Hiring for Mission Resources

Download Mission Resources

Reflect on USF’s Vision, Mission, and Values statement. 

Watch how USF colleagues are Living the Mission.

Discuss Father General Arturo Sosa, SJ’s address to the world gathering of Jesuit Universities, “The University as a Source of Reconciled Life” (2018) 
 

For Search Committees, Department Chairs, and Hiring Managers

Searching, hiring, and onboarding colleagues provides an occasion to reflect on what makes USF unique. We encourage you to take some time as a department or search committee to think about what drew you to USF, how you understand the university’s vision and values, and how you and your division contribute to our mission. We hope these resources will help you think consciously and deliberately about mission in the hiring process. 

Some questions to consider: 

  • What aspects of USF’s vision, mission, and values most resonate with you?  How would you communicate USF’s mission to a prospective candidate?
  • How has your understanding of USF’s mission developed over time? What experiences contributed to your development in relation to mission?
  • How do you and your division contribute to USF’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice? How might these values inform what you are looking for in a candidate? 
  • What, in your view, distinguishes USF from other university settings-- public, secular private, other Catholic and/or Jesuit?  
  • How do you understand Sosa’s vision of the university as an agent of social transformation?  
  • How do you see USF responding to the challenges and opportunities Sosa puts forth to the global gathering of Jesuit universities? How might this inform what you are looking for in a candidate? 

For Candidates

USF is one of nearly 200 Jesuit universities around the world with a shared mission to promote depth, discernment, and the preferential option for the poor through transformative education. The way USF lives out its Jesuit Catholic mission is shaped by the rich diversity of our community and the San Francisco Bay Area. As you prepare for an interview at USF, we invite you to consider how you understand our vision and values and how you might contribute to our mission. 

  • What aspects of USF’s vision, mission, and values most resonate with you? Does anything in particular heighten your interest to work at USF? 
  • USF’s commitment to diversity, social justice and academic freedom flows from its Jesuit Catholic heritage.  What prior experiences and resources do you bring to contribute to these commitments? 
  • Grounded in Catholic social thought, and cura personalis (care for the whole person) USF celebrates the dignity of all workers and envisions a community where everyone can develop as persons. What prior experiences and resources do you bring to contribute to this vision? 
  • What, in your view, distinguishes USF from other university settings-- public, secular private, other Catholic and/or Jesuit?  What makes you a good fit for this setting? 
  • If you were hired, what would you need to deepen your knowledge of USF’s mission?