Preliminary Assessment of the lgnatian-Centered DBA Program: Building the Next Generation of Ignatian Educators

Students from the inaugural cohort of the lgnatian-Centered Doctorate of Business Administration (IC.DBA) Program at Creighton University, in conjunction with some of their professors, provide preliminary assessments of the impact of the Ignatian Reflection and Formation {IRF) series of courses that run concurrent with the traditional business administration course curriculum in the IC-DBA. The intent of the IRF series was to study and apply the lgnatian approach to business education, including incorporating lgnatian values and pedagogy in reaching and integrating Catholic Social Thought throughout the curriculum. The preliminary results indicate students have not only learned how to apply these techniques, but also have received unanticipated benefits from using the IRF course content and practices as critical personal tools in contemplating their own career transitions.

After a brief overview of the IC-DBA Program (sec Purcell, York and Fichcpain, 2017 for an expanded description of the program), this article will report the proceedings of a panel discussion held at the annual Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education (C)BE) conference. That panel highlighted the multi-faceted benefits of incorporating IRF into graduate-level curricula. The panel also discussed how programs such as the IC-DBA can help build a new generation of lgnatian  educators.