Indifference, Discernment, and Adaptation

In this chapter, the authors explore what Ignatius of Loyola’s 500-year-old spiritual philosophy and pedagogy undergirding Jesuit universities can offer organizational leaders in this era of rapid change and disruptive innovation. Following a historical review of the Ignatian spiritual and pedagogical roots of Jesuit higher education, our contribution leverages the Ignatian dynamics of indifference, discernment, and adaptation to examine how leaders in Jesuit higher education are innovating in mission-driven ways during this perilous period for colleges and universities primarily dependent on campus-based traditional age undergraduate enrollment. Particular attention is paid to the establishment of Jesuit Worldwide Learning, a collaborative global partnership providing tertiary education to refugees and other youth on the margins society, and Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago, the world’s first Jesuit community college.