From June 30 to July 3, the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) General Assembly met at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. Chancellor Augustine Sali, S.J., and President Miki Sugimura represented Sophia University. The triennial assembly gathered about 300 participants under the 2025 theme “Our Mission in Challenging Times” to discuss cooperation among Jesuit universities and their social role.
The centerpiece lecture, “The Jesuit University: Witness to Hope, Creative and Dialogical Presence,” was delivered by Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He called for a reaffirmation of the Jesuit university’s charism as the driving force for hope, justice, and reconciliation, urging universities to promote human rights and civic participation and to support vulnerable groups such as migrants and refugees.
On the climate crisis, he urged integrating the spirit of the late Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ into education, research, and governance, and fostering ecological awareness on campus and in curricula. Regarding AI and digital technologies, he warned against uncritical adoption and stressed education grounded in human dignity and ethics, data transparency, and critical thinking.
Plenary sessions addressed six themes: the crisis of democracy; student well‑being; secularism; the benefits and challenges of AI; migrants and refugees; and environmental justice.
Regional consortia proposed context‑specific measures, including support for university closures in Nicaragua via online education, enhanced student mental‑health systems, secular‑engaging curricula, phased AI education with ethical frameworks, scholarships and mentoring for migrants and refugees, and greener campus operations.
At the final plenary, regions reported on initiatives. Representing the Asia‑Pacific network (AJCU‑AP), Ateneo de Manila University President Roberto C. Yap announced a new task force.
Participants called for greater inter‑consortium collaboration, expanded exchanges, and joint international degree programs, reaffirming IAJU’s role. The assembly concluded with constructive recommendations for the final report and the next general assembly.
※All photos provided by Pontificia Universidad Javeriana