Marybeth Amyot

Senior Vice President and CFO
Xavier University

Project Title:

Inviting You to the Ignatian Quest

Overview:

Xavier University will create a unique collection of spaces on our physical campus that can be experienced as a personal pilgrimage. Visitors, employees, alumni, and students will journey along a series of physical stations - collectively the Ignatian Quest - that stimulate intellectual awareness of Jesuit values, history, and traditions and that invite spiritual development through reflection and discernment activated at these places. Additionally, the stations along the Ignatian Quest will be designed to complement curricular and cocurricular activities and campus traditions for Xavier University and to foster community engagement.

Rational:

The Ignatian Quest will invite meaningful personal growth opportunities for individuals regardless of where they are with their personal spirituality or knowledge of Jesuit values and traditions. It will extend Xavier’s mission in a new yet lasting way to our students, alumni, faculty, and staff, while also reaching the community and attracting regional visitors to campus for experiential learning and reflection.

Project Details:

1. Ignatian Quest stations will be a series of long-lasting, thematically connected, and programmatically integrated physical spaces. Stations will include existing places (statues, art, gardens, chapels, views, etc.) as well as places yet to be created with the thematic series and project vision in mind.
2. Each station will both furnish information for active learning and encourage reflection. Identifying the Jesuit/Ignatian content and themes and effective ways of furnishing information is key. Music, art,scripture, technology, and social media will be used to create active learning experiences.
3. Faculty, staff, and students will be included in conceptualization and design so that the stations speak to individuals with essential content and can also be used as part of curricular and student life activities.
4. Ignatian Quest will be an asset for Xavier’s community engagement programs, bringing neighbors and schools to campus. It will also be promoted as a destination for regional visitors.
5. The project will enhance Xavier’s physical campus through thoughtful, attractive design consistent with the campus master plan. Initial pilgrimages and programming are expected within three to five years, with full funding and implementation of all stations in the Ignatian Quest over the next ten years.

Indications of Success:

1. Gain approval of content, design, schedule, and budget by 12/30/14 with high level of campus engagement.
2. Deliver the project per approved plan.
3. Realize expectations for personal pilgrimages, integration with campus life, and community engagement.

Challenges:

1. Scope, content, and funding are ambitious and will be complex to define and complete.
2. Multi-year implementation will require sustained commitment.
3. Vision for individual connections, campus programming, community engagement, and regional promotion will require significant partnerships.