The 2017 CJBE conference (Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education) was hosted at Creighton University July 6-8th.  Over 60 business faculty came from more than 20 Jesuit and other Catholic Universities, from Boston College and Fordham to San Diego and Seattle, and many in between.    The theme this year was “Using Our Work for the Common Good: The Transformative Power of Jesuit-Inspired Business Practices” and presentations were given by faculty from marketing, management, ICT(IT), accounting, economics, business ethics, theology, philosophy, and others.

Fr. Nicky Santos of Marquette and also Fr. Peter Balleis, SJ of Jesuit Worldwide Learning both gave keynote presentations.  There were also keynote panels on the Creighton DBA program which incorporates Ignatian relection and pedagogy and CST principles throughout the 3 year program, as well as on the Economy of Communion (Jeanne Buckey (U St. Thomas), John Gallagher (Maryville C.), and Andy Gustafson (Creighton), and also a leadership course following the footsteps of Ignatius of Loyola in Spain by Chris Lowney and Steven Porth (SJU).

There were 30 presentations total, and each evening there were unique social events– Thursday night at the Omaha Press Club atop the old First National Bank building, Friday night at Hotshops downtown, and Saturday night at Professor Andy Gustafson’s house in Gifford Park.

The CJBE is a unique organization in that it brings together faculty within business who have a special concern to promote Jesuit and Christian thought and values and pedagogy in their classes.  There are few if any organizations like it in other disciplines, even in arts and sciences.

At the CJBE board meeting on Thursday, Creighton’s President Fr. Daniel Hendrickson joined the board of CJBE, along with Fr. Joe Koterski of Fordham University.

The Heider College of Business, Creighton University, and the Business, Faith and Common Good Institute contributed financially to help support the CJBE conference.