Catholic Higher Education: An Update on St. Gregory's University

St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Oklahoma recently added two new board members:  F. Russell Hittinger, Warren Professor of Catholic Studies and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa and W. Perry Hodgden, Associate Director of Investments at Oppenheimer in Kansas City, Mo.  And, I was elected to the Board's Executive Committee.

At yesterday's meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously adopted a statement of identity, confirming clearly its Catholic and Benedictine foundation.  This statement, "May Faith Grant Light:  The St. Gregory's Difference," will provide the vision driving academic and co-curricular planning, hiring, allocation of resources, fundraising, and student recruitment. Here is the statement:

May Faith Grant Light: The St. Gregory’s Difference

“Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom.”  Pope Benedict XVI

Welcoming all who want to take advantage of the excellent opportunities afforded by St. Gregory’s University, the university especially seeks students from all walks of life who have a burning desire to go into the world and bear witness to Christ’s love and faith’s light with their very lives as they pursue vocations of marriage, parenthood, and consecrated life, utilizing their passions and talents as entrepreneurs, managers, and other members of the business community; teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers and other members of the professions; and painters, dancers, actors, and other creators of beauty.

St. Gregory’s strives to educate and form the whole person in the context of a Christian community in which students are encouraged to develop a love of learning and to live lives of balance, generosity, and integrity.  The Benedictine motto, ora et labora – pray and work, is taken seriously as those who serve the university as faculty, staff, and administrators endeavor to model a balanced life of prayer, study, work, and leisure in a spirit of hospitality, community, reverence, attentiveness, and service.

St. Gregory’s University, with its motto, fides lumen praebeat – may faith grant light,  continues in the United States and Oklahoma a 1500 year old tradition of organically establishing life-giving cultures rooted in an integration of faith and reason and grounded firmly within the Catholic Church.   In those “dark ages” after the fall of the Roman Empire, small lights of faith and learning flickered throughout Europe as Benedictine monks kept the embers of civilization alive by collecting and preserving manuscripts, opening schools, and planting the seeds for the development of vibrant Christian communities.  Several times during his pontificate, John Paul II spoke of the coming of a great springtime for Christianity, the Church, and the human spirit.  He said:  “The mission that the Church, with great hope, entrusts to Catholic Universities holds a cultural and religious meaning of vital importance because it concerns the very future of humanity” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae).  We invite you to join us here at St. Gregory’s University to bear the first fruits of the seeds planted so many years ago by living out the Great Commission in the 21^st century.

Truth, goodness, beauty, and unity shape our classical liberal arts curriculum.  Pope Benedict XVI reminds us of “the intrinsic unity that links the different branches of knowledge:  theology, philosophy, medicine, economics, every discipline, even the most specialized technologies, since everything is connected.”  The Core Curriculum serves as the lens through which students come to see this unity.  It includes a four semester sequence of seminars –“Traditions and Conversation”- based upon the literary and cultural heritage of Western civilization and four courses in “Faith and Reason” encompassing introductions to theology, philosophy, scripture, and ethics.  Throughout the curriculum, excellence is expected of both faculty and students as we strive to provide an academically rigorous education.  Our favorable student to faculty ratio provides ample opportunity for students and professors to get to know each other both inside and outside the classroom.

Communal life is fostered through active participation in one or more of the 25 student organizations on campus including honor societies, student government, the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, the Pro-Life Team, social justice ministries, and Students in Free Enterprise.  Comprised of a rich diversity of students from throughout the United States and six continents, the university community fosters a global perspective on the issues that face human development, justice, and prosperity.  Members of the community have many opportunities to act locally, engaging in communal service, nurturing the habit of engaging in a life of service.    

Beauty is fostered on campus through curricular and extra-curricular dance, theatre, music, and visual arts programs.  The Sarkey’s Performing Arts Center provides a wonderful stage on which both dedicated majors and extracurricular enthusiasts can showcase their talent.  The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, located on campus, is one of the oldest museums in Oklahoma and is considered a leader in arts programming within the state and region.  It features an acclaimed art collection documenting over 6000 years of artistic achievement.

To promote physical well-being and healthy competition, the St. Gregory’s Cavaliers participate in seven varsity sports as part of the 12 member Sooner Athletic Conference.  In 2009, the women’s softball team was the NAIA national championship runner-up.  The university also sponsors an intramural program and features wide-ranging aerobic and athletic facilities, including a junior Olympic size pool.

St. Gregory’s vibrant spiritual and religious life centers around the Abbey and its Benedictine monks who have called central Oklahoma their home since 1875.  Mass is celebrated daily in the Abbey Chapel, and students are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Divine Office as often as they can.  Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are regularly celebrated on campus.  Those seeking to discern religious vocations are encouraged and offered retreats and assistance throughout the process.  A group of students work directly in evangelization as part of the Buckley Team, which gives retreats to high school and junior high school students in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.

St. Gregory’s has one of the lowest tuition and cost of attendance among Catholic and other private universities and colleges nationwide.  For 2010-2011, the estimated cost of tuition, room, and board is less than $25,000 per year.   With attractive financial aid packages, the cost of attendance can be less expensive and in some cases significantly less expensive than this advertised price.  When one factors in that it takes many public university students five or six years to complete their degrees – with one or two more years of tuition, living costs, and the loss of income for those years – a St. Gregory’s education may even be less expensive than a public university education.

This is St. Gregory’s University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Oklahoma and home to a community of students, educators, and monks dedicated to lifelong learning and faith development.  Grounded in the search for truth and meaning revealed most perfectly in Jesus Christ, our mission fosters not only excellence in academic and professional formation, but also formation for meaningful lives of faith and service.  We invite you to become part of the St. Gregory’s Difference; your life will never be the same!