December 2023 Newsletter

In this edition:

• President's Message
• 2024 JASPA Annual Conference - Save the Date
• 2024 JASPA Awards - Nominations Open
• 2024 Innovation Grants - Applications Coming Soon
• Available Volunteer Positions
• Save the Dates
   

President's Message

Hello, JASPA Colleagues!

As you know, each month the JASPA Newsletter has been highlighting a different Principle of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities. This month's feature is Principle Three, which asks us to consider how we "accompan[y] students on their search for truth, meaning, and integration through curricular and co-curricular learning."

For those of you who know me well, you know that I believe deeply that each of us yearns for meaning and purpose. The ability to integrate these questions into work with students and colleagues is what drew me to -- and keeps me engaged in -- Jesuit higher education. By inviting students to develop habits of reflection and modeling Ignatian discernment, we are giving them tools for living a life of integrity.

In Jesuit-speak, our work is about "forming persons of competence, conscience, compassion, and commitment" and I might add a fifth "C": Character. Each day opens a new opportunity to help our students become more authentically themselves. The self without pretense. The generous self. The kinder and more peaceful self. The self that is unafraid to put gifts and talents in the service of those around them. The self that is confirmed in meaning and purpose.

We don't have to have all of the answers to be faithful to this Principle of Good Practice, we need only to allow and live the questions, as Rainer Maria Rilke once advised a young poet.

In these final days of 2023, I invite you to do for yourself what you are probably encouraging students to do: make time to reflect on the questions you've lived this year and experience gratitude for the road you've traveled. 

No doubt each of us has experienced joys as well as troubles -- deep consolations and desolations, too. Can we be grateful for all of it, the unexpected blessings and the hard lessons -- and find in the midst of our experiences the person we are called to become -- for ourselves and for our students? 

May the blessings of the season be yours now and always.

Michele

President, JASPA
Senior Vice President for Student Development and Mission
College of the Holy Cross
 

2024 JASPA Annual Conference - Save the Date

Saturday, March 9, 2024
@ Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

The day will include the Annual Conference, JASPA Banquet & Awards, and Club JASPA (evening social). The conference will begin in the late morning (after 11:00 AM PST) and all events will conclude by 10:30 PM. All events will take place on the Seattle University campus in Seattle, Washington.

Shuttles will be available for individuals to get to and from Seattle University from near the NASPA Conference Hotel. For those looking to reserve hotels closer to Seattle University, please view local options and deals at the web link below:

https://www.seattleu.edu/visit/hotels/ 

More information on the schedule and other details will be forthcoming after the new year. Registration will open in mid-January 2024.

Any questions related to the Annual Conference can be directed to Matt Razek at razek@bc.edu (JASPA Annual Conference Co-Chair, Boston College).

2024 JASPA Awards - Nominations Open

Nominations are now open for the 2024 JASPA Awards. Every year, JASPA recognizes initiatives and individuals for their hard work and dedication to promoting the Jesuit ideals on our respective campuses. Please take a moment to consider submitting a nomination for the following awards:

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Campus Program or Initiative

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student in Jesuit Student Affairs

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding New Professional in Jesuit Student Affairs 

2024 JASPA Scholarship Award

2024 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Service to JASPA

* The 2024 Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Award will be selected by the JASPA Executive Board.

Nominations will be open until February 2024. If you are interested in serving on the selection committee or have questions about the 2024 JASPA awards, please contact Alyse Hudock at hudocka@bc.edu (JASPA Awards & Recognition Chair, Boston College).
 

2024 JASPA Innovation Grants - Applications Coming Soon

Each year, JASPA awards a limited number of grants for the purpose of applying current research to address pressing issues in Jesuit student affairs. While proposals for all projects and programs that address the goals and values of JASPA are welcome, special emphasis will be placed on those that are focused on efforts promoting diversity and inclusion. $10,000 will be available to fund these initiatives each year.

Proposals will be accepted until all funding is dispersed however priority will be given to proposals received by Monday, April 8, 2024. Decisions will be made and communicated between May and June, and grants will be awarded in the new fiscal year. More information will be shared in upcoming newsletters.

Please contact Patrick Rogers at progers@holycross.edu (JASPA Innovation Grants Chair, College of the Holy Cross) if you have any questions or if you are interested in serving on a committee to review grant applications. The commitment of reviewing applications will be limited to a period of a few weeks during April.
 

Available Volunteer Positions

If you are interested in volunteering with JASPA, we have a few positions available:

• Innovation Grants Vice Chair
• Online Enrichment Chair
• Social Media Chair

Please contact Tedd Vanadilok at tvanadilok@scu.edu (JASPA Vice President for Technology and Communication, Santa Clara University) if you are interested in any of these volunteer roles and you will get connected with the appropriate JASPA Vice President to further discuss. 
 

Save the Dates