New Immersions Foster Mission

Last summer, through the leadership of Mission & Ministry and International Programs, four teams of Loyola faculty and staff traveled to East Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam to explore how Jesuit ideals are lived out in different geographical and cultural settings. This summer, 28 Loyolans will participate in three more global immersion trips to East Africa, Peru, and Vietnam.

"The immersion trips are beneficial for those who participate in them, and also for the institution they return to," says Patrick Boyle, director of International Programs. "The program is an investment in the talented people who teach and serve our students and whose research helps Loyola play its part 'in expanding knowledge in the service of humanity.'"

Last year's immersion participants came away with new understandings of the places they visited, of the worldwide Jesuit community, and of themselves. "It is our conviction that this experience will help faculty and staff understand and model the values of service and solidarity that we want to hand over to our students," says Lucien Roy, VP, Mission and Ministry.

Katie Hession, director of brand marketing and one of the individuals who will travel to Vietnam, is anxious to witness the Jesuit mission in action. "Since coming to Loyola, I have tried to immerse myself in and to understand the Jesuit mission and its core values. One of the Jesuit values is global awareness: demonstrating an understanding that the world's people and societies are interrelated and interdependent. This trip will help me to uncover real evidence of that."

2008 immersion trips:

East Africa
Peru
Vietnam

May 12-21
May 12-21
June 2-11


Getting Greener and Greener

For many of you, the November 2007 issue of Inside Loyola served as an introduction to Loyola's Sustainability Initiative Task Force (SITF), which was developed to establish Loyola as a green and environmentally friendly campus. Since that story ran, the SITF has taken a number of steps to get closer to its ultimate goal. Here's a look at a few of their accomplishments.

Recycling

New Minor

Sustainability Study

Loyola's Consumption Reduction & Recycling Committee, which teamed up with facilities management to assist in campus recycling outreach and strategies, has seen a tremendious growth of interest in recycling on campus. Since July 2007, facilities management has been spearheading the transition of recycling systems at both the Water Tower and Lake Shore campuses from the previous system of combining trash and recyclables to 'separating at the source.' Since the committee's establishment, recycling weights on campus have increased from 2.9 tons in August 2007 to nearly 11 tons in February 2008.

Environmental Action and Leadership is the new minor created by the Environmental Science and Studies Program in conjunction with the Natural Science Department and the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy. This new minor, designed to teach students about environmental issues, is offered to majors in both the sciences and humanities, and provides students an opportunity to gain experience, knowledge, and expertise that relates environmental issues to their respective majors. The minor will also strengthen students' marketability to employers who recognize the need for environmental awareness.

Loyola's sustainability assessment, currently being conducted by natural science professor James M. Eames, is nearing completion. In summer 2008, Eames and his students will provide a complete assessment of the amount of waste produced on campus—including the University's use of water, electricity, and other resources—to help the task force develop a strategic environmental sustainability plan for Loyola's campuses.