My education at a Catholic institution has transformed my life. It encouraged me to explore the world from multiple perspectives and helped me develop the skills needed to become an agent of positive change. As someone who has learned and worked in both public and Catholic settings, I have seen the impact and benefit of thinking more broadly about an individual’s holistic formation—celebrating their God-given talents, showing them how to connect with their purpose, and working together to serve the needs of the world. And as a higher education professional, I’ve seen firsthand the power of building an educational model that cultivates an ecosystem of support, grounded in holistic student development.
When earlier generations of my family came to the United States, access to Catholic education transformed my entire family’s trajectory. My grandfather graduated from Seton Hall University and went on to become an educational administrator, which inspired many family members to do the same. His legacy instilled important values that we all share—to serve your community; to treat others with kindness, grace, and compassion; and to leave the world and your community better than you found it. As I explore education options for my daughter, I find myself reflecting on which will best prepare her to be a good person, and I return to Catholic education, which emphasizes holistic formation, reflection on shared values, and experiences that foster empathy, truth, and compassion.
Higher education should be, and is, a laboratory for exploration—an opportunity for individuals to determine who they want to be, what they want to contribute to the world, and how they choose to practice those interests and values daily. Colleges and universities, especially Jesuit, Catholic institutions, are uniquely positioned to utilize their values framework to lead formative research and support holistic development of their communities.
Higher education should be, and is, a laboratory for exploration—an opportunity for individuals to determine who they want to be, what they want to contribute to the world, and how they choose to practice those interests and values daily.
The mission of a Catholic higher education institution requires us to integrate a human-centered approach—one that brings interpersonal components into the knowledge acquisition process. Instead of bifurcating students’ experiences and creating silos for their learning, the framework and mission calls us to explore complex problems alongside shared universal truths—ideas that reinforce our shared humanity. When we know that we have been called to serve a greater purpose, it gives practitioners and learners the opportunity to think deeply about how the liberal arts connect learning to real-time interpersonal behavior and actions.
I chose to work at Boston College (BC) because of its leadership in formative education. As a Jesuit, Catholic institution that infuses Ignatian pedagogy into our holistic model of education and the campus culture, BC seamlessly integrates the principle of cura personalis—care for the whole person—into the framework of all that we do.
As I look toward the future of education, I know that student formation will be key to addressing the growing needs of the world and the ever-evolving demographics of new classes of incoming students. These institutions are poised to address complex problems by preparing individuals with the ability to think critically and compassionately while also differentiating between transactional learning and transformational learning. I am confident in this, because this has been the case for me and for my family. I’m forever grateful for the lessons I learned as a graduate of Seton Hall, an administrator at BC, and a practicing Catholic, because each of those experiences has helped me understand the world, people, and how to better act as a servant leader.
Colleen Dallavalle is associate vice president for student engagement and formation within the Boston College Division of Student Affairs.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Fred Field, Boston College
