Living the Mission

Research and Scholarship

Research and Scholarship that explore salient social questions, examine social issues through the lens of Jesuit and Mercy traditions, and highlight diversity, equity, inclusion and justice are just some ways that faculty integrate the mission into their academic work.

Teaching

Teaching that is student-centered and mission-inspired invites students into an intellectual life that is reflective and directed toward action. Faculty, staff and administrators are committed to delivering an education attentive to students as whole persons--that is, as intellectual, physical, social and spiritual beings.

Service and Community Engagement

Service and Community Engagement are foundational Mercy and Jesuit commitments expressed in the many community-engaged learning opportunities offered through Service Learning courses, clinics, co-ops and immersion experiences. Faculty, staff and administrators also serve the City of Detroit in various roles as active community members, leaders and experts sharing their time and expertise.

Faith & Spiritual Practice

University of Detroit Mercy draws from the rich spiritual tradition of the Catholic Church, particularly as practiced by the Society of Jesus and the Religious Sisters of Mercy. The two founding religious orders, deeply rooted in the Catholic faith, believe the presence of God dwells in all things and honors the diverse ways in which other faith traditions express their experience of God and transcendence.

As such, opportunities abound for learning about the richness of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Ignatian Spirituality, and the spirituality of the Sisters of Mercy in a manner that is enriched by the ecumenical and interreligious community that is Detroit Mercy.

Faithful to the invitation of the Catholic Church since Vatican II for unity and fellowship among all peoples of all faiths, the call of the Jesuits to dialogue with religions and cultures, and the lived experience of ecumenism inherited from Catherine McAuley, the University creates space for each to express their religious, spiritual and humanistic commitments while honoring that of others.