Building Catholic Higher Education: Unofficial Reflections from the University of Notre Dame.
Muldoon, Timothy P.
Building Catholic Higher Education: Unofficial Reflections from the
University of Notre Dame. By Christian Smith and John C. Cavadini.
Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2014. Pp. xvi + I 12. $15.
Smith's slim volume reflects on mission at the University of
Notre Dame, while John Cavadini's appendix considers the role of
theology. S. begins with an analysis of official statements about
mission at the university, emphasizing two points: first, that there is
a clear, consistent vision of the unity of faith and intellectual
inquiry in Notre Dame's mission, requiring a preponderance of
Catholic faculty; and second, that faculty who are not Catholic must
nevertheless share in the mission of the university without feeling like
second-class citizens.
S. elaborates on these two points in the ensuing chapters,
proposing both ideas for faculty who share in the mission and caveats
for those who actively oppose it. His strongest chapter is a commentary
on the role of social science. He suggests from his own experience as a
sociologist that scholars have gained enough critical distance from
certain strains of postmodern thought to see that "the previous
epistemic privileging of secularism no longer enjoys a defensible
basis" (68), thereby opening an avenue of inquiry that seeks
intellectual coherence and a willingness to engage with Catholic thought
in the interest of seeking integration in knowledge.
Cavadini's helpful essay on the role of theology stands alone
as a commentary on how this discipline's inclusion in the
curriculum helps shape a new "paradigm of intellectual culture as a
dialogue between faith and reason" (103). As such, it provides an
openness toward the integration of knowledge, acting as a middle road
between secularism and sectarianism.
I recommend the book as a conversation starter on campuses
wrestling with mission, especially with the difficult "balancing
act" (chap. 5) of teaching, research, and fidelity to a distinctive
Catholic mission. S.'s frankness will likely receive criticism, but
his clarity in addressing neuralgic issues may provide important food
for thought about what sustaining a commitment to Catholic higher
education entails.
DOI: 10.1177/0040563915574992
Timothy P. Muldoon
Boston College
