University Convocation Address

September 5, 2002

Good Morning and welcome to our Opening Convocation. While this is our first Convocation as a University, this is not the first time we have gathered to celebrate the beginning of the academic year. In fact, in some way, we have celebrated the start of the academic year 90 times before as a community on this campus.

The celebration of the start of the academic year is the celebration of the life of the mind. It is the recognition of the essential value of our mission as a learning community to promote the development of the heart and the mind, to sustain the search for the truth, and to represent the contributions of the quest for knowledge and the achievement of wisdom. The critical role of the life of the mind for our students and for our society is immutable. It was true when we were St. Mary of the Springs … when we were Ohio Dominican College … and now that we are Ohio Dominican University.

It is the common bond we share with colleges and universities throughout this country and throughout the world. It began in the middle ages with the first universities and will continue throughout future ages as we, the community of scholars and learners, ask the important questions, speak in voices that question and challenge old ideas as well as suggest new possibilities, and encourage young minds to grow and expand, to reach their potential … to reach beyond their expectations.

As we begin this year together, I would like to take this opportunity on this occasion to reflect briefly on three essential components of Ohio Dominican University. First, a few words about who we are … what does it mean to be a Catholic University. Second, what is unique about our role in the world of education … that is to say, the value of the Catholic intellectual tradition. And finally, why we are so important to our students and the world.

The evolution of the university in western civilization as well as the establishment of universities in this country have a history coterminous with Catholic universities. The first universities were created in the thirteenth century … and they were all originally Catholic. The medieval European universities were first developed in Italy in Bologna and Padua, in Spain in Salamanca and Alcala, in France in Paris and in England in Oxford. They were Catholic because their founders realized that the freedom and autonomy essential for the search for truth could only occur if universities were separated from the state.

While the first universities in this country were Protestant, beginning with Harvard in 1636, Georgetown College (now Georgetown University) was established in 1789 by the first American Bishop, John Carroll, despite the fact that at that time Catholics represented only one percent of the population. Numerous Catholic institutions were established throughout the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, including our own institution in 1911.

Today Catholic colleges and universities in the United Stated number almost 300. My point is not to provide a history lesson about the development of the university. But rather to remind you of who we are … that we are part of a long and rich tradition … a tradition of higher education that has existed for well over 700 years and that owes its birth to the Catholic intellectual tradition … a tradition which we share with all of the great Catholic institutions of the world … a tradition which we celebrate today.

Catholic universities by definition and throughout their history have always welcomed all people … people of all faiths, traditions and backgrounds.

The university, as described by John Henry Newman, is … " a place of concourse, whither students come from every quarter for every kind of knowledge...It is a place where inquiry is pushed forward and discoveries verified and perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and error exposed, by the collision of mind with mind and knowledge with knowledge."

What a wonderful image!

The university, as described by Ex Corde Ecclesiae, is recognized as, "an incomparable center of creativity and dissemination of knowledge for the good of humanity." This is who we are … this is what it means to be a university.

But as a Catholic university, we share the unique responsibility for the Catholic intellectual tradition. While this discussion could be lengthy, I will comment on only two key elements of our intellectual tradition … the first is the central value of the search for truth. The second is the fundamental understanding that reason is compatible with faith.

The search for truth requires freedom and autonomy, a commitment to inquiry and an open mind. The search for truth begins with questions, not with answers. The search for truth takes place in community … a community of scholars and learners who value dialogue and debate and recognize, even value, the opportunity to seek truth through all forms of inquiry.

The Catholic intellectual tradition requires a diverse community of scholars and learners who understand fully that truth must be tested over time and in every way. The search for truth takes place with the confidence of the words of St. Augustine who said, "The truth is yours, O God, wherever it is found."

Equally important, the Catholic intellectual tradition recognizes that knowledge through reason and knowledge through faith are both valid and are, in fact, compatible. The dialogue between faith and reason calls us to an inquiry based on values, infused with a concern for ethics and morality, and a commitment to finding meaning … the movement from knowledge to wisdom.

The understanding of faith and reason is integral to the contemplation of the truth and the essential need to share the fruits of that contemplation. As stated in Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the dialogue between faith and reason represents, "a vital interaction of two distinct levels of coming to know one truth that leads to a greater love for truth itself, and contributes to a more comprehensive meaning of human life and the purpose of God's creation."

While time does not permit, it is obvious that the integrity of the Catholic intellectual tradition is deeply connected to our commitment to liberal education. Just as Justin Martyr interpreted Christianity through the study of Plato, and Thomas Aquinas, at that first Catholic university in Paris, used the writings of Aristotle in his search for truth, so too are we called to a search and an inquiry that includes scriptures, theologies, philosophies, histories, languages, symbols, cultures, images and sounds … because we need to study it all… in all ways… with all people… and including all ideas … if we are to find the truth. Finally, why is a Catholic university … why is this Catholic university so important for its students. To put it simply … it is because our intellectual tradition is not simply a search for knowledge.

The educational philosophy of Catholic higher education … of Ohio Dominican University is holistic … it calls us to develop the mind and the heart … to be a voice in the world … and to educate men and women committed to lives of service for the betterment of the world. In an essay entitled, "What is a Great Catholic University?" the Jesuit theologian Richard McCormick, delineates the eight qualities we would hope to find in the graduates of a great Catholic university… the qualities of an Ohio Dominican University graduate.

The first is a Catholic vision. Our graduates will assimilate our mission and our values so personally and deeply that they permeate their attitudes, habits and values. While we welcome and educate people of all faiths and traditions, our graduates will be synoptic in the Ohio Dominican vision.

The second quality is sensitivity to justice and injustice … if we effectively teach, our students will develop a powerful internal compass that continually leads them to promote peace, to act justly, and to speak out against injustice in their worlds. They will embody the words of the prophet Micah who wrote, "What does God require of you but to do justice, to have steadfast love and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

The third quality is an appreciation of, and thirst for, knowledge. McCormick defines a true college education as, "an exposure of mind and heart that leaves one convinced that education has only begun after four years and desirous that it should continue for the rest of one's life." Ohio Dominican graduates will be life-long learners because learning will be endemic their lives.

The fourth quality is facility in spoken and written word. Lives of action and service will depend on the ability to communicate, to translate our thoughts effectively into words and speech. An Ohio Dominican graduate will be able to translate thoughts, ideas and concepts into compelling oral and written communication.

The fifth quality is open-mindedness. For McCormick, this means respect for others and respect for complexity. The enemy of openness is ideology. Openness is the search for truth with respect for people and perspectives and in the reality that the truth is rarely simple or simplistic.

The sixth quality is critical capacity. This is the ability to think through a problem, identify the pros and cons, develop coherent reasons and arguments, and situate conclusions in a context of human and religious values. Our graduates will be able to think and analyze, debate and dialogue, within a prism of a fundamental system of values … the movement from knowledge to wisdom.

The seventh quality is the ability to listen (a quality whose limits I may be testing this morning). Listening is integral to dialogue rather than diatribe. It is a pre-requisite for life-long learning. Listening correlates with communication. Listening is a pre-requisite for open-mindedness.

Finally, a graduate of a great Catholic university should have a willingness to serve. According to McCormick, our education "should foster a generosity of spirit that seeks opportunities to come to the aid of others in a multiplicity of ways: by education, by defending rights, by relieving suffering, by affecting public policy."

Our commitment to service learning cannot end with a program, an activity or a course. Just as it needs to be a part of the fabric of the university, so too must service be a part of the fabric of the lives of our graduates. I would say to our students that these eight qualities, if achieved, would serve you well as alumni/ae of Ohio Dominican University. I would propose to our faculty and staff that these qualities do in fact mark a great university and might serve well as benchmarks for the assessment of our programs and services.

Let me conclude with three quotes. What I have tried to do this morning as we begin this new year, … our first as Ohio Dominican University … is to help you reflect upon what a wonderful mission we share, what a gift it is to be a part of the community of scholars and learners … to be a part of the university. Even more, what an honor it is to be a part of the Ohio Dominican University community.

For 91 years we have been committed to the values and benefits of Dominican education and the Catholic intellectual tradition. And while there is always room for growth and development … the search for truth will always continue … we should also recognize the amazing success of this institution. A success reflected in our dedicated and talented staff and in our extraordinary faculty.

Do our graduates reflect a great university? A few days ago a faculty member shared with me a letter received from a May 2002 graduate. In this letter, the recent graduate described his appreciation for his educational experience and noted the contributions of a number of faculty members who are in this room today. I would like to read to you the final paragraph from this letter. The student wrote: "Outside of my parents, you have had a greater impact on my intellectual development than any other person. Forgive me for being presumptuous enough to say, although I do not belong in the category of their students, that I will always consider you to be my equivalent of Albertus Magnus and John Witherspoon."

I would suggest that this is a compelling testimonial to the value of our mission and the efficacy of the Ohio Dominican experience. In the coming weeks, the day-to-day activities may cloud our remembrance of our noble profession and the impact we have on the lives of our students … and each other.

To our faculty and staff, I urge you to remember the words of Robert Frost, who wrote, "I am not a teacher but an awakener." And to our students, remember the words of Proverbs 4:13: "Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go; keep her; for she is thy life."

Thank you and God bless you.