Developed through a discerning global consultation process with Jesuits and lay partners, and approved by Pope Francis, the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) are a unifying horizon of mission for the Society of Jesus and all Ignatian-inspired institutions associated with the Jesuits for 2019 to 2029.
With regard to the role and relevance of the UAPs for Jesuit higher education, Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa (2024), in an address to North American Jesuit provincials as well as university Board Chairs and Presidents at Loyola University Chicago, noted that the four UAPs, “are very much at play in the universities” and “are becoming the main criteria for decision-making, guiding research, teaching, service, and collaboration” (p. 4). Of the four UAPs, Pope Francis (2019), insisted that the first preference – showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment – was “crucial because it presupposes as a basic condition…” (as cited in Sosa, 2019, p. 1) for any and all Ignatian-inspired individuals' relationship with self, others, and society. For the first Jesuit pontiff, “Without this prayerful attitude the other [three] preferences will not bear any fruit” (p. 1).
Edified by the above affirmations by Jesuit and Catholic executive leaders, Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s (1548/1991) nearly 500-year-old approach to personal and spiritual transformation, as described in his Spiritual Exercises and Autobiography, has undergirded the curricular offerings of a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership degree program at a Jesuit university in the Inland Northwest of the United States since its origins as an in-person program in 1986.
The intentional design process of the online version of the entire Organizational Leadership curriculum (2004 – present) was directed toward the effective use of Ignatian Pedagogy (Duminuco, 2000) – specifically Experience, Reflection, and Action—thus ensuring the relational and collaborative approach to learning historically associated with the education of business leaders at Jesuit colleges and universities.
Consequently, this andragogical paper explores the teaching and learning experiences in two graduate courses. The presenter(s) will provide an overview of the course objectives, content, assignments, and the student experience for online graduate courses that are explicitly built on the dynamics of the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises – ORGL 600: Foundations of Leadership – and Ignatian discernment – ORGL 535: Listen. Discern. Decide.
Both courses encourage all leadership learners to cultivate a posture and practice characterized by patience, humility, openness to diverse perspectives, and a recognition of the inherent dignity of all human persons. Ultimately, the purpose of these graduate courses in organizational leadership are to cultivate an abiding commitment to and concern for deep listening to multiple perspectives – a discerned leadership choice that involves developing the capacity to listen to the essence of an issue, which can nurture awareness and wisdom at the individual, collective, and societal levels, and drive humanistic leadership decisions that prioritize people, planet, and profit for the common good. Following an overview of the design and andragogical practices of both courses, the presentation will conclude with a sample of qualitative feedback from graduate students about their experiences.