By: Afa Ismayilova
For over 200 years, Jesuit colleges and universities around the United States have been teaching their students the Jesuit Vision of Education- an extraordinary call to human excellence- implementing
For over 200 years, Jesuit colleges and universities around the United States have been teaching their students the Jesuit Vision of Education- an extraordinary call to human excellence- implementing a rigorous academic structure to challenge and develop every human quality. Each individual trait and talent is taught to be the absolute best it can be. Jesuit philosophy also implies that students learn how to be critical, examine attitudes, challenge assumptions and analyze motives, for this is the key to be able to make heart-felt, faith-filled decisions throughout all aspects of a student’s life.
The abundant history of the Jesuits dates back to 1540, when Saint Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, referring to its members as “Jesuits”. With the highest level of excellence in morals as their primary focus, the Jesuits believed the best possible method of achieving this was through excellence in education. Therefore, the fundamentals of a Jesuit education are: “To produce students who can contribute intelligently and effectively to the welfare of society because they are competent and virtuous.”
Jesuits were among the first explorers and settlers of Louisiana at the very beginning of the eighteenth century, establishing their headquarters in New Orleans. In fact, the location of their headquarters for the mission was a plantation which is now the central business district of New Orleans, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the U.S. This area of the country is filled to the brim with Jesuit history, as well as one of the cultural and social centers in the south.
The Jesuits have managed to keep the two traits of excellence in morals and in education together with the founding of 28 colleges and universities which are currently teaching over 200,000 students in the United States alone. In fact, over 100 Jesuit universities worldwide have graduated over 1,000,000 students.
Choosing to attend a Jesuit college is not a decision that should be made in haste. One must be prepared to carry the four basic principles of a Jesuit education with you throughout your college career: Caring for the individual; giving one’s best in each and every effort; finding the role of faith in the world; fostering service to others. Knowledge should not be viewed as an end point, but rather valued as a gateway to wisdom. A Jesuit college or university will help to instill these positive values throughout one’s entire life.
To learn more about the principles of a Jesuit education, as well as the characteristics of a quality Jesuit college or university, Afa Ismayilova recommends the information available at http://www.loyolaneworleansonline.com/loyola_jesuit_university.asp.
