Colleges and
Universities Exciting days to be on campus
Nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer once remarked in a
commencement address at Princeton, No man should escape our universities
without knowing how little he knows.
Today, with a bit more sensitivity to sexist language and a good
deal more sensitivity to economic reality, we might suggest, No one
should escape our universities without knowing how much she owes.
The aggregate cost of college has increased 234 percent since
1980, according to the General Accounting Office, and public alarm has
triggered a spate of negative media reports (Time magazines
How Colleges are Gouging You cover story being perhaps the most
sensationalist instance). Expensive private colleges are now pressing Congress
to increase loan limits for undergraduates so they can go even more heavily
into debt to pay their bills. A congressional commission has been created to
study the problem of rising tuition, and strong political pressure on colleges
to hold down costs will no doubt ensue.
As NCRs story relates, however, a seemingly simple
problem (rising costs) in this case has surprisingly complex causes and
consequences. The struggle over how to manage costs and maintain accessibility
is shared by everyone in post-secondary education today, but perhaps most
acutely by Americas 230-plus Catholic colleges and universities, many of
which are precisely the sort of small, tuition-dependent institutions most at
risk when fiscal times are tough.
If economics deals with the body of Catholic higher
education, then Pope John Pauls 1990 apostolic constitution, Ex Corde
Ecclesiae, aimed for its soul. The document called for a thorough
re-examination of what it means for a college to call itself Catholic. Some
fear that conservatives will use Ex Corde as a club to drive
progressives out of theology departments and perhaps off campus altogether.
Others worry that the search for consensus will result in a lowest common
denominator approach to Catholicity, focusing on external and observable
features of campus life, such as how many Masses are offered and whether
classrooms have crucifixes, while deeper questions fall victim to a let
sleeping dogs lie avoidance of controversy.
Monika Hellwig, executive director of the Association of Catholic
Colleges and Universities, has been on the forefront of the debate. Her
perspectives form the core of our coverage of this issue.
To focus solely on the anguish over mission and cost, however,
would present an incomplete picture of the Catholic college scene these days.
On many Catholic campuses, visitors will find more energy than ennui. Despite
everything, these colleges are finding ways to thrive. One such success story
is St. Louis University and its dynamic president, Jesuit Fr. Lawrence Biondi.
Pam Schaeffers look at SLU under Biondi is testimony to how imaginative
leadership can still make a difference.
Three provocative book reviews round out our coverage of Catholic
colleges and universities in this issue. Reading through these stories,
its hard to escape the feeling that today is an exciting time to be on
campus.
National Catholic Reporter, September 26,
1997
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