The Extreme Curriculum Makeover:
Integrating Catholic Social Teaching and University Mission
into a Redesigned Undergraduate Business Curriculum
Dr. Michael Petrochuk, Dr. Julie Szendrey, & Dr. Michael Reolfi
The DeVille School of Business
Walsh University
2020 East Maple Street
North Canton, OH 44720, USA
(330) 490-7386
Biographies
Dr. Michael Petrochuk, assistant professor and director of the MBA program in The DeVille
School of Business at Walsh University, received a doctorate in business administration (DBA)
from Cleveland State University and completed additional training at the Harvard Business
School’s Social Enterprise Institute.
Dr. Julie Szendrey, associate profesor in The DeVille School of Business at Walsh University,
received a doctorate of business administration (DBA) from Anderson University and an MBA
and BME from the University of Dayton. Prior to teaching she was a project engineer in
industry for 10 years.
Dr. Michael Reolfi, assistant professor and lead faculty for business law and ethics in The
DeVille School of Business at Walsh University, earned a bachelor of science in accounting and
a juris doctorate (JD), both from the University of Akron.
Introduction and Purpose
Redesigning curricula in higher education has become a common practice in recent years. The
September/October 2011 edition of Biz Ed magazine featured a cover story focusing on
curriculum redesign within business schools. The goals of many secular schools’ efforts in this
area have been driven by addressing what business leaders desire in graduates and/or updating
courses to reflect recent industry changes (Walker & Black, 2000). Catholic colleges and
universities need to be different in their curriculum redesign approach such that they also
incorporate important Catholic teachings, including Papal encyclicals and other key religious
writings, into the curriculum development process.
The purpose of this paper is to present the framework of the recent redesign of the undergraduate
business curriculum at Walsh University, a Catholic university founded by the Brothers of
Christian Instruction in North Canton, Ohio. A key element of the redesign was to internalize
and incorporate the components of the university’s mission, Gaudium et Spes (1965), Centesimus
Annus (1991), and other key Catholic writings.
The curriculum redesign incorporated three key elements which will be discussed in greater
detail in the Curriculum Design section of this paper: ethical, social, and moral responsibility; a
global perspective; and systems and sustainability. In addition, the new curriculum sought to
form a bridge between the business community and academe. Through the curriculum redesign,
Catholic social tradition was addressed. This paper addresses each of these issues, while also
presenting a new format for curriculum redesign that focuses on student learning outcomes and
experiential learning at several levels.
Review of Literature
Eight seminal papal encyclicals were written which collectively had a dramatic impact on the
social teachings of the church (Compendium, 2004). Overall, these writings sought to apply
Catholic traditions and teachings within the evolving industrialized world (Cornuel, Habisch, &
Kletz, 2010). Among these, four encyclicals had a specific impact on the curriculum redesign
pursued by The DeVille School of Business at Walsh University, which are as follows:
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Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) was the first to address the importance of Christianled trade unions and how nations gained their wealth.
Pope Paul VI’s Gaudium et Spes (1965) linked the relationship of society to social justice
problems (e.g., poverty, culture, technology, and ecumenism).
Pope Paul VI’s Popularum Progressio (1967) advocated for the impending globalization,
recognizing the role of business within this dynamic.
Pope John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus (1991) recognized the 100-year anniversary of Rerum
Novarum, concluding that a free market was advantageous so long as it advanced the social
justice issues aimed the society’s common good.
Within the context of curriculum redesign, Pope John Paul II’s (1991) Centesimus Annus
encouraged business leaders to think creatively in solving business and world issues. In order for
this to happen, all members of society must be respected and allowed to think creatively in order
to pursue external opportunities. Such endeavors are possible with the entrepreneurial, free
enterprise system that is able to function in a capitalist economic system. By learning how to
respect each other in an environment that allows creativity and mutual work, such creative
endeavors may come to fruition, further benefiting members of society. Additionally, Pope John
Paul II emphasized the need to bring developing countries into the international system (ie.
global business) to help alleviate poverty.
Following these papal encyclicals, other authors have advanced and advocated the notions of
Catholic social teachings within the context of business curricula. Within the context of Catholic
business curriculum, Catholic universities should develop mission-based critical thinkers that
solve problems within a faith-based context (Naughton, Bausch, Fontana, & Pierucci, 2008).
Social and ethical responsibility is reinforced by placing emphasis on collecting and using
accurate information in the analysis of business decisions – and more importantly life decisions
(Novak, 1993; Novak, 1996).
An Overview of Walsh University
Walsh University is an independent, coeducational Catholic, liberal arts and sciences institution
in North Canton, Ohio founded by seven Brothers of Christian Instruction in 1960. The original
mission statement of Walsh University, which upholds today, and the present vision statement
are as follows:
Mission Statement
Walsh University is dedicated to educating its student to become
leaders in service to others through a value-based education with
an international perspective in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Vision Statement
Walsh University is committed to being a Catholic University of
distinction, providing each student the educational experiences,
resources, and opportunities necessary to foster critical thinking,
effective communication, spiritual growth, and person,
professional and cultural development. The University encourages
individuals to act in accordance with reason guided by the example
and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Although over fifty years have passed since the founding of Walsh University, a concerted focus
remains on integrating the original mission of the school while properly alighning its vision,
strategy, and goals. Through strong leadership provided by the university’s top administration,
the university mission remains an integral part of campus life which carries throughout the
schools and departments within the organization.
Per the book Quality with Soul by Benne (2001), Walsh University remains a strong religious
based school because of its committed persons, ethos, and vision. “Committed persons” are
essentially the participants in the affiliated church and associates of the tradition. Walsh
employs individuals and admits students of all faiths. There is strong commitment to the school
by the majority of employees regardless of faith, which makes the culture at Walsh unique.
Additionally, the Diocese of Youngstown, of which Walsh is located, strongly supports and
promotes the school. The bishop of the diocese has served as a board member.
“Ethos” is defined as the “way of life” within the school as characterized by specific traditions,
worship style, holidays, etc. that set the “tone” of the school. Many traditions exist on Walsh’s
campus, both faith-based and non-faith-based. Vision provides the “umbrella of meaning” under
which the institution addresses life and learning. As previously discussed the mission is strongly
emphasized and “put into action” through the school’s vision. All employees are encouraged to
support the mission of the school, which is an important element during the interviewing/hiring
process.
Per Benne’s four levels of religious affilication for colleges/universities, Walsh University can
best be defined as “critical-mass” in that the three previously defined categories of committed
persons, ethos, and vision are well-defined; however, the school does not exclusively employ
those of the Catholic denomination, nor focus on admitting primarily Catholic students or
converting students to Catholicism. Walsh University is “accepting of all” and encourages
diversity, themes which are woven into the activities and curriculum of the university. These
elements are important to consider in the design/redesign of curriculum which are explained in
the following Curriculum Design Process section of this paper.
Curriculum Design Process
The September/October 2011 edition of Biz Ed magazine highlighted the growing trend among
business schools to redesign their business curricula. These initiatives were undertaken ensure
that students graduated with the most relevant and meaningful education possible. It was also
done to improve the stature and marketability of the respective academic institutions. The drive
to redesign curricula has embraced by public and private – as well as secular and faith-based –
higher education institutions alike.
When undergoing a curriculum design process, many university programs focus on the desires of
the business communities served by the school (Walker, 2000). There are many limitations to
this approach. First, aligning to the business community’s needs is myopic. Second, while some
businesses are strategic and forward-thinking, designing curriculum based upon businesses’
recommendations may not result in innovation. Finally, Catholic and other faith-based
institutions must align their work around their organization’s mission.
Walsh University undertook a major curriculum redesign of its DeVille School of Business
undergraduate curriculum. During this process, the school was aware of the above issues and
worked diligently to ensure that the curricular evaluations and changes were grounded in the
university’s mission and values. As a part of the curriculum redesign discussions, the school
affirmed the following majors:
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Accounting (existing major)
Global Business (new major)
Management (existing major)
Marketing (existing major)
At the same time, the school decided to eliminate two majors: information systems and finance.
The decisions to maintain, add, and eliminate various majors was driven by a reflection on the
university’s mission, market conditions, and faculty expertise. In the end, the following nine (9)
steps were used to review and revise the undergraduate curriculum.
Step #1 – “Clean the slate/mindset” of the existing School of Business curriculum. The plan to
revise the DeVille School of Business undergraduate curriculum was endorsed and unanimouslyapproved by the faculty. This was an important step in the redesign process, as it set the course
for future consensus-building activities and approvals. While the faculty conceded that the
current curriculum was not “broken,” the fields had changed sufficiently, requiring a new
curriculum that would even better prepare students to enter the competitive and evolving job
markets.
An important issue in this initial step was the realization that the School of Business “owned” the
curriculum. While professors had significant expertise within given areas (e.g., marketing
strategy, human resources, etc.), these did not translate into any one person having the authority
to dictate the content an individual course or a collection of courses. While this was initially a
sensitive issue, faculty came to agree that the School of Business “owned” the curriculum. Each
faculty member was free within the bounds of academic freedom to develop the optimal method
for course delivery.
In order to step away from each faculty member’s area(s) of expertise and experience with
teaching courses, a visioning exercise was used. Faculty was asked to imagine a business
undergraduate walking across the stage at graduation. Each faculty member was asked to
identify one or two words that could be used to describe the qualities of business graduates. A
master list of these words was created. Common themes were identified. In some instances,
similar words were combined to express the same central notion or meaning.
In the end, faculty identified eight key words – reviewed and endorsed by all faculty – to
describe the “ideal graduate” from the DeVille School of Business. They include the following:
Sustainable
Experiential
Integrated
ApplicationOriented
Innovative
Socially
Responsible
Globally
Focused
EthicallyGrounded
Step #2 – Consider the mission and vision of Walsh University.
The linchpin of the curriculum design process was the recognition of Walsh University’s mission
statement. As discussed above, it is critical that the university’s mission be “the driver” in the
curriculum redesign process. In addition, it was vital that the new curriculum be poised to
support and advance the university’s mission.
Given that Walsh is a Catholic institution of higher learning, the respect for the mission is
obvious, as previosly stated. In addition, as the School of Business works toward specialty
accreditations, mission alignment is an imperative. As a part of the redesign process, the School
of Business faculty identified many key words from both the mission and vision statements that
helped to frame and guide future endeavors. Following are the mission and visions statements,
with the key words underlined:
Mission Statement
Walsh University is dedicated to educating its student to become
leaders in service to others through a value-based education with
an international perspective in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Vision Statement
Walsh University is committed to being a Catholic university of
distinction, providing each student the educational experiences,
resources, and opportunities necessary to foster critical thinking,
effective communication, spiritual growth, and personal,
professional and cultural development. The University encourages
individuals to act in accordance with reason guided by the example
and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Step #3 – Consider the mission and vision of The DeVille School of Business. With the
understanding and awareness of the university’s mission and vision statements, the DeVille
School of Business faculty worked to create similar school-oriented statements. The following
mission and vision statements were created and approved by faculty:
Mission Statement
The Walsh University DeVille School of Business prepares
graduates to be successful, ethical practitioners in a dynamic and
global environment and to be leaders in service to others through:
• Teaching excellence in the Judeo-Christian tradition,
• Practical applications informed by knowledge and experiences
• A vigorous curriculum emphasizing ethics and development of
professional and personal skills, and
• Close student-faculty interaction
Vision Statement
Our graduates demonstrate high academic achievement, leadership,
and engaged citizenship as scholar-practitioners whose strengths
have been developed through their commitment to experiential
learning in the disciplined pursuit of knowledge and service.
The mission and vision statements reflect an intentional integration of the aforementioned
qualities of the “ideal graduate” along with the university’s similar statements. As a result of
these efforts, there was a perception of alignment and support. In order to begin work on
operationalizing the mission and vision statements, the faculty developed and adopted the
following guiding principles:
1. The School of Business prepares successful practitioners who demonstrate command of
topics as they relate to business through an emphasis on the integration of theory with
practice.
2. The School of Business prepares practitioners who have an informed awareness and
appreciation of the potential impact their behaviors and decisions have on all stakeholders
of an organization. Graduates identify ethical issues and understand and apply
appropriate ethical and moral principles in decision making and behavior to build caring
communities linking social responsibility to business practice.
3. The School of Business recognizes that a dynamic environment is one in which there is
change that is full of energy, enthusiasm and embodies a sense of purpose. The
environment is characterized by vigorous activity that occurs over a compressed time
frame, adding substance to the nature of its dynamism.
4. The School of Business believes that a global environment is one that recognizes
diversity in all of its aspects including the workplace, geographic location, in culture and
ownership.
5. The School of Business recognizes and utilizes a global environment by integrating
awareness of business issues in the classroom with experiential learning.
6. The School of Business provides access to a global marketplace through collaborative
arrangements with diverse business enterprises.
7. The School of Business prepares leaders who are committed to community service and
integrating and apply classroom materials in situations that directly benefit those in need.
By promoting a culture of service, the School of Business educates and motivates
students to continue these behaviors after graduation.
Step #4 – Establish the themes to be embedded in the new business curriculum. Unlike many
other curriculum redesign processes that focus on merely “re-tuning” existing coursework, the
DeVille School of Business efforts had still yet to discuss any coursework. Instead, faculty
reflected deeply on the previous work (“ideal graduate”, mission statement, vision statement,
etc.) in order to identify overall themes.
These themes served as anchor points for future discussions. In addition, they provided a
method of explaining the curriculum across the various majors to other key stakeholders and
constituency groups. In short, as identified in the adjacent figure, the new undergraduate
business curriculum would encompass a global perspective, advance a sustainable systemsorientation, and include a focus on ethical, social, and moral responsibilities as embodied within
the context of servant leadership.
Step #5 – Review the literature (Catholic and secular) to establish traditions, imperatives, and
best practices. An earlier section of this paper outlined the review of literature used within the
framework and process of the curriculum redesign process. A key element within this process
was a conscious effort to focus on Catholic-oriented research, along with supporting the
literature review with learning from secular research. As a result of past research and informed
by the previous statements (mission and vision for the university and School of Business), the
faculty developed processes under which future curriculum redesign activities were framed.
Step #6 – Establish the business program learning outcomes. Assurance of learning and other
assessment activities are the focus of most higher education programs. Nurses often comment
that “if it’s not documented, it’s not done.” In a similar vein, “if it’s not assessed, it has not been
learned (or one can’t validate that it has been learned).”
As a precursor to the development of learning outcomes, the faculty reflected on the following
statement on curriculum that was adopted by the university’s entire faculty:
The curriculum for any Major, Minor, or Program at Walsh University should be
more than just a list of courses. Every curriculum should provide students with a
structured experience; i.e., an integrated, progressive course of study with
articulated and assessable student learning outcomes. Students undertaking any
curriculum should be made aware of these outcomes. The curriculum itself should
evince a clear sense of sequence, thus providing students, over time, learning
experiences that build upon basic knowledge and skills as they move towards
advanced proficiency. A curriculum should be the collaborative effort of the fulltime and adjunct faculty. Every faculty member should be aware of how each
course he or she teaches in a curriculum functions in achieving that curriculum’s
stated outcomes, and students should experience every curriculum as a whole
greater than the sum of its parts. Towards this end, curricular connections among
and between courses should be transparent.
In order to frame the School of Business’ assessment efforts, the faculty developed and adopted
the following assessment process guidelines:
1. Assessment in the School of Business supports the institutional mission and is aligned
with institutional assessment principles.
2. Assessment in the School of Business is intended to measure progress toward strategic
program goals and achievement of established program student learning outcomes.
3. Continuous improvement requires ongoing assessment.
4. The School of Business assesses its students’ progress toward program student learning
outcomes and shares formative assessments with them as tools for their use to guide their
development.
5. Stakeholders in the assessment process include the university, students, faculty and staff
in the School of Business, alumni, parents, and the communities and organizations in
which our graduates live, work and serve.
6. Faculty in the School of Business have responsibility for determining program student
learning outcomes, developing assessment plans and designing assessment methods,
participation in the assessment process and implementation of improvement activities.
7. Assessment activities are transparent and open to all stakeholders.
8. Assessment data and activities are used to improve program student learning and strategic
outcomes in the School of Business.
The faculty took a very deliberate approach to reflect on all of the previous activities, policies,
and statements. Again, a focus was to visualize the “ideal graduate” from the DeVille School of
Business. As a collective result of these reflections and analysis, the faculty adopted the
following student learning outcomes for business graduates:
1. Graduates communicate effectively.
2. Graduates think critically and solve problems supporting their decisions with appropriate
analytical and quantitative technique.
3. Graduates demonstrate effective-decision making that incorporates the tenets of ethics,
morality, spirituality and cultural awareness.
4. Graduates demonstrate the personal and professional knowledge, inter-personal skills and
cross-cultural competencies to function effectively in a global environment.
5. Graduates demonstrate leadership in service to others.
6. Graduate demonstrate knowledge in a specialized area of business.
Step #7 – Establish the course structure to support the business majors and program learning
outcomes. To this point in the process, the faculty had still yet to identify specific course topics
for the new curriculum. However, upon reflecting on all of the previous work, the faculty
discussed the experiential nature of the curriculum that had emerged. The university’s Center for
Business Collaboration (CBC) would be the linchpin in providing an opportunity for business
majors to gain meaningful experiences with external organizations.
Along with the experiential orientation, the faculty also identified the integrative nature – linking
together global perspective, systems and sustainability, and servant leadership. The faculty’s
thoughts were seamlessly weave these qualities together across the curriculum. Finally, the new
curriculum would require students to demonstrate certain levels of achievement as students
matriculated through the curriculum.
In order to explain these various aspects and qualities of the new curriculum, the following
diagram was developed. Slight modifications have been made to this conceptual framework
since its adoption.
Step #8 – Link the learning outcomes and topics – identifying course topics. Informed by all of
the preceding work and documents, the faculty were now ready to develop specific core
curriculum courses for School of Business undergraduates. In order to identify these courses,
faculty first reflected on program student learning outcomes. The next step was to identify an
inventory of topics that should be covered for each of the learning outcomes.
Following this exercise, faculty combined topics (where appropriate) in order to identify
commonalities. The synthesized lists of topics were then further culled and organized so that
specific courses could be proposed. As a result of these iterative processes, the following
business core curriculum and courses were proposed and adopted by the faculty. Slight
modifications have been made to the core business requirements document since its adoption.
Step #9 – Develop a curriculum map to cross-walk the outcomes against the new curriculum and
courses. After the various business core courses were developed, it was important to ensure that
a link existed between the courses and student learning outcomes. For each outcome, the faculty
identified where the student would be introduced, reinforced, and mastered across the various
business core courses. In the end, the following curriculum map was developed to cross-walk
the newly developed curriculum. Slight modifications have been made to the curriculum map
since its adoption.
The themes of the curriculum are incorporated uniquely into each course and in a “linked
format” for some courses. Each course requires the completion and submission of a course
artifact(s) which is used to assess the program learning outcomes the course is targeted to
achieve. Specific examples of how integration of the themes of the curriculum are provided as
follows:
Within the first year course Integrative Business Experience I, students are introduced to the
basic concepts of management and marketing; while in Integrative Business Experience II,
students are introduced to the basic concepts of accoutning and finance. Each course includes at
least one tour of a local larger scale organization. Following the visits, students are required to
address reflective questions to make course connections with the experiences. Having such a
variety of experiences as a first year business major enables students to gain a better
understanding of the true context of the business world.
Also, in the first year course Business Ethics in a Global Environment, students do “virtual
shadowing” with a corporate executive in a foreign country to experience a day in the life of a
corporate expatriate. Issues relating to corporate ethical, social, and moral responsibility are
posed and discussed in terms of a global perspective. The course is taught from the perspective
that business brings together people from many backgrounds with many different belief systems;
therefore, it is important that business has an ethical framework in place that forces everyone to
handle ethical issues and dilemmas in the same manner.
Students are provided the opportunity to take the second year courses of Marketing in a Global
Environment and Financial/Managerial Accoutning in a linked format such that students are
provided with the opportunity to better understand the interconnectedness of the disciplines
within a business environment, similar in nature to that of a true corporate environment. The
concepts of Marketing and Accouting are linked via a case study assignment that focuses on both
disciplines.
Also, during the second year, students visit a city near Walsh Univiersity to gain an appreciation
for the different economic influences within the city environment. Walsh University is fortunate
to have Cleveland and Columbus, in addition to Canton, OH, in close proximity for planning
such student experiences.
The third and fourth year courses, although developed, will be introduced for the first time
during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years. Similar learning experiences
incorporating the themes previously mentioned are also integrated wthin these courses. In the
fourth year capstone class, Integrative Global Business Experience III, one of the summative
assessment projects for students to critically read, evaluate, and apply Pope Paul VI’s encyclical
Gaudium et Spes (1965) to the practices of the present day business world. Students are asked to
prepare and present presentations to the class explaining their assessments, therefore providing
them with the opportunity to learn oral presentation skills while thinking critically about ethical,
social, and moral responsibility as they pertain to leadership in service to others. This particular
assignment has already been introduced within the existing capstone class with much success.
Conclusions. The entire curriculum redesign process took over one year from start to finish.
Meetings were held during the normal academic session, along with special meetings during the
summer months. Faculty displayed an extraordinary sense of collegiality throughout. This does
not suggest that there was unanimous acceptance at every stage. However, faculty consistently
exhibited respect and an orientation toward moving the process forward.
The proposed curriculum reflected a consistent and total alignment to the university’s and
school’s mission and vision statements. Moreover, the newly-developed curriculum has an
orientation toward integration, sustainability, and student achievement.
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