The nucleus of any university is the intellectual life that unfolds among faculty and students. Inevitably, that intellectual life is shaped by the broader university context. Examining that process--in particular, its connection to a Catholic understanding of university mission--offers insight into pressing issues. For instance, what shifting…

This article explores the relationship between capital and education through the experiences of a British secondary school following a grading by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills that placed the school into special measures, considering the underlying assumptions and inequalities highlighted and obfuscated by…

The core curriculum is essential for the flourishing of a Catholic college or university, as it is one of the most visible ways in which a distinctive vision becomes incarnate. Catholic colleges tend to offer some mission-centered majors and minors, but the core is what is present for all students. The core is not only significant, but also…

This paper utilizes the theoretical framework of complexity theory to compare and contrast leadership and educational change in two urban schools. Drawing on the notion of a complex adaptive system--an interdependent network of interacting elements that learns and evolves in adapting to an ever-shifting context--our case studies seek to reveal the…

As part of the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), an event cosponsored by Boston College and Fordham University, the host university presidents, Rev. William P. Leahy, S. J., and Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S. J., addressed conference attendees and discussed ways higher education institutions can assist Catholic…

A key concept in contemporary Catholic educational discourse makes a distinction between religious education and catechesis. This distinction is based on the assumptions of faith commitment on the part of catechesis and the focus on cognitive outcomes on the part of religious education. Many official documents on Canadian Catholic school…

Catholic schools in the United States are faced with the looming challenge of declining enrollments. One possible strategy for dealing with this problem is to institute multi-grade classrooms where students from two or more grades are combined in one classroom with one instructor. In this article, the authors examined one urban Catholic school's…

This article summarizes the content and outcomes of the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), cosponsored by the Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College and the Center for Catholic School Leadership at Fordham University. The conference focused on how Catholic higher education can assist in developing and…

Ontario Roman Catholic communities have established and maintained their own schools for over 200 years. Yet, their struggle for survival has not come without many challenges, setbacks, and criticisms. With the achievement of open-access at the secondary level and equal funding across the system, many question the legitimacy and worthiness of…

This article discusses Sundar Kumarasamy and how he is remaking the rituals of recruitment at the University of Dayton. For years Sundar Kumarasamy walked through the lobby of the University of Dayton's admissions building and daydreamed about changing every inch of the place. Mr. Kumarasamy, the university's vice president for enrollment…

This article discusses highlights from the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative conference (CHEC) held at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in January 2009. The conference, a result of a 2007 dialogue on Catholic schooling hosted by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was the first of six to be held at Catholic colleges and…

According to many analysts, after the dot-com, housing and financial bubbles, the next bubble to burst may be that of higher education and especially business education schools. Given this possible scenario, there are two ways one might interpret the current crisis in education, accompanied by two proposals for addressing the problems. According…

Saint Mary's College, a single-gender Catholic institution in northern Indiana with approximately 1,600 students, has just revised a general education curriculum that had been in place for nearly forty years. The board of trustees unanimously approved the new curriculum in April 2010. In this article, the author discusses seven key lessons learned…

In today's workplace, the ability to solve complex problems, think critically, and engage in continuous, self-directed learning is essential. Recognizing that providing the kind of education that fosters such abilities necessitated considerable change in its schools, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Office of Catholic Education developed a…

This article profiles Dr. Norman Francis and describes how his longevity, strategic planning and vision as president of Xavier University bring academic and financial success. Higher education leaders say his 43 years at the Catholic HBCU in New Orleans is an increasingly rare example of the benefits possible from a lengthy presidency. It takes…