The NGO boom of the 1990s was matched by mounting literature on the influence of NGOs on world politics. The 1998 inaugural issue of "Current Issues in Comparative Education" ("CICE")--"Are NGOs Overrated?"--brought these debates into the very center of international and comparative education. The journal issue inspired a fascinating conversation…

The Holy See plays an important role in encouraging the 1300 Catholic universities around the world to appropriate more fully their freely chosen Catholic identity. I use the word "identity" rather than "mission" because this follows the terminology most frequently used in documents from the Holy See. In this article, I discuss how the Holy See…

The "Boston College Questionnaire about the Undergraduate Experience" (BCQ)" arose from a growing need to gather reliable evidence about the impact of the undergraduate experience on students who attend Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. Although abundant sources of data exist that tell us who our students are when they…

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether there is a support for and evidence of social justice content or activities planned as learning experiences at one Catholic school, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, Texas. The first section of this paper summarizes the 1998 Bishops study that concludes that there is a…

Offers an historical overview and analysis of Catholic women's colleges, including their faculty and curriculum, asserting that the distinctive history and mission of these colleges give them a unique capacity to bring future generations the finest Catholic higher education has to offer. (EV)

Explores the nature and mission of the Catholic university, addressing a wide range of topics, including the search for truth, the full depth of humanity, institutional autonomy, harmonization of knowledge, ties to the church, cross-cultural dialogue, evangelization, academic freedom, pluralism, the Catholic sensibility, and leadership. (EV)

The second part of a two-part study, examined attitudes of faculty at Catholic colleges toward various aspects of their institutions, including hiring for mission, and compared them to what administrators had reported about hiring criteria. Found that with a few exceptions, administrators' mission-related hiring concerns are not related to faculty…

Examined 73 mission statements for information about the values of American Catholic colleges. Found that overall, the mission statements mentioned service more often than any other value. Spirituality was second, followed by truth, community, human dignity, equality, tradition, justice, and freedom. Institutional differences were noted. (EV)

Explores how to successfully combine the ideals of Christianity with the ideals of the academy, a goal explored by Pepperdine University Center for Faith and Learning. Addresses issues relevant to this goal, including diversity, academic freedom, and taking seriously Pepperdine University's relationship to the Churches of Christ. (EV)

Surveyed English departments at Catholic and other higher education institutions about "Ex corde ecclesiae," a document defining Catholic higher education's mission and identity. Findings were analyzed in areas such as implementation of and faculty perceptions of "Ex corde" and the importance of Catholic identity. Found that although little has…

The Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Holy See considers the role of Catholic colleges and universities in the 21st century in light of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae, An Application to the United States," of the United States Bishops' Conference, which addresses Catholic identity of colleges and universities, communion, the role of…

The author, a dean at Valpariso University in Indiana (affiliated with the Lutheran church), addresses a Catholic conference on higher education. He identifies and discusses basic constitutive beliefs of Catholic and Protestant Christian education, including unity of the cosmos, universality of human nature and divine love, and the integral…

Discusses variables essential to the religious identity of Catholic colleges and universities in the context of the 1999 draft application of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae" to the United States, a document on the relationship between Catholic higher education institutions and the Catholic Church. Suggests a taxonomy in which Catholic colleges are either…

Reviews the chronological sequence of events concerning the relationship of American Catholic universities and colleges with the Apostolic Constitution "Ex corde ecclesiae" of 1990, including the roles of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and a department of the Roman…

Reports on interviews with senior administrators at 12 Catholic colleges and universities concerning hiring practices in light of the institution's religious and educational mission. Found institutions had multiple ways to determine candidates' understanding of and commitment to the institution's mission; preferred practicing Catholics especially…