Every January, the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues hosts an international conference at Oriel College, Oxford. Delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 10th anniversary conference took place on Sept. 8-10, and the Very Rev. James P. Burns IVD, Ph.D., president of Saint Mary’s, was invited to present.
Introducing the conference delegates to the more than 300-year-old Lasallian tradition, Father Burns emphasized the role of virtue in the example of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. “I think De La Salle would be delighted to be at a conference such as this,” Father Burns said, “because it fits so naturally with his practical approach, but also his own practical research – if you will – of transforming lives through engagement of the virtuous life in the classroom.”
As the only university president invited to present, Father Burns spoke about Saint Mary’s university-wide character and virtue initiative. He described several programs including the integration of a virtue-based approach to professional ethics in the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) program with the support of the Kern Family Foundation, the state-wide Character Recognition Awards, and the launch of new character-based graduate certificates. Saint Mary’s Ed.S. program is the largest in the State of Minnesota and according to the most recent report of the Board of School Administrators, graduates of Saint Mary’s educational leadership program rank the highest in percentage of candidates in the “proficient/accomplished” category.
Given the international influence and impact of the Jubilee Centre, which is directed by James Arthur, OBE, it was selected as the model for Saint Mary’s character and virtue initiative. “As professor Arthur often reminds us,” Father Burns said, “the framework is intended to be a guide and not a replacement for the important task of applying it given the particular history, ethos, and culture.” Saint Mary’s approach is articulated in its Position Statement, which is widely shared with students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and benefactors of the university.
Father Burns also shared his vision that Saint Mary’s continues to strive to become a thought leader in the American context. He cited the recent special issue of AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education dedicated to university character education. In this issue, Professor Arthur wrote: “Virtues can be both valuable in themselves as well as for the acts they produce, and the idea of the human good consists both in virtuous actions and in being a person of a certain character. The good for the individual and the good for the community are both necessary parts of the good of humankind – it humanizes society. As Brother Agathon would agree: teaching is essentially a calling by God to serve humanity.”
Founded in 2012, the Jubilee Centre is the international leader in promoting a moral concept of character in order to explore the importance of virtue for public and professional life. Over 500 individuals applied to attend the 10th anniversary conference, with only 120 delegates selected. In addition to teachers, scholars, and public servants, the presidents of several foundations attended the conference including Jim Rahn of the Kern Family Foundation and Heather Templeton-Dill of the Templeton Foundation.
Delegates applauded Saint Mary’s efforts and several inquired about collaborating with its universitywide initiative. “Every now and then,” Father Burns said, “someone will ask me why we are doing this work at Saint Mary’s. And my answer is simple: we have no other choice but to do this work as a Lasallian Catholic university.”
Professors Arthur, Kristján Kristjánsson, and Andrew Peterson from the Jubilee Centre will visit Saint Mary’s this fall. On Monday, Oct. 31, Saint Mary’s will host a convening on the Minneapolis Campus on the topic of “Christian Faith and University Character Education” with representatives from several faith-based universities. On Nov. 1, the members of the Jubilee Centre will speak with university unit level leaders. Additionally on that day, Kristjánsson will present “Universities as Schools of Friendship” at 3 p.m. in Aquinas Hall on the Winona Campus; this event is open to the entire Saint Mary’s community.
Photo caption: Professor James Arthur, OBE, director of the Jubilee Centre, and Father Burns.
