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…

This paper, originally presented at the Land O' Lakes Symposium held at Saint Louis University on September 21, 2017, explores the roles of those who shaped the Land O' Lakes Conference in July 1967. It also examines the issues these leaders in Catholic higher education experienced that shaped the nature of the relationship between the Vatican and…

When upper-level theology courses are taught within a general education program at colleges and universities, instructors are often challenged to invite students, some of whom are committed neither to the discipline of theology nor to Christian faith, into a style of critical reflection that largely depends on both of these commitments. In a…

The Land O' Lakes Statement set the stage for dramatic changes in the life of Catholic colleges and universities. Not least among these changes was the introduction of primarily lay-led boards of trustees. In the 50 years since the statement's publication, these institutions have faced dwindling numbers within their sponsoring religious orders, as…

Catholic higher education aims to educate students about the Catholic Social Tradition, yet few resources exist to articulate specific learning goals and assess such learning. This article presents the process used by a multi-university team to validate a rubric intended to strengthen curricular and co-curricular student learning about the…

After recounting the historical circumstances of the establishment of independent boards at Catholic colleges and universities, this paper considers the present conditions of boards at six Holy Cross institutions. Interviews and correspondence with the presidents of these institutions provided answers to a number of questions, including: How are…

This research offers insight into what undergraduates at five Catholic colleges and universities learned about Catholic Social Teaching (CST) during their college experience. The study used a purposive sample of twenty-six personal interviews with students who were exposed to CST either in the classroom or through some co-curricular activity. The…

Faced with economic and demographic challenges, Catholic colleges and universities use endowment and licensing revenues to supplement tuition income in order to serve their missions of educating students of all socio-economic classes to promote the common good through their professional careers and service to the community. Licensees sometimes…

Over the past four decades, the United States has witnessed the rise of an economy of growing inequality and exploitation, and this economic transformation has entangled Catholic institutions of higher education in what Pope Francis has called "an economy of exclusion and inequality." In recent years, some institutions have taken steps…

In their efforts to engage faculty members in institutional mission and identity, a number of Catholic colleges and universities have given particular attention to the Catholic Social Tradition (CST). This paper examines a handful of exemplary programs on faculty engagement around CST, identifying specific outcomes facilitated by these…

All Catholic colleges and universities share in the Catholic Church's rich history of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). This article explores two key research questions that focus on that grounding in today's world: First, how strongly is CST woven into the institutional fabric of those institutions; second, is that done implicitly or explicitly? We…

This work discusses the effort to begin helping university students fulfill the university mission and core curriculum objectives through the Foundations of Sports Outreach course and the Sports Outreach Initiative at Gonzaga University. Guided by Catholic Social Teaching principles, the primary goal of the course was to provide a social…

Catholic colleges and universities seek to transform the students who attend them. As the subtitle of this article indicates, this aspiration prompts some difficult questions. For example, just what is the warrant for an institution of higher learning to trifle, as one might put it provocatively, with people's hearts? After clarifying terms, the…

Eboo Patel proposes a meaning of interfaith conversation that can help guide Catholic universities in engaging students in meaningful interactions. This article aims to show how the Benedictine value of listening can inform Patel's meaning. Utilizing the philosophical hermeneutic tradition of Hans-Georg Gadamer, the author demonstrates that…

Forming an authentic human community animated by the spirit of Christ entails teaching by both word and example. At Catholic institutions of higher education, these examples cannot be limited to classrooms and residence halls; students just as importantly learn from observing every day, spontaneous behaviors among all those employed at the…