MISSION OF CATHOLIC
HIGHER EDUCATION
What are the characteristics of
Catholic Colleges and
Universities?
Who We Are
More than 200 colleges and universities
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Fully accredited
Serve over 720,000 students
Liberal Arts core
Large array of Graduate and Professional
Programs
• Committed to carrying on the Catholic intellectual
tradition
Mission Makes Identity
We have been commissioned by religious
congregations or bishops to:
• Continue their mission
• Engage in teaching and scholarship in the
Catholic tradition
Whose Mission?
All participate and share the vision and
commitment:
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Trustees
Sponsors
Administration & staff
Faculty
Students
Not for Catholics only
• We need a critical mass of people who
understand and will maintain the
tradition.
• We welcome collaborators who value
our vision and our tradition.
What Makes Us Catholic
1. Shared Christian Vision and Goals
2. Reflection in the Light of Faith
3. Fidelity to tradition
4. Commitment to service
Shared Christian Vision
Not only the faith of individuals but a
way of looking at human existence
based on:
• The Person of Jesus Christ
• The Cumulative Wisdom of the Christian
centuries
• The Faith of the Catholic community
• A shared vision guiding the whole enterprise
• Publicly acknowledged, discussed, studied,
taught and learned
Content of the Vision
Meaning of human life in relation to:
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God its source
Jesus Christ as revelation
Other people
Choices in work & career
Private and public responsibilities
Understanding the Vision
The vision needs to be studied and lived…
• Reflecting on all secular knowledge in the
light of the faith and the Catholic
intellectual tradition
• Bringing the heritage of Catholic wisdom
to the questions of our day
Faithful to Tradition
Catholic tradition is broad including:
• Spiritual and secular wisdom
• Ways of life and worship
• Treasures of philosophy, theology, art,
political & economic wisdom
The Anchors of Tradition
Catholic tradition is evolving— held together
by:
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Common worship
Ways of private & public behavior
Structures of authority
Patterns of continuity
Formulations honed over centuries
Catholic and catholic
The link with the Church is not a cutting
off from the world but an opening to the
world…
• Freedom to evaluate critically
• Act creatively
• Hope for a better future
Commitment to Service
Beyond accumulation of knowledge to:
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Concern with character formation
Use of talent to serve those in need
Use of education to shape society
Seeking opportunities to change the
world
Catholic means
“of the whole”
Catholic means commitment to:
• The Common Good of the world
• Being attentive to the least advantaged
• Bringing knowledge and skills to better
the human condition of all
Our Core Values
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The dignity of every human life
Peace, reconciliation, diplomacy
Truly human quality of life for all
Community of truth, goodness and
beauty
• Based on friendship and solidarity
Our Campuses
• We hold by these values
• We try to implement them
• We try to teach them to all who come
A presentation of the:
Association of Catholic
Colleges and Universities
200+ colleges and universities linked to an International
Federation of 500+ Catholic Universities.
For more information, resources, links to member
institutions and related associations in Catholic Higher
Education visit: http://www.accunet.org
Richard A. Yanikoski, PhD, President/CEO
Michael Galligan-Stierle, PhD, Vice President
One Dupont Circle, Suite 650
Washington, DC, 20036
(202) 457-0650
accu@accunet.org