An Assessment of the Institutional Vision of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Robert Abelman & Amy Dalessandro
Cleveland State University & Kent State University
(pp. 223-257) Vol. 12 No. 2; Dec 2008
Institutional vision is a philosophical template—a concept of what, at its best, a college
or university is like and the kinds of human beings that institution is attempting to cultivate. A content analysis of the institutional vision of a nation-wide sample of Catholic schools was performed and key linguistic components found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused mission and vision were isolated. The prevalence of these components in comparison to other types of religious schools and secular four-year institutions is discussed. Findings suggest that Catholic schools are vision-driven institutions that communicate their priorities and defining characteristics by employing clear, highly optimistic, and inspirational language. They do little to articulate effectively a unification among the community of students, faculty, and staff, or coordinate their vision of the institution with that of the administration. They are less likely than other types of religious and secular schools to address the pragmatic benefits of their education.
Hiring to Maintain Mission
Richard D. Breslin
Saint Louis University
(pp. 227-238) Vol. 4 No. 2; Dec 2000
This article is a direct outgrowth of the appearance of Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the need for Catholic colleges and universities to address their hiring practices in order to maintain their identity as Catholic institutions of higher learning. The author draws a parallel between the personal philosophy of individuals within the community and the perceived, if not real, institutional philosophy of the college or university as Catholic. Catholic institutions can lose their souls while climbing the ladder of success and prestige simply because they have paid insufficient attention to the question of the philosophical fit between their employees and their espoused Catholic mission and philosophy. Hiring the right people will determine, in the long run, whether a Catholic college retains its Catholic identity in fact or in theory.
The Good Under Construction and the Research Vocation of a Catholic University
Patrick H. Byrne
Boston College
(pp. 320-338) Vol. 7 No. 3; March 2004
Responding to challenges questioning the possibility of distinctively Catholic higher education, this article seeks to establish an integrated vision for Catholic universities. Relying on the works of Philip Gleason, Ignatius of Loyola, and Bernard Lonergan, the author provides a framework for the important research function of Catholic universities and conceives the mission of Catholic institutions of higher education as contributing to the ongoing, creative, and redemptive work that is ultimately God’s plan for humanity.
What I Overheard in the Sesquicentennial Conversation
Una M. Cadegan
University of Dayton
(pp. 61-75) Vol. 10 No. 1; Sept 2006
Catholic higher education is in many ways still responding to the challenge first articulated by John Tracy Ellis in his 1955 essay. In efforts to promote both a unique Catholic identity and a culture of excellence on par with secular institutions, Catholic universities can learn much from their historical context, founding religious communities, and contemporary experience. This essay suggests some practical applications for campus life and governance that might be culled from a university’s religious history.
Love or Money: Vocational Attitudes of the Catholic School Teacher An Ignatian Analysis of the Walt Disney Company: Lessons for Jesuit Higher Education (Part II)
Michael P. Caruso, S.J.
Loyola Marymount University
(pp. 454-487) Vol. 5 No. 4; June 2002
How do directors of mission and identity at the 28 Jesuit institutions of higher education in the United States perceive campus culture? This article reports the findings of a survey of 27 chief administrators responsible for mission and identity and seeks to use the data obtained to identify similarities and differences in advancing mission and identity between Jesuit higher education and the Walt Disney Company. Based on the survey results, suggestions are made to enhance mission and identity programming, hiring and orientation practices, and the campus culture at Jesuit institutions of higher education. Part One of this study was published as An Ignatian Analysis of the Walt Disney Company: Lessons for Jesuit Higher Education (Caruso, 2002) in Volume 5, Number 3.
Building the Kingdom: School Leaders as Architects of Catholic Culture
Timothy J. Cook
Creighton University
(pp. 133-150) Vol. 2 No. 2; Dec 1998
This essay synthesizes the research on organizational culture and applies that research to the Catholic school setting. Using an architectural metaphor, the author offers a framework and design for school leaders as cultural architects to use in building Catholic culture in
their schools.
The Ideal of a Catholic Education in a Secularized Society
Stefaan E. Cuypers
Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium)
(pp. 426-445) Vol. 7 No. 4; June 2004
This paper argues that the progressive, revisionist reaction within Catholic education and schooling, as well as within Catholicism at large, to the challenge of modernity is a mistake. In view of modernity’s malaises, it advocates instead the affirmation or reaffirmation of the ideal of traditional Catholicism as the only authentic response for Catholics to modern progress. In order to justify the distinctiveness of a traditional Catholic identity and educational project, the paper offers an outline of a distinctively Thomistic educational philosophy. Its defense of the (re)affirmation of the ideal of traditional Catholic education and schooling in secularized society is neither ultra-conservative nor romantic.
The Catholic School:
A Catalyst for Social Transformation Through the Teaching of Gospel Values
Joan L. Dobzanski
Diocese of Manchester
(pp. 319-334) Vol. 4 No. 3; March 2001
The United States Catholic bishops, in their 1998 pastoral statement Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, challenge Catholic educational leaders to address the need for a more explicit and intentional integration of Catholic social teaching into their programs and institutions. This article proposes a model for strengthening a Catholic school system’s commitment to sharing the social doctrine of the Church through critical examination of its identity, mission, and culture.
Communicating Identity and the Challenge of Ex Corde Ecclesiae
Anthony J. Dosen
DePaul University
(pp. 170-204) Vol. 4 No. 2; Dec 2000
Arguing that the current challenge in Catholic higher education to implement the norms of Ex Corde Ecclesiae is largely a conflict of different world views, the author describes three competing visions of Church—pistic, charismatic, and mystical—and offers three “lenses” to clarify each vision: functional, interpretive, and post-modern. A textual analysis of Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the 1993 and 1999 drafts of ordinances of the National Catholic Conference of Bishops (NCCB) reveals a world view at odds with most Catholic universities.
Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Culture, and the Catholic University
Mario O. D’Souza, CSB
University of St. Michael’s College
(pp. 215-232) Vol. 6 No. 2; Dec 2002
Catholic institutions of higher education continue to wrestle with the demands of John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae. This article looks beyond the juridical aspects of implementation and focuses on culture as a way to explore the contribution of Catholic colleges and universities to the broader life of the Church and to the wider academy. Popular culture, with its dependence on visual imagery and entertainment, creates a particular challenge for advancing the unique mission and identity of Catholic institutions.
Assessing Catholic Identity:
A study of Mission Statements of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Sandra M. Estanek, Michael J. James, & Daniel A. Norton
Canisius College, Boston College & Nazareth College
(pp. 199-217) Vol. 10 No. 2; Dec 2006
Since the publication of Ex Corde Ecclesiae (John Paul II, 1990), Catholic colleges and universities have become more deliberate and intentional regarding their institutional and Catholic identity. This article continues the conversation about catholic identity as it relates to student outcomes, and proposes some preliminary strategies for assessment.
The Catholic Mind: Culture, Philosophy, and Responsibility in Higher Education
William A. Frank
University of Dallas
(pp. 205-217) Vol. 4 No. 2; Dec 2000
This article argues that any quest to establish or strengthen Catholic identity in educational institutions is ultimately a question of philosophical foundations. The author discusses the importance and fragility of culture as it applies to Catholic though and analyzes the philosophical components necessary for sustaining a dominant cultural ethos. This article concludes with a tentative formulation of four responsibilities of professors in Catholic institutions of higher learning.
The Adventist Schools: Development and Challenges
Lyndon G. Furst
Andrews University
(pp. 515-526) Vol. 5 No. 4; June 2002
The Seventh-day Adventist denomination operates schools and colleges around the globe. Beginning in 1853 with a small home school, the church’s systems includes over 4,500 elementary and 1,100 secondary schools, as well as 95 colleges and universities. This article briefly presents the development of this system and the philosophy that undergirds the education offered by the schools. Maintaining the unique identity of the Adventist schools is a special challenge for the future. Other challenges faced by the schools are briefly discussed.
The Identity of American Catholic Higher Education: A Historical Overview
Matthew Garrett
Loras College
(pp. 229-247) Vol. 10 No. 2; Dec 2006
American Catholic higher education has faced and overcome challenges, both from American higher education and Vatican officials, in its long and rich history. Georgetown College’s founding in 1789 was the first of several Catholic higher education institutions created in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The 20th century brought the challenges of accrediting agencies and mixed communication with The Vatican, including Pope John Paul II’s (1990) Ex Corde Ecclesiae. This document attempts to clarify the nature of a Catholic
institution’s identity.
Ex Corde Ecclesiae: Promises and Challenges
Francis George
Archbishop of Chicago
(pp. 239-253) Vol. 4 No. 2; Dec 2000
How does the mission of the university relate to the mission that Christ gave his Church? This article explores the presuppositions that preceded Ex Corde Ecclesiae and offers an analysis of the recently approved ordinances for its implementation. Candid discussion of the challenges that remain in the implementation process concludes the article. Calling the 1967 Land O’ Lakes Statement by the presidents of the major American Catholic universities “not the path to follow,” the author explains how a successful implementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae might look.
The History and Future of Private Education in the United States:
Charles L. Glenn
Boston University
(pp. 427-444) Vol. 1 No. 4; June 1998
In the early Republic, no simple distinction between public and private schools existed. With the advent of the common school, a system of government-sponsored schools emerged. Hostility to nonpublic schools, especially Catholic ones, developed because of the fear that they would undermine the foundation of civil and political order. This hostility has historically been expressed through regulation and denial of funding. Currently, private schools are experiencing a more favorable public attitude because of a widespread disillusionment with public schools. The future of private schools depends on how faithfully they express a distinctive and worthy character to their institutions.
The Culture of Catholic Schools
James L. Heft, S.M.
The University of Dayton
(pp. 27-36) Vol. 1, No. 1; Sep 1997
This article explores the elusive but important role culture plays in making Catholic schools distinctive. It examines the connection between ritual, especially the Eucharist, and the everyday practices and habits of those who constitute the school community. It further examines the relationship between dogma and dialogues, affirming that both are necessary for Christian life and community.
Newman’s Vision of a University: Then and Now
James L. Heft, S.M.
Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, University of Southern California
(pp. 357-375) Vol. 10 No. 3; March 2007
Catholic universities face many challenges today. Increasing secularization, faculty salaries, external funding, Catholic identity, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy are among the most prominent. This essay examines the contributions of John Henry Newman to Catholic higher education and argues for their relevance today.
The Generation to Come: Lutheran Education in the United States
John Isch
Martin Luther College
(pp. 527-540) Vol. 5 No. 4; June 2002
After a brief look at the historical origin of Lutheran education, this article provides an overview of contemporary Lutheran schools, educational philosophy, and future trends. The history, structure, and struggles of Lutheran education share many elements with Catholic education.
An Organizing Framework for Specifying and Maintaining Catholic Identity in American Catholic Higher Education
Christopher M. Janosik
Villanova University
(pp. 15-32) Vol. 3 No. 1; Sept 1999
All Catholic institutions are increasingly involved in discussions about what constitutes Catholic identity. It is a pressing question for schools, universities, hospitals, and social service agencies. As the debate proceeds on the possible implementation of formal norms for Catholic universities according to Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the question of Catholic identity becomes a most crucial for Catholic colleges and universities. Through a content analysis of literature on Catholic higher education, the author suggests a framework for specifying the content of Catholic identity. Within a structure of three major influences which are delineated in 18 categories, Catholic identity is described as a rich and multifaceted phenomenon.
Values Infusion: A Systematic Response to Catholic Identity
Mary Jane Krebbs
Archdiocese of New York
(pp. 306-314) Vol. 3 No. 3; March 2000
This article explains how the Archdiocese of New York responded to the need for making its values-based approach to education more conspicuous and formal. Through ECOS, a curricular change process, the Office of the Superintendent of Schools spearheaded a dialog and a program focusing on Catholic identity and values infusion as one source for the resurgence of that identity.
Clouded Horizons: Catholic Higher Education in the Coming Decade
Martin F. Larrey
Marymount University
(pp. 414-426) Vol. 1 No. 4; June 1998
Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States are increasingly finding themselves at risk concerning their survival because of potential threats in five principal areas: 1) changing delivery systems, 2) a failure of management, 3) Catholic identity and religious affiliation, 4) competitive price structures, and 5) the volatility of enrollment. Yet there is no remorseless law of entropy to which Catholic colleges and universities are inexorably bound. There are many choices facing us, some better than others, and only a few really bad. Two of the latter are: to do nothing or, worse, to continue to do things the way we have been doing them. This essay suggests lines of approach that, taken together, offer hope for escape from the present situation and point to long term success.
A Rationale for Special Education in Catholic Schools
Thomas J. Long & Merylann J. Schuttloffel
The Catholic University of America
(pp. 443-452) Vol. 9 No. 4; June 2006
Debates about inclusive education for students with special needs challenge Catholic educators to develop a rationale consistent with Catholic theology and Church teaching. Guided by the rationale, arguments are made for the role Catholic schools, seminaries, and Catholic higher education should contribute to realize an inclusive Church. Contemplative practice offers a process for engaging Catholic identity with school practitioner decision making for implementing inclusion. This article posits that the rationale for Catholic special education reflects an authentic understanding of Catholic identity within Catholic learning communities.
Gay and Lesbian Students in Catholic High Schools: A Qualitative Study of Alumni Narratives
Michael J. Maher
Loyola University Chicago
(pp. 449-472) Vol. 10 No. 4; June 2007
The Catholic Magisterium has made a distinction between homosexual orientation (disordered but not sinful), homosexual activity (sinful, but judged “with prudence”), rights of gay and lesbian people, and the Church’s pastoral responsibilities to gay and lesbian people. Both the Vatican and the American bishops have clearly stated that the topic of homosexuality must be addressed in Catholic education, but the emphases on how it is addressed differ between the Vatican (emphasis on finding causes and cures) and the American bishops (providing pastoral care and inclusion). This article deals with the experiences of gay and lesbian youth in Catholic high schools. It is based on in-depth interviews with 25 (12 female and 13 male) gay and lesbian alumni who attended Catholic high schools in the 1980s and 1990s. What emerged is a theme of “disintegration.” Things simply did not fit together in their lives in the areas of family, peers, school, spirituality, and identity. This is in stark contrast with Catholic teaching, which proposes that the purpose of Catholic education is the integration of all these areas.
Enhancing Catholic Identity: The Genesis of a National Consortium
Timothy J. McNiff
Diocese of Arlington
(pp. 353-359) Vol. 2 No. 3; March 1999
This article describes a new program specifically designed to assist Catholic school administrators. The genesis for this program and the creation of the Consortium for Catholic School Identity which sponsors it are the result of a grant from Our Sunday Visitor Foundation. The Consortium, a diverse team of professional Catholic school educators, is now positioned to offer a unique and innovative series of national seminars to support principals in their efforts to enhance the Catholic identity of their schools.
How Can We Sing the Song of the Lord?”
Nathan D. Mitchell
University of Notre Dame
(pp. 72-89) Vol. 4 No. 1; Sept 2000
What conditions make worship possible? What theology best supports our public worship? This article explores what we might call the conditions for the possibility of good worship. Reviewing the work of Jean-Luc Marion and Catherine Pickstock, the author challenges those charged with leadership to attend to the power of liturgy, especially as it affects our identity. Communal worship, properly understood and celebrated, can shape beliefs, values, behaviors, and vision of Catholic school leaders.
Effecting a University’s Mission: The Praxis of Charism
Robert J. Murray, O.S.A.
Villanova University
(pp. 49-70) Vol. 6 No. 1; Sept 2002
Religious communities engaged in educational ministry have been challenged by the Second Vatican Council both to reappropriate the initial charism of their founders and to review their ministry in the schools staffed by their communities. Compounding this challenge has been the shift in the number of members of the founding congregations in their faculties. This article reframes the discussion in terms of an issue of committed culture. After presenting a theological foundation and sociohistorical critique of charism, a praxis model for mission effectiveness as it is applied to student orientation within a Catholic university setting will be introduced.
A Catholic Future for Catholic Higher Education? The State of the Question
David J. O’Brien
College of the Holy Cross
(pp. 37-50) Vol. 1, No. 1; Sept 1997
Catholic higher education is prospering, but most colleges and universities exhibit uncertainty about their specifically Catholic mission and identity. For 30 years, these schools have lived with the consequences of separate incorporation, as religious orders passed control to mixed boards of trustees and the institutions sought to improve the quality of their programs. Now their faculty and staffs are lay, highly professional, and religiously very diverse. If the institutions are to be meaningfully Catholic, trustees, faculty, and professional staff must develop programs which foster Catholic intellectual life and influence the work of teaching, research, and service. In doing so, they have reason for confidence, because the tradition is rich and the contemporary Church is filled with resources, but also for modesty, for there are no blueprints for Catholic scholarship and teaching. The keys are commitment, the decision to be constructively Catholic, conversation, willingness to engage the entire community in a dialogue about the religious dimensions of academic life, and competence.
Student Affairs Professionals at Catholic Colleges and Universities: Honoring Two Philosophies
Molly A. Schaller & Kathleen M. Boyle
University of Dayton & University of St. Thomas
(pp. 163-180) Vol. 10 Num. 2; Dec 2006
Student affairs professionals are encouraged by their professional organizations to recognize the responsibility they have to their institutions by “supporting its mission, goals and policies” (American College Personnel Association [ACPA], 2006, p. 6) and by avoiding conflicts of interest between the self and the college or university (national Association of Student Personnel Administrators [NASPA], 1990), others point out that most students affairs professionals are educated at secular universities and experience little preparation regarding the Catholic intellectual tradition (Estanek, 2001). The purpose of this study was to explore the following questions: Are there student affairs professionals at Catholic colleges and universities who are able to bring together a student affairs philosophy with that of catholic colleges and universities? If these professionals do exist, what can we learn from their knowledge and approaches that might help other student affairs professionals at Catholic colleges and universities to honor both philosophies? The results suggest that a great deal can be learned from seasoned professionals in Catholic student affairs, which may well assist new professionals in negotiating these two different philosophies.
The University Consortium For Catholic Education (UCCE):
A Response to Sustain and Strengthen Catholic Education
Paige A. Smith
John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
(pp. 321-342) Vol. 10 No. 3; March 2007
This article examines the current and potential contributions of the University Consortium for Catholic Education (UCCE) to both K-12 and higher Catholic education. In order to situate the development of alternative teacher preparation programs, a history of Catholic teacher formation is addressed followed by a brief summary of the existing programs that comprise the UCCE. Attention is given to the essential nature of a Catholic educator’s responsibility to deepen Catholic identity through authentic education in collaboration with the family and how recent college graduates who matriculate in UCCE programs are formed to respond to
this task.
The Purpose of a Student Affairs Preparation Program within Jesuit Higher Education
Jeremy Stringer & Erin Swezey
Seattle University
(pp. 181-198) Vol. 10 No. 2; Dec 2006
This article addresses the congruence of a student affairs professional preparation program within Jesuit higher education. It connects the mission of Jesuit education and Jesuit religious and educational principles to the philosophy of student affairs work in colleges and universities. A program in student development administration at Seattle University is presented as an example of how a student affairs preparation program honors Jesuit principles.
Pragmatism and a ‘Catholic’ Philosophical Anthropology”
James Swindal
John Carroll University
(pp. 71-95) Vol. 6 No. 1; Sept 2002
Catholic identity is often discussed in relation to institutions such as schools and hospitals. Catholic identity can also be investigated in relationship to various disciplines, including philosophy, anthropology, and psychology. This article builds a bridge to neoscholastic thought in articulating a philosophical anthropology which strives to maintain a Catholic identity and focus. The work of Charles Taylor, a leading Catholic philosopher, is presented in an effort to place the existential problem of personal agency within a Catholic framework.
Tradition and Innovation at Catholic Universities: Ideas from Bernard Lonergan
Donna Teevan
Seattle University
(pp. 308-319) Vol. 7 No. 3; March 2004
This article discusses applications of Lonergan’s thinking on tradition and innovation to the world of Catholic education. Even now, at the beginning of the 21st century and 20 years after his death, it is worthwhile to explore his understanding of tradition and innovation, with attention to how it related to the Catholic intellectual culture of his own time, and more importantly, how it might contribute to an understanding of the identity of Catholic educational institutions in today’s period of great transition. In recent years, faculty members and administrators at Catholic universities have been engaged in many discussions about the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic higher education. Most of the attention in these conversations has gone to the issue of what it means to be Catholic. The next step is to explore what it means to have a tradition. Thus, this essay examines the usefulness of one leading 20th century Catholic intellectual’s approach to tradition as it relates to Catholic education in general and to Catholic universities in particular.
The Sacred and the Secular: Aligning a Marianist Mission with Professional Standards of Practice in an Educational Leadership Doctoral Program
Darla J. Twale & Carolyn S. Ridenour
University of Dayton
(pp. 181-196) Vol. 7 No. 2; Dec 2003
This inquiry was conducted to explore how the characteristics of our university’s religious mission are interwoven into our educational leadership doctoral program and are manifest in the structure and learning experiences that our students encounter. We examined how these characteristics might correspond to or relate to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards that resulted from national reform initiatives in educational leadership in the mid 1990s. We concluded that the foundations of the PhD program are built solidly on the distinctive characteristics and identity of our founders and are aligned with these professional standards as well. Implications for universities include our conclusion that when the distinctive mission of a university aligns with the professional standards of a field, more effective leadership preparation will result.
The Past Is Prologue: American Catholic Education and the New Century
Timothy Walch
Hoover Presidential Library
(pp. 355-363) Vol. 4 No. 3; March 2001
The author of a recent history of American Catholic education points to three ongoing traditions—tenacity, adaptability, and identity—as evidence that parochial education will continue well into the next century. In this personal essay, Walch challenges pessimistic assessment of Catholic education that appeared in Phi Delta Kappan. He also highlights other, more positive assessments of Catholic schooling. Walch concludes that even though American Catholic parochial education will never again attain the position of influence it had in the mid-20th century, parish schools will remain important education laboratories for the
coming century.
What Does it Mean to Be Human? Education for World Citizenship
Alan T. Wood
University of Washington, Bothell
(pp. 96-110) Vol. 6 No. 1; Sept 2002
What is the purpose of education in a democracy? What is the meaning of freedom? These questions are explored in depth in this essay as the author attempts to expand the conversation between private and public education. Without reference to religious purposes or Gospel mandates, the article explores possible responses to ultimate questions of meaning by mining language, history, biology, and technology for answers.