Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference Research Articles

How Can Catholic Higher Education Help K-12 Catholic Schools and School Systems Prepare for and Maximize Participation in Parental Choice Programs? A Reflection on the 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Catholic School Financing

How Can Catholic Higher Education Help K-12 Catholic Schools and School Systems Prepare for and Maximize Participation in Parental Choice Programs? A Reflection on the 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Catholic School Financing

Public Funding for Private Schools: The Current Landscape A Reflection on the 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Catholic School Financing

Public Funding for Private Schools: The Current Landscape A Reflection on the 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Catholic School Financing

Supporting Catholic Education through Effective School/University Partnerships: Two Models from the 2012 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

Supporting Catholic Education through Effective School/University Partnerships: Two Models from the 2012 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

School Boards and Effective Catholic School Governance: Selected Presentations from the 2012 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

School Boards and Effective Catholic School Governance: Selected Presentations from the 2012 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

Our Schools--Our Hope: Reflections on Catholic Identity from the 2011 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

These proceedings include selected presentations on Catholic identity by six participants of the 2011 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative (CHEC) Conference on Catholic Identity at The Catholic University of America (CUA). The conference, jointly sponsored by CUA and St. John’s University, is the fourth in a series of five national conferences sponsored by the collaborative. Each of these presentations looks at Catholic identity from a different perspective, including collaborative partnerships between K-12 schools and higher education; school policies that promote Catholic identity; curriculum; research into Catholic social teaching; and leadership. Contributors include Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., 14th president of CUA and current Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey; Reverend Donald J. Harrington, C.M., president of St. John’s University; Sr. Barbara L. Monsegur, CFMM, principal of Lourdes Catholic High School, Arizona; Karen Vogtner, principal of St. John the Evangelist School, Georgia; Thomas W. Burnford, secretary for education, Archdiocese of Washington; and, Mary Jane Krebbs, associate dean for graduate studies in the School of Education, St. John’s University.

Catholic Schools as Schools of Academic Excellence: A Summary of the Third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference Proceedings

This article summarizes the content and outcomes of the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), cosponsored by the Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College and the Center for Catholic School Leadership at Fordham University. The conference focused on how Catholic higher education can assist in developing and supporting essential components necessary for achieving academic excellence in Pre-K-12 Catholic schools. This working conference featured guest speakers who provided substantive content that invited participants to examine critically and reflect upon focus questions related to academic excellence. A summary of the presentations and table conversations, along with the final recommendations from the participants and follow-up steps that have taken place as a result, are reported.

Host Presidents' Address: A Discussion on Ways Catholic Higher Education Institutions Can Assist Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools

As part of the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), an event cosponsored by Boston College and Fordham University, the host university presidents, Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., and Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., addressed conference attendees and discussed ways higher education institutions can assist Catholic elementary and secondary schools. This article contains a transcript of their remarks. Fr. Leahy, the 25th president of Boston College, has a keen interest in Catholic schools, understanding their importance for the nation and for handing on the Catholic tradition to the next generation. Through his efforts, the Center for Catholic Education at Boston College, now the Roche Center for Catholic Education, was established. Fr. McShane, the 32nd president of Fordham University, shares a strong commitment to Catholic education. He has become one of the most powerful voices in New York City speaking on behalf of the need for Catholic schools. The work of Fordham’s Graduate School of Education and Center for Catholic School Leadership with Catholic schools throughout the metropolitan region has received support from Fr. McShane.

Keynote Address: Rev. Mark Massa

Rev. Mark S. Massa, S.J., is the dean and professor of Church history at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. He was invited to give a keynote to begin the third Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference (CHEC), cosponsored by Boston College and Fordham University. Fr. Massa’s address posed critical questions about whether Catholic identity and Catholic Intellectual Tradition are still the focal points for academic excellence in Catholic schools. This question was continually revisited throughout the conference.

Developing and Sustaining Leaders for Catholic Schools: A Summary of the Conference Proceedings of the Second Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference

On October 1-3, 2009, Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Catholic School Effectiveness (CCSE) and School of Education hosted the second in a series of six planned Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conferences (CHEC) entitled, “Developing and Sustaining Leaders for Catholic Schools: How Can Catholic Higher Education Help?” This working conference was structured around four main presentations, each addressing an aspect of the conference theme. Upon the conclusion of each session, conference participants were invited to respond and explore the themes that were presented in each session. This paper provides a summary of the presentations and the discussions of the participants. Finally, the follow-up actions, resulting from the conference, are shared.

“Déjà vu All Over Again”: Commentary on the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Leadership at Loyola University Chicago

“Déjà vu All Over Again”: Commentary on the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conference on Leadership at Loyola University Chicago

The Challenge of Serving a Diverse Church: Being Christ for Others

Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., was ordained a priest in 1984 and shortly afterward became the pastor of Dolores Mission parish, serving from 1986-1992. While at Dolores Mission, he developed numerous programs for at-risk youth in the community. In 2001 his various projects assisting youths in gangs were united under one banner: Homeboy Industries. Through Homeboy, Fr. Greg has provided job training and work experience, mental health counseling, tattoo removal, and education, including Opportunities for Learning Charter High School, all in an environment where once-rival gang members are able to work side by side. In his talk to the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative conference (CHEC) attendees at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Fr. Greg challenged educators to reach out to youth at the margins. Rather than being in service to, he called on his audience to be in solidarity with those who are most at-risk. His story is an example of what can be accomplished through unconditional love for troubled youth. What follows is the text of Fr. Greg’s talk to CHEC at LMU in January 2009.

A Catholic Higher Education Collaborative: Focusing on New Ways of Supporting Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools

This article discusses highlights from the Catholic Higher Education Collaborative conference (CHEC) held at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in January 2009. The conference, a result of a 2007 dialogue on Catholic schooling hosted by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was the first of six to be held at Catholic colleges and universities throughout the country. The purpose of the conference was to seek new and creative ways for Catholic higher education to partner with the nation’s K-12 Catholic schools. The theme of the LMU conference was “Catholic Schools and The Immigrant Church: Lessons from the Past and a Bridge to the Future.” This article includes information about the development of CHEC, a brief review of the history of immigrants and Catholic schools, an overview of conference keynote talks, and concludes with future initiatives developed from the conference in support of Catholic schools.

Catholic Schools and the Immigrant Community: A Look Backward and Forward

Michael Collins, F.S.C., Ed.D. is a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, or Christian Brothers. He currently serves as the president of his alma mater, DeLa Salle High School, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2007 Br. Collins received the National Catholic Educational Association Sr. Catherine McNamee Award for outstanding leadership in diversity. What follows is Br. Collins’s address to attendees at the first Catholic Higher Education Collaborative conference (CHEC), held at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in January 2009. In his address, Br. Collins recounts instances of racism and prejudice in his years as a student and later teacher and administrator in Catholic schools. He expands the notion of immigrant to include those brought to this country by force. He maintains that Catholic educators have an obligation to welcome and assimilate those who find themselves in a new place regardless of circumstance.