JSRI Fellow

Loyola University New Orleans is a Catholic, Jesuit university, located in the heart of the  picturesque Uptown neighborhood in New Orleans. For more than 100 years, Loyola has helped  shape the lives of our students, as well as the history of our city and the world, through educating  men and women in the Jesuit traditions of academic excellence and service to others. Our more  than 50,000 living graduates serve as catalysts for change in their communities around the world  as they exemplify the comprehensive, values-laden education they received at Loyola. 

The JSRI Fellow is an extraordinary faculty member in the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) department. JSRI Research Associates report to the JSRI Executive Director. 

The Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) was founded in 2007 to transform the Gulf South  through action research, analysis, education, and advocacy on the core issues of poverty, race,  and migration through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. As part of an organizational  restructuring, JSRI will be accomplishing this mission by focusing on issues related to the  criminal legal system in Louisiana. JSRI is a collaboration of Loyola University New Orleans  and the United States Central and Southern (UCS) Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). 

In 2022, JSRI launched a prison education program at Loyola, beginning with credit-bearing courses offered to incarcerated students and staff at Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, LA. Currently 40 incarcerated students and 20 correctional employees are taking Loyola courses. The prison education program strives to bring the full Loyola experience to the prison and integrate the students into our community, thereby contributing to Loyola University New Orleans’ mission to welcome students of diverse backgrounds and prepare them to lead meaningful lives with and for others; to pursue truth, wisdom, and virtue; and to work for a more just world. 

The JSRI Fellow supports initiatives related to race, poverty and migration to fulfill JSRI’s mission to transform the Gulf South through research, education, advocacy, and service on race, poverty, and migration. The JSRI Fellow interacts with a variety of community and campus partners on behalf of JSRI to advance our priorities and programming. 

The JSRI Fellow will provide research, writing, and advocacy on topics related to prisons, as well as contribute teaching and research capacity to support ongoing and emerging efforts to expand higher education in prisons across Louisiana and nationally. Specifically, the JSRI Fellow will work with JSRI staff and faculty to support the implementation and growth of a prison education program at Loyola University New Orleans by improving program services including tutoring and event planning. The Fellow will also teach courses and support educational programming on Loyola’s campus and in Rayburn Correctional Center. 

The JSRI Fellow may also work with consultants and affiliated faculty members, in addition to supervising staff members, work study students, and interns. 

1. Teaching: Design and teach 1-2 courses per semester at Loyola University New Orleans either on campus or at an offsite instructional location 

1. Programming Support: 

   1. Developing and delivering professional development and training opportunities to support tutors and students at the Loyola at Rayburn prison education program and Café con Ingles 

   2. Collaborate with partners to plan and implement Ignatian retreats (audiences: incarcerated students, JSRI staff and faculty, community leaders)

1. Event Planning and Coordination:

   1. Contribute to planning and leading JSRI events including Teach-ins on Mass Incarceration for high school and college students, Second Chance Month programming, and other events to engage JSRI’s stakeholders (Loyola, Jesuits, and general public)

2. Communications:

   1. Publish articles and media uplifting JSRI’s work and topics related to the Core Issues of Race, Poverty, and Immigration

3. Partnerships:

   1. Collaborate with Jesuit Prison Education Network leaders to plan and participate in membership meetings, working groups, and conferences

   2. Collaborate with other stakeholders on campus, in local communities, and across Jesuit works to advance JSRI’s mission and priorities

• A master's degree or terminal degree in a field related to the mission of JSRI (e.g. sociology, political  science, law, humanities, etc.). 

• Experience in social science, political science, social work, law, criminal  justice advocacy or a related field. 

• Interest or expertise in issues related to the criminal legal system. 

• Commitment to foster and promote Catholic Social Teaching and the Jesuit tradition of  “the faith that does justice” as an integral part of the University’s overall intellectual commitment to research, teaching excellence and service. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

• Effective skills in editing and presenting ideas and concepts.

• Ability to relate well with numerous types of people: administration, faculty, staff, students, and JSRI constituency

• Ability to take initiative and to be flexible in order to collaborate in JSRI as it develops and grows new programs

• Ability to work well with the director, faculty, and staff

• Willingness to travel throughout the state of Louisiana and across the US, supporting programming in prisons as well as attending relevant meetings and conferences, adjusting work schedule as needed 

• Note: this position requires residence in the New Orleans area 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Teaching experience at the K-12 or post-secondary level

• Humanities and humanistic social science research experience and skills

• All applicants are welcome. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, women, LGBTQ, and formerly incarcerated candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Employment Terms

Works under a twelve-month contract for the length of the placement

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to complete above duties with or without reasonable accommodations.