The quote in the title of this post comes from Grant Kaplan’s piece “The Crisis in Catholic Theology” published last week at America. Here is a taste: Today, although concern for the future of Catholic universities remains high, relatively little […]
Catholic colleges
Are Catholic universities losing their Catholic identities?
Over at Commonweal, Massimo Faggioli wonders if Catholic universities are “positioning and marketing themselves as part of the mainstream liberal-progressive realm of higher education.” Here is a taste of his piece: …Student enrollment is trending down, for a variety of reasons—from […]
Mapping Catholic land; fighting climate change
Molly Burhans, a liberal arts graduate of Canisius College, a Catholic college in Buffalo, is leading a major project to help the Catholic Church map its vast landholdings in order to help it fight climate change. David Owen of The […]
Notre Dame president tests positive for COVID-19 after visiting the White House
Fr. John Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame, has tested positive for COVID-19. He was at the White House last week for the announcement of Amy Coney Barret as Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Here is […]
Watch Springsteen’s convocation address at Boston College
Get up to speed at the end of this post. If you don’t want to watch the entire thing, here are the highlights: Context: (For more on Created and Called for Community at Messiah University click here).
A new Springsteen album is almost here
It is titled “Letter to You.” There are also rumors that a song off the album will drop tomorrow. Here is Jay Lustig at NJArts.net: Though there has been no official announcement, it appears that the next Bruce Springsteen album […]
What is going on at Canisius College?
The Board of Trustees at Canisius College, a Jesuit school in Buffalo, is cutting $2.5 million from faculty lines in order to close a $20 million budget deficit. Here is WKBW television: In a statement the AAUP said these are […]
The president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities on the “ethics of reopening”
Reverend Dennis Holtschneider, CM, is president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Over at Inside Higher Ed he offers 13 things to think about as colleges and universities reopen in a few weeks: “Everyone holds ethical responsibility for others in […]
The University of Providence is the Latest School to Cut Liberal Arts Programs
The Catholic (Sisters of Providence) university in Great Falls, Montana has closed the following liberal arts programs: Art, English, History, Sociology, and Theology. The university also cut programs in Accounting, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, Health and Physical Education, […]
The President of a Conservative Catholic College Defends the Pope and Takes the Heat
Jim Towey is the president of Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. He was also the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under George W. Bush. Ave Maria is a very traditional Catholic college. It […]
An Adjunct Instructor Reflects on How Much He Should Invest in the Mission of a Church-Related University
This is an important post for those of us in church-related academia, especially administrators. Jonathan Wilson discusses his experience as an adjunct history professor at the Jesuit-run University of Scranton, but his thoughts apply to any faith-based institution or any college […]
What Does a Humanities Professor Do When a College Cuts the Humanities?
Check out Nina Handler‘s moving piece at The Chronicle of Higher Education. Handler teaches English at Holy Names University, in Oakland, California. The college recently cut several humanities majors, including English and History. It’s website currently features a student playing golf. Holy Names […]
How Georgetown is Confronting It's Ties to Slavery
According to a recent report published by Georgetown University, the Jesuit school’s “origins and growth, and successes and failures, can be linked to America’s slave-holding economy and culture.” The Jesuits who founded the college owned and operated plantations in Maryland […]
Mount St. Mary's University President Resigns
It was only a matter of time. As I watched this tragic event unfold over the last couple of weeks, I did not see any other possible ending. If you are new to this controversy check out our previous posts […]
Could Mount St. Mary's University Lose Its Accreditation?
We have already done several posts about the controversy at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. You can get up to speed here. When we last left the Mount the faculty had asked president Simon Newman to resign. Newman […]
Simon Newman, Donald Trump, and Mount St. Mary's University
I don’t know how many of you have been following what is going on at Mount St. Mary’s University, but you can get up to speed here. The faculty at The Mount have given president Simon Newman until tomorrow morning, […]
Mount St. Mary's Reinstates Fired Professors
But it is not clear whether they will come back as long as Simon Newman remains president of the university. This article in Inside Higher Ed explains everything. Newman is trying to extend an olive branch, but for many at The […]
Fired Mount St. Mary's Philosophy Professor Speaks Out
Earlier this week Simon Newman, the president of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, fired two professors and demoted his provost because they spoke out against his controversial retention plan. Get up to speed here. One of those fired […]
Former Mount St. Mary University Professor Weighs-In
John Schwenkler teaches philosophy at Florida State University, but from 2010-2013 he taught at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD. (If you need to get up to speed on what is happening at The Mount, check out our coverage […]
President of Mount St. Mary University Is Under Fire
If you have not been following this whole mess at Mount St. Mary University you can get caught up here and here and here. It involves (by all accounts) a tyrannical university president with a retention plan that offended most […]