Welcome to the first “Mission Moment” in GriffNews!
I am Sarah Signorino, '04, '12, MS '09, the new Director of Mission & Identity. As a three-time alumna and 12-year employee of the college, I’ve been privileged to explore many facets of our Catholic, Jesuit mission from the academic excellence of the All-College Honors Program, to service-immersion experiences with the Office of Campus Ministry, to advocating for those on the margins, to learning about issues in the city of Buffalo. Many professors, friends, administrators, classes, moments helped and continue to help me grow into my giftedness as a person for and with others. I will be using the “Mission Moment” to feature how different facets of our mission are being lived out by others in our Canisius community.
President Hurley was recently at a meeting of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) in Bilbao, Spain. The IAJU’s vision, from an international network of our Ignatian family, is “to become institutions that promote peace and reconciliation, justice and faith through research and the formation of students, in order to transform society and culture.” As Canisius considers its regional piece of this larger family, I invite you to watch a short video from the IAJU’s Task Force of Leadership where they asked the question, “What does Jesuit higher education look like on an international level?”
As we delve into our mission moments, I invite you to consider what does it mean for you to be Jesuit-educated? In the video from the IAJU, Dr. Catherine Punsalan-Malimos describes a Catholic, Jesuit education as helping others grow into the “fullness of their giftedness.” In your relationship with Canisius, who or what has helped you grow into the fullness of your giftedness?