ODU Celebrates National Catholic College Week
December 9, 2003
COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio Dominican University joins Catholic institutions from around nation by participating in the launching of the first annual National Catholic College Week. The institutions participating in this event are located around the nation and are part of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
The event was celebrated December 1 - 6, 2003 and included a nationally televised program on higher education featuring a segment on Catholic colleges and universities.
Ohio Dominican commemorated National Catholic College Week with its annual tree lighting ceremony. The ceremony was held on December 2, 2003 and was open to students, faculty, and staff, as well as their families. With each child ringing a bell, trees lit up the campus with the spirit of Christmas.
Catholic colleges and universities, like Ohio Dominican University, offer students a liberal arts foundation for all fields of concentration, allowing students to develop critical thinking and gain a well-rounded education. Several Catholic schools have been recognized as "character building" schools by the Templeton Foundation, and many, including Ohio Dominican, have received awards from the Lilly Foundation.
Through this annual event, Catholic institutions from around the nation, hopes to raise the profile of Catholic higher education on a national scale, encouraging more Catholic undergraduates to enroll in Catholic colleges. Among their efforts, the colleges are planning to send informational resources to Catholic high schools across the nation; collaborating with neighboring Catholic colleges to host a Catholic higher education day inviting high school classes; outreaching to potential transfer students at neighboring junior colleges; and sending current undergraduates from the colleges to speak of the benefits of a Catholic college education in area high schools. Catholic institutions nationwide aspire to emphasize the spiritual values, social responsibility and issues of social justice and peace.
