Extent of implementation of service-learning in five Jesuit Universities in the Philippines

Service-learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development. Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are making attempts to integrate service-learning in their educational systems. In this current qualitative study, the mechanism of service learning in 5 Jesuit higher education institutions located in different regions in the Philippines was described. Furco’s Self-Assessment Rubric for institutionalization of service learning as a framework was used as the evaluation tool. Results revealed that even if the institutions studied were all Jesuit universities, each one exhibited unique experiences and different levels of implementation of service learning. They also vary in the mechanism or approach of implementation. What was evident among the five Jesuit higher education institutions is their shared commitment towards service and social justice as part of their mission and identity. The difference in the level of implementation among the five HEIs depends on the longevity of the service learning in the institution, the number of programs that utilize service learning as a pedagogy, sustained commitment and persistence of the administrators, faculty and staff.

A Review of Spiritual Development and Transformation among College Students from Jesuit Higher Education

The college experience can be a critically important and enriching time for personal as well as academic growth and development. For many students, college is their first foray into a more independent world and lifestyle no longer under the careful, and sometimes critical, eyes of their parents, families, and schoolteachers. When students go far away from home to attend college, they need to find ways to live independently, manage their many needs, and attend to the rigors of academic life in higher education. Additionally, the college years offer a unique and important period for spiritual growth, development, and transformation. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the developmental tasks and challenges of the college years and provide examples of how colleges can be intentional and strategic about spiritual growth and development by focusing on strategies offered by Jesuit higher education.

A Wesleyan-Ignatian Approach to Spiritual Formation: A Case Study in Jesuit Higher Education

Christ’s call to unity in the Church is an imperative for Christian education today. An ecumenical approach to spiritual formation reaffirms a common shared identity rooted in Christ, and strengthens a common witness in a troubled world. Through an examination of Wesleyan and Ignatian Christian education, a complementary holistic discourse emerges. This article explores a Wesleyan-Ignatian model of spiritual formation that is holistic in nature: engaging cognitive thinking, inward journey, and an outward expression of faith. Furthermore, this article provides a case study applying this ecumenical spiritual formation model in a Jesuit higher education setting.

Spiritual Formation and Soul Care on a College Campus: The Example of the Ignatian Center at Santa Clara University

Religiously affiliated colleges and universities typically take spiritual formation and soul care very seriously and are usually intentional about the spiritual and religious development of not only their students but of their faculty and staff as well. The religious tradition, size of the campus community, financial and other resources, along with the will of senior administrators, donors, trustees, and the general university community all determine how these interests and agendas are nurtured and developed as well as the kinds of programing offered. The purpose of this article is to highlight the strategies to support and nurture spiritual formation and soul care at Santa Clara University, a Catholic and Jesuit university in the heart of Silicon Valley, with elements of this care found at most, if not all, Jesuit higher education institutions throughout the nation and world. At Santa Clara, the Ignatian Center is the primary, although not the only, home for these spiritual formation and soul care offerings and will be highlighted here.