Loyola Resources

Institute of Pastoral Studies The Loyola home of INSPIRE, the Institute of Pastoral Studies (IPS) educates adults for professional ministry, spiritual development and faith-based leadership in other professions. Through their course of study and their spiritual formation, students develop real-world knowledge and skills in theological reflection, in ministerial practice and in ethical judgment. IPS offers M.A. degree programs in Pastoral Counseling, Pastoral Studies; Religious Education; Social Justice and Community Development; Spirituality and Spiritual Direction; and Divinity.

Ann Ida Gannon, BVM, Center for Women and Leadership As part of its continuing commitment to women’s higher education, Loyola University Chicago established the Ann Ida Gannon, BVM, Center for Women and Leadership. Designed to honor an outstanding past president of the original Mundelein College, a former women’s college that joined with Loyola in 1991, the Gannon Center promotes women’s studies programs and progress and provides archives documenting women in leadership and education. The Gannon Center sponsors a Faculty Fellows Program in Women Studies to encourage research on women and their contributions to society, and to promote active learning and scholarship. The program is administered by the Gannon Center and the appointment of Fellows is made in the Spring Semester each academic year.

Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage The Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage (CCIH) exists to help faculty and students recognize and research Roman Catholic thought and its link to all academic disciplines in the university. It also seeks to convey that thought to audiences inside and outside Loyola University. To meet these goals, CCIH operates nine programs which assist students and faculty in connecting to, researching, and communicating Roman Catholic thought. Programs that help connect to Roman Catholic thought include faculty workshops, publication luncheons, and informal reading groups. CCIH programs that facilitate research include reading-for-research groups, research project support, and a growing library of current Catholic magazines and journals. Finally, to communicate Roman Catholic thought, CCIH sponsors a ‘Catholic Minds, Catholic Matters’ lecture series, public panels on Catholic issues, and an annual symposium.

Center for the Human Rights of Children Established in 2006, the Center for the Human Rights of Children represents,coordinates, and stimulates efforts of the Loyola University community to understand and protect the human rights of children, locally and abroad. It seeks guidance and direction from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the global network of children’s rights advocates, as well as from scholars from various disciplines.The Center’s approaches to the rights of children reflect the university’s commitment to the Jesuit social justice mission. Program activities include a biennial Symposium on the Rights of Children (starting in Spring 2008), publications for professionals and students, international “immersion” programs for students and faculty, a faculty and graduate student fellows program, and campus educational events.

Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP) was established in 2005 to advance our understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between natural and human systems especially in large metropolitan areas. CUERP was organized in part, as a response to the issues of unsustainable use of natural resources and the resulting consequences for the poor, for human health, and for biodiversity on earth. The Loyola CUERP faculty include over 60 researchers with expertise in environmental issues, representing more than 20 disciplines. CUERP faculty and students, along with a wide range of state and local agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations are working together to study the structure and function of the urban ecosystem, assess the effects of urban and suburban development in the Great Lakes watershed, and define the impact of reduced ecological conditions on urban sustainability, biodiversity, and human health. CUERP provides excellent opportunities for interested undergraduate and graduate students to gain interdisciplinary research experience, as well as internships with our partners.