Daniel Pittner (Math & Physics)

I graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics.  However, I didn't start college at Notre Dame; I transferred in as a sophomore, with only some basic courses out of the way.  In order to accomplish a double major in only three years, I had to take at least 18 credits each semester, and for both semesters of my junior year I had 21 credit hours.  There were certainly some required courses that I wished I could have skipped--but theology was definitely not one of them.

I didn't expect to really enjoy my intro theology course, but it turned out to be one of my favorite classes my first semester at ND.  It was also one of the most demanding.  Our instructor constantly challenged us to think about scripture and Church teachings in new ways, and to think deeply about our faith.  To this day, I very often find myself reaching back to what I learned in that class during personal reflection and when talking about my faith to my family, friends, and even my children.

But my second theology class, War, Law, and Ethics, was by far the more rewarding of the two.  I was a ROTC cadet at Notre Dame and am now serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.  I believe my War, Law, and Ethics course was essential in my preparation to serve as a military officer.  I was able to fully explore how my faith related to the career I was training for, and find ways to apply it to ensure I could make moral and ethical decisions even in the most difficult situations, with lives on the line.  If I had to choose a single favorite course from my time at Notre Dame, it would be this theology course.

I chose to go to Notre Dame because I wanted not only to receive a top-tier education, but also to grow in my Catholic faith and learn how to live it from day to day, both at home and in my profession.  The university's mission statement gives as one of its goals "to provide a forum where, through free inquiry and open discussion, the various lines of Catholic thought may intersect with all the forms of knowledge found in the arts, sciences, professions, and every other area of human scholarship and creativity."  This perfectly describes the fantastic opportunity I enjoyed in both of my theology classes.  Removing or reducing the theology requirement would rob future students of this opportunity, and would run contrary to Notre Dame's own stated goals and mission.