Keep Campuses Catholic
, Sept. 30 — In a keynote address to a conference on Catholic higher education at Notre Dame University, historian Philip Gleason argued that today's popular “peace and justice education,” like the old liberal-arts education, asks, “How should we live?”
In contrast to earlier periods of American Catholic history, however, Gleason does not offer how this question is being answered in a distinctively Catholic way.
Catholic colleges in the 19th century were not unique because they were religious. But “being Catholic made them distinctive,” he said.
Likewise, he said, a rise in neo-Scholastic philosophy in the 1920s provided a synthesis of faith and reason that made Catholic education distinctive.
A counter-cultural witness was provided by Catholic colleges until the 1960s when, Gleason said, a “perfect storm” of academic, social and Church currents prompted a retreat from specifically Catholic teaching and thought.
Website Lauded
, Oct. 2 — Lewis University Romeoville, Ill., has been recognized by the National Research Center for College & University Admissions as having one of the best admission sections on its website.
The Christian Brothers’ college is ranked fifth in the nation and first among Catholic institutions, according to the group's annual Enrollment Power Index of 3,039 post-secondary institutions.
Heterosexuality Hero
, Sept. 28 — Dave Allen, 22, is the official defender of heterosexuals at the University of New England in northern New South Wales.
While many of Australia's 38 universities have a “queer officer” to represent homosexual students, Allen is the only “heterosexuality officer” in the country, reported the newspaper.
Allen said he didn't know if heterosexuals were a marginalized minority on the UNE campus, but added that he had not seen or heard of any harassment of homosexuals at UNE that would necessitate an officer to protect them or “a queer safe space.”
Black Believers Lead
, Oct. 6 — Black students have the highest levels of religious practice on America's campuses, according to a survey of 112,232 students at 236 colleges being released Oct. 6.
The study, conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute, said black students led white, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian and Hawaiian students in seven of 12 spirituality categories.
Black students also reported higher levels of church attendance, prayer and belief in God. One-tenth of the black students polled were Catholic.
Lawsuit Dismissed
, Oct. 9 — A county judge in Michigan has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the former academic dean of Ave Maria College over the school's plan to move its campus from Michigan to Florida.
Father Neil Roy, who continues to serve as a professor at the college, filed suit in 2004 claiming that school founder Tom Monaghan and the board were unfairly transferring the school's assets.
Judge Timothy Connors agreed that Ave Maria's move to in Naples, Fla., was necessitated by the refusal of local authorities in Michigan to grant the rezoning necessary to build a permanent campus near Ypsilanti.