More on Ave Maria Law
The Washington Monthly has a piece up profiling Ave Maria and its law school’s travails. Here’s a taste:
From the beginning, Monaghan insisted he wouldn’t meddle in the law school’s daily operations. As he put it in an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education, “When I owned the Detroit Tigers, I didn’t climb into the dugout and tell Sparky how to set his lineup.” But behind the scenes, he was quietly amassing control. Monaghan appointed himself chairman of the board. According to deposition testimony that Monaghan and his deputies later gave, Dean Dobranski was also given an employment contract with Monaghan’s private foundation rather than with Ave Maria law school. This meant the dean answered directly to Monaghan and not the board of governors, which was supposed to be in charge. Dobranski was also obligated to send the former pizza mogul daily writeups of his activities, to which Monaghan would reply with detailed instructions. What’s more, money for both the law school and the colleges was doled out in dribs and drabs, which allowed Monaghan to keep a tight rein on their operations. (St. Mary’s administrators, for instance, recall pleading with Monaghan’s foundation for $75 to pay the referees at a baseball game.) None of this really mattered as long as he and the faculty were driving toward the same vision. It was only when Monaghan hit on his next grand scheme that things began to unravel.
The pizza’s gone stale.
What a shame for the students and faculty who acted in good faith, but who seem to have been betrayed.
And, as an aside, this bit of self-indulgence seemed over the top to me: “Finally, the group retreated to Monaghan’s office, a two-story suite with raw-silk ceilings and leather floors, for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.”
Income from garbage pizza has turned out garbage education.
Too bad. How sad. Yawnnnnnnnnnnn.
This is an ethical issue and a moral issue here. Wealth gives no one the right to treat folks like widgets, slaves, or deny their rights. There is a book hidden in this chapter with other chapters to be added:
a) Monaghan and Ave Marie – ideologue with billions buys power and influence in the church;
b) LC and RC and Maciel – psychopathic pedophile who raised billions buys power and influence in the church or at least the papacy of JPII;
c) Neo-Catechumenate – cult that some how grabs influence and power in the church;
d) EWTN – ideology that impacts the catholic in the pew;
e) Society of Pius XII – influence & impact yet to be determined; is the explanation that B16 wants to reconcile the actual driving force behind this overture?
f) multiple right wing organizations that influence, complain, gripe to Rome and are given undue influence and power – Knights of Malta; unfortunately, would have to say the upper management of the worldwide K of Cs, etc.
Monaghan is just a different type of Maciel – hopefully, his history and current events will catch up to him before he destroys the lives of more students, families, and faculty and that is not even commenting upon his management style of Domino’s pre sale.
Bill
I imagine you meant to refer to the Society of Pius X.
As someone who doesn’t regret coming to Ave Maria, this article is out of line, inaccurate and shows a lack of effort on the part of the reporter involved.
The so-called “news” of this article is more than three years old aside from the Florida move which has been accomplished with the blessing of the ABA. The only thing interesting about the timing is the coinciding of Safranek’s litigation with the school as well as the time period when students from the school are prepping for interviews for jobs this summer and after graduation. So who exactly is being unfair to students?
Despite its verbose approach that describes Ave Maria as Safranek’s own brainchild, it somehow neglects the fact that Ave Maria gained ABA accreditation in the shortest span of time possible while also managing the move with full acquiescence from the ABA.
Ave Maria College, I think, isn’t doing too well either. I feel sorry for the students who graduated from this enterprise–particularly in this job market. I suspect that the value of their degree will be pretty low, particularly if the sheannanigans become widely known. Also for grad school admissions and law school admissions.
I concur. I feel sorry for the law students and the value of their degree. Perhaps it can serve as a placemat in the pizza shop.
Bill: I agree with your list.
However, a wee note in one organization’s favor: The Knights of Malta are funding a free health diagnosis clinic on the premises of The Cathedral of Christ The Light in Oakland, CA, to the tune of $500,000 per year. (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20080308/ai_n24912107/)
There are some limitations:
“Adults only for primary care only (no dental, no psychiatry, no optometry)
Only for uninsured adults, no insurance or medicare / medicaid recipients accepted.
Appointment only.”
Why this service is for adults only is beyond me.
Jimmy Mac – tried to say senior management of K of C. I find that local K of C’s keep to their original charism and founder’s direction and do excellent work.
Jimmy Mac: Perhaps the service by the clinic that you cited is for adults only because of CHIP. (Childrens Health Insurance Program). In California, special state CHIP allows non- Medicaid eligible adults to avail their children of CHIP if their income is $44,000 or less, after certain deductions.
Isabelle: thanks for that information.
Another plug for the Cathedral. There is a free legal clinic on the grounds of the complex on a fully pro-bono basis. It is handled by a local Oakland legal firm.
The people in the ‘hood can use all of the medical and legal help they can get. And, to my knowledge, there are no political, theological, confessional, rubrical, liturgical nor sacramental litmus tests for those who come through the door.
I suspect that the value of their degree will be pretty low, particularly if the sheannanigans become widely known. Also for grad school admissions and law school admissions.
Makes me think of Russell Kirk’s idea that colleges ought to hand out the diplomas on the first day of class–and then only the students who are really interested in learning will hang around for the next four years.