The annual AJCU Honors Conference was held on Loyola Marymount University’s campus this year, bringing 62 honors students, faculty, and administrators from 15 AJCU institutions across the U.S. to engage the theme for the conference, “Curious Minds, Curious Communities: Who, What, and Why of Jesuit Honors Programs.” The event featured a variety of programming centered on curiosity and the questions: “Who is honors for?” “What is honors?” and “Why is honors important?” at Jesuit colleges and universities.
The keynote speakers were scholars and twin siblings Dani Bassett, J. Peter Skirkanich Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Perry Zurn, associate professor of philosophy at American University, who talked about their award-winning new book, “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection.” In line with the conference’s theme, Zurn and Bassett explored the origins of curiosity and its neurological, historical, philosophical, and linguistic foundations.
Organized by outgoing LMU Honors director Dr. Trevor Zink in partnership with the AJCU, the event convened program directors, administrators, students, and faculty to discuss and share best practices and facilitate discussions that enable members to better deal with everyday challenges. One such challenge that has faced honors programs for decades is the exclusivity of these programs and how racial justice must be considered to ensure that honors programs are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
“The AJCU Honors Conference is distinctive in the AJCU conference schedule because it is one of the only spaces where faculty, staff, and students gather to talk about the shared identity of being an honors student at a Jesuit institution,” said Robert Pampel, director of the University Honors Program at St. Louis University. “Having attended the conference for six years, I am consistently impressed by how quickly honors students and faculty/staff form substantive connections that enhance our shared work, and grateful for the opportunity to see my colleagues in their element on their home campuses.”
Part of the meeting’s stated goal was to rewrite the now 10-year-old document “Essential Characteristics of Jesuit Honors Programs,” a foundational document of the AJCU Honors Consortium. Through breakouts, active-writing sessions, group-guided brainstorms, and split student and faculty sessions, participants thought through the guiding questions while sharing experiences, strengths, and challenges from their respective institutions and honors programs.
“Consonant with the AJCU’s Ignatian mission in general and LMU’s in particular, our University Honors Program hosting and programming demonstrated its emerging leadership among the AJCU Honors programs,” said José Badenes, associate provost for undergraduate education. “Kudos to former director Dr. Trevor Zink, his staff, and all the students who contributed to its success.”
To read a student recap of the event, visit the Fordham College at Rose Hill Honors Program blog.
