Intersections has created the Kolvenbach grants program, named for Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., in appreciation of his sense of the holistic nature of Jesuit higher education and the need to forge connections between research, teaching, social issues聽and spirituality.
Experience the Kolvenbach grants program
Upon returning from an Intersections program, retreat and trip participants often want to do something more. What could you do? There is no one-size-fits-all response. Participants take away very different things from these experiences in keeping with their own interests and inclinations.聽 What seems to work well is when faculty and administrators incorporate some aspect of the retreat or trip into their own work鈥攁 new or revised course, a new trajectory or emphasis in an ongoing research agenda, an expanded understanding of advising and mentoring, or new forms of collaboration between existing programs.
To encourage and support these sorts of endeavors, Intersections has created the Kolvenbach grants program, named for Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. in appreciation of his sense of the holistic nature of Jesuit higher education and the need to forge connections between research, teaching, social issues聽and spirituality.
Up to $1000 is available per grant for proposals that derive from your experiences during an Intersections program. Proposals need not deal directly with educational or scholarly issues raised from the experience. There needs to be some connection, but it's likely to be a personal one, rooted in your own work or other aspects of your life. We're not looking for ideas to transform the university in one fell swoop, but rather for manageable and sustainable ways to build on retreat and trip experiences.
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In a speech delivered at Santa Clara University in 2000, Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the former Superior-General of the Society of Jesus, had this to say about the connections between direct experience, intellectual inquiry, and constructive engagement in Jesuit higher education:聽
"When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may be challenged to change. Personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is the catalyst for solidarity, which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral reflection. Students, in the course of their formation, must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering, and engage it constructively."
Discussions at Intersections programs often center on the聽濒补肠办听of integration between experience, inquiry, and engagement in the lives of Boston College undergraduates. The academic programs and intellectual interests of our students are sometimes disconnected from formative experiences in which they participate. Faculty and administrators who participate in Intersections programs may face similar issues of connection and integration in their own lives.聽
Jesuits often use the term聽magis, the Latin word for more. Derived from the motto of the Society of Jesus,聽Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam聽("For the greater glory of God"),聽magis聽for our purposes means looking at something more closely, delving a bit more deeply, and making connections between the experiences that we've had and the work that we do.聽
Upon returning from an Intersections experience, retreat and trip participants often want to do something with their group鈥攖o keep the group together through meetings or common projects. We completely understand and appreciate this sentiment, having felt it often ourselves.聽 But our experience in Intersections suggests that this doesn't work. Once back on campus, we all get drawn back into our own pursuits, be they administrative or academic. Given the reality of our day to day lives, it is difficult to find the time and energy to contribute in substantive ways to new projects and programs unrelated to what we are already doing.
奥丑补迟听does聽seem to work well is when faculty and administrators incorporate some aspect of the retreat or trip into their own work鈥攁 new or revised course, a new trajectory or emphasis in an ongoing research agenda, an expanded understanding of advising and mentoring, or new forms of collaboration between existing programs.聽
What could you do? There's no one-size-fits-all response. Participants take away very different things from these programs, in keeping with their own interests and inclinations. For examples of what some colleagues have done with Kolvenbach grants, along with some of their own thoughts about their experiences, see the "Faculty Experiences" tab, below.聽
- Applications will be accepted twice a year: at the end of January and the end of July.
- Applications should be roughly 2-3 pages in length and should include the following:
- Explain the connections between your trip or retreat and your proposal. Was there a particular conversation, speaker, event, or experience that led to your proposal?
- Describe your proposed plan: what is it that you intend to do? What is your projected time line? How does your proposal relate to your current work? If your proposal involves a spiritual retreat, explain why you want to do it and what you hope to get out of it.
- For proposals that involve collaboration with others, identify your collaborators, briefly describe conversations that you've had with them, and explain the nature and duration of the collaboration.
- Explain the connections between your trip or retreat and your proposal. Was there a particular conversation, speaker, event, or experience that led to your proposal?
- Grant recipients agree to provide Intersections with a short write-up about their project or activity once completed, for use on our website.
- Please email applications and all related material to Burt Howell, Director of Intersections, at聽howellbu@bc.edu.