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Graduate Scholarships Available to Alumni of Newman Guide Colleges

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Are you planning to pursue graduate studies? Seniors and alumni of faithful Newman Guide-recommended colleges should know of these scholarship opportunities offered especially for them. And if you are still in high school but have plans someday for graduate school, you might consider a Newman Guide college to take advantage of these great opportunities.

Business Administration

Benedictine College, which is recommended in The Newman Guide, is located in Atchison, Kan. It offers a scholarship averaging $10,000 on a rolling basis to graduates of Newman Guide-recommended colleges entering the Master of Business Administration program online or on-site. More than 45 scholarships have been awarded since 2016.

Among its top 10 reasons for earning an MBA at Benedictine is the college’s “vibrant Catholic community” that is “producing business leaders who will transform the world through their commitment to professional, intellectual, personal and spiritual excellence.” In addition to the campus experience, the MBA is available through a Live Interactive Video Conferencing option that allows students to participate from anywhere in the country.

Jason Fabaz, assistant director of graduate business programs and professional development at the College’s School of Business, says:

Our professors are committed to upholding, in all of their lectures and classroom discussions, the teachings of the Catholic Church in regards to a faithful Catholic view of business, of economics, of justice, of social doctrine, etc. Our Mission of Community, Faith and Scholarship is built on Four Pillars: Catholic, Residential, Benedictine and Liberal Arts. Earning your MBA at Benedictine College gives you the added benefit of living in the midst of a vibrant Catholic community where you will be supported in your studies, professional pursuits, recreation outlets and your spiritual life. It is by means of this community that we are producing business leaders who will transform the world through their commitment to professional, intellectual, personal and spiritual excellence.

Fabaz believes that alumni of Newman Guide colleges are a great fit for the program:

We are happy to offer scholarships for graduates of Newman Guide-recommended colleges for two reasons. First, we want to ease the MBA tuition burden for those Catholic young professionals who have already made the sacrifice in paying for a private school tuition. Second, we want to especially attract young Catholics who are serious about their Faith and about a career in business — and we know that graduates from the Newman Guide-recommended colleges are impressive young people, both in terms of their moral life, their spiritual life and in terms of their potential as future business leaders.

Since Benedictine College is also a Newman Guide college, students from other Newman Guide colleges align closely with our philosophy here. They will fit in well with our emphasis on business ethics, collaboration and leadership based on the faith. Things like our Thompson Center for Integrity in Finance & Economics are a demonstration of how we feel our students should impact the world and students from Newman Guide colleges more than likely share a similar vision.

Human Rights

The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., is also recommended in The Newman Guide. Its Institute for Human Ecology recently announced a new Master of Arts in Human Rights. Led by longtime pro-life leader and attorney William Saunders, the program draws on studies in philosophy, theology, law, canon law and the sciences, and will ignite in students a passion to defend human life. The program is available on a full-time or part-time basis.

A new $5,000 scholarship is available for graduates of Newman Guide colleges. The scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis. The deadline is July 15 for the fall semester.

“The Master of Arts program explains and interprets human rights through the lens of Catholic social thought. Students from Newman Guide-recommended colleges will appreciate this approach,” says Saunders.

“A solid education at a college committed to the truth and in step with the Catholic mission to the world would prepare a student perfectly for our program,” Saunders says, “within which we examine the deep truths about the human person and the common good.”

He adds:

In addition to the classes, which will be taught by professors committed to Catholic social thought, as exemplified by the teaching of John Paul II, we will have weekly meetings to explore the relevance of Catholic social thought to what is being learned in the classroom. We will also have frequent speakers from D.C., most of whom will be Catholics, to discuss their work and their faith. In addition, Catholic University is fully committed to the Church’s mission and intellectual apostolate and is itself a Newman Guide-recommended college.

Robert George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, has praised the program:

I think this [program] will really bring something new to the table. That is an understanding of human rights rooted in the deep tradition of thought that takes us back to Athens and to Jerusalem, an approach to human rights that really anchors human rights in the truth about the human person and the flourishing of the human person. … We need that kind of deep understanding.

Law

Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Fla., is imbued with an “educational philosophy that emphasizes the moral foundations of the law, presents insights from the Catholic intellectual tradition and encourages a broader perspective of the law and its role in society.” Students learn to practice law in any jurisdiction or employment area.

According to Claire O’Keefe, Esq., associate dean of admissions:

Our goal for law students is to create an educational philosophy that emphasizes the moral foundations of the law, presents insights from the Catholic intellectual tradition and encourages a broader perspective of Florida law and its primary role in society. Ave Maria Law encompasses a carefully curated curriculum designed to ensure our graduates will be well prepared to practice law in any jurisdiction and legal institution. Ave Maria School of Law students come to embrace the law as a vocation. They understand that the law, morality and the common good are inextricably linked, and they leave their studies with a true understanding of the harmony of faith and reason.

The law school offers a “Cardinal Newman Full Tuition Scholarship” with a one-time “Cardinal Newman Stipend” of up to $10,000 toward living expenses for the first year of the program. Students from other Catholic undergraduate programs are eligible for the scholarship and stipend in addition to Newman Guide college alumni, and the awards are available to more than one student per year. Thirteen students received the scholarship in 2020, 12 in 2019 and in 2018, 15 in 2017 and six in 2016. The application deadline is April 15 for the summer start program and July 15 for the fall semester.

O’Keefe says the School is eager for applicants from Newman Guide colleges:

As Ave Maria School of Law seeks to admit men and women who are drawn to our distinctive mission of educating lawyers within the Catholic intellectual tradition, we welcome applications from alumni of these institutions and members of these organizations. We are confident that these students will enrich the academic and spiritual life of the Law School.

The fact that all Newman Society-approved colleges are committed to a faithful Catholic education. While the approach differs from college to college, it is the constant presence of an authentic Catholic life and strong curriculum that makes these students a perfect fit for our school.

Psychology

Divine Mercy University in Sterling, Va., offers online and on-site advanced degree programs that integrate “both the science and practice of psychology and counseling with the Catholic-Christian vision of the person.” The university’s “Newman Scholarship” provides up to $5,000 in financial aid toward obtaining a Master of Science degree in psychology or counseling, or a Doctor of Psychology degree in clinical psychology. This scholarship is for students enrolling in a new program of study who graduated from a college recommended in The Newman Guide.

DMU offers the Newman Scholarship in light of the excellent preparation students receive from Newman Guide colleges. “We have found that, in part due to their strong personal formation as undergraduates, students from Newman colleges tend to excel in our programs,” says Tambi Spitz Kilhefner, associate vice president of admissions at Divine Mercy University.

The university has three program start dates every year, which differ according to program (e.g., the Psy.D. program has only one start each year, in August). Each start offers opportunities to apply for the Newman Scholarship. For additional information and details on qualifications and program deadlines, please see this link.

Regarding Newman Guide colleges, Kilhefner says:

At Divine Mercy University, we provide a profoundly unique home for scholarship and professional training in psychology and counseling grounded in an integral Catholic-Christian view of the human person. Students who have excelled in a Newman Guide college program are well prepared to enter into our programs here at DMU

Kilhefner referenced the testimony of Jody G., a student in the M.S. in Counseling program at Divine Mercy University, who said: “I am forever grateful for my formation received at Thomas Aquinas College, a faithful Catholic college which has more than adequately prepared me for the counseling program with DMU. My courses in philosophy and theology, in particular, have prepared me to tackle the complex material that we are studying in the integrated program and take my personal and professional preparation to a deeper level.”

Popular Majors, Sports, and Activities at Newman Guide Colleges

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At a U.S. residential college recommended in The Newman Guide, you can receive a faithful Catholic education and…

…major in engineering.

Several colleges combine engineering with a solid liberal arts core curriculum.

“Catholics need to succeed in the sciences to make an impact on the most important developments of our time,” said Dr. Stephen Minnis, president of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. “Students don’t just learn information or a skill—they become the person God wants them to be and the world needs.”

Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, University of Dallas, University of Mary, University of St. Thomas-Houston, and Walsh University offer programs in engineering.

Both four- and five-year programs are offered.  Some are cooperative or dual degree programs.  Choices include degrees in aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, petroleum, and software engineering.

…compete in intercollegiate athletics.

Participating in sports is a great way to grow in mind, body and spirit at a faithful Catholic college.  The recommended colleges offer a wide range of athletic opportunities for students.  Belmont Abbey College, University of Mary, and Walsh University compete at the Division II level of the NCAA.  Colleges that offer Division III athletic programs include The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, the University of Dallas, and the University of St. Thomas.

Additionally, Ave Maria University and Benedictine College participate in NAIA athletics, and Christendom College is a part of USCAA collegiate athletics. The University of Navara has a “Sports Talent Program” to help athletes manage their academic workload while competing in their sport at a competitive or professional level.

Many colleges also offer club and intramural athletic opportunities.  Some have programs that integrate faith formation and athletics.  At NewmanGuide.org, you can use our college-search option to see which recommended colleges offer a specific sport.

…excel in a nursing program.

In a society that does not respect the dignity of all human life, it’s extremely important for Catholic college nursing programs to integrate Church teachings and prepare students for the ethical dilemmas they may face in the workplace.

Not only are Newman Guide preparing nurses with a grounding in Church teaching, but they are having great success in doing it. For example, 100 percent of the graduates of the University of Mary’s nursing program have passed their NCLEX-RN licensure exam on the first try, several years running.

In addition to the University of Mary, many other Newman Guide colleges have schools of nursing or offer nursing majors, including Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, University of Dallas, University of Mary, University of St. Thomas in Houston, and Walsh University.

Belmont Abbey College recently announced that Caromont, a local health care system, will be building a hospital adjacent to campus. The lease agreement with the Benedictine monastery will ensure that “nothing contrary to the Church’s teaching will be done at the hospital,” says Dr. Heather Ayala, chair of the college’s biology department. Additionally, the partnership will help support the College’s growth in offering health related programs.

Many graduates of other colleges in The Newman Guide that offer a liberal arts education have found success in nursing and other health fields.

…prepare for military service.

Serving our country is a noble calling, and several faithful Catholic colleges help put students on the path for careers in the military.

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is offered at a number of our recommended colleges, sometimes in partnership with other local universities.  ROTC-colleges include Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, University of Dallas, University of St. Thomas-Houston, and Walsh University.

The Marine Corps highlights Thomas Aquinas College and The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts as preparing graduates with the critical thinking skills that are necessary for this profession.

…become a teacher.

Graduates of liberal arts programs at our recommended colleges are not only well-prepared for a teaching career but are also found at the helm of a number of faithful Catholic schools across the country.

Michael Van Hecke says that the liberal arts education at Thomas Aquinas College instilled in him “a love of learning” and a desire to be an educator “to provide joy and hope to younger students.”  Van Hecke is now the headmaster of St. Augustine Academy in Ventura, Calif., which he helped to found.  Grammar, logic and rhetoric serve as “the philosophical basis” of St. Augustine Academy’s educational efforts.

A number of institutions in The Newman Guide provide a liberal arts education, while others prepare students to become teachers through a specific education program.  Many of these stress the critical responsibility that educators have in teaching the faith to students.

“We don’t want just ‘math’ teachers or ‘history’ teachers,” said Dr. Dan Guernsey, who has served as a professor in Ave Maria University’s education department and is a senior fellow at the Newman Society. “We want Catholic teachers— teachers of faith and versatility who by their example and commitment can attract their students to the great banquet of knowledge and who themselves have eaten and drunk deeply of all the best that humanity has discovered.”

Education programs are offered at Aquinas College, Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, University of Dallas, University of Mary, University of St. Thomas, and Walsh University.

…explore the visual and performing arts.

Taking part in the visual and performing arts is different at a faithful Catholic college, because it’s often designed to help students come to a deeper understanding of the human person as made in the image and likeness of God.

Fine and performing arts majors and minors are available at Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, John Paul the Great Catholic University, University of Dallas, University of Mary, University of St. Thomas-Houston, and Walsh University.

Additionally, extra-curricular offerings are popular at Newman Guide colleges that offer a liberal arts education.

…study business.

Recent reports indicate that corporate executives increasingly list the liberal arts as a great background for jobs in business.  This is good news for students attending the faithful Catholic colleges recommended by The Newman Guide, many of which challenge students with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Catholic tradition.

Sean Kay, a husband, father of ten, and partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the largest professional services firms in the world, says that he uses the skills he learned during his undergraduate years at Christendom College “much more frequently” than the ones he used in graduate school.

“I love that graduate who has a Catholic, liberal arts perspective, because that individual has a discipline associated with seeking the truth,” says Kay. “They have a set of skills around having a view, articulating that view and defending that view.”

For students looking to major specifically in business, programs are offered at Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College, Benedictine College, The Catholic University of America, Franciscan University of Steubenville, John Paul the Great Catholic University, University of Dallas, University of Mary, University of St. Thomas, and Walsh University.

Dr. Andrew Abela, founding dean of the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, believes that Catholic values are directly applicable to a career in business.  “All of business, including accounting and finance, is properly understood to be oriented to serving the human person, whether that person be customer, employee, supplier, investor or neighbor,” he said.

…and so much more.

The individual Newman Guide college profiles online include much more information about the different majors, clubs, and other extracurricular opportunities awaiting you at a faithful Catholic college.

Happy and successful student

The Happy and Successful Student: Sober and Chaste

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Every high school student wonders what God has in store for your life: What are my specific gifts and talents? What exactly is my vocation, my calling in life? Will I be happy with my future? I want to be loved; is there anyone out there for me?

If you are going to college, you naturally also wonder what God has in store for the next few years. Hopefully it will be a joyful, fulfilling adventure!

Sadly it’s not unusual for college students to develop unhealthy relationships and engage in unhealthy behaviors. It will be up to you, with God’s help, to stay on the good path—the path of chastity, sobriety, and excellence.

At the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), we call these the “Big Three.” By no means are these the only things necessary for being a good Christian. First, we must have a relationship with God and communication through prayer. But we stress chastity, sobriety, and excellence because they are tough virtues to acquire on a typical college campus.

Chastity

God, in His great love for you, has made you for a reason. He has made you to love and to give love, and the only way you will know how to do this is by learning from the One who created you. Now is a good time to be learning, because if you are called to marriage, it’s not unusual to find your future spouse among the many friends that you will meet in college.

Since God is love, and we are made in God’s image and likeness, we are created to both receive love and to give love like God—like the Trinity, in a total gift of self. And because we are in God’s image and likeness, we have dignity. All of us are given this gift, and that is why each one of us has a God-given beauty and attractiveness.

Love is what completes us, what makes us human in God’s image. In order to love like God does within the Trinity, we must make a sincere gift of ourselves. Man and woman are created to give themselves entirely to each other in marriage.

In marriage, God unites the man and woman together in a sacrament—the two become one flesh. On the altar, the man and woman give their lives to each other; in marital union, they make that gift real and visible by giving their bodies to each other. Isn’t that beautiful and amazing? This is why fidelity in marriage—and chastity outside of marriage—is so important.

So why aren’t all relationships between men and women as perfect as the first marriage, if that’s what God had in mind from the start? The problem is sin. The love that should have existed between man and woman is still there, but often it’s mingled with a lot of selfishness and self–love. There is misunderstanding, tension, and the sad reality of men and women using each other selfishly.

Sometimes we’re afraid that the thing that we want most, real love, doesn’t exist. Sometimes, we settle for a little pleasure that seems like love, because we think that the life-long love we desire isn’t out there. The good news is that this love is available to us, and that we can have this true love by following God’s plan for our lives, specifically with the virtue of chastity.

Chastity is the power to love others in the right way. It is about so much more than not having sex before marriage. Chastity is about loving the way that God has called us to love, with a pure heart and mind, without selfishness or lust.

Even though we know the right thing to do in the area of chastity, it is still very difficult to love in the right way. That’s where the virtue of self-control comes in. A virtue is a good habit: the more that you practice it, the easier it is to do the right thing. Self-control is putting your physical desires under the control of reason. This is key in the practice of chastity.

And it’s as important to guard our hearts as it is to guard our bodies. Have you ever found yourself getting too serious too quickly in a relationship? Does it ever seem like you fall for a guy or a girl, but it turns out they just wanted to “hang out?”

Chastity is all about freedom. You are not free when your reason doesn’t control your desires. We have souls and intellect. Our desires are to be under the control of our minds—under the control of reason. Then, we will be free to follow our desires or not, based on what we know is best for us.

Make boundaries for yourself. Know exactly where your line is. Commit to being faithful to these boundaries. Also, talk to your boyfriend or girlfriend about them. Talk about how you can keep them together—you can’t do it alone! Get a friend to help you be accountable. Also, think about what you will do when your boundaries are being challenged.

We usually flirt because we are trying to get attention. We are trying to get love, and, attention sometimes feels like love. Heavy flirting is also selfish—it can lead someone on and hurt them. It also can get you into bad situations. We want attention—we try to get it by flirting. But, love is all about giving!

Sobriety

It is a reality that most college students drink, or, at least, they face enormous pressures to drink. There are many different opinions and beliefs about drinking: Is drinking at all permissible? Is it okay to get drunk? Is it okay to get drunk from time to time, if it helps relieve stress? Or, is it alright to get drunk every night if it makes you feel good?

People will give many different answers to each one of these questions. What do you think? Before heading to college, take some time to examine these questions under the light of the Scriptures and Church teaching.

Did you know that you could fill 3,500 Olympic–size swimming pools with the amount of beer, wine, and liquor consumed by American college students each year? Did you also know that 80 percent to 90 percent of campus violence is linked to alcohol abuse? And that 90 percent of all rapes on college campuses involve alcohol?

But there are plenty of Bible passages about drinking, and we know that Jesus Himself drank wine. If the Bible says that drinking is okay, then how are all of these bad things associated with alcohol? The key element is drunkenness. It’s fine to drink legally and in moderation (so that you still are in full possession of your mind and your senses, so that you can make good decisions), but getting drunk is a sin. It’s abusing our bodies, souls, and the gift of alcohol. Sobriety is enjoying the gift of alcohol in the way that God intended.

Our spirit directs our actions. You know what you want to do and your body obeys. The Holy Spirit will guide us to make good decisions if we allow Him. But when we get drunk, we allow the “spirits of alcohol” to make our decisions for us. It comes down to a simple choice: do you want to be led by “spirits” (alcohol) or by the Holy Spirit? If we choose the Holy Spirit, we will have a full and happy life. The Spirit brings a life of peace and joy. Can abusing alcohol promise this much?

When you drink too much, you don’t have the full use of your brain, and, therefore, your reason is impaired. You can’t make good decisions when drunk! Everyone, no matter how well they can “hold their liquor,” has a biological reaction to alcohol which affects their decision-making abilities.

It is tough to have moderation in drinking. How can you have the willpower to drink moderately? You need temperance to do this.

Temperance is the virtue that controls our appetites for basic sense things: food, drink, and sex. Another word for temperance is self–control. It isn’t about not doing things, it is about placing your desires in the right order. It means that you are not being controlled by your basic sense desires, but that you put them under the control of your mind. If you have this control, this self–mastery, then you are free to do the right thing.

For example, imagine a person who loves ice cream and craves it day and night. If that person gave into their desires whenever they craved ice cream, they would be very unhealthy. So, they don’t always give in. They have the self–control to say no when they need to. That’s what temperance is all about: putting our bodily desires under the control of our reason. This gives us the freedom to be fully human—we don’t have to follow our sense desires like the animals do!

How do you do this? Build good habits. First, try to build a habit of discipline and self–control in all areas of your life. The more that you act on what you know you should do, the easier it will be to say no to other things in your life that will not lead you to happiness, like drunkenness.

Excellence

We are called as Christians to imitate Christ. That’s what it means to be His followers. While we will not be perfect in what we do, we are to try to follow Jesus’s example and to do well what God has given us to do.

That is what excellence is: a superiority of virtue and a preeminence in accomplishment. We actually are able to be excellent with the help of God’s grace!

It’s easy to become a “human do–ing” instead of “human be–ing”. In order to see how we can do our best in everything, we must first look at how we can be our best, how we can be whom God has called us to be!

First of all, prayer. The most important thing is to work on your relationship with God, and don’t forget this if you go away to college. Daily prayer is so important. It cannot be over-emphasized!

Sacraments are also key. They are gifts that Jesus has given to us so that we may be closer to Him. Receive the Eucharist often, go to confession regularly. If you add the sacraments to an openness to be changed by Christ and spend time in daily prayer, God will do so much in your life!

God has a plan for each of us. It is a good plan that is going to lead us to happiness if we have patience and allow God to reveal it to us… in His own time. Right now, God has placed you in certain circumstances. He has entrusted you to a specific family, given you certain friends, and put you in a certain school. So He may lead you to college. Whatever your circumstances, God wants you to do everything to the best of your ability.

In addition to what God has called you to do now, there is a calling which God has for you in which to best live out your Christian life. This is called your “state in life.” You could be called to be a religious sister, to be married, or to be single. God already knows what your calling is. He’s known since “the foundation of the world.” Your

vocation is not something that you should worry about; it is God’s gift to you that He will reveal to you when the time is right.

Meanwhile, strive for excellence. At a faithful Catholic college, you’ll have plenty of help along the way.

 

This article was originally published in 2015.

FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, is a national outreach that meets college students where they are and invites them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith. It was founded in 1998 at Newman Guide recommended Benedictine College.

Blessings and Pitfalls of Dorm Life

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“You never open the door when there’s a shirt tied around the doorknob!”

So I learned when I went back to my dorm room one morning, in my freshman year at a Catholic college. Evidently sexual activity was so common that it had its own perverse sort of etiquette that every student was expected to know. I appeared the odd man out.

Many a recent graduate or current student of Catholic universities can tell similar stories.

Students deserve better—they deserve to be expected to be better.

Of course, stories like this have always been and will always be told. But it’s something to keep in mind as you choose a college, because there are better options available to Catholic families. The campus needn’t be monastic—and it shouldn’t be, this is college after all.

A Catholic campus should have single-sex dorms! (Or (at least!) single-sex wings.)

And do not overlook the importance of “visitation policies.” These are the hours when members of the opposite sex are officially permitted to be in others’ dorm rooms—their bedrooms. At many Catholic colleges, the time ranges from early morning until very late at night. What message does this send? The reality of Catholic campus life can be told by touring dorms on weekends. Before you choose a college, visit and then visit again, paying close attention to the atmosphere in the residence halls. You will learn a lot.

Choosing a college is an exciting and challenging process. An authentic Catholic education is a rich gift for students.

And while potential majors are frequently intensely deliberated during the decision-making, the moral environment of the whole campus is what may make the most lasting impact on the life of the college student. Most of a student’s college life will be spent in and around his dorm. And so, in choosing a college, you deserve an answer to this question:

Does the residence life at the college you will attend encourage virtue and chastity and help you grow in faith, or is it likely to be a four-year temptation to be a part of the same hook-up culture that has been the cause of so much heartache?

 

This article was originally published in 2015.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is a senior fellow at the National Review Institute and an editor-at-large of National Review.

College Search Timeline

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Fall of Your Junior Year

  • Take the CLT/PSAT
  • Start making a list of colleges you are interested in, especially from those recommended as faithful Catholic colleges by The Cardinal Newman Society
  • Sign up for The Cardinal Newman Society’s “Recruit Me” program
  • Start coming up with a standardized testing plan
  • Begin looking at financial aid options

Winter and Spring of Your Junior Year

  • Continue to look for scholarships, ask colleges about special scholarship weekends or competitions
  • Narrow down your list of colleges and set dates to visit during the spring
  • Take the CLT/SAT/ACT

Summer Between Your Junior and Senior Years

  • Attend a summer “experience” at one or more colleges that you’re interested in

Fall of Your Senior Year

  • Re-take standardized tests if you need to raise your score
  • Get letters of recommendation
  • Application essays, recommendations and forms
  • Complete applications
  • Submit FAFSA form for aid as soon as possible after Oct. 1st

Winter and Spring of Your Senior Year

Catholic College Scholarship Contest Invites Applications

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The Cardinal Newman Society is pleased to announce its fifth annual Essay Scholarship Contest. The winning essay writer will be awarded $5,000 toward the cost of attending a faithful Catholic college recommended in The Newman Guide (see https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/the-newman-guide/) in the fall of 2021.

In addition, several Newman Guide colleges have agreed to supplement the Newman Society’s scholarship with additional $5,000 grants to the winner over three additional years, according to criteria established by each college.

All of the details about the Contest can be found at this link: https://newmansoc.org/EssayContest

The Newman Society scholarship is made possible thanks to the generosity of Joe and Ann Guiffre, strong advocates of faithful Catholic education.

The contest is open to high school seniors in the United States who sign up for the Newman Society’s Recruit Me program, explore the Newman Society’s tips for navigating the college search, and check out the recommended colleges in The Newman Guide during their college search.

The topic for this year’s contest is to reflect, in 500-700 words, on the following:

Christ promised, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” The year 2020 was tumultuous and divisive for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the election, racial tensions, and violence. How has any of this strengthened your resolve to attend a faithful Catholic college?

Essays will be judged by how well they demonstrate appreciation for faithful Catholic education, as well as the quality of the writing.

Last year, the Newman Society announced Maria Schmidt of Providence Academy in La Crosse, Wisconsin as the winner of the Society’s fourth annual Essay Scholarship Contest. She received a $5,000 scholarship toward her education at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. She may also be eligible for additional $5,000 grants from Ave Maria University.

In her winning essay, Schmidt reflected on a recent Pew Research study that found that only 26 percent of self-professed Catholics under the age of 40 believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Catholics should face the crisis of faith “with a renewed commitment to strong Catholic education and faith formation,” Schmidt argued.

“A good education helps form the whole person, laying down proper philosophical principles necessary for the pursuit of truth in all its classes and activities,” Schmidt wrote.

Schmidt reminded us that the crisis of faith in our country and in the world is “not unprecedented.”

“Like the monks of Cluny Abbey who saved the faith of Europe in the tenth century, let us first reform ourselves through strong Catholic education and spiritual nourishment,” she wrote. “That is the first step towards the reform of the crisis, and another of many steps toward heaven.”

Schmidt’s entire essay can be read here.

Questions about this year’s Essay Scholarship Contest can be directed to Programs@CardinalNewmanSociety.org.

Employers Value the Liberal Arts

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Faithful Catholic colleges offer a wide variety of majors, each beginning with an inspiring core curriculum focused on the liberal arts. You’ll study the great works of mankind and come to a fuller understanding of God, creation, philosophy, history and science.

You’ll learn the facts and the reasons behind the facts. You’ll learn skills and how to serve humanity in your career. You’ll learn how to think clearly and rationally in any situation.

Studies find that 93% of employers value critical thinking skills more than a person’s college major. And consider these recent headlines:

New Ave Maria University President Committed to ‘Solid, Orthodox Catholic Identity’

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In January, President Christopher Ice began his term as the third president of Ave Maria University in Florida, which is recommended for its strong Catholic identity in The Newman Guide. The Newman Society recently asked President Ice about his vision and goals for the University in the years ahead.

Newman Society: Congratulations on your appointment as president of Ave Maria University! When Tom Monaghan founded the University 17 years ago, he presented a bold vision to answer St. John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization. What is your own vision, looking forward to the third decade of Ave Maria University?

President Ice: My vision is to maintain the solid, orthodox Catholic identity and principles upon which this University was founded. I want to strengthen the Marian identity in numerous ways, strengthen the Catholic identity in all areas of the University, expand the mission outreach efforts for our students through the Mother Teresa Project and help students discover the beauty of the truth of our Catholic faith to go forward and change the world. Our mission was founded in fidelity to Christ and His Church in response to the call of Vatican II for greater lay witness in contemporary society. This is front and center of everything we do. For example, on August 15, 2020, the 30th anniversary of Ex corde Ecclesiae, we launched a year-long study of St. John Paul II’s teaching on Catholic higher education.

Newman Society: Ave Maria University has always had a strong devotion to Our Lady. How does that impact the education and student experience on campus, and do you have any plans to build upon that devotion?

President Ice: Last March 25th, I consecrated Ave Maria University to Jesus through Mary, and a large number of students, faculty and staff joined me in their own personal consecration. We have students who are heavily involved in the Mary and Mercy Center that is spreading the message of consecration across all college campuses in the country and impacting thousands of college students. We have brought back the Angelus at noon, our students have a rosary walk every night at 9:00 p.m., we have perpetual Eucharistic adoration and our biggest celebration of the year, every year, is the Feast of Annunciation at the end of March. Recently, we added classes specifically for the study of Mariology which are taught by Dr. Mark Miravalle, one of the leading Marian scholars in the world. If it’s Marian, we are talking, teaching or celebrating in her name.

Newman Society: What most distinguishes Ave Maria from other faithful Newman Guide colleges?

President Ice: Our Marian identity and that we were founded as a lay apostolate and not affiliated with any religious order. This is unique, and this allows us to create a solid Catholic identity under the guidance of our local bishop and build a University that was founded in the spirit of St. John Paul II’s call for the new evangelization and working under the mantle of the Blessed Mother. There is no other university in the country that has a town and a university united in our Catholic faith, all founded by a similar vision.

Newman Society: In its early years, Ave Maria University had impressive markers of its Catholic identity, such as the Angelus at Noon, a dress code ensuring modesty, and dorm rules ensuring total privacy and security in bedrooms. As the student body grows, how can the University maintain a strong Catholic culture? 

 

President Ice: The Angelus is back at the noon hour with the bell ringing once again this fall. Our student handbook still stresses modesty in all areas of dress and we are re-emphasizing some of the major points on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as a part of our freshman orientation, to help our students understand the importance of modesty and purity. We are a campus of many different countries and cultures and will educate them through our beautiful Catholic teachings in many areas. We need to show our students why we are doing what we are doing and the importance of the teachings of the Church. Educate and evangelize.

Newman Society: What are your top goals for Ave Maria University in the next five years?

President Ice: With the help of our board of trustees, we will develop the top five goals for the University over the course of the next year. One goal will remain consistent, and that is to create saints and help every student, staff and faculty member get to heaven. We have started a marching band that will expand our extracurricular activities. The other goals have been sidetracked with COVID-19 and getting our campus open. I will assure you they will be beautiful, bold and ambitious, and it will propel the University to become the leading orthodox Catholic university in the United States.

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Catholic University Founded to be ‘Guiding Light’ for Higher Education, Says Provost

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“Catholic University was founded to serve the Church and the nation as a comprehensive research university — to be a guiding light for higher education,” says Dr. Aaron Dominguez, provost at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

At Catholic University, which is recommended for its strong Catholic identity in The Newman Guide, students receive an education in the Catholic intellectual tradition, and also have the opportunity to engage in research opportunities with faculty. The Newman Society recently asked Dr. Dominguez to discuss the unique offerings, and Catholic identity, of Catholic University today.

Newman Society: The Catholic University of America is sometimes referred to as “the bishops’ university” or “the national Catholic university.” How does this distinguish Catholic University from other faithful Catholic colleges? How is the Catholic identity maintained, and what do you see for the future?

Provost Dominguez: We are unique in the United States as being the only university founded by our bishops with a charter from Pope Leo XIII. Our mission is to serve the Church and the nation as a faithfully Catholic research university in the capital of the free world. Our fidelity to the Church and her teachings is not only part of our past, but is a vibrant part of the present and is in fact the only way we could truly fulfil our mission in the future.

The Catholic University of America

Newman Society: President Garvey transitioned Catholic University’s campus housing to single-sex residences and supported a student petition to screen pornography from the campus internet service. Why is promoting a Catholic culture on campus important to the academic work of the University?

Provost Dominguez: We respect the inherent dignity of the human person and the call to participate in God’s beautiful plan for us. This is why we put in place conditions that encourage and facilitate the kind of mutual respect needed to do so, which also allows us the kind of true freedom for our academic pursuits.

Newman Society: Catholic University describes itself as a research university, which is distinct from the Catholic liberal arts colleges also recognized in The Newman Guide. How does the University integrate research and the scientific disciplines with teaching the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition? How do Catholic University’s research initiatives benefit the Church?

Provost Dominguez: A research university is a place where new knowledge is discovered.  A Catholic research university is also a place where we search for truth, while acknowledging the origin of the truth in God and we can do that in all of our disciplines: in the humanities, the sciences, the arts and in professions. We are truly an authentically Catholic, global research university. We unite faith and reason. In all of our departments and schools, we carry out research as part of our teaching mission. All of our students, both undergraduate and graduate, have the chance to work with world class professors making new discoveries. By adhering to the teachings of the Church, we are more free academically to explore the natural world, our place in it, our connection to each other and to God.

Newman Society: Catholic University was founded as a graduate school and stands out among the Newman Guide colleges for its extensive master’s and doctoral programs. How does this commitment to graduate programs impact the experience of undergraduate students? And what makes Catholic University a good choice for graduates of other Newman Guide colleges, if they pursue graduate studies?

Provost Dominguez: Catholic University was founded to serve the Church and the Nation as a comprehensive research university — to be a guiding light for higher education. Our graduate students are some of the best and brightest from around the world.  With their graduate degrees in hand, they are set to become future leaders carrying with them the knowledge they have discovered and our mission in their hearts.

Newman Society: What do you think makes Catholic University such an exciting choice for Catholic families today?

Provost Dominguez: Catholic University is not only an academically rigorous institution, it is a caring community where students can grow both intellectually and spiritually. Catholic is also just a very fun place to be! We have a beautiful large, green campus in the heart of the nation’s capital with a vibrant campus life. It is an academic oasis with direct access to all the history, culture, food, music and beauty that the District of Columbia has to offer.

Tips for Keeping Your Faith Alive in College

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College brings momentous changes in life and exciting opportunities. Having studied at several colleges and universities—both secular and Catholic, in the United States and abroad—and now teaching as a professor, I want to share with you what I hope is both important and useful advice about how to stay Catholic in college. In terms of your long-term happiness, in this life and the next, nothing will be more important than whether you love God and neighbor as you live out your faith.

I remember going running with one of my best friends from high school after we had graduated from college. He was facing some difficult decisions: what career to pursue, where to live, finding the right person to marry. We were talking about how to reach good decisions. I told him that in my life I’ve had success in praying about what the future holds.

“I don’t believe in God,” he replied.

I was shocked. After he spent eight years in a Catholic grade school, both of us attended a Catholic high school for four years. His loving family had a background and culture tightly knit with the Church. Yet college had changed him profoundly, into an avowed atheist. He found himself missing the guidance, security, beauty, and holiness that only a relationship with God in Christ can provide.

My friend was not alone in losing his faith during college. Various surveys show patterns of decreasing belief and participation among Catholics attending college (whether or not they are Catholic schools).

It doesn’t have to turn out this way. I know others who, during college, greatly deepened their appreciation of the beauty and wisdom of the teaching of Jesus, found their vocations, and became much better friends of God.

College is a time of new beginnings, first explorations, and novel experiences. It is also a time of crisis, a turning point, a time of decision, where the direction of travel of adult life is undertaken. I want to share with you some insights gathered from my own experience as well as from trusted friends with even more experience to help you make the most of this turning point. The Church recognizes that college can be a key moment in a person’s spiritual journey.

 

Be a Good Student

You are laying the groundwork now for a productive future and, in some way perhaps not now known, serving people in a profession. It is a great privilege to be able to go to college, so make the most of it by trying not to miss class unless you are really sick, doing your schoolwork (including starting projects and papers with plenty of time before the deadlines), and taking care of your physical well-being through exercise and eating well. If you get sick, you won’t be able to study well. Do your best both in terms of grades and actual learning.

As a Catholic, you have nothing to fear from embracing learning and acquiring wisdom. There can never be a contradiction between a truth of faith and any truth that you learn in higher education. No area of knowledge is forbidden, off limits, or contrary to spiritual development. Whether you major in history, engineering, biology, English, or psychology, nothing true that you learn can jeopardize or undermine your faith.

That said, there are some ways of approaching these subjects that are indeed incompatible with the Christian faith. Suppose your history professor is a Marxist (both of mine were) who believes that religion, Catholicism in particular, is the “opium of the masses” and a fanciful fable standing in the way of the communist revolution.

Such a professor may slant the telling of history in a way that biases your understanding against the Church and in favor of communism. Weeks will be spent exploring the intricacies of torture in the Spanish inquisition so as to drive home the point that religion leads to violence. But killing and torture in the atheistic former Soviet Union and other Communist countries will be passed over in silence.

Do not be afraid of history, but do be discerning. It is true that members of the Church at times in history have committed acts incompatible with being a follower of Jesus. But as Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13). Christians, like everyone else, are people who sin and need God’s mercy. That fact is bound to show up in history—and in the world today. As a Catholic you can acknowledge that without fear, but do not be too quick to condemn the people of the past, for you may not be hearing the full story in class.

An objective and fair assessment of the Church’s role in history must also take into account the great good that members of the Church have done through time. It includes: the founding of universities, the establishment of hospitals, the upholding of the rights of young men and (especially) women to consent, or not consent, to marry, as opposed to the older system whereby the children could be forced to marry whomever their parents chose, the preserving of Western culture during the “dark ages,” the invention of musical notation as well as pretzels and beer by monks, and most of all the saints through the ages who have helped, taught, healed, and inspired countless people. It is the saints, not the sinners, that most properly represent the Church.

Learn as much as you can about Catholic culture. Make yourself familiar with Dante, medieval history, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture, Gregorian chant, John Henry Newman, Ronald Knox, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger).

Alongside your academic reading, read Catholic classics and perhaps the Catechism of the Catholic Church (or the abbreviated Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). Just read a little bit each day, ten to fifteen minutes. Over time, you will gain invaluable perspective and enlightenment.

Most importantly, read a little bit from the Gospels each day. Get to know who Jesus is and ask Him who you should become. As you read, don’t be afraid to stop and wait. Ponder. Reflect. What insights can you gain from the passage? What is Jesus saying through it to you? If you want to delve a little bit deeper into the meaning of Scripture, try the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible with its commentary, notes, and study questions.

Questions will inevitably arise from your experiences inside and outside the classroom. You will have questions about the faith as well as many other matters that you may not be able to answer. The questioning of your mind, the lack of rest it will experience, is a wonderful thing, for it is an invitation to go deeper.

Don’t be afraid of such questions, for even if the answers are not on the tip of your tongue, that certainly does not mean that the answers are not to be found. Many things that are puzzling for years become easier to understand as you investigate the matter over the course of time.

In order to find the answers, you will have to search out books that are specialized. Your questions will be your questions, so it is impossible to say beforehand what would be best to read in terms of answering them.

But answers are there. We are so fortunate to have the benefit of so many great minds who have considered deeply virtually any matter that might come to mind.

 

Make Good Friends

As important as learning in the classroom is, you will learn much more outside the classroom. The most important choice you will make in college is not about your major or which classes to take, or even where to live, but the choice of friends.

The friends you choose to have are going to be essential in enabling you to do well in your academic life and in your faith life. Be discerning and picky. Do these people “bring me up” in terms of doing well and living a Catholic life, or do they “drag me down”?

I would find friends at and frequently attend meetings of a solid Catholic group, on campus or off. You could look to a pro-life group, a “faith and reason” group, a parish organization for college students, or a service club. Look for friends who are not obsessed with activities that are at best a waste of time (such as hours of video games or Internet surfing) and at worst can derail your well-being (such as hardcore partying).

Do not use illegal drugs of any kind, even once. If you end up not liking them, you’ve wasted your time and put yourself in needless danger. If you end up liking them, then you could find yourself in short order addicted and miserable.

My best friend from my freshman year in college started out on marijuana, graduated to other drugs, and was expelled from school my senior year after getting into a fight with and injuring a police officer. The changes I saw in him were gradual, but in the end the difference between the person I knew my freshman year and the one who got kicked out was dramatic.

In your future, as you apply for jobs, you may be faced with the question “Have you ever used illegal drugs?” Even if you tried them only once, the only honest answer will be yes. Avoid the conflict. Staying clean is not only the right thing to do; it allows you to always be comfortable answering such questions. (The same is true for any serious violations of the law, such as driving under the influence.)

Be careful of alcohol abuse. During my own college stay, two people from my class died, and another nearly died when he fell out a dorm window eight stories up and impaled himself on an iron fence. Others began a path that would end with a lifelong fight against alcoholism.

Concentrate on your studies rather than getting into sexually intimate relationships. The emotional roller-coaster ride of physical relationships can derail your academic and spiritual development. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Do your best to follow God, and He will help guide you to a good spouse if your vocation is to marriage.

 

Grow Closer to God

As a Christian, you are a friend of God. A friendship with God cannot exist without spending time together. As you go to college and begin your life as an adult, resolve to make deeper your friendship with God by means of a few good habits:

Attend Mass each weekend, no matter what. Jesus asks few things of all his disciples, but this is one of them.

Speak and listen briefly to God each morning and each night, no matter what. Each morning thank God for another day, offering yourself to God that day. Each night, thank God for the good of what has past and consider whether you are better friends with him now than you were this morning.

Look for opportunities to volunteer to help others: for example, elderly shut-ins, disadvantaged children, or those in physical or spiritual poverty. In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Love of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God, and closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God.In helping other people, you’ll not only be helping them; you’ll also be helping yourself know and love God more.

Go to confession at least once a month. Each sacramental reconciliation is a time to “begin again,” to restore and strengthen your friendship with God. If you get your hair cut more often than you go to confession, you should consider whether your spiritual appearance before God is more important than how you look in a mirror. Be honest with yourself about what you know is right and wrong, and then, if your behavior does not measure up, make a good confession and start again.

One of the most important things that you will be doing in the next few years is figuring out your vocation, your call from God. Should you get married? If so, to whom and when? Should you consider life as a priest or religious? Does God want you to remain single and pursue ordinary work? Perhaps God has a special call for your life, one that you have not yet even considered. In times of doubt, decision, and discernment of your future plans, ask God repeatedly for help, using perhaps the words of Mary at the Annunciation: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) or the prayer of Jesus himself, “Not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

Find someone trustworthy, such as a good priest or well-informed lay person with whom to talk whenever needed. You will have questions that no book can answer about your own life and spiritual journey. It should be a person you can see frequently and who is knowledgeable in spiritual direction. A spiritual director or confessor, like a coach, helps you maintain accountability, encourages you to keep perspective, and enables you to do your best.

This is an exciting new chapter in your life; it is really the start of adulthood. You owe it to yourself and to God to take the road less traveled—the way that will help you face the challenges before you and find the fulfillment that God created you to have.

Originally published Jan. 1, 2015. The essay was adapted from How to Stay Catholic in College, originally published by Catholic Answers. We highly recommend the entire booklet, which  is available for purchase from Catholic Answers for only $2.95 at shop.Catholic.com.