President of the University of Notre Dame, John Jenkins, CSC, argues that Catholic colleges and universities can make a distinct contribution to higher education by providing a rich alternative to the commodification of education -- a frequently cited problem of the current age. Reducing education to its commercial ends, the author argues, stifles…

This essay explores Jacques Maritain's philosophy of education as a means to better understand Pope Francis's recent promotion of a "Global Compact on Education," and in particular Francis's commitment "to make human persons in their value and dignity the center of every educational program." After situating Maritain's…

In this paper, the author focuses on one aspect of Catholic Intellectual Tradition, namely, how it manifests in practice. Focusing on five such practices--responsiveness to other traditions within Catholicism, recognition of wisdom and truth that may be found in other cultures, the search for understanding of relationships within reality,…

Imparting the rich heritage of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition to students begins with first inviting them on a journey into the world of ideas -- but how can educators effectively coax students to embark on such a voyage? Working from the understanding that students arrive on campus curious and questioning, the author suggests a number of…

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition should animate the academic life and educational mission of Catholic colleges and universities. A clearer focus on the catholicity of the tradition -- its aspiration to wholeness -- will help us better understand what it means to engage the tradition in the heart of the institution's academic mission. The…

For many American Catholic universities, mission and identity are shaped by the charism and charismatic traditions of the founding religious congregations. But the use of this language raises several questions in the face of changing dynamics in higher education, the church, and society. Is the language of Lasallian, Vincentian, Dominican, or…

Current research suggests that faculty development should address a cross-section of personal and professional needs of the faculty, as well as support the institution's mission. Using evidence to support faculty development can foster reflective practitioners and close the gap between teaching and research by creating "sustainable…

As higher education emerges from COVID-19 restrictions, the post-pandemic transitional moment provides Catholic institutions the opportunity to reconsider their reliance on adjuncts in core curricula. As tenure-track positions decline nationwide and universities increasingly source out coursework to temporary or part-time adjuncts and other…

Current trends in disaffiliation and declining enrollment in Catholic schools raise difficult questions about the perceived value of Catholic education and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT). Following the work of theologian David Tracy, the author makes a case for engagement with Christian "classics" as a promising means not only…

An examination of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) informs the substance and manner of educator preparation, grounding a College of Education in the mission of the University. A CIT-formed educator is capable of critically interacting with both harmonious and dissonant contemporary movements in K-12 education to produce judgments of…

How might Catholic colleges and universities draw from their unique missions to educate and act together in response to the pressing needs of the environment? Honoring the fifth anniversary of "Laudato si," this article argues that Pope Francis's notion of ecological conversion and his bold conviction that the "cry of the earth is…

Online education, when done well, combines the use of technology to provide feedback to a degree and intensity that replicates the tutorial system that Newman preferred. Well-moderated discussion boards, adaptive learning technology, rapid grading with resubmission, and collaborative documents can mimic a measure of the Oxbridge…

The 1960s saw rapid decentralization of authority in Catholic higher education as virtually all U.S. universities legally separated from the Church. This has raised questions about how to facilitate long-term cooperation between Catholic universities and the Church that no longer formally owns them. Around the same time, world governments were…

The mission statement of a college or university is often considered to be an important part of the institutional identity. However, little research has explored the relationship between students and the institutional mission in the classroom itself. I explored the effects of (1) a statement in the syllabus about how the instructor perceives that…

The humanities have long played a pivotal role in Catholic higher education but their prominence is under siege as part of a broader cultural skepticism about the value of the liberal arts. This article counteracts these trends by developing a theological defense of the humanities' pride of place in the Catholic university curriculum. Drawing on a…