When my daughters were high school students and investigating potential colleges to attend, our family toured [two other Catholic] campuses. What was quite apparent on our tours was the significant emphasis to minimize the Catholic character of each institution. The well-spoken, energetic student tour guide at [the first campus] enthusiastically volunteered to the prospective students and their parents several times that one does not have to be Catholic to attend [there] and she was quite proud that she was raised Catholic but felt the unsolicited need to share that she has attended Mass “maybe twice in the last four years.” At [the other school], our pleasant tour guide actually mentioned that religion is not even considered important at the University, and in fact there was very little display of anything that one might expect at a Catholic institution. Not once did anyone mention a church or chapel on [this] campus. At each school’s general session, discussants similarly deemphasized the Catholic nature of the institution. These impressions were not subtle. I couldn’t help myself during these sessions to yearn for the University of Notre Dame, where one does not have to apologize for one’s religious background, and where an underlying theme to attract competitive students is not one of undermining the original nature of the University.
It has now been disseminated that at Notre Dame, there is discussion of eliminating or reducing the Theology course requirement. This comes at a time just after Catholic college presidents met in Washington January 31 – February 2 to discuss how to assist their students “embrace their faith or come to understand what it means.” (Pittsburgh Catholic, February 13, 2015). I fear that making such a drastic curriculum change will move us closer to the ideals of other previously strong Catholic universities which have sacrificed their identities for the sake of “advancing” their educational agendas. At Notre Dame, it has always been a place where religion and scholarship could coexist. By choosing Notre Dame, and subsequently enrolling in two undergraduate Theology courses, the student of any faith can gain understanding of the Catholic teachings.
The offerings “Introduction to Theology” and “Theology of the Eucharist” that I was fortunate to study while at ND were very important in my understanding of the Bible and certainly expanded my understanding of the Catholic faith. These courses provided a basis to view our Church and its teachings as they apply to us on a daily basis in our lives. I suspect that many students have felt similarly about their experiences. I do not believe that eliminating three or six credits and replacing them with other electives will have an adverse effect in the eventual success of our students or place them at a competitive disadvantage in their careers or pursuit of graduate studies. In fact, by potentially eliminating Theology (or likewise Philosophy) requirements, the Notre Dame student will become a little less dissimilar to students from other colleges that do not offer or require thought in these essential subjects. My opinion is that, generally, the intellectual development of our students will certainly not be advanced by this proposed curriculum change.
I am saddened by the fact that eliminating the Theology courses could even be considered at Notre Dame. A student can gain a solid grounding in their field of study, along with a fine Theology background, at many Catholic institutions of higher learning throughout the country. However, the traditionally strongest academic schools seem to be leaning away from combining the missions of their founders, and sacrificing some heretofore essential elements of their learning process. At our children’s Catholic grade school, I notice our University is looked at by many parents and educators, and often referenced, for its leadership in scholarship, service, religious teachings and ethics in sporting endeavors, to name a few areas mentioned. It is almost inconceivable that one would reference Notre Dame as a place where Theology courses are no longer deemed essential.
What’s next, eliminating religion from our grade schools to open time for another language class or advanced Mathematics course? I just do not understand why we need to sacrifice anything to continue to be a great research university, or for that matter to have great Catholic high schools or excellent Catholic grade schools. I strongly believe Notre Dame should remain a leader in their resistance to the forces that attempt to make such changes. I hope and pray that there may be strong consideration of continuing the Theology requirements for the Notre Dame undergraduate student.
At Notre Dame, we like to ask “What would you fight for?” Let’s fight to keep our undergraduate Theology requirements.
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