Values based verses liberal arts education

nyermom
Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:43:53 +0000

As non-believer (baptized Protestant) who attended a Jesuit university, I would take issue with Consolation’s emphasis on religious agenda. I encountered almost none and that was nearly 30 years ago. Initially I was shocked by the crosses, but I got over it–you can’t expect them to take them down. These schools were founded by religious orders, but I have found many of them to be quite open and tolerant of modern social issues. I toured a Jesuit school last month and saw posters encouraging students to celebrate LGBT week. I toured a different Catholic school a day later and found the tone quite different. It varies from school to school. Most schools have a theology requirement, but in my case I took one on “world religions” (studied Islam and Hinduism) and a course on “Liberation Theology” When I attended there was an active Hillel. Many of the Catholic schools (but not all) have a majority of non-catholic students attending. In some cases, these schools expect applicant’s to have EC’s that include community service–but it’s hardly expected to be church-based.

“Values based” can mean lots of things–including code for socially or politically conservative. Or it can mean they expect all students to participate in community service organizations like soup kitchens. Schools like Pepperdine, don’t sound religious but they are. I found that the Princeton Review guide gives a pretty accurate reading on campus mood.