The Catholic Church has gone through more change in the last sixty years than in the previous six hundred. These changes have caused a significant shift in the future outlook of Catholic higher education as the United States has developed a culture that has grown less receptive to religious traditions and practices. Drawing upon his extensive experience, James Heft lays out the current state of Catholic higher education and what needs to be done to ensure that Catholicism isn't fazed out of the educational system. Heft analyzes the foundational intellectual principles of Catholic Higher Education, and both the strengths and weaknesses of the present day system in order to look at possibilities for its future. Drawing upon both history and current cultural trends, The Future of Catholic Higher Education critiques the secularization thesis, explores the role of bishops, theologians, dissent, the sensus fidelium, the role of women and freedom of conscience, the relationship between theology and religious studies, hiring practices and curricular designs. Using the image of the "open circle," Heft advances a vision of the catholic university that is neither a "closed circle" of only Catholics nor a "market place of ideas with no distinctive mission." His "open circle" is one that fosters the Catholic intellectual tradition by including scholars of many religions, rooting Catholic social thought in Catholic doctrine, defending academic freedom and the mandatum.

About the Author
Fr. James L. Heft S.M. (Marianist) is Alton Brooks Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California and founder of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies. He served for nearly thirty years at the University of Dayton as the chair of Religious Studies Department, then Provost, and finally Chancellor and University Professor, before moving to Los Angeles to found the inter-faith and inter-religious research center.

Reviews
The Future of Catholic Higher Education: The Open Circle, by James Heft, SM, is a must read for a younger generation that is called to serve God by serving students. It is also a hope-filled message for those who already have dedicated themselves to that ministry, which, at times, may seem to have capitulated to the "consumerization" and "technologization" of Catholic higher education in the United States. * DONALD NESTI, newman studies journal *
The tone is measured, unpolemical, irenical, practical, and constructive. Heft is a committed insider to the tradition he describes, confident in what he has to offer, but also humble about its shortcomings. * John Sullivan, Liverpool Hope University, The Heythrop Journal *
Anyone who cares about this ecosystem and especially its Catholic dimension will benefit from James Heft's fine volume. * Thomas Albert Howard, Christian Century *
Catholic schools exist in an ecosystem with other private, church-related institutions ... Anyone who cares about this ecosystem and especially its Catholic dimension will benefit from James Heft's fine volume. Having served as a professor and administrator at several Catholic institutions and as founding director of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, Heft brings theoretical depth and practical experience to his analysis. * Thomas Albert Howard, Christian Century *
...most intriguing... * George Dennis O'Brien, Commonweal Magazine *
Based on a combination of scholarship and personal experience, The Future of Catholic Higher Education offers great imagination, sparkling clarity, and good common sense. Heft's book will be a valuable resource for orientations and retreats at Catholic universities, but many of its insights apply to higher education more broadly. * Mark W. Roche, author of Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture *
In The Future of Catholic Higher Education: The Open Circle, Fr. Heft engages the reader thoroughly and on multiple levels. As one has come to expect from Heft, the argument is lucid, though not simple, the language direct but nuanced, the themes rigorously researched and passionately human. The reader is left with a sense of hope that Catholic higher education can overcome the challenges we face in education today, perhaps most significantly in its 'creation of an interior spirit responsive to ethical questions. * Faiza Shereen, Professor, California State Polytechnic University *
Reading Heft's The Future of Catholic Higher Education was an enlightening experience, especially his chapters on Jesus and Mary. He writes about the gospel's treatment of their lives and reflects on the ways their teachings influence discourse, both in classrooms and the literature on the Catholic tradition. These essays will inform faculty in secular universities about some of the ways contemporary arguments about social justice are consonant with faith, an important aspect of teaching about diversity. * Edward P. St. John, Professor Emeritus, School of Education, Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professor, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197568880
Author James L. Heft
Format Hardback
Page Count 296
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 517g
Dimensions(mm) 155mm * 236mm * 23mm