Fordham University, along with all 27 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities, is joining a collective initiative to highlight the distinctive worth and foundational impact of a Jesuit education called the “We are Jesuit Educated” campaign.

The campaign, according to John Cecero, vice president for Mission Integration and Ministry, was initiated by a perceived public withdrawal of confidence in the general value of higher education. This led Fordham, along with all other U.S. Jesuit universities, to make a more intentional effort to showcase the value of a Jesuit education to prospective families as well as various donors.

“Relatively few people know about what [a Jesuit education] is,” Cecero said. “And so there’s this campaign to really educate people about what that means.”

The effort to have Fordham join this campaign came from the University’s Office of Marketing and Communications, according to Cecero. Justin Bell, the vice president of Marketing and Communications, said that this campaign aims to showcase the value of investing in a Jesuit education. In an email to The Ram, Bell detailed the rich history of Jesuit education in the United States and its importance.

“While each of our institutions has its own distinct character, we are all rooted in a 500- year-old tradition of academic excellence, critical thinking, and a commitment to forming people ‘for and with others,’” Bell shared. “This campaign serves as a unified invitation to prospective students, parents, and counselors to explore what makes our mission-driven approach to higher education so transformative.”

Bell also said that there are several vital elements to this campaign, including outreach to prospective students and families — especially those attending Catholic institutions — and the recounting of first-hand Jesuit alumni stories about their higher education experience. Bell said that these firsthand perspectives aim to showcase how Jesuit values, such as “Cura Personalis,” or care for the whole person, helped shape them into the individuals they are today.

In addition to outreach, Bell said that the campaign created what he calls a “new, centralized digital gateway where prospective students and families can explore campus profiles, find college fairs, and see the geographic reach of our network,” which is called JesuitEducated.com. The campaign additionally includes an Anthem Video, which, as according to Bell, serves as a general campaign video, acting as a sort of visual flagship for the mission Jesuit higher education institutions share.

A final core element of the campaign, according to Bell, is “Data-Driven Messaging,” an effort to communicate the mission of Jesuit higher education in a way that will resonates with today’s student body. This part was built on recently conducted research on how the public perceives Jesuit education.

“At Fordham, we see the impact of being #JesuitEducated every day in the way our students, faculty, and staff engage with New York City and the world,” Bell said. “We are excited to work alongside our sister schools to share that story on a national stage.”

According to an article printed by Fordham Now, Fordham University’s President Tania Tetlow expressed her support.

“I am pleased that Fordham is joining this campaign,” she said. “With this campaign, we harness the collective power of more than two million Jesuit-educated alumni. The world has never needed the power of Jesuit education more, and we need to spread the word.”

Cecero also explained that he hopes this campaign not only extends the value of a Jesuit education nationwide, but also serves as a catalyst for unifying the mission across Jesuit institutions.

“I want people to know that it’s not just rhetoric,” Cecero said. “Yes, it has a value in strengthening our brand, but it is really an attempt to unify across Jesuit institutions and to articulate who we are in language and in symbols that people can really understand and appreciate. That’s the value of it, really.”

For Cecero, a Jesuit education is about helping students follow their calling and become the individuals they strive to be.

“We hope the students who come to us have those big, scary dreams that they want to reach and tease. And we hope to help them do that. And we hope to nurture them along the way,” Cecero said.

Cecero also explained what he believes defines a Jesuit education.

“[It is] designed to give you room to explore,” Cecero said. “Room to figure out what matters most to you, and the tools in the process of that exploration to learn as much as you can.”