Centers of Excellence
Where academics meets action
The Centers of Excellence at Loyola University Chicago are designed to address critical issues of local, regional, and global concern that are aligned with the mission of Loyola as an urban Jesuit, Catholic University. Each of our Centers of Excellence is unique and all of them foster cutting-edge research, scholarship, training, outreach, and service. Support of a Center of Excellence gives you the opportunity to focus on a mission rather than an individual school, facility, or program. To learn more, please call 800.424.1513.
For more information please call 1.800.424.1513 or e-mail advancement@luc.edu.
Ann Ida Gannon Center for Women and Leadership - As part of its continuing commitment to women's higher education, Loyola University Chicago established the Ann Ida Gannon, BVM, Center for Women and Leadership. Designed to honor an outstanding past president of the original Mundelein College, a former women's college that joined with Loyola in 1991, the Gannon Center promotes women's studies programs and progress and provides archives documenting women in leadership and education.
The Gannon Center sponsors a Faculty Fellows Program in Women Studies to encourage research on women and their contributions to society, and to promote active learning and scholarship. The program is administered by the Gannon Center and the appointment of fellows is made in the spring semester each academic year.
The Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage - exists to help faculty and students recognize and research Roman Catholic thought and its links to every academic discipline in the University. This center operates nine programs that assist students and faculty in connecting to, researching, and communicating Roman Catholic thought. Programs include faculty workshops, publication luncheons, and informal reading groups. CCIH supports research through reading-for-research groups, research project support, and a growing library of current Catholic magazines and journals.
Center for Ethics and Social Justice - founded in 1991, this center has four aims:
- Strengthening Loyola's ethics education programs
- Fostering a higher level of dialogue about ethical issues faced by the Loyola community
- Stimulating and supporting research and other activities in applied ethics and ethics education
- Developing outreach programs to share Loyola's work in ethics with the larger community and providing leadership in public discussion of ethical issues
The center sponsors workshops and seminars on a variety of topics for faculty members, students, and the local community.
Center for Catholic School Effectiveness - This center was founded in response to the need that elementary and secondary Catholic schools have for high-quality, research-based professional development in the context of Catholic identity and mission. The center works with schools and dioceses to design and deliver professional development in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and instructional leadership. In its first four years of operation, the center has worked with over 400 schools, in over 85 dioceses, as well as Australia, and has served over 5,000 teachers.
Center for the Human Rights of Children - Established in 2006, this center represents, coordinates, and stimulates efforts of the Loyola University community to understand and protect the human rights of children, locally and abroad. The center's approach to the rights of children reflects the University's commitment to the Jesuit social justice mission. Supported activities include a biennial symposium on the rights of children, publications for professionals and students, international "immersion" programs, a fellows program, and campus educational events.
Center for Science and Math Education - The Center for Science and Math Education is a cooperative effort between Loyola's School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences. Dedicated to improving the quality of science and math education in area schools, the center and its faculty have developed a number of programs to achieve this goal.
The need for qualified science and math teachers is growing and Loyola's Center for Science and Math Education has developed a series of courses to support middle school science and math teachers. The center also works with the Chicago Public Schools on curriculum for 7th and 8th grade science classes and is developing an undergraduate major in science education.
Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy - this center seeks to advance our understanding of the interaction between natural and human systems in large metropolitan areas. CUERP faculty and students, along with a wide range of state and local agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations are working together to study the structure and function of the urban ecosystem, assess the effects of urban and suburban development on the Great Lakes watershed, and define the impact of reduced ecological conditions on urban sustainability, biodiversity, and human health.
Center for Urban Research and Learning and the Policy Research Action Group - as a non-traditional university research center, CURL promotes a model of teaching and learning that develops partnerships between the University and Chicago's communities. CURL is guided by a mission that emphasizes research that addresses community needs and involves the community at every level of research. By working closely with activists outside the University, the center recognizes and values the knowledge and experience of individuals and organizations in non-academic settings.
The Policy Research Action Group is a collaborative partnership between four universities and more than 20 community organizations that matches researchers with community organizations and seeks to strengthen and empower community organizations. Coordinated by the Center for Urban Research and Learning, PRAG matches researchers with community organizations; develops research "apprenticeships" within community-based organizations; encourages undergraduate and graduate students to consider career options in community-based research; funds grassroots policy research projects identified and developed by community organizations; and disseminates research results to policy makers and community activists.
Family Business Center - for 10 years, the FBC has served over 100 family businesses of every size, industry, and complexity. Today, the needs of FBC members continue to push the frontier of family enterprise research to new levels. Its innovative programs provide the opportunity for members to share knowledge and cultivate relationships with one another. The FBC endeavors to become the premier research and learning center for family-owned businesses in the United States.
To support Loyola University Chicago's Centers of Excellence, make your contribution online or call 1.800.424.1513.
