Leaders of Jesuit universities convened at Politeknik ATMI Surakarta in Solo, Indonesia, from 23 to 26 August, for the annual CEOs’ meeting of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities-Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP). With 30 delegates representing 18 member institutions from nine countries, this was the largest and most well-attended AJCU-AP meeting to date.
In his welcome remarks, Fr Roberto C Yap SJ, President of Ateneo de Manila University and AJCU-AP, highlighted the diversity of the AJCU-AP community and the various collaborations among member institutions that showcase the strength of the network.
A key topic at the assembly was the ethical engagement of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Fr Fernando Clemente Ponce Léon SJ, Assistant to the Secretary for Higher Education at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, delivered the keynote address online, stressing that AI should be recognised not merely as a tool but as a criterion for societal life.
He reminded the delegates of what Fr General Adolfo Nicolás SJ said during an assembly of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) in Mexico City in 2010: that globalisation could offer an “extraordinary opportunity to have a hand in helping to shape the future, not only of our own institutions, but of the world”. Fr Ponce urged Jesuit higher education institutions to adopt the same attitude toward this new age of AI. After all, he noted, the real danger is not that machines will think like humans, but that humans will begin thinking like machines.
Delegates then engaged in a series of workshops facilitated by Galvin Radley L Ngo, Director of the Institute for the Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (SALT Institute) and Faculty Member of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design at the Ateneo de Manila University. The sessions gave delegates ample opportunity to explore various education-related AI platforms and receive guidance on efficient, effective, ethical, and intentional AI use.
These activities underscored that the response to AI should be neither defensive nor fanatical but responsive, recognising the value AI can bring to both work and personal life while affirming what makes us human.
The assembly also provided time for delegates to present collaboration initiatives, including the recently held Global Leadership Program (GLP) hosted by Sogang University in Korea and the Service Learning Program (SLP) hosted by Instituto São João de Brito in Timor-Leste.
The next GLP will be hosted by Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, under the proposed theme “Leadership Laboratory for Sustainable Futures”. SLP 2027 will be hosted by The Beijing Center and held at its satellite office in Kunming, China.
Point persons for various task forces—Mental Health and Spiritual Well-Being, Integral Ecology, Artificial Intelligence, and Democracy—and special projects—Collaborative Online International Learning Activities, Partnerships with The Beijing Center, Ignatian Leadership in Higher Education Training Program, and Magis Microcredentials—provided key updates.
Discussions also included plans for the 2028 IAJU Conference, to be hosted by Sophia University in Tokyo. The group unanimously elected Professor Miki Sugimura, President of Sophia University, as new Association Vice President, succeeding Fr Albertus Bagus Laksana SJ, Rector of Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta, who has been appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Indonesia.
The next AJCU-AP meeting will be held in November at Sogang University, where International Networking Officers will convene to reinforce and operationalise the directions and plans set by the AJCU-AP CEOs. The CEOs will meet again in August next year at Saengtham College – Xavier Campus in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
This article is an extract of the full article that appeared on the AJCU-AP website.
