University Engagement
FAITH AND REASON Since its founding in the Middle Ages, the Catholic university has been given the responsibility and the opportunity to bring together in confident dialogue these two modes of gaining knowledge: the open- ended search for all the truths available to human reason and the grasp and investigation of all truths that have been made known through the fount of truth, the Logos, Jesus Christ.
Faculty Summer Seminar 2022
JUNE 6: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Dr. Michael Naughton, Director, Center for Catholic Studies “A Brief History of the Catholic University” Dr. Jeff Jalkio, Associate Professor, Engineering “Alasdair Macintyre’s Three Rival Versions of Morality and What They Say About Our Three Rival Visions” JUNE 7: THIS WORLD ALONE Dr. Arkady Shemyakin, Department Chair, Mathematics “A Siberian Experience of STEM” Dr. Rosemarie Monge, Associate Professor, Opus College of Business “A St. Thomas Experience of Teaching Business Ethics: Conflicted Visions of The Common Good— Secularism and Transcendence” JUNE 8: A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE Dr. Stephen Laumakis, Professor, Philosophy “The Very Idea of a University: Aristotle, Newman, and Us” Dr. Kenneth Goodpaster, Professor Emeritus, Opus College of Business “Teleopathy: A Tempting Disorder for Universities” JUNE 9: JUSTICE AND CHANGE Dr. Mark Spencer, Associate Professor, Philosophy “A Catholic Vision of Justice and Change in the University” Dr. Buffy Smith, Dean, Dougherty Family College “Reducing Inequalities in Higher Education” JUNE10: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ST. THOMAS? Dr. Jeff Jalkio, Associate Professor, Engineering “Lonergan: Bias and Cosmopolis” Dr. Eddy Rojas, Provost Seminar Summary
REASON ALONE Whereas a Catholic university view sees the
complementarity of faith and reason as the height of human wisdom, the modern research university, beginning in the 18th and 19th centuries, sees reason alone as the surest path to knowledge. In other words, the more reason and human action can be unburdened from religion and its historical context, the more the human mind – through science, technology and pragmatic rationality – will achieve progress. JUSTICE AND CHANGE The 1960s brought a third view of the university focused on justice and change. Largely dissatisfied with the religious and modern views, the university is about challenging and dismantling the dominant power structures of society so that a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive system can emerge. The role of the university is not to understand or interpret the world but to change it. Given the highly diverse world we live in, seminar organizers did not expect to achieve a uniformity of belief by the end of the week; however, they did achieve intelligent, in-depth exploration of the issues and, in doing so, achieved new levels of collegiality. The conversation will continue during the next Faculty Summer Seminar (June 5-9, 2023) which will focus on the distinctive characteristics of the Gen Z student and what that means for a Catholic university. Once again, all St. Thomas faculty will be invited and will receive a stipend for attending. OF BELIEF BY THE END OF THE WEEK ... ” “ GIVEN THE HIGHLY DIVERSE WORLD WE LIVE IN, SEMINAR ORGANIZERS DID NOT EXPECT TO ACHIEVE A UNIFORMITY
St. Thomas Lumen Fall/Winter 2022 Page 7
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