Trends in Catholic Higher Education

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by Melanie M. Morey and Rev. John Piderit, S.J

Introduction
From the founding of Georgetown in 1797 until today, Catholic colleges and universities have understood and lived-out their mission to serve students, the larger society, and the Church in a variety of ways. In order to survive in the higher education marketplace, Catholic institutions have had to be both nimble and astute in responding to cultural realities in American society and to developments within the Catholic Church, as well. Not all of the hundreds of Catholic colleges founded in the United States have survived. But those that have are able to adapt and adjust to significant cultural changes, while still claiming their Catholic character and religious purpose.

After a long period of establishment and stabilization, the big expansionary years for Catholic higher education occurred during the years following World War II. This era ushered in three phases of what might be termed the modern period in American higher education. During this first phase (1945 until 1967), Catholic colleges expanded their programs, increased the number of students substantially, and built up their campuses. As this era came to a close in 1967, the first lay boards of trustees began operating at Webster College, the University of St. Louis, and the University of Notre Dame. In that same year the Land O’ Lakes Statement made clear that Catholic higher education in the United States would operate in a context of substantial academic freedom.

Phase II of the modern development of Catholic colleges and universities (1967 until 1990) was shaped from within the Church by Vatican Council II and from without by the social upheaval of the 1960s. Developments at this time not only led to further increases in enrollments, but also to changes that challenged the Catholic identity of the institutions. The adjustments made by founding congregations, administrators, and boards during this second phase made an impact on the structure and Catholic identity of many Catholic institutions and set off ripple effects still felt today.

The third of phases of modern development (1990 until the present) began with Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ex Corde Ecclesiae and his call for specific norms that would help define how colleges and universities could live out the document’s vivid ideal for Catholic higher education.

Students walk to class in late March at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
(CNS photo/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit) (April 6, 2006)

The Modern Context
Even in this current phase, Catholic institutions of higher education continue to adjust to three major ecclesial and secular trends which first appeared over forty years ago: fewer Catholic students among the growing numbers of students on campus; fewer priests, nuns, and brothers on campus; and higher student expectations with respect to academic, athletic, and residential facilities and programs.

Beginning in the 1960s, Catholics fully entered the mainstream of American life. Once they did, nonsectarian colleges and universities became more interested in tapping the “Catholic student market” and Catholic students and their parents responded positively to these new options.

At the same time, an unprecedented contraction in the ranks of nuns, priests, and brothers resulted in the disappearance of this visible witness community at all Catholic colleges and universities. Although even at the high-water mark, men and women religious never constituted more than forty percent of the faculty, they were a significant presence. Well trained in the faith and in their academic disciplines, their Catholic lay colleagues deferred to their leadership in religious matters on campus.

Parents and students and the changing culture of American higher education fueled the third major trend – unrelenting competition. Elite national institutions competed with one another in terms of hiring high-profile faculty members, adding increasingly sophisticated technology, building more appealing residential facilities, and developing more ambitious sports programs and athletic facilities. Second tier institutions operating regionally or locally also tried to attract well-published faculty members, build more residence halls and recreational facilities for the students, and expand their sports programs. These smaller and less financially endowed institutions felt that following-the-leaders, albeit on a small scale, was the only way to they could continue to appeal to students and their parents.

Reactions and Decisions
Administrators, boards of trustees, and faculty members at Catholic institutions were alert to these developments and in a difficult academic environment they made fairly clear decisions to compete. The larger Catholic institutions saw an opportunity to improve their standing in the general world of higher education, and many were successful in doing this. Boston College, Catholic University of America, DePaul University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, St. John’s University (NY), St. Louis University, University of Notre Dame, the University of St. Thomas (MN), and Villanova University, extended their programs and in most cases also the number of students on both the graduate and the undergraduate level.

Other institutions started to be highly ranked regionally. For example, Loyola-Marymount University, Santa Clara University, St. Mary’s College of California, the University of Portland, and the University of San Diego made significant strides among West Coast Schools. In Ohio, John Carroll College, the University of Dayton, and Xavier University also made important gains. In the Northeast, the College of the Holy Cross expanded somewhat the number of students, but greatly enhanced its academic reputation, as did Saint Anselm College (NH). In addition, the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Fairfield University, Loyola College (MD), Manhattan College, Neumann College, St. Joseph’s University, and the University of Scranton made their mark more regionally.

One popular strategy adopted particular, broadly-appealing components of the Catholic intellectual tradition and built on them as the focal point of institutional Catholic character and mission. Issues related to Catholic social teaching (peace and justice and voluntary assistance to the poor and disadvantaged) often became the most prominent and popular “Catholic” programs on campus. This approach was appealing to a wide variety of Catholic and non-Catholic students. Also many faculty members were committed and prepared to introduce these as classroom topics in disciplines as distinct as political science, English literature, philosophy, sociology, business, and even the hard sciences.

By hiring faculty members with excellent credentials from the best graduate programs in the country, Catholic colleges and universities accepted a trade-off. In many cases, they realized that the faculty members were lukewarm about the Catholic mission of the institution. On the other hand, their disciplinary expertise offered the opportunity to garner prestige and an enhanced reputation in academic circles that could help the institution remain competitive in the marketplace.

While all this was happening, a smaller number of Catholic institutions made distinctly different decisions. They could see how some of the large national institutions had to tone down their Catholic profile in order to become truly national. They correctly saw this as a potential threat to their enduring Catholic identity. As a result, a band of small but hardy institutions bucked the trend and decided to put their emphasis squarely on their Catholic heritage and the Catholic intellectual tradition. They decided they would teach the Catholic intellectual tradition to all their students. Franciscan University of Steubenville is the largest and best known of these institutions. In addition, such institutions as Belmont Abbey College (NC), DeSales University (PA), the University of Dallas (TX), and the University of St. Thomas (TX), put new emphasis on the Catholic mission. After 1970 a number of new “intentionally Catholic” institutions such as Christendom College (VA), Thomas Aquinas College (CA), Ave Maria University (FL), Southern Catholic College (GA), and the newest Catholic college, Wyoming Catholic College (WY), were founded. They hoped to offer a more robustly-Catholic alternative to what was available in the higher education marketplace.

This is a view of The Catholic University of America's campus from the bell tower of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington in 2007. Pope Benedict XVI will address Catholic education officials on the campus April 17.
(CNS photo/Bob Roller) (Feb. 15, 2008)

Emerging Challenges
Catholic colleges and universities enrich the landscape of American higher education. Father John Jenkins, CSC, the president of the University of Notre Dame (IN) insists they do so, precisely because of their religious character. "With all respect to great academic institutions in this country, they've shed their religious tradition, and with it a certain kind of overarching moral view of education. They do great work. I don't mean to demean them. But (Catholic colleges and universities) have the opportunity to be the place that combines the highest level of reason and inquiry with living a religious faith."

It is also true that Catholic higher education in the United States today is a growth industry. In the academic year 200-2001, 57,961 students were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at Catholic colleges and universities. Today that number exceeds 900,000. In the twenty-five years between 1980 and 2005 Catholic higher education enrollment increased by 60.9% and ten new Catholic universities and colleges were founded.

As more and more students seek admission, the most important challenge for Catholic institutions will continue to be hiring. As President Jacqueline Doud of Mount St. Mary’s College, (CA) points out, “One of our biggest challenges in the future will be identifying and selecting Catholic College leaders who are conversant with and committed to the rich tradition of Catholic higher education.” The numbers of nuns, brothers, and priests on campuses who are knowledgeable and informed about the Catholic tradition will continue to decrease in the foreseeable future, as will the numbers of lay administrators and faculty who, as President Doud points out, “benefited from the formation they once received in religious life.” As a result, Catholic colleges and universities will have to develop more successful strategies to attract dedicated Catholic lay faculty members, knowledgeable about their faith, and ready to act in loco religiosorum (in the place of the religious). A similar challenge exists in student affairs. Catholic institutions have to attract staff who can prudently structure programs which foster student appreciation of and compliance with normal Catholic teaching about what it means to be a full human person.

Echoing many Catholic college and university presidents, President Francesco Cesareo of Assumption College (MA) believes that these institutions are “at a critical turning point.” His institution and others have responded by making “the enhancement and promotion of Catholic identity the number one priority in new strategic plans.” As part of their efforts, a number of Catholic colleges and universities have instituted Catholic studies programs. While it is true that these Catholic Studies programs offer truly Catholic content, they touch only a small percentage of students. Consequently, they cannot make an entire university Catholic. However, the number of these programs is likely to increase, so they will have to be coupled with other more-broad-based initiatives if they are to achieve their stated goals.

Accrediting agencies across the United States press institutions to demonstrate the extent to which academic institutions reach their goals, including their religious goals. While most of the universities have many different ways to measure academic success, it is less clear how they should measure specifically Catholic goals for undergraduates. However, since all regional accrediting groups are insisting on measures for assessing a college’s particular goals or mission, Catholic colleges will have to develop these metrics in the coming years.

There is another significant challenge that confronts boards of trustees of Catholic colleges and universities. Once it was customary for lay board members to defer to members of founding congregations when articulating Catholic policy and defining the way forward. That approach is no longer viable. As congregational ranks decrease and their distance from the collegiate operations increases, lay trustees must take over full and faithful religious leadership at Catholic colleges and universities. To do so effectively will require that they are well informed on Catholic issues relating to higher education and able to provide direction to university presidents.

Since the eighteenth century and under the leadership of nuns, priests, and brothers, Catholic colleges and universities have been plucky, nimble, and up to the considerable challenges that confronted them. This is a proud heritage for the American Catholic Church. It is also a rich legacy that Catholic lay people and many of their non-Catholic colleagues are anxious to develop and strengthen in the years to come.

Father John Piderit, S.J. is The Founder and President of The Catholic Education Institute (Bronx, NY), a non-profit group whose mission is to promote excellence in Catholic Education, and a former President of Loyola University (Chicago, IL).

Dr. Melanie Morey is the Senior Director for Research and Consulting, NarrowGate Consulting, a division of The Catholic Education Institute.