By Lisa A. Kloppenberg
As we look beyond November’s election, we would all do well to remember how much Jesuit colleges and universities have to offer our world and our country. Our students, our teacher-scholars, our research and community service—all are amazing resources for tackling pressing issues, particularly the persistent, systemic problems of racial and gender justice, human rights, and sustainability.
We enhance the world through our teaching, through what and how we teach, because we in Jesuit higher education develop students beyond acquisition of knowledge; we ask them to apply their learning to peoples’ current needs and concerns. Our students are our future citizen-activists, leaders of local nonprofits, legislators, and informed voters who will be dedicated to solving national problems.
And, of course, our Jesuit institutions are also poised to amplify their impact today through prominent alumni--including Dr. Anthony Fauci, many members of Congress, and countless leaders in the nonprofit, business, and government sectors--who give us particular inroads to exert a positive influence and share research and insights that can make our world more just, gentle, and sustainable.
One example of how a Jesuit institution can consciously exert an influence comes from Santa Clara University’s Law School, which has partnered with governmental bodies to work on critical issues such as intellectual property and access to justice, Internet privacy, the problem of unreliable eyewitness evidence underlying wrongful convictions, bail reform, homelessness, human trafficking, and immigration policy, among other issues.
Of course, this represents only a smattering of work from one unit of one university among our 27 Jesuit institutions.
Another example: The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan organization which provides solutions to contentious national policy issues related to criminal justice, healthcare, education, and other issues—led by double Santa Clara alumnus and national civic leader, Leon Panetta.
In January of 2019, fellows from Santa Clara University Law School gathered for an orientation luncheon with Secretary and Mrs. Panetta, and, administrators from Santa Clara University, including Lisa A. Kloppenberg, then dean and professor of law and now provost and vice president for academic affairs at Santa Clara University. Photo courtesy of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
But as we look beyond November, I’d like to propose that Jesuit colleges and universities collectively commit themselves to advancing the experience of restorative justice in our campus communities and across our troubled nation.
Restorative justice honors the dignity and agency of every person, orienting our faculty, staff, and students toward working in and with community. Such efforts can take shape in any number of ways: training for legal advocacy or pastoral ministry, working in prisons and in student relations on campus. Incorporating lessons around trust building and mediation in student orientations or in academic program requirements, some colleges have seen notable success, as well as overall improvements to campus climate.
So, I propose that, using resources we often already have at our fingertips, Jesuit institutions of higher education recommit to training students in community building, redouble initiatives to promote communication across different viewpoints and experiences, and reaffirm efforts to apply strategies for conflict resolution and healing of our communities—both on and beyond campus. Our institutions must continue to be engaged in teaching, research, and service for and with communities, and one enormously promising way to do this is by committing to forming people who act for and with others in a framework of restorative justice.
Lisa A. Kloppenberg is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Santa Clara University.
The featured cover photo (above) is courtesy of the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative.