As I write this, the most virulent pandemic in more than 100 years sweeps the globe. COVID-19 haunts communities and countries, bringing fear, isolation, death, and grief on a scale not seen since World War II. The human family is at once separated, yet ironically united in common practices that seek to stave off the virus. [...]
St. John Henry Newman foresaw that if the highest truths were cast out from the university, secondary disciplines would try to replace them. Our children and grandchildren have paid the price in mind, body, and soul By George A. Harne, Ph.D.* The crisis began well before Newman. In the 17th century, René Descartes released pathogens [...]
By Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR An ocean and more than 150 years separate St. John Henry Newman’s Idea of a University from my university, Franciscan University of Steubenville. Yet, despite the differences in time and culture, I believe the heart of Franciscan University remains close to the heart of Newman’s “idea.” Like Newman, we believe [...]
The majority of Catholic colleges and universities are failing to pass on the Faith. What can be done? An overview of Franciscan University in Steubenville,Ohio. In a 2016 article, Adam Wilson of the Cardinal Newman Society wrote: “An in-depth study a few years ago found that at least one in 12 students at [...]
He was a man of faith, of holiness, and of intelligence — and of practical wisdom as well By Christina Deardurff John Henry Newman, 19th-century Anglican clergyman, intellectual giant, convert, and eventual Cardinal of the Catholic Church, was canonized by Pope Francis last month, on October 13, in Rome. We continue here our celebration, begun in [...]
Newman’s great gift to education is really his vision of “the college” — a particular embodiment of the grand idea of “the university” By William Edmund Fahey President, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, New Hampshire, USA Never in the field of education have so many praised a man so much after reading him so little. That [...]
The fruit of liberal education, Newman wrote, “is the formation of a habit of mind which lasts through life, of which the attributes are freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom…” By Michael F. Mclean President, Thomas Aquinas College, California and New England The recently-canonized St. John Henry Newman was a great leader in the Church, a [...]
Opening Our Eyes to the Great Landscape of the Mind By Glenn Arbery President, Wyoming Catholic College, Lander, Wyoming, USA Toward the end of The Idea of a University, St. John Henry Cardinal Newman—and what a bracing thing it is that this giant of theology and master of English prose has been canonized—includes an address called [...]
Authentic Academic Freedom Must Be Nurtured Within the Confines of the Good and the True By Timothy T. O'Donnell President, Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia, USA By today’s standards of higher education, St. John Henry Newman’s Idea of a University would be considered revolutionary. It would cause a complete shift in modern man’s approach to education—one [...]
“Liberal” Reaches Beyond Book Learning By Bill Thierfelder President, Belmont Abbey College, North Carolina One of the greatest blessings of working at Belmont Abbey College is having the opportunity to engage with a community of outstanding scholars and teachers who bring Cardinal Newman’s vision for a University to life. During a recent conversation with Dr. Joshua [...]
