The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP) convened in Beijing, China, from 25 to 27 August for its Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) meeting. Hosted by The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, the gathering brought together 28 participants, including CEOs, senior leaders, and international networking officers (INOs), representing 15 member institutions from eight countries.
AJCU-AP is composed of a highly diverse group of Jesuit institutions, comprising nine comprehensive universities, eight specialist colleges, and four residence institutes, with members speaking at least seven national languages from across the region.
The meeting addressed key areas of focus for the network, including regular programmes, special initiatives, and Jesuit concerns, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) and mental health.
Fr Johnny Go SJ of Ateneo de Manila University shared on the impact of AI on education and formation. This was followed by a breakout session where the participants reflected on how best to respond to AI in pursuit of the Jesuit mission of education and formation. During the plenary, participants shared the challenges they face in addressing mental health within their institutions, along with their best practices for responding to mental health issues. Many found these discussions highly relevant to their work, and the group agreed to continue sharing expertise and exploring innovative capacity-building activities within the members.
Participants also heard from Romulo Vinci Bueza, who reported on the recently concluded Service Learning Program (SLP), organised and hosted by Ateneo de Davao University around the theme “Democracy Under Siege: An AJCU-AP SLP on Democratic Resilience”.
Fr Bagus Laksana SJ, Rector of Sanata Dharma University, likewise shared updates on the 14th Global Leadership Program (GLP) for Jesuit Universities in East Asia held in Yogyakarta from 12 to 19 August. The programme, themed “Youth Empowerment in Intercultural Society: Towards A Rooted Global Citizenship,” welcomed 47 delegates composed of students and staff from nine member institutions. It featured lectures on youth and lifestyle, belief systems, and social economy, as well as field trips to various sites around Yogyakarta that highlighted the programme’s theme.
The GLP initiative has completed another hosting cycle, with all five core members having hosted the programme for the third time. The core members have agreed to begin a new cycle, with GLP 2025 to be hosted by Sophia University in Tokyo and SLP 2025 to be hosted by Ateneo de Naga University in Naga City.
The CEOs were also updated on several special projects developed since the 2023 CEOs meeting. These include the Beijing Center’s Leadership and Friendship Retreat, an introductory retreat experience for non-denominational, non-religious audiences; Building Bridges Initiative across Asia Pacific, an encounter with Pope Francis for students across Asia Pacific, held on 20 June; Democracy Observatory, the Asia-Pacific offshoot of the International Association of Jesuit Universities’ (IAJU) Task Force for the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights; Ignatian Leadership in Education Program, which seeks to provide an opportunity for formation-for-mission to leaders of Jesuit higher education institutions (HEIs) in Asia-Pacific; Collaborative Online International Learning partnerships within AJCU-AP; and Magis Microcredentials, which seeks to broaden the impact of Jesuit HEIs by leveraging digital technology and offering selected, fully online degree programmes. Based on these updates, the CEOs agreed on various next steps to further the progress of these initiatives.
A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to preparations for the Jesuit Higher Education Assembly in Bogota, Colombia, in June–July 2025. AJCU-AP and Ateneo de Manila University President Fr Bobby Yap SJ led discussions on the IAJU’s draft strategic plan, focusing on its four strategic objectives. Participants broke into groups to provide feedback and develop specific action plans that members could commit to, both individually and as a network. The outcomes of these discussions will be communicated to the IAJU Board in upcoming meetings.
Towards the end of the meeting, the CEOs instructed their INOs to prepare for the AJCU-AP INOs meeting to be hosted by Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan, in November. They also agreed that the next CEOs meeting will be hosted by Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan, with the exact date to be determined based on members’ availability. [AJCU-AP]