MISSION AND MINISTRY | The newly-published issue of Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal features a collection of essays on faith and reason written and edited by Loyola Marymount faculty. Professor Cathy McGrath of the College of Business Administration and Professor Elizabeth Reilly of the School of Education co-directed LMU’s President’s Institute in 2016, the theme of which was “Fides et Ratio: Faith and Reason in the 21st Century Catholic University” and which inspired the collection edited by McGrath and Reilly for a special issue of the journal. LMU President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., offers an introduction to the collection, which includes essays from McGrath and Reilly, as well as President’s Institute participants Emily Jarvis in chemistry and biochemistry, Sue Scheibler in film and TV studies, Andrew Rohm in marketing and business law, and Nicole Bouvier-Brown in chemistry and biochemistry.
For McGrath, the essays represent the potential of LMU’s mission for fostering the kinds of interdisciplinary collaboration that cut across traditional departmental boundaries: “With this collection, we are happy to share the work that was part of the tradition of the President’s Institute bringing faculty from different academic fields and different career stages together to reflect upon a topic in Catholic Higher Education. Our work together began with one intensive week in the summer, and continued throughout the year as we honed our thoughts about the relationship of faith and reason. This collection is the result of the best sort of collegiality and engagement among our faculty. We are happy to share our work.”
Reilly notes the importance of the President’s Institute in her own formation as a teacher-scholar at a Jesuit university: “Uniting LMU’s mission and identity with my teaching, scholarship, and service has been a journey through the years brought about in great measure because of my work with The President’s Institute — first as a fellow and then as co-director. From the onset of planning for 2016, our mentor, Robert Caro, S.J., encouraged a creative product from the fellows, so we incorporated reflective writing opportunities throughout the institute with an eye toward publication. We then spent the 2016-17 academic year meeting with fellows, extending our time as a community of teacher-scholars far beyond the one week we spent together, and deepening our understanding of faith and reason in the 21st century Catholic university. I believe this collection offers contributions of heart, mind, and spirit that honors our university’s heritage.”
The essays are freely available from the journal’s web site.
- Cathleen A. McGrath and Elizabeth C. Reilly, “Loyola Marymount University’s President’s Institute Collection: Introduction and Overview.”
- Timothy Law Snyder, “Necessary Companions: Faith and Reason.”
- Cathleen A. McGrath and Elizabeth C. Reilly, “Loyola Marymount University’s President’s Institute on the Catholic Character of Loyola Marymount University: A Twenty-one Year Tradition.”
- Emily Jarvis, “Faith and Reason in the Pursuit of Understanding.”
- Cathleen A. McGrath and Elizabeth C. Reilly, “Faith and Reason in Antiquity: A Photo Essay.”
- Susan Scheibler, “What Can TV Teach Us About the Spiritually Healthy Institution?.”
- Andrew Rohm, “Our Students’ Search for Meaning.”
- Nicole C. Bouvier-Brown, “Nurturing Student Scientists as People of Faith.”
