One dilemma encountered by department chairs and administrators at Catholic colleges and universities is how to respect the pluralistic religious views of the faculty while being faithful to one's own and the institution's Catholic tradition. The Rule of St. Benedict offers guidance that can result in deepening the respect for all…

This article addresses apparent impasses between "Mercy" and "Catholic" identities in our colleges and universities. Each of the contributors represents a unique voice arising from her or his role and experience within the university community. All are grappling with the tension generated by the university's efforts to…

The University of St. Joseph, a Mercy institution, was founded during the Great Depression to provide women a gateway to higher education for careers in fields that would serve the well-being of society. Recently, the institution has undergone changes to modernize its organizational structure. Consistent with its commitment to educate people of…

Much of the concern of Catholic identity revolves around students' experiences of Catholicism at Catholic colleges and universities. Given this concern, it is surprising how little attention has been focused on student perceptions of Catholic identity. In the spring of 2013, the author gathered data from more than 1,000 students at over 20…

Peer ministry is often a vital component of campus ministry offices at Catholic colleges and universities. In order to determine the effectiveness of peer ministry in contributing to a student's faith development as well as her or his abilities to integrate faith intentionally and reflectively into everyday life, data were collected from…

This article provides a history of the founding and maturation of the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU). It is the story of a group of lay and ordained student affairs professionals from Catholic colleges and universities who were inspired by the vision of "Gaudium et spes" and "Ex corde…

In principle, theology ought to play a decisive role in the mission and identity of Catholic colleges and universities, but theology's role often comes under fire from students and other constituencies who consider theology an uncritical intrusion into the curriculum or a holdover from a bygone era. This essay reflects on the role of theology…

The "DePaul Mission and Values Inventory" ("DMV") was validated based on the mission, identity, and values of a large, urban, Catholic, Vincentian institution. We examined the suitability of the "DMV" at a small, suburban, Catholic, Franciscan university. A sample of 275 undergraduates (218 women, 57 men:…

The powerful and complex mandates arising from reports such as "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" and "Health Professionals for a New Century: Transforming Education to Strengthen Health Systems in an Interdependent World" challenge colleges and universities to reconsider how they deliver nursing…

The phrase "Catholic intellectual tradition" appears in many self-descriptions of Catholic colleges and universities. It communicates the identity of these institutions to the broader Catholic community, to members of the particular college or university community, and to the broader academic world. The phrase "Catholic intellectual…

Widespread agreement suggests that it is appropriate and desirable to develop and teach business theory and practice consistent with Catholic social teaching (CST) in Catholic business schools. Such a curriculum would cover the same mainstream material taught in other business schools, but then offer a CST approach to business that can be…

How might educators better balance liberal learning (the proper aim of which is the development of the whole person) with education that provides training in technical skills needed for a trade or a working profession suitable to provide for one's family and contribute to the common good? In "Caritas in Veritate," Pope Benedict…

The American Economics Association, through its Committee on Economic Education, has worked since 1950 to develop a set of standards for what is taught in introductory economics courses. The result is the Test for Understanding in College Economics. The TUCE has come to define a canon of expectations for students in college business schools. Some…

The world of work that students enter after graduation will not mirror the straightforward world portrayed by their textbooks. They will be required to make decisions that will affect more than the bottom line. Faculty at Catholic business schools can integrate the components of Catholic social teaching (CST) into the classroom to help equip…

Business education at a Catholic university should engage students and faculty across the university in critically examining the purpose of business in society. Following the best practices of leading business schools, the Catholic business curriculum has mostly focused on the shareholder and stakeholder approaches--with the shareholder approach…