Arrupe Seminar

Thank you for your interest in the Arrupe Seminar! 
The Arrupe Seminar on the Foundations and Vision of Jesuit Education is a great opportunity, within a lively, interesting discussion with your peers, to deepen your understanding of the Jesuit foundations of Seattle University.

This opportunity is open to all faculty and staff. 
The Seminar takes place over 15 sessions throughout the academic year, roughly every two weeks currently on
Tuesdays from 8:15-10:00 am. 
To inquire, contact us. 

Seminar Goals

The Seminar offers a scholarly and personal experience that invites participants to read source material, prepare for discussions, and do personal reflection. It is designed to promote:

(1) understanding of the Jesuit educational tradition and of the Jesuits,

(2) engagement with the knowledge and values of the tradition,

(3) application of what one learns to one’s role at the University, and

(4) commitment to carrying forward the Jesuit mission in one’s own distinct way.

Seminar basics

  • A facilitator team leads each section, presents material, and facilitates discussions. 
  • Visiting experts present some sessions.
  • The Seminar is open to faculty, staff, and administrators who have completed at least one year at the University (exceptions will be made).
  • It meets approximately every two weeks for two hours throughout the academic year, beginning in October and ending in early May.

Seminar statistics

  • Since 2004 about 429 SU faculty and staff will have completed the Seminar.
  • Approximately 30 faculty and staff make up a cohort. 

Seminar Leaders (present and past):

  • Jennifer Tilghman-Havens, Executive Director, Center for Jesuit Education
  • Yancy Dominick, Philosophy, and CJE Faculty Associate
  • John Topel, SJ, Professor Emeritus,
    A&S Theology and Religious Studies, School of Law
  • Donna Teevan, Theology & Religious Studies
  • David Leigh, S.J., English
  • Teresa Ling, Albers School
  • Thomas Murphy, S.J., History
  • Catherine Punsalan, Theology
  • Peter Ely, S.J., Theology
  • Mary Bowman, Law
  • Patrick O'Leary, S.J., Faculty/Staff Chaplain 
  • Jodi Kelly, Matteo Ricci College
  • Terri Clark, Nursing

…this seminar has encouraged me to explore research topics related to Jesuit education. I am attending the Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education conference this summer to interact with other Jesuit educators who share similar interests. I am developing a research project to test the impact of Jesuit education on ethics in business. The Arrupe Seminar has changed my view of students; I am committed to forming a relationship with any students who are open to dialogue. I believe a personal relationship between faculty and students helps complete the educational process. I also hope to pass on the concepts of Ignatian spirituality to my students. The beauty of Ignatian spirituality is the inclusiveness and non-judgmental aspects of the philosophy.

Sarah Bee
Accounting

I have learned to appreciate the methods by which the Society works. It seems that things don’t happen by chance but rather through a process of discernment, but always looking back to the grand design of Ignatius. I have come to really appreciate the early Jesuits, such as Ricci and di Nobili. They were very courageous and had an amazing ability to work within a culture while acknowledging

Marilyn Price College of Nursing

Even after receiving a degree in Biblical Studies at Catholic University of America and being taught by Jesuits there, I still did not have the language to capture my experience at Bellarmine with a spiritual language. Now, after experiencing the Arrupe Seminar, I feel like I have a language to capture my experience and relate it to my area of research, the New Testament.

Matthew Whitlock Theology & Religious Studies