The New Brand of Jesuit Universities
How
schools are trying to attract students while staying true to their Catholic
traditions
A Jesuit priest and a comedian walk into
a bar…
That may sound like the beginning of
a Catholic joke, but it actually happened (and happens) regularly. The only
difference is that the setting is a newsroom, not a drinking hole. Stephen
Colbert, the famous comedian and host of CBS’ Late Show, and Jesuit
Father James Martin, editor at large of America magazine, regularly hash out the nuances of the Catholic religion in
modern times.
In the likeness of Martin and
Colbert, Pope Francis uses modern media to address points of tension in the
Catholic Church. Having held the institution’s highest office for nearly two
years, the pope’s approach is quite different than that of his predecessors.
His strategy is, in many ways, "rebranding" the Church for a new
audience and providing an updated image for its most ardent constituents—the
very same thing Jesuit universities are doing across the country.
What is left at stake for both Pope
Francis and Jesuit universities is whether this rebranding attenuates the authentic
teaching of the Catholic Church. As a branch of Catholic education, Jesuit
universities are required to fall in line with the Church as a whole and with
the requests of the local bishop. Yet, similar to secular colleges and
universities, they are also places where young adults are encouraged to think
critically and to explore variations in religious ideology. The balance of
mission, identity, and modern times—and whether that balance negates the
central principles of Jesuit and Catholic education—is what lies at the root of
the tensions present for these schools.
"A university doesn’t exist in
a vacuum. It is a reflection of the world in which it exists."
Of the 251 Catholic colleges and
universities in the U.S., 28 are run by the Society of Jesus. The Society of
Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in
1540 and is the largest male religious order of priests and brothers within the
Catholic Church. Though St. Ignatius didn’t originally intend to establish schools
for the broader public, the Jesuit order quickly became recognized throughout
the world for its achievements in education, community service, and the
sciences. From the get-go, the Jesuits started compiling a number of documents
to outline the kind of education the order would provide. These documents would
later become the foundation of what’s known as Ratio Studiorum, the
official plan of Jesuit education, published in 1599.
Today’s Jesuit colleges vary greatly
in size and extend across the U.S., though they’re most concentrated in the
Northeast and along the West Coast. Loyola University Chicago is the school
with the largest undergraduate population, with roughly 10,000 students
enrolled.* Wheeling Jesuit University in West
Virginia is the smallest, serving approximately 1,200 undergrads. Other
well-known Jesuit schools include Fordham University, Boston College, and
Georgetown University."
*
* *
On February 26, 2014, in the dimly
lit Walker’s Pub on Regis University’s main campus, a group gathered with more
than Irish-Catholic fellowship on the brain. Students, faculty, and staff came
to voice their concerns about Regis’ Catholic identity, confronted with the
question "Is Regis Catholic Enough?"
"As compared to what?"
asked Randolph Lumpp, a professor of religious studies at Regis. "I
suppose part of that would depend to some degree on what you mean by Regis. Are
we talking about students, or the faculty, or the groundskeepers, or the
constitution of the corporate foundation?"
Lumpp started at Regis in 1959 as a
freshman, and he began teaching at the university in 1972. When he was a
student at Regis, almost every instructor was Jesuit and the university was
open only to men. The few women on campus were those in religious orders. But
times have changed. No specific religious affiliation is required to attend a
Jesuit college; at a majority of the schools, between a third and two-thirds of
the students self-identify as Catholic.
"A university doesn’t exist in
a vacuum," Lumpp said. "It is a reflection of the world in which it
exists. The world in which Regis exists is really different from what it was
like in 1959."
"I would rather the university
bring in atheists and teach them with Catholic values than alienate people of
other religions."
A fourth of the 28 Jesuit colleges
and universities currently have lay presidents, and the number of Jesuit
priests who are active in everyday operations at the schools isn’t nearly as
high as it once was. Meanwhile, the schools are scrambling to stay on top of
enrollment numbers necessary to retain their endowments. In other words, as
they endeavor to meet the needs of their stakeholders, Jesuit universities face
greater financial pressure and a nationwide decline in religious affiliation.
"There is a tension between
desire to be strongly identified as Jesuit and Catholic and the desire to
respond effectively to the call to be a contemporary, competent university in
North America," said Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University in
Spokane, Washington. "How do you accomplish that without compromise?"
*
* *
There is little question that the
religious landscape of Millennials—those born after 1980—is changing. According
to a recent Pew Research Center study, nearly three out of every 10 Millennials
don’t affiliate with a religion, one of the highest rates in the last 25 years.
Another Pew study, released one year prior, found that only about a fourth of
American Catholics consider themselves strongly tied to their faith.
Self-reported weekly church attendance within that group dropped by more than
30 points in the last four decades, from 85 percent in 1974 to 53 percent in 2012.
"A typical kid in the U.S. has
one toe in his Catholic upbringing and a foot solidly planted in the secular
American culture," said Rev. Michael Sheeran, president of the Association
of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
While traditional religious
affiliation is declining, an interest in spirituality among Millennials is not.
Millennials are more likely to combine ideas from multiple religious
traditions, adopting ideas from Christianity, Buddhism, Shamanism, and other schools
of thought, for example. The Pew findings suggest that though Millennials pray
as often as their elders, they may not do so within a single religious
affiliation. Sheeran suggests that this is where Jesuit universities can ask
deeper questions: They can invite students to ask questions of meaning and
purpose, without the fear of appearing too religious. For example, Jesuit
universities offer retreat programs and opportunities for spiritual growth,
both in the classroom and as a part of campus ministry programs.
"The last thing you worry about
is whether they are making a religious quest," Sheeran said. Instead,
"Are they asking the ‘meaning questions’? What we are doing is invitation
Catholicism versus command Catholicism. We invite them where they are and we
invite them to go deeper."
One of a Jesuit university’s
academic objectives is to help students think critically; students may take
courses in feminist theology, Christian metaphysics, Buddhism, and sex and
gender. The purpose of this coursework is not to make a student think one way
or another but to provide the framework from which they can make their own
decisions.
"We’re able to transform a
little quicker because we are not waiting for the archbishop to give us
permission. We don’t have to ask the Pope when we want to make changes."
Today’s young adults, according to
recent studies, are fulfilling their psychosocial need for a sense of
community—a role historically carried by religion—through different means.
These connections happen through activities such as sporting events and
concerts, for example, or virtual venues such as social media. These arenas
offer new ways for people to volunteer and get involved in their communities.
Paul Neary, a 2014 Regis graduate,
attended the school because he figured it would challenge him intellectually
and help him become a "man for others," a phrase used at many Jesuit
universities to encourage a commitment to service and social justice. Neary was
less concerned about aspects of the faith on campus.
"I never thought Regis
University was going to replace church; I never thought Regis University was
going to replace my parents," he said. "I would rather [the
university] bring in atheists and teach them with Catholic values than alienate
people of other religions to have a ‘more Catholic’ school."
Jesuit schools regularly surpass
their secular counterparts in the number of service hours contributed by
students per capita. One of the central tenets of Ignatian Spirituality is
service to and with others; a concern for the poor and marginalized and a
belief in social justice underpin many of the extracurricular activities on
campus. Jesuit schools send high numbers of graduates into the Peace Corps and
other service programs throughout the U.S. and around the world.
*
* *
In 2010, the Jesuit colleges
association developed a tool designed to help individual universities assess
whether they’re fulfilling their duties as Jesuit and Catholic institutions.
The framework identifies seven characteristics of Jesuit higher education; the
list balances academic pursuit, commitment to mission, Catholic campus culture,
and service. Among the new tool’s guidelines: "Catholic and Jesuit,
descriptors that define us as an institution, are not simply two
characteristics among many. Rather they signify our defining character, what
makes us uniquely who we are." (The 28 universities’ presidents—both
Jesuit and lay—serve on the association’s board, while five additional staff
members support its operations.)
As a result, several Jesuit colleges
have recently undergone major rebranding campaigns, initiatives that have
typically endeavored to retain the schools’ Catholic foundations while shifting
marketing strategies to appeal to broader student populations. Rockhurst
University in Kansas City, Missouri is one such school, which last year removed
the word "Jesuit" from the university tagline but retained an image
of the campus chapel on its website. Additionally, "Catholic" appears
in the school’s mission and vision, as well as the criteria used in the
rebranding process.
"Our Catholic, Jesuit tradition
is reflected in everything we do—from the way we talk about our mission in
marketing pieces, to the way we interact with one another, to the way we
develop leaders" said Lauren Hannawald, Rockhurt’s director of marketing.
Regis also recently launched a new
brand campaign. While both "Jesuit" and "Catholic" are
listed as keywords for marketing materials, neither term appears in the
school’s definition or its brand platform.
"We hide the word ‘Catholic’
from prospective students," said Traci McBee, who helps oversee
fundraising efforts at Regis University. "We focus on the Jesuit piece
rather than the Catholic piece. We’re able to transform a little quicker
because we are not waiting for the archbishop to give us permission. We don’t
have to ask the Pope when we want to make changes."
But some administrators, such as
Gonzaga’s McCulloh, take a different stance. A common misconception, according
to McCulloh, is that a Jesuit university is different from a Catholic
university.
A university is recognized as
"Catholic" if it falls inline with the teachings of the Church as
articulated in Pope John Paul II’s Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishop’s supplemental documents. Though Jesuit
universities are listed as Catholic universities, certain advocacy groups
disagree that this is the case. For example, the Cardinal Newman Society each
year produces The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, which outlines
the schools it feels best uphold Catholic identity on campus. Rarely does a
Jesuit university make the list.
But "the Jesuits are completely
and wholly a part of the Church," said McCulloh, who feels it’s important
that he stay closely connected to the bishop and the local church. "There
is a living, dynamic relationship of the Society and the Church of which it is
a part." Still, it’s ultimately out of the university’s hands as to
whether it retains its Catholic identity, he said; it’s up to the Catholic Church.
Sean Daru, a 2014 Regis graduate
from Denver, sought a Catholic education and needed to stay close to home for
family reasons. Regis was his only option. "It is different in very
meaningful and obvious ways," Daru said. "Some of those differences
are good and necessary. And some of those differences aren’t. While,
undoubtedly, there are things that make Regis Catholic, there are things that
are missing that are central to what it would be to be a Catholic
university."
According to a recent survey
administered by the Jesuit colleges association, about half of the students at
Jesuit universities nationwide identify as Catholic. St. Joseph’s University in
Philadelphia boasts the highest number, with three-fourths of its student body
identifying as Catholic. About two-thirds of Rockhurst undergraduates identify
as Catholic. Regis, where a little over a third of the students are Catholic,
has one of the lowest figures. Though some administrators say this is a sign of
the times, others point to this as an indicator of an overall decline in the
institutions’ Catholic identity.
Some Jesuit schools have received
harsh criticism for hosting pro-choice commencement speakers.
"If we call ourselves a
Catholic university, how can we be satisfied with that number?" said Regis
Board of Trustees Vice-Chair William Newland. "This is consistent with the
direction Regis is moving. We’re more concerned with the Jesuit way than with
Catholicism."
Today, a handful of organizations,
concerned about these changes, advocate for a stronger Catholic identity at
Jesuit universities. The 1887 Trust and the Father King Society are two
examples. Participants share concerns regarding events, speakers, curriculum
requirements, and faculty appointments.
But McCulloh hasn’t been fazed by
these efforts: "I respect the right of people to form groups, to create
circles, to engage in discussion about issues that are important to them and
those they feel ought to be relevant to us. I have actively engaged with them
and I have let them know that I do not agree with their perspective."
"If they experienced it with
us, no, they would not find perfection," McCulloh continued. "But
they would find that all of the things that the Church and the Jesuits are
asking universities to do are here and obvious."
Despite the shifting landscape, many
Jesuit universities still face tough decisions when it comes to hosting
controversial speakers and events on campus. Most, for example, have had to
decide whether to bring the Vagina Monologues, a play about gender and sexuality,
on campus. Others have received harsh criticism for hosting commencement
speakers who hold views that differ from those of the Church, namely when it
comes to abortion. This year, the Cardinal Newman Society identified 22
commencement speakers whose personal opinions did not align with the Church.
More than half of them were people who spoke at Jesuit universities, a
testament to the schools’ willingness to confront rather than avoid difficult
topics.
"The Church has long looked to
the Jesuits and to Jesuit universities as a place where difficult issues can be
discussed, hammered out, raised and questioned, to be faithful to the Church
and to do the hard work of trying to engage the world," McCulloh said.
"The Church has never said there is a set of things we don’t want you to
talk about."
*
This post originally stated that Loyola University Chicago has the largest
total enrollment at any Jesuit Unviersity in the U.S. Loyola only has the
largest undergradue enrollment. We regret the error.
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