Professor Discusses Jesuit Values in Education

On February 6, Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Health Administration & Human Resources at the University of Scranton, delivered a talk on Jesuit education at St. Mary's Hall.

West, who had been invited by the Department of Health Systems Administration at NHS, addressed, "Jesuit Pedagogy: Practical Approaches and Applications for the Health Professions.

"When the Society of Jesus was founded, it was not founded to be teachers," said West. "They almost backed into [education]. ...Within a century, [Jesuit education] spread all over."

During the session, West covered various characteristics of Jesuit education, including "forming men and women for others," human excellence, a relationship to God, and study and reflection.

"The Jesuits felt that education had a world point of view," he said.

West discussed his experiences at Scranton related to service learning and the curriculum, as well as incorporating Jesuit pedagogy into several health care courses within his department. He also took questions from NHS faculty members about their experiences with Jesuit values in the classroom, the clinic, and the community.