Professional Documents
Culture Documents
every Catholic
educational
institution is a
place to encounter
the living God who
in Jesus Christ
reveals his transforming
love and truth.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Address to Catholic Educators
Catholic University of America
April 17, 2008
The Cardinal Newman Society
Who We Are
The Our Mission
Executive The Center for the Advancement of Catholic
Higher Education, a division of The Cardinal
Director Newman Society, advises and assists academic
and religious leaders in efforts to strengthen
the Catholic identity and academic quality of
Catholic colleges and universities.
Our Values
David House, Ph.D. The core values of The Center are:
is the Executive Director of The Center
for the Advancement of Catholic Higher • Consistent integrity, quality and accuracy.
Archbishop
Raymond Burke is
Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the
Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church’s
highest court at the Vatican. Prior to his
Making a Difference
When faithful Belmont Abbey College was told by the federal government that it was guilty of discrimination by
refusing to cover contraception in its employee health plans, The Center immediately recognized the danger and
sprang into action. Within days of the ruling, the Center commissioned analyses by legal scholars and insurance
experts and prepared briefings for bishops and Catholic college administrators who were shocked by the brazen
violation of Belmont Abbey’s religious liberty. Thanks to the Center, Catholic college leaders and bishops are now
aware of the problems and have several potential solutions.
The Cardinal Newman Society
Board of Advisors
John Hittinger, Ph.D.
John Hittinger is Professor of Philosophy in the Center for Thomistic Studies and
founding Director of the Pope John Paul II Forum for the Church in the Modern World
at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. He previously served as the university’s Vice
President for Academic Affairs and as Academic Dean and Provost of St. Mary’s College in
Orchard Lake, Michigan.
Fellows
Very Rev. Richard Duffield, Cong. Orat., M.A. (Oxon)
John Henry Cardinal Newman Distinguished Fellow
Father Richard Duffield is Actor for the Cause of the Canonization of John Henry Cardinal
Newman and Provost of the Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri in Birmingham, England.
After leaving Birmingham to help establish the Oxford Oratory, where he was ordained
priest in 1992, he returned to Birmingham to prepare for the beatification of Cardinal
Newman by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010. Father Duffield’s work
as Distinguished Fellow will focus on promoting the thought and legacy of Cardinal
Newman, particularly on matters of higher education, in the United States.
Institutional Mission
identity in Catholic higher education and
shortcomings in the broad implementation
Embracing the vision of faithful Catholic higher of significant portions of both the Vatican’s
education proposed by John Henry Cardinal guidelines.
Newman, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict
XVI, in full conformity to Ex corde Ecclesiae • 2010 Research Project: The Growing
and other guidelines of the Vatican and the Threat to the Religious Liberty of Catholic
U.S. bishops. Institutions
• 2010 Research Project: Measuring A broad legal analysis of the growing
Catholic Identity legislative and regulatory threats to the
religious liberty of Catholic institutions with
Drawing upon the Catholic Church’s recommendations for positive actions that
guidelines for Catholic higher education, the institutions and Church might take to
an attempt to respond to the challenge protect Catholic identity.
of Archbishop Michael Miller, CSB, former
Secretary of the Vatican Congregation for
Catholic Education, who urged Catholic
college and university leaders to develop Academic Quality
“measurable benchmarks” to review their
success with regard to Catholic identity. Striving for an integrated education strongly
rooted in the liberal arts and the Catholic
• 2010 Research Project: Catholic Identity intellectual tradition, and faithful to the
and Student Enrollment Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Analysis and recommendations of research • 2010 Research Project: Survey of
topics and methods to consider the impact of Core Requirements at Catholic Colleges and
a perceived strong Catholic identity on Universities
student applications and enrollment at
U.S. Catholic colleges and universities. A review and summary of current “core”
requirements for undergraduate students at
• 2010 Research Project: Implementation Catholic colleges and universities in the
of Ex corde Ecclesiae: 1990-2010 U.S., with an attempt to categorize
approaches and identify prevailing trends.
A review of U.S. efforts to implement
the 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic • Evaluating Catholic Core Curricula
universities, Ex corde Ecclesiae, upon the
constitution’s 20th anniversary, with An exploration of historical and
attention to both the renewal of Catholic contemporary criteria for identifying an
The Cardinal Newman Society
dhouse@CatholicHigherEd.org