Artists More Spiritual?

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, June 17 — A recent poll by the University of California at Los Angeles has found that college fine-arts majors display the highest level of religious commitment of any discipline.

Of the 3,680 college students polled by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, 62% of fine-arts majors reported having a “high” level of spiritual commitment compared with 43% of biology majors and 37% of sociology majors, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Religious commitment, a co-director of the study said, is defined as those “searching for meaning and purpose” in their lives.

War Fort or Church?

NAPLES DAILY NEWS (Florida), June 13 — A piece of histor y might hinder plans for Ave Maria University's development near Naples, Fla. The culprit? An old Seminole Indian war fort.

Although historians say the fort — which was used to force Seminole Indians from the area — was abandoned after only a few months in the mid-1800s, they argue that at least a section of the land on which the university is planning to build holds significance.

Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, the school's chancellor, said if the land does include a part of histor y, he would like to see it preser ved properly. However, he said, “I hope it's not where we're hoping to build our church.”

Bye to Benedictine

THE KANSAS CITY STAR, June 16 — Benedictine College in Atchinson, Kan., is losing its president, Daniel Carey. Carey has been named president of Edgewood College in Madison, Wis.

Carey became head of Benedictine, a liberal-arts college of about 1,000 students, in 1995, the Kansas City Star reported. Edgewood College, also a Catholic liberal-ar ts school, has about 2,500 students.

Benedictine's board has named John Murr y, who retired as head of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kan., in 1977, as interim president.

Franciscan University is one of the mandatum schools at www.ncregister.com.

Shepherd's Award

FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY, June 16 — Father Rober t Bedard, founder of the Companions of the Cross in Ottawa, has received Franciscan University of Steubenville's 2004 Shepherd's Award for offering “care and concern for priests, seminarians and lay people,” according to a press release from the school.

Third Order Regular Franciscan Father Michael Scan-lan, the university's chancellor, said the Companions of the Cross is “a Eucharistic, Marian, charismatic community committed to the magisterium.”

He presented the award at the annual Priests, Deacons and Seminarians Conference on June 10.

Franciscan University is one of the mandatum schools at www.ncregister.com.

Financial Boost

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, June 17 — Catholic high schools in inner-city Boston received a financial boost June 17 when the Boston Foundation gave $100,000 to help fund recruitment drives.

Beginning in the fall, the schools won't be able to rely on the Archdiocese of Boston for subsidies, the Associated Press repor ted. The Catholic Schools Foundation, star ted by mutual fund guru Peter Lynch, wrote the grant request for the four schools and will match the award.