Show-Me State Times

A team from peer Jesuit institutions recently visited Saint Louis University (SLU) as part of a review of the university's mission. The three-person team was led by Mardell A. Wilson, Ed.D., provost at Creighton University, who previously served as the Dean of the Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences at SLU from 2014 to 2020. Other members included Daniel R. J. Joyce, S.J., vice president of Mission and Ministry at Saint Joseph’s University, and Michael Serazio, Ph.D., professor of Communication at Boston College.

The visit was part of the Mission Priority Examen (MPE), a self-led process designed to reaffirm a Jesuit university’s commitment to its Catholic, Jesuit mission and explore ways to continue living out this mission in the future. This process is established by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and the North American Jesuit Provincials for Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and Belize, following a request by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Virginia Herbers, director of mission formation at SLU and MPE steering committee co-chair, remarked on the experience: “The four days with the peer review team were a tremendous experience of the shared commitment to SLU’s mission, and the interaction with the four members of the team was meaningful, valuable, and hopeful.” She expressed gratitude towards those who participated in these sessions.

The MPE process began in December 2023 at the invitation of Thomas P. Greene, S.J., provincial superior of the Central and Southern Province. It is based on Ignatian reflection practices known as examen, encouraging campus community reflection on strengths in embodying SLU’s Jesuit, Catholic identity and identifying opportunities for deepening its mission. The last MPE conducted by SLU took place during 2018-19.