This is an examination of how Catholics adapted to the United States and how American culture affected Catholicism during the twentieth century based on an investigation of major developments in Catholic higher education since World War I with emphasis on colleges and universities conducted by the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. The opening chapter reviews the evolution of the Catholic community before World War I, especially in comparison with Jews and Protestants, and summarizes the administrative and academic reforms which reshaped the American educational scene in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Chapter Two focuses on the conflict between the religious beliefs and educational objectives of Catholics and the increasingly competitive, professionalized American academic environment. Chapter Three investigates the origins and development of coeducation in Catholic schools, a radical break with Catholic tradition. The next chapter discusses the rise of laity in Catholic higher education, and Chapter Five examines the expansion of Catholic postsecondary schools after World War II, seeking to determine why Catholic colleges and universities have not made greater advances in quality and status. The book includes a selected bibliography of over 350 items and an index. (JB)