Composing the Place — Creativity & Imagination in Jesuit Education and the Arts 

Join the Office of Mission Integration for Mission Day programming on Thursday, April 9.

Mission Day deepens Seattle University’s Jesuit and Catholic identity by centering imagination, creativity, and attentive presence. Throughout Mission Week, the campus will host curated passive programs—art installations, Laudato Si’ exhibits, student projects, cultural displays, and interactive mission boards—placed across campus to invite reflection, discovery, and shared experience. 

Mission Day positions the arts as active, living practices that shape how we imagine, understand, and build a more just and humane world—drawing on the Ignatian tradition and Seattle’s vibrant arts landscape.
 

Thursday, April 9, 2026
Pigott Auditorium

Main Program | 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM 

9:30–9:35 AM — Invocation & Land Acknowledgement 
Andrea Fontana, Associate Director for CJE

9:35–9:45 AM — Welcome & Opening Invitation 
Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos, VP for Mission Integration 

9:45–10:30 AM — Keynote Address from Fr. Michael Tunney, S.J.
Creativity, Imagination, and the Jesuit Call to Compose the World — framing imagination as foundational to Jesuit educational practice: discernment, justice, creativity, and building a hopeful future. 

10:30–10:40 AM — Transition & Reflection Break
Light refreshments and brief guided prompts for reflection. 

10:40-11:15 AM— Panel Conversation: Living the Imagination  

11:15–11:25 AM — Presidential Reflection & Invitation Forward
Fr. Steve Sundborg, Interim President   

11:35–12:15PM — Breakout Session 1

12:15–12:30 PM — Lunch & Transition (15 minutes) 

12:30–1:10 PM—Breakout Session 2

1:20–1:30 PM—Closing Reflection
 

Student & Community Engagement with Creative Practice | 1:45 – 5:00 PM 

1:15–5:00 PM — College of Arts and Sciences: 2026 Advanced Studio Art Exhibition 
Seattle University offers Exhibition in Studio Art for students to take a step towards creating a body of work that is uniquely theirs, offering them a chance to go through the process of forming an exhibition. Their work was conceived, created, and installed in 8 weeks.

3:00–5:00 PM — Creative Expressions & Performances 
Student-led performances and open studio-style showcases animate campus as a living canvas—music, movement, spoken word, and visual arts composed in real time. 

About Keynote Speaker Fr. Michael Tunney, S.J.

Fr. Michael Tunney, S.J., serves as Provincial Assistant for Higher Education for the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, collaborating with AJCU presidents and mission leaders across the province. His work focuses on mission integration, creative academic identity, and Ignatian formation in university contexts.

Before his current role, Fr. Tunney served more than two decades at Canisius (Buffalo) as Director of Mission & Identity and Professor of Fine Arts, integrating studio art pedagogy with Ignatian reflection; he also served as Rector of the Canisius Jesuit community. In 2016, he was appointed Rector of the Fairfield Jesuit Community in Connecticut. Fr. Tunney continues to create visual art and offer accessible spiritual reflections for broad audiences.