, and academic orientation.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 02:13:42 +0000
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