St. Joe’s has partnered with Global Philadelphia Association (GPA) to install a public art mural on campus to bring awareness to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 4: Quality Education. 

 The mural is part of a broader campaign in which GPA partners with Mural Arts Philadelphia as well as a sponsor, in this case St. Joe’s, to create public murals that represent each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). 

Zabeth Teelucksingh, executive director of GPA, leads the World Heritage City Project in Philadelphia, which seeks to promote and preserve the city’s historical significance. In 2015. Philadelphia became the first city in the U.S. to be named a World Heritage City. Teelucksingh believes that the SDGs are part of the World Heritage conversation and mission, to collaborate, on both local and international levels, to conserve cultural and natural heritage. 

“In Philadelphia, many of the SDGs are being implemented by universities and big corporations,” Teelucksingh said. “But in the middle there is a whole tract of people that aren’t aware of the goals–nor their importance.”  

The goal of the campaign is to position the city of Philadelphia internationally 

In addition to the mural on campus, St. Joe’s will be partnering with Samuel Gompers Elementary School to create a second mural, linked to SDG No. 4, on Gompers’ campus.  

“It is natural for us to work closely with Gompers as many at St. Joe’s have been doing,” said Shaily Menon, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). “This project was another wonderful opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Gompers.”

Many different departments of the university are involved in the process of creating the mural, sharing its mission and continuing discussions on campus surrounding the SDGs after its completion. 

“Representatives from across CAS, the Haub School of Business, and the School of Health Studies and Education are planning to host several activities, speakers and events in connection with the launch of the mural and beyond,” Menon said.

James P. O’Sullivan, Ph.D., assistant professor of social ethics, has researched the SDG agenda and its connection to human rights in Catholic social teaching. 

“It is enormously important to support the SDG agenda as part of St. Joe’s Jesuit and Catholic identity, which emphasizes responsibilities for the common good and social justice through the promotion of integral human development and the full spectrum of human rights,” O’Sullivan said. 

This collaboration and the broader campaign will be beneficial to a greater community in years to come, O’Sullivan said, as St. Joe’s will be able to claim one of 17 different murals across the city. 

“Together this will raise awareness not only among the St. Joe’s community, but the entire Philadelphia area,” O’Sullivan said. “It can produce many innovative initiatives and new collaborations that represent the type of civil society engagement with the SDG agenda that will be critical for its success.” 

The process for artist selection and finalization of the mural’s concept is still ongoing. The mural is set for completion in the fall 2020 semester.