Right and Wrong

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS, July 1 — Nearly three-quarters of college seniors said they have been taught that “what is right and wrong depends on differences in individual values and cultural diversity,” according to a Zogby poll conducted for the association, a group that advocates a traditional curriculum.

“When students … [are] convinced that ethical standards are simply a matter of individual choice they are less likely to be reliably ethical in their … careers,” the report said.

Noting a “politicization of ethical standards” in education, the report found that students think a diverse work force and “minimizing environmental pollution” were more important than a company's obligations to stockholders.

Name Change

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY, June 23 — St. Joseph Hospital of Omaha, Neb., has been absorbed by Creighton's Health Science Division and is now known as the Creighton University Medical Center, the university announced.

“The new name clarifies the position of St. Joseph Hospital as the teaching hospital of Creighton University,” said a university press release. The religious identity of the hospital, established by the Sisters of Mercy in 1870, will be preserved “through the university's link with the Jesuits at Creighton. The Catholic litany will remain on the hospital wall that identifies St. Joseph as the patron saint of the hospital.”

New Programs

FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY OF STEUBENVILLE, June 28 — The university has established new undergraduate majors for the fall semester in German and legal studies, according to press releases. A bachelor of arts degree in German was developed partly because of student demand, which has only grown since the university brought its study-abroad program to Austria. A bachelor of arts degree in legal studies, the university said, will prepare graduates for a range of careers as paralegals in the legal profession, government and business.

Irish Summer School

BOSTON COLLEGE, June 23 — The spirited cadence of step dancing and the distinctive tunes of fiddles, tin whistles, harps, accordions and pipes filled the air as the Jesuit college hosted its annual Gaelic Roots Music, Song and Dance Summer School in June. Run by BC's Irish Studies Program, the summer school includes detailed instruction in Irish dance and music.

Voucher Boost

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONTIOR, July 1 — Catholics are among the wide array of Americans who are seeking to expand the school-choice movement following the Supreme Court's approval of school vouchers.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, for example, has built two new schools in the city center in three years with the help of the nation's first privately funded voucher program. Supporters told the Monitor they hope to see those private scholarships augmented by public vouchers.

The newspaper also reported that “some church-based groups … worry that vouchers could introduce unwanted government regulation, compromising the mission of sectarian schools.”

Good PR

PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF AMERICA, June 20 — The society's Buffalo/Niagara Chapter presented the Canisius College public relations staff with six Excalibur Awards. Debra Park, director of public relations at the Jesuit college, led the group by receiving the May C. Randazzo Outstanding Practitioner Award.