The lecture begins with a reconstruction of the normative pillars of the idea of the modern university as it has been conceived by Kant, Humboldt and Jaspers. In contrast to contributing to the goal of an enlightened spiritual education envisioned by these philosophers, we witness an increasing spiritual void in the education of professionals. In the second part, two recent attempts aiming at areincorporation of spiritual cultivation in higher education are discussed: Confucian academies in China and mindfulness in the West. The final section formulates preliminary ideas on how universities in the Jesuit tradition could draw on the legacy of Matteo Ricci to contribute to the spiritual turn in modern university education. The underlying pedagogical ideal consists in the capacity of putting oneself in a global perspective while pursuing truth and wholeness.