Mission Priority Examen
Join us for the second cycle of Saint Joseph’s University’s Mission Priority Examen (MPE). The MPE is a process that each member institution of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) undertakes every seven years to reaffirm its Jesuit, Catholic identity. It is convened at the request of the Jesuit Superior General, the Provincials of North America and the presidents of the AJCU. Rooted in the centuries-old practice of Ignatian reflection, the MPE is a collaborative process that gives us the structure and time to deeply examine how we are living out that mission, and how we can better serve the local Church.
I. Purpose
The Mission Priority Examen (MPE) is a collaborative, Ignatian experience that provides the structure and opportunity for deep reflection on how Saint Joseph's University distinctively expresses its Jesuit, Catholic mission and can better serve the local Church. The self-study produced by this process is meant to identify the strengths and areas for growth in Saint Joseph’s mission effectiveness, evaluate our current mission priorities and determine appropriate areas for improvement.
II. Process
Saint Joseph’s completed the first cycle of its MPE process back in 2018-2019, including a mission focused self-study (and report), a peer-review team visit and report, and the Provincial's and General's reviews of the submitted materials. Throughout the process, three mission priorities were identified. Additionally, the University’s Catholic and Jesuit identity was confirmed by Father Arturo Sosa, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus, and was communicated to then-President Mark C. Reed, EdD, by Fr. Robert Hussey, S.J., then-provincial of the USA Maryland Province.
In fall 2026, Fr. Robert E. Reiser, S.J., second provincial of the Jesuits USA East Province, invited Saint Joseph’s University to begin the second cycle of this process, with guidance from Fr. Michael Tunney, S.J., provincial assistant for higher education of the Jesuits USA East Province, and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). This cycle will assess how we are advancing the mission priorities that emerged from our 2018-2019 Examen — Ignatian Leadership and Development, The President’s Laudato Si’ Initiative, and Inclusive Excellence — and how our work reflects the Universal Apostolic Preferences and the Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education. Along the way, we will identify our strengths and areas for growth in mission effectiveness, and set the priorities that will carry our mission forward for years to come.
The Mission Priority Examen moves through several stages:
III. Opportunities to Participate
The Mission Priority Examen Steering Committee is conducting numerous listening sessions (modeled as institutional Ignatian Examens) through early spring 2027. These sessions are geared toward how the University is advancing its mission priorities, and how our work reflects the 2021 Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education and Universal Apostolic Preferences. We will identify our strengths and areas for growth in mission effectiveness, and set the priorities that will carry our mission forward for years to come.
It is our great hope that all members of our community will attend a session to help in the collective creation of a Self-Study Report, as described in the Process. Please RSVP for a listening session below.
Members of our community — those who cannot attend a session and those who participate in a listening session — are invited to reflect on our mission and complete the Mission Priority Examen Survey asynchronously. Please complete the survey below.
RSVP for an MPE Listening Session Take the MPE Survey
IV. Resources
Read more about the Society of Jesus’s four apostolic preferences that unite us in our Jesuit mission.
Learn more about the characteristics that make up a Jesuit university.
V. Leadership
As we begin this institutional reflection of our mission and identity as a Jesuit, Catholic university, President Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD, has appointed a Mission Priority Examen Steering Committee to lead our efforts.
Co-Chairs
Committee
Student
VI. Our Mission at Work
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Graduates were acknowledged at a closing Mass on the Feast of Pentecost.
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