Mission Priority Examen

  1. Division of Mission Integration
  2. Mission Priority Examen
Reflection pool image

The Mission Priority Examen (MPE) is a self-study and peer review process for reaffirming the Jesuit, Catholic mission of Jesuit colleges and universities in the AJCU. Our most recent MPE concluded in Fall 2024, and a new MPE process begins every seven years.

The MPE process integrates a centuries-old practice of Ignatian reflection known as the Examen with clear pathways for dialogue and mission growth.

By inviting colleagues at AJCU schools to support each other’s institutional self-reflection, and by linking the sponsorship of the Society of Jesus more intentionally to the mission of the college or university, the MPE fosters a more effective network of Jesuit higher education.

Mission Priorities

Seattle University’s Mission Priorities emerge from the MPE, a seven-year cycle of reflection and peer review that deepens our Jesuit and Catholic mission. Guided by the Examen’s tradition of discernment, these priorities focus our community on strengthening commitment to our Jesuit and Catholic identity, promoting inclusive excellence, and advancing care for our common home. Together, they serve as pathways for dialogue, growth, and action across the university.

We seek to develop a shared understanding of the Jesuit and Catholic educational mission of Seattle University, cultivate a robust Ignatian campus culture, institutionalize mission-conscious hiring, onboarding, professional development, and promotion, and build capacity for Mission Integration, all tied to university goals and the Universal Apostolic Preferences.

We will continue to develop and implement Seattle University’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan (LSAP) and its four priorities: integrating integral ecology across curriculum and research; achieving climate neutrality and reducing our environmental footprint; practicing socially responsible consumption, purchasing, and investment; and fostering a sustainable campus climate with deeper community engagement. We will also strengthen the link between our commitment to care for our common home and Catholic social thought through interdisciplinary initiatives on integral ecology and expanded student programming connecting ecospirituality, environmental justice, and sustainability.

 

We will develop initiatives that ground the Institutional Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion in Catholic intellectual traditions and the Jesuit commitment to justice, aligned with the Universal Apostolic Preference, “Walking with the excluded in a mission of reconciliation and justice.” We will fully implement RSD Goal 1: Revise and Reimagine Our Curriculum and RSD Goal 4: Promote Inclusive Excellence, including the LIFT SU Action Plan.

 

More about the MPE

After expansive campus discussions, the MPE committee compiles a brief self-study and suggests two to four Jesuit Mission Priorities. The organizing document for self study is Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education: A Guide for Mission Reflection.

A peer team of trusted AJCU colleagues visit the Seattle University campus to discuss and provide feedback on Mission Priorities. During this time, they engage with various campus constituencies.

Next, the Provincial of Jesuits West, the President of the AJCU and all the Provincial of the US and Canada review the Seattle University's materials. These groups add their own endorsements before the package is sent to Rome. Finally, the Jesuit Superior General reviews all submitted materials, in order to reaffirm the school's Jesuit, Catholic mission and provide guidance for its growth.

Finally, Seattle University implements its Mission Priorities and connects them to its strategic plan and other key documents and projects.

Kevin Burke
Vice President for University Mission, Regis University

Xavier Cole
President, Loyola New Orleans

Tania Tetlow
President, Fordham University and Visiting Team Chair

Michael Kaufman
Dean, School of Law, Santa Clara University

Claire Noonan
Vice President for Mission Integration, Loyola Chicago

Steering Committee

Scroll through to see the MPE Steering Committee

Hear from the visiting team

- 2024 MPE Peer Visiting Team

Seattle University is, without question, a thoroughly Jesuit and Catholic University. Swimming against a tide of increasing secularism and cynicism, the Seattle University community has worked hard to preserve its core mission. It has done so with a particularly Jesuit way of proceeding, with discernment, innovation, and ambition

Celebration of Mission