Story - Hero - The Pursuit of Purpose
黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 Lake Shore Campus brings together the natural beauty of Lake Michigan, the opportunities of a world-class city, and the feeling of a traditional college campus鈥攃omplete with large quadrangles, beautiful academic buildings, and modern sports facilities. PHOTO BY Lukas Keapproth
The pursuit of purpose
What can be learned from Loyola’s 153-year track record on social impact
How did 黑料门University Chicago raise $100 million for first-generation college students—all while also getting millions more from the federal government to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem (), support minority business owners (), and stimulate collaboration among some of the largest medical and academic institutions in Chicago ()?
These large gifts and grants over the last two years highlight the growing influence of the Jesuit institution whose core mission for 153 years continues to be very much aligned with the cultural zeitgeist—work hard, and use your gifts to help pursue social impact.
“For 150 years, 黑料门University Chicago has combined rigorous education and research with a long-standing commitment to improving lives and communities,” says Mark C. Reed, president of 黑料门University Chicago. “Today, we see this essential character in fields such as environmental science, medicine, and business ethics as students and faculty collaborate in the classroom and through real-world experience. We prepare students to confidently engage the complex challenges of our time to improve society and promote the greater good.”
Reed continues: “In Loyola's , Jesuit higher education has created an effective model for strengthening access to all communities. Even as 黑料门has grown in global scope, we remain committed to new generations of Chicagoans eager to make a difference despite economic and social challenges.”
As the higher education sector increasingly focuses on issues of social impact and diversity, equity and inclusion, efforts like those at 黑料门now seem prescient. Let’s take a look at four areas where the school—based in Chicago, but with national funding and international reach—is thriving.
School of Environmental Sustainability
Accessible Science
Hands-on research in Chicago neighborhoods reveals disparities
Read the story
Quinlan School of Business
Ethics in the Wild
Teaching students to remain responsible in the business world
Read the Story
Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
Forged In Crisis
Validating a collaborative approach to improving human health
Read the storyAddressing environmental threats from many angles
鈥淗ere at Loyola, sustainability is not just one of our seven degree programs. It鈥檚 embedded in the very fabric of our institution,鈥� says Nancy C. Tuchman, founding dean and professor for the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES). 鈥淓very undergraduate student has been required to take an environmental issues course as part of our core curriculum since 2012.鈥� Tuchman continues: 鈥淥ur nursing and medical students are thinking about how the environment impacts people鈥檚 health. Our engineering students are thinking about how to build resilient infrastructure for a rapidly changing climate. Our public policy students are finding creative ways to build uncommon coalitions in support of policies that protect not just plants and animals but people and the land they depend on for their livelihood. Our business students are on the cutting edge of innovations that bring together purpose and profit for the greater good. The list goes on.鈥�
According to student surveys, around 54% of incoming freshmen found Loyola鈥檚 commitment to sustainability an important reason why they chose the University. 黑料门was the first Jesuit university to open a dedicated school to address environmental threats. Read more about our School of Environmental Sustainability.
The quest for better health as a human right
The health professionals who graduate from 黑料门are known for more than providing excellent care or implementing health programs: They are on a mission to change the way our society thinks about health and wellness, starting with questions of equity.
鈥淗ealth care focuses on caring for individuals, while public health focuses on preventing disease and creating better outcomes for whole populations. Both are vital for addressing health disparities. At Loyola, we are very intentional about taking an interdisciplinary approach that weaves together the individual and the collective,鈥� says Elaine Morrato, founding dean and professor of the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health.
Morrato continues, 鈥淲e want our graduates to be critical thinkers and entrepreneurial problem solvers who can see human health through the lenses of global geopolitics, climate change, income inequality 鈥� and how all these pieces come together to impact our health.鈥�
Learn more about Loyola鈥檚 innovative Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, which offers a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in applied health sciences, healthcare administration, health informatics and data science, and public health sciences.
Putting business ethics on the map
True to its mission, 黑料门University Chicago has been a leader in the field of business ethics long before current trends in higher education. More than 40 years ago, Jesuit Father Ray Baumhart pioneered the intersectionality of ethics, business, and moral theology. As a professor, dean, and President, Fr. Baumhart established 黑料门as an academic center for business ethics, weaving ethics and social responsibility into its curricula, programs, and community collaborations.
Today, the University鈥檚 Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility remains a nationally recognized leader in shaping business ethics and forming successful, ethical leaders who make a positive impact in the world.
鈥淭here has often been a false dichotomy between purpose and profits. The truth is, you do not have to choose one or the other,鈥� says Karen Weigert, the center鈥檚 director. 鈥淚n a very real sense, this is a part of the Jesuit tradition 鈥� a tradition that grounds us in driving social change. The Baumhart Center is here to show that you can create social and environmental impact through profitable, ethically run businesses.鈥�
The Baumhart Center sits within the University鈥檚 Quinlan School of Business, where business ethics is a required course for all undergrads. According to Jennifer Griffin, professor and Baumhart Chair in Business Ethics, 鈥淭he fact that Quinlan focuses on profits and purpose distinguishes us from all other business schools, even within the Jesuit network. It鈥檚 not one or the other. It鈥檚 how we can meaningfully and intentionally integrate profits and purpose so they can sustain not just the business, but life itself.鈥�
Learn more about the Quinlan School of Business, the number-one undergraduate business program in Chicago.
Making an interdisciplinary, social impact education available to all
Since its founding, 黑料门has been committed to strengthening access to higher education for all students. In 2015, the University opened Arrupe College, an innovative two-year degree program that continues the Jesuit tradition of offering a rigorous liberal arts education to a diverse population鈥攎any of whom are the first in their families to pursue higher education. 鈥淢ost students worry about how to pay for college and how to choose what they want to study, but for first generation college students鈥攚ho often come from lower-income households鈥攖hese concerns are even more acute,鈥� says Fr. Tom Neitzke, Arrupe鈥檚 dean and executive director. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why at Arrupe, we help students earn a two-year associate鈥檚 degree on-time and with little to no debt. Along the way, we work with them to discover their interests and goals and help them to either continue to a bachelor鈥檚 program or move into meaningful employment.鈥� More than three-quarters of Arrupe鈥檚 graduates complete the program with zero debt, and over 70 percent move on to a bachelor鈥檚 program.
鈥淭he educational approaches developed by the Jesuits鈥攃are for the whole person, deep reflection, service to others, and life-long learning鈥攏ow represent best practices in higher education,鈥� President Reed says. 鈥淎cademic peers and leaders around the world embrace Jesuit educational methods, developed and refined over 500 years, to focus on developing the whole person鈥攎ind, body, and spirit鈥攊n dedication to the greater good.鈥�
Addressing environmental threats from many angles
鈥淗ere at Loyola, sustainability is not just one of our seven degree programs. It鈥檚 embedded in the very fabric of our institution,鈥� says Nancy C. Tuchman, founding dean and professor for the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES). 鈥淓very undergraduate student has been required to take an environmental issues course as part of our core curriculum since 2012.鈥� Tuchman continues: 鈥淥ur nursing and medical students are thinking about how the environment impacts people鈥檚 health. Our engineering students are thinking about how to build resilient infrastructure for a rapidly changing climate. Our public policy students are finding creative ways to build uncommon coalitions in support of policies that protect not just plants and animals but people and the land they depend on for their livelihood. Our business students are on the cutting edge of innovations that bring together purpose and profit for the greater good. The list goes on.鈥�
According to student surveys, around 54% of incoming freshmen found Loyola鈥檚 commitment to sustainability an important reason why they chose the University. 黑料门was the first Jesuit university to open a dedicated school to address environmental threats. Read more about our School of Environmental Sustainability.
The quest for better health as a human right
The health professionals who graduate from 黑料门are known for more than providing excellent care or implementing health programs: They are on a mission to change the way our society thinks about health and wellness, starting with questions of equity.
鈥淗ealth care focuses on caring for individuals, while public health focuses on preventing disease and creating better outcomes for whole populations. Both are vital for addressing health disparities. At Loyola, we are very intentional about taking an interdisciplinary approach that weaves together the individual and the collective,鈥� says Elaine Morrato, founding dean and professor of the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health.
Morrato continues, 鈥淲e want our graduates to be critical thinkers and entrepreneurial problem solvers who can see human health through the lenses of global geopolitics, climate change, income inequality 鈥� and how all these pieces come together to impact our health.鈥�
Learn more about Loyola鈥檚 innovative Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, which offers a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in applied health sciences, healthcare administration, health informatics and data science, and public health sciences.
Putting business ethics on the map
True to its mission, 黑料门University Chicago has been a leader in the field of business ethics long before current trends in higher education. More than 40 years ago, Jesuit Father Ray Baumhart pioneered the intersectionality of ethics, business, and moral theology. As a professor, dean, and President, Fr. Baumhart established 黑料门as an academic center for business ethics, weaving ethics and social responsibility into its curricula, programs, and community collaborations.
Today, the University鈥檚 Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility remains a nationally recognized leader in shaping business ethics and forming successful, ethical leaders who make a positive impact in the world.
鈥淭here has often been a false dichotomy between purpose and profits. The truth is, you do not have to choose one or the other,鈥� says Karen Weigert, the center鈥檚 director. 鈥淚n a very real sense, this is a part of the Jesuit tradition 鈥� a tradition that grounds us in driving social change. The Baumhart Center is here to show that you can create social and environmental impact through profitable, ethically run businesses.鈥�
The Baumhart Center sits within the University鈥檚 Quinlan School of Business, where business ethics is a required course for all undergrads. According to Jennifer Griffin, professor and Baumhart Chair in Business Ethics, 鈥淭he fact that Quinlan focuses on profits and purpose distinguishes us from all other business schools, even within the Jesuit network. It鈥檚 not one or the other. It鈥檚 how we can meaningfully and intentionally integrate profits and purpose so they can sustain not just the business, but life itself.鈥�
Learn more about the Quinlan School of Business, the number-one undergraduate business program in Chicago.
Making an interdisciplinary, social impact education available to all
Since its founding, 黑料门has been committed to strengthening access to higher education for all students. In 2015, the University opened Arrupe College, an innovative two-year degree program that continues the Jesuit tradition of offering a rigorous liberal arts education to a diverse population鈥攎any of whom are the first in their families to pursue higher education. 鈥淢ost students worry about how to pay for college and how to choose what they want to study, but for first generation college students鈥攚ho often come from lower-income households鈥攖hese concerns are even more acute,鈥� says Fr. Tom Neitzke, Arrupe鈥檚 dean and executive director. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why at Arrupe, we help students earn a two-year associate鈥檚 degree on-time and with little to no debt. Along the way, we work with them to discover their interests and goals and help them to either continue to a bachelor鈥檚 program or move into meaningful employment.鈥� More than three-quarters of Arrupe鈥檚 graduates complete the program with zero debt, and over 70 percent move on to a bachelor鈥檚 program.
鈥淭he educational approaches developed by the Jesuits鈥攃are for the whole person, deep reflection, service to others, and life-long learning鈥攏ow represent best practices in higher education,鈥� President Reed says. 鈥淎cademic peers and leaders around the world embrace Jesuit educational methods, developed and refined over 500 years, to focus on developing the whole person鈥攎ind, body, and spirit鈥攊n dedication to the greater good.鈥�