Upon returning from an Intersections program, retreat and trip participants often want to do something more. What could you do? There is no one-size-fits-all response. Participants take away very different things from these experiences in keeping with their own interests and inclinations.  What seems to work well is when faculty and administrators incorporate some aspect of the retreat or trip into their own work—a new or revised course, a new trajectory or emphasis in an ongoing research agenda, an expanded understanding of advising and mentoring, or new forms of collaboration between existing programs.

To encourage and support these sorts of endeavors, Intersections has created the Kolvenbach grants program, named for Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. in appreciation of his sense of the holistic nature of Jesuit higher education and the need to forge connections between research, teaching, social issues and spirituality.

Up to $1000 is available per grant for proposals that derive from your experiences during an Intersections program. Proposals need not deal directly with educational or scholarly issues raised from the experience. There needs to be some connection, but it's likely to be a personal one, rooted in your own work or other aspects of your life. We're not looking for ideas to transform the university in one fell swoop, but rather for manageable and sustainable ways to build on retreat and trip experiences.