Global Jesuit University Leaders to Convene in Bogotá for IAJU Assembly 2025

The International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) will hold its 2025 Assembly at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia from June 30 to July 3. This global gathering of presidents, rectors, and senior leaders from Jesuit institutions will be a moment of deep reflection, collaboration, and strategic visioning in response to some of the world’s most urgent and complex challenges.

This triennial gathering brings together Fr. General Arturo Sosa, SJ, and the leadership of Jesuit universities from around the world for a moment of connection, reflection, and strategic vision for the future of Jesuit higher education.

The Assembly will explore major global issues such as migration, environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence, mental health, and secularization—topics that not only affect higher education but deeply shape the future of our societies. These are issues that call for collective discernment and action rooted in the Jesuit mission of justice, hope, and care for humanity and our common home.

In his address to IAJU delegates at Boston College in 2022, Fr. Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, offered guiding words that continue to resonate:

“We seek a discernment that leads to shared decisions about what characterizes the universities, colleges, institutes and faculties that are members of this international Association. In other words, we seek to answer the question of what is particular to our institutions—what is that ‘special’ or ‘unique’ quality that characterizes their mode of inserting themselves in the present moment in the construction of the desired future.”

The Assembly 2025 in Bogotá is a response to this call. It invites Jesuit university leaders to continue this discernment and articulate a shared vision of what Jesuit education is uniquely positioned to offer in a world of technological transformation, planetary crisis, social fragmentation, and moral uncertainty. These changes have strained democracies, driven mass migration, and contributed to a widespread sense of hopelessness, especially among the youth Jesuit institutions serve.

Set on the historic and vibrant campus of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana—one of Latin America’s most respected Jesuit universities founded in 1623—the Assembly will bring together not only university leadership but also subject matter experts, scholars, and pastoral voices. Through plenary sessions, workshops, and collaborative forums, participants will explore how Jesuit universities can equip future leaders with the knowledge, skills, and humanistic values needed to navigate today’s most critical global challenges.

As Fr. General emphasized, the future of Jesuit higher education must be shaped by “the particularly Jesuit way of proceeding.” At the heart of this is a commitment to the unity of knowledge, where every academic discipline contributes to the common good, and where the humanities offer a vital space for cultivating hope and meaning in the face of adversity.

About IAJU

The International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) is the global network of Jesuit Catholic universities and institutes of higher learning. Founded in 2018 and recognized by Fr. General Arturo Sosa, S.J., it serves as the international coordinating and advisory body for the Secretariat of Jesuit Higher Education, advising the Society of Jesus in matters related to the intellectual apostolate and university mission. Learn more at www.iaju.org.

About Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Founded in 1623 and located in Bogotá, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana is one of Colombia’s oldest and most prestigious universities. It is known for academic excellence, social commitment, and a strong tradition of interdisciplinary research and leadership formation rooted in the Jesuit ethos. More at www.javeriana.edu.co.