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How Catholic universities can manage themselves in society: thoughts from the Ukrainian Catholic University

07.01.2019, 20:40
It is often not clear why Catholic universities exist, what distinguishes them from other universities. What happens when the salt loses its seasoning, in Biblical terms. How do you stay salty?

Some thoughts from the presentation. Watch full talk here.

It is often not clear why Catholic universities exist, what distinguishes them from other universities. What happens when the salt loses its seasoning, in Biblical terms. How do you stay salty?

Loss of brand is a problem for Catholic universities in certain parts of the world where 'Catholic' stands for elitism, historical relic or even paedophilia (an association that some now have in the United States).

Lack of good stewardship or lack of the economy of Salvation

Financial matters are difficult to handle for priests.

Small orders of nuns are running large hospital chains that they weren't really prepared for. The Catholic brand has been damaged not by loss of ideas but by methods, management systems. We are not connecting the dots between good intentions and good results.

Why is it that Notre Dame has a USD12 bn endowment and Catholic University of America, a flagship institution as founded, the Bishops' University of America (the Board is half made of bishops) is undergoing a crisis because of a cost of a home in suburban Chicago? The CUA had to reduce their faculty by 9% (35 full-time professors) to close the USD3.5 million budget gap and to stem some enrolment declines.

Once upon a time Catholic universities operated on charity and volunteerism, not on government funding as in Europe or piling up endowments.

Shouldn't Catholic alternative be risking it all?

Are we moving to community-led Catholic universities?

It's very hard in the United States at least to find enough Catholic faculty to maintain enough character.

How Catholic are the Catholic students these days?

 

Jeffrey Wills

International Institute for Ethics and Contemporary Issues , Sep 7, 2018