The Idea of A Catholic College

The complementarity of faith and reason; a commitment to philosophy and theology as "sapiential" and "architectonic" disciplines; the belief that all reality is suffused with the presence of God such that God may be found in all things; an understanding of education as a work of sanctification if not even resurrection; and an ambition to educate hearts as well as to instruct minds -- these are, among others, the ideas that have animated and animate yet today Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. But how do these ideas fare, and how can they best be expressed, in today's undergraduate colleges? Are philosophy and theology up to the charge? How should courses in these disciplines be conceived and structured in general education curricula? Further, how do the other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences serve and express the basic mission of Catholic higher education? Do professional programs in business, education, engineering, or nursing have distinctive vocations within the context of Catholic higher education? What roles do campus ministry, service centers, learning communities, and the like have to play? More precisely, how can they be, not extra-curricular, but co-curricular, contributing to the educational mission of the college? And just what is the warrant for an institution of higher learning to seek to transform students' hearts?

The faculty and administration of King's College invite papers responding to these and related questions for presentation at the conference "The Idea of a Catholic College: Charism, Curricula, and Community," scheduled for Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20, 2014, on the King's College campus. The conference's keynote speaker will be the Reverend John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame. Twelve other invited speakers will participate in three panel discussions. Click here for a longer introduction to the conference's themes. Click here for the names and affiliations of the panelists.

Papers should be appropriate for presentation either in thirty minutes (with fifteen minutes following for discussion) or in twenty minutes (with ten minutes for discussion). Send a 300-word abstract, by April 1, 2014, to [email protected]. Specify in the note accompanying your abstract whether you plan to present for thirty minutes or twenty. Presenters will be notified by May 1.