The 111th Congress: We’ll know who to blame
January 15, 2009, 9:22 am
Posted by David Gibson
A Pew Forum survey of the religious make-up of the new Congress shows that the 535 members generally reflect the country’s religious demographic, though Catholics–24 percent of the population–comprise 30 percent of the House and Senate.
But here’s the kicker: 50 members overall–9 percent–are Jesuit-educated, according to the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, via Michael Paulson at the Globe. Georgetown rules, of course, with 18 grads. Michael also counts Boston College (and finds another alum, for a total of 51 the Society can claim) and Holy Cross, but no word on Fordham et al. Or whether Notre Dame is on the radar…
We have three grads from NDLS.
http://law.nd.edu/news/1389-three-ndls-alums-re-elected-to-congress
Not bad, but not enough for a decent infield in the Capitol Hill softball league. Though basketball is the jeu du jour now.
I suspect that most of the Georgetown graduates in the Congress are graduates of the law school, not the college. Over recent decades very, very few Jesuits have taught in the law school, a notable exception being himself a former member of Congress, Father Robert Drinan.
Which raises the interesting question of whether one must be taught by a Jesuit priest to get a “Jesuit” education.
And to follow-up on David’s post above, what exactly does it mean to be “Jesuit-educated” or educated in the Ignatian, Mercy, Christian Brothers etc tradition. Is there a real, discernible, defineable difference in the education students receive at these colleges/universities or has it become a marketing slogan or a way to woo alumni-donors in assuring them that the old college is the same as it was in the 1950′s and 60′s. Put simply if a student isn’t necessarily looking/searching out the religious identity of an institution (availing herself of prayer, service opportunities, seeking out specific courses) would it make any difference if she had attended a public or non-denominational university and just availed herself of the Newman Center etc?
While Catholics are 24% of the US population, another 10% are ex-Catholics. That may explain why 30% of our representatives are Catholic. (the dynamics of religion and politics could inhibit some of the drift away?)
I believe Bill Clinton had a Jesuit education. Hence perhaps his preoccupation with determining in a certain context what the “meaning of ‘is’ is”.
If you look closely at the original article you will see that Fordham has four Alumni in Congress, like Holy Cross, and (ahem) one more than Notre Dame Law School.
Here’s the whole list of names:
http://www.ajcunet.edu/index.aspx?bid=840
“what exactly does it mean to be “Jesuit-educated” or educated in the Ignatian, Mercy, Christian Brothers etc tradition. Is there a real, discernible, defineable difference in the education students receive at these colleges/universities or has it become a marketing slogan or a way to woo alumni-donors in assuring them that the old college is the same as it was in the 1950’s and 60’s. ”
I attended a Jesuit university considerably after the 1950′s and ’60′s. At the time I went off to college (early ’80′s), there were relatively few Jesuits teaching in the classroom (although there were some more who were involved in campus ministry, if one attended church). In my four years as an undergraduate – well, a little longer than four years :-) – I had a grand total of three priests as instructors – two Jesuits who were theology instructors and a diocesan priest who directed the choir.
So was there a “Jesuit difference” (or more generally a Catholic character to the education)? In my view – absolutely. It played out in a thousand ways – from the curriculum (multiple required courses in theology and philosophy, and a broad multidisciplinary core curriculum), to the presence of chaplains in the dormitories, to the kind and loving way university employees treated students, to the many special events on campus throughout the year that were of a Catholic nature, from Mass of the Holy Spirit to Hunger Week. There were theology majors and undergraduate seminarians sitting next to us in the classroom (even if the course was anthropology or mathematics). There were Jesuits in residence on campus, in the provincial house and in other housing in the neighborhood. There was a sort of pervasive spirit that was omnipresent.
I attended a state school for graduate studies. It was a fine school, but the spirit was very different.
Professor Gannon-
Indeed, I do believe you’re right. In my experience Jesuit boys learned very well the importance of definitions and of making distinctions. However, criticism of own premises and thinking processes were arts unknown to them. They could also be identified by a certain smirk their faces took on when they engaged in argument, especially with a girl.
Great comments, Ms. Olivier. I had some Jesuit priests teaching me at CTU years ago. My son graduated from Jesuit college prep in Dallas last year….sorry to say, but the same all boys mentality toward women remains especially if the woman was a student at nearby all girls Ursuline Academy.
On another note & reinforcing Jim’s comments, there is a world of difference between regular education and the Jesuit experience. In fact, Jesuit high school faculty and administrators have bi-annual retreats on Jesuit spirituality, how to translate this into the classroom, involvement in Jesuit community service projects, annual class retreats involving teachers, etc. Will admit that when my son had an actual Jesuit priest and they clicked, it was even more of an impact than just regular faculty. In Dallas, 20% of the faculty are made up of graduates from that high school; only reinforcing the Jesuit experience.
Anthony – in terms of various universities run by religious orders – yes, there is a distinct mission, goal, and spirit that impact the overall education e.g. required courses in theology, spirituality, on campus worship, small group activities, community service outreach. An example would be DePaul University (currently the largest Catholic university in the US). All incoming freshman go through a Vincent dePaul orientation; are involved in community service; etc. See link: http://mission.depaul.edu/brochure/brochure.asp (yes, you can label this marketing but it does impact students – this is part of the introductory class from Ed Udovich. Ed and I were in graduate school together.
More extensive research around your question about the religious community impact and influence in today’s university world: link – http://mission.depaul.edu/identity/art.asp or http://mission.depaul.edu/programs/index.asp
Bill and Jim-
I appreciate your comments and would it no way discount your own personal experiences but I still wonder. I did my PhD at a Jesuit university and few if any of my colleagues working on their degrees seemed to have had their studies impacted by the religious affiliation of the university. My sense is that the success of preserving a school’s religious identity varies from institution to institution, with some doing a better job than others. I myself teach in a Catholic high school and making the mission real takes a tremendous amount of work, especially given the fact that fewer and fewer students come from families that regularly practice their faith by Sunday Mass attendance. I am not trying to be a prophet of gloom and doom but I do think we have to be honest about our institutions.
“I did my PhD at a Jesuit university and few if any of my colleagues working on their degrees seemed to have had their studies impacted by the religious affiliation of the university. ”
FWIW – my Jesuit experience was as an undergrad, so our experiences undoubtedly were very different in that respect. I will say this, though, perhaps in support of your comment: one of our required courses was an ethics class in whatever academic area our major happened to be (“Action and Values: n”, where n=”Business”, “Nursing”, etc.). It seemed to me that this would have been a perfect opportunity to tap into some of the Jesuit wisdom about how to lead a well-lived life. I was disappointed, though – it was basically a survey of different ethical theories through the ages. It was all positive, and I was hungry for normative.
Grad school is a totally different animal, Anthony.
Voltaire was educated by the Jesuits at the College-Louis-le-Grand. I am not sure what to make of that.
James Joyce was educated by Jesuits. When asked why, since he disliked the Catholic church so much, he did not join another church, he is supposed to have said, “Because I could never desert a logical absurdity for an illogical one.”
Grad school is a totally different animal, Anthony.
Agreed. Grad school is very different. But having taught now high school for 12 years and having kept up with a couple of dozen former, my sense is that if they attend a Catholic college, their experience of the religious dimension of the school still varies widely. I remain resolute in my conviction that not a few Catholic colleges have little more than a patina of Catholicism about them in any real sense. (And I am not basing this the supposed “orthodoxy” of their theology profs). I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, so maybe we just let this go.
” it was basically a survey of different ethical theories through the ages. It was all positive, and I was hungry for normative.”
Perhaps that (being “all positive” and presenting a survey of differences) is characteristic of a Jesuit education? It certainly sounds catholic to me, in the sense of universal.