The Growing Influence of Catholic Colleges in Congress
The Types of Catholic Colleges
The Leading Jesuit Colleges
Quick Review of the Most Famous Jesuit Colleges
When exploring potential colleges, many students start with their state schools or the more prestigious independent colleges, such as Duke, Haverford, Stanford, or the Ivies. Some students, however, are attracted to the Catholic universities and colleges. With over a 180 scattered across the United States, there are a number to choose among. A full list can be found at: http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/cgi-bin/MemberDB2?MSQL_VIEW=/search/listbyname/view.txt .
The realm of Catholic postsecondary schools comes with a wide-variety of approaches: Augustinian (Villanova University, PA); Diocesan (Seton Hall, NJ; University of Dallas); Dominican (Providence University); Congregation of Holy Cross (University of Notre Dame); and Vincentian (St. John's University of New York). Then there are the 28 Jesuit universities and colleges, all members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, http://www.ajcunet.edu/index.aspx?bid=54 .
Father Charles Currie, the Jesuit Association's president, recently announced that alumni from 15 of his member institutions compose almost 10% of the current, 111th Congress (in all honesty, the 110th Congress had even more members with 54-but 52 is no small accomplishment). Not surprisingly, the bulk, a total of eighteen, came out of Georgetown University, which is about four miles from the steps of the Capitol Building. Boston College contributed seven, with the College of Holy Cross (Worcester, MA), and Fordham University (Bronx, New York) each contributing four. If you feel the pull of politics in your destiny, these Jesuit schools just might warrant a review.
Georgetown University, founded in 1789, before the District of Columbia existed, is the oldest Catholic University in the United States. It contains four undergraduate colleges: liberal arts and sciences, Foreign Service, business, and nursing and health sciences. Its most popular majors, as you might expect, are history and government, followed closely by philosophy (especially bioethics) and foreign language. Georgetown is a breeding ground for future lawyers, congressmen, senators, and a former president.
Boston College is another selective Jesuit university with campuses in Chestnut Hill and Newton, about 2 miles apart, in suburban Boston. The school was founded by the Jesuits to teach Irish immigrants. In addition to a Core Curriculum that ranges across disciplines, each freshman is required to take a writing workshop to assure competency. There are 60 Jesuits within the faculty of 900; they're able to magnify their influence through the philosophy, theology and ethics departments. Even though 70% of the undergraduates are Catholic, the college has a secular feel. BC's strongest departments include economics, history, biology, chemistry, physics, and English.
The College of Holy Cross resides on a 174-acre campus that is also a nationally registered arboretum. At one point, Holy Cross, like all Jesuit colleges, required its students to minor in philosophy, regardless of major. This is no longer the case, but Holy Cross does offer a unique program, the First Year Program (FYP), which 25% of incoming freshmen elect to enter. This program is composed of small seminars, in which students gain the ability to read analytically, and build capable writing skills. Biology, history, and economics are its strongest departments.
Fordham University was founded in 1841 by Dagger Hughes, who also built St. Patrick's Cathedral and established the American parochial system. Known as the Jesuit University of New York, Fordham is now composed of four campuses, with the main campus in Rose Hill section of the Bronx. Its strongest departments include business, International Political Economy, and theatre (as Broadway is just down the road).
Jesuit colleges and universities are vital parts of the US higher educational landscape. Though some students might shy away from schools with religious overtones, these colleges provide a good grounding in the liberal arts, seem to have a more secular bent, and, if you're interested, might supply you with just the skills you need to propel your congressional career.