Live together. Learn together. Put what you learn into action.
The Contemplatives in Action Living Learning Community at Canisius University is a year-long academic and residential experience for students who want to explore important issues, learn from different perspectives and work together to make a meaningful impact.
Students from different majors live in community, take a course together and focus on one significant societal challenge throughout the academic year. Along the way, they learn from faculty, experts, community partners and one another before developing a potential solution and putting their ideas into action.
The first Contemplatives in Action cohort will begin in Fall 2027.
What is a Living Learning Community?
A living learning community, or LLC, brings students together around a shared academic experience, connecting life on campus with learning inside and outside the classroom.
The Contemplatives in Action LLC focuses that experience on a real-world issue that students explore throughout the year and ultimately work together to address.
Students will:
- Live and learn alongside a small, interdisciplinary group of classmates
- Take a year-long course centered on a shared societal challenge
- Examine the issue through multiple academic and personal perspectives
- Meet experts and organizations working directly in the field
- Participate in experiential learning opportunities on and off campus
- Develop a proposed response or solution as a group
- Work with a partner organization to move that idea from discussion to action
- Share what they have learned with the Canisius and Buffalo communities
Learning to Reflect and Act
The name Contemplatives in Action comes from a longstanding Jesuit idea: meaningful action begins with reflection.
At Canisius, that means learning to ask deeper questions. What is happening? Who is affected? What perspectives are we missing? And, once we understand an issue more fully, what can we actually do?
Students in the living learning community will have space to wrestle with those questions while developing skills that matter in any field: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, leadership and the ability to work across differences. These are also the kinds of skills employers consistently value because they help graduates navigate complex problems, contribute to teams and turn ideas into action.
A Different Theme Each Year
Each Contemplatives in Action cohort will focus on a selected societal challenge connected to Canisius' Jesuit mission and the work of Jesuit organizations around the world.
A Canisius faculty member with expertise related to that year's topic will serve as the Fitzpatrick Family Professor, leading the academic experience and mentoring participating students.
The inaugural cohort: Media Literacy
The first cohort will begin in fall 2027 under the direction of Maura Snyder, PhD, assistant professor of communication.
Students will explore media literacy, including how information is created, shared, interpreted and manipulated in contemporary society.
They will examine the issue from multiple perspectives and consider questions surrounding information, technology, trust and communication before developing a project designed to make a tangible contribution.
FAQ
Do students need to have a specific major?
No. The program is intentionally interdisciplinary. Bringing together students from different academic backgrounds allows the cohort to examine an issue from a wider range of perspectives.
Is this only a classroom experience?
No. Coursework is one part of the program. Students will also participate in activities, meet with experts, work with outside organizations and collaborate on a project intended to address some aspect of the year's selected challenge.
What are the benefits of joining a living learning community?
Students gain a built-in community of classmates and closer opportunities to work with faculty, experts and community partners. They also get hands-on experience applying what they learn to a complex, real-world challenge.
Along the way, students build skills that are valuable in college and in their careers, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving and leadership. Employers consistently look for graduates who can work effectively with others, consider different perspectives and turn ideas into action.
Made Possible by the Fitzpatrick Family
The Contemplatives in Action Living Learning Community was established through a $2 million endowed gift from the Fitzpatrick Family.
Their support provides long-term funding for faculty leadership, student experiences, visiting experts, community partnerships and the projects developed by each cohort.
The gift reflects a shared belief in the distinctive value of a Jesuit education: helping students connect knowledge with empathy, reflection with action and personal success with a responsibility to the greater good.