A Chronicle article from July 23, 2009 attempts an answer
to the question, “Exactly what
is ‘shared governance?’” Here at the
Heithaus Haven, I'd like to ask a more specific question: What does our Jesuit mission require of us vis-à-vis
shared governance?
I'm an economist.
The unit of analysis in my discipline is the individual. Economists (real ones, anyway) don't actually
care about what’s “good for the country,” or what’s “good for the economy,” or
what’s “good for business.” From an
economic perspective, only individuals matter, and all individuals matter
equally. This is the economic
perspective. Is it also an Ignatian
perspective? I’m going to suppose that
it is. (Please feel free to affirm, refute, and otherwise debate in the
comments.) I’d like to further suggest that at our Catholic, Jesuit institution,
when we consider “shared governance,” we should take care not to forget that
individuals matter.
