tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16201378.post2638972640621083361..comments2023-12-28T18:17:11.191-05:00Comments on Gruntled Center: Presbyterian Colleges and the Presbyterian EstablishmentGruntledhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377809238377382438noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16201378.post-510095488354479172008-10-28T08:10:00.000-04:002008-10-28T08:10:00.000-04:00I think the full ecology of higher education has n...I think the full ecology of higher education has niches for Catholic institutions of all degrees of seriousness about their Catholic identity. And each of the orders sponsoring colleges and universities has a distinctive charism, which can also be develop to a greater or lesser degree. If every college is chasing only rocket scientists and CEOs, most will lose their distinctive point.Gruntledhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377809238377382438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16201378.post-57214425546312246222008-10-27T10:29:00.000-04:002008-10-27T10:29:00.000-04:00As you would imagine, the same issue has arisen am...As you would imagine, the same issue has arisen among the Catholic institutions. The issue of Catholic Identity at these institutions has been crying out for an address as it slowly slips away, thus questioning the purpose behind them to begin with. <BR/><BR/>My high school has a very blunt teaching priest, and one who does not find much "identity" with the jesuits. The jesuits being the most prominent catholic teaching order creates a rift, and that catholic identity might be lost as a result. The same might be said for the various Presbyterian sects, but I'm not schooled enough on that to speak insightfully. <BR/><BR/>However, I think the most significant reason behind keeping religion and education at arms length is the issue of credibility. For various reasons, education (ideally) is an open expression of ideas leading to discovery. To many, the idea of religion creates a skew on that open expression, thus leading to skewed discoveries. In the fight for scholarly prestige, institutions of higher learning seem to be keeping religion at bay in order to appear more scholarly (an attempt not always proving beneficial). <BR/><BR/>You mention the fact that institutions attempting to maintain a true Presbyterian identity have produced more Pres. leaders (the same is true with Catholic institutions and priests). The question that the lay school board might ask is: Are they producing more rocket scientists/rhodes scholars/Ph.Ds, etc. as well? <BR/><BR/>The question then becomes...which is more important to us? In an academic environment with rising costs and greater competition, the answer is often found with the alumni who make more money and can then give more back...the bean counter conundrum.JMotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04422086032417931279noreply@blogger.com