Jan 16 2025 45 mins 10
All the first universities were—St. Thomas Aquinas would tell us—Catholic ones. But in this modern day, it takes intentionality to maintain the rich tradition of Catholic education.
In a talk recorded for HeightsCast, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, president of The Catholic University of America, spoke to families at The Heights about what it means to be a Catholic university. He first consults the experts: Thomas Aquinas, John Henry Newman, John Paul the Great, and Pope Benedict XVI. He then offers examples from his own career in school leadership, and how to put the exhortations of popes and saints into action on campus.
Chapters:
6:14 Universities: a Catholic inheritance
8:06 Newman and Aquinas on universities
11:58 Papal directives for Catholic universities
15:56 Theodrama vs. egodrama
19:16 Getting these ideas on campus
19:36 Mission-enthusiastic faculty
21:26 Mission-integrated curricula
24:12 Counseling with a Christian anthropology
25:01 Teaching a professional call to holiness
26:21 Campus ministry
28:15 The distinctive value of Catholic education
31:10 Q1: Technology and the next 50 years
36:13 Q2: College affordability and value
Links:
The Idea of a University by St. John Henry Newman
Ex Corde Ecclesiae by Pope St. John Paul II
Regensburg Address on Faith, Reason, and the University by Pope Benedict XVI
“The Real Cost of College Education—for Students, Families, and the Nation” by Jamie Merisotis
Superhabits: The Universal System for a Successful Life by Andrew Abela
Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk
Also on the Forum:
Receiving Beauty: A Liberal Arts Education featuring Dr. George Harne
Considerations for the College-Bound Student featuring Dr. Peter Kilpatrick
The Idea of the Liberal Arts University, Part I featuring Dr. Thomas Hibbs
Rethinking College: Why go? How? When? featuring Arthur Brooks
