Educating Beyond the Classroom

When the Vice President of the United States, the Honorable Mike Pence, came to Ave Maria University’s campus and addressed an overflow crowd in the O’Bryan Performance Hall in March, he became the most prominent of what has been a procession of high profile speakers to address Ave students.

One measure of the greatness of a university is the vibrancy of its academic life outside of the classroom, and here, Ave Maria University excels. The books and articles its professors write, the caliber of doctoral theses they supervise, and the conferences, lectures, and speakers the university hosts, make a real difference both in the wider world and within the university itself.

This year the University hosted conferences and events with speakers from across the U.S. and around the world. Each event took on key and relevant topics to provide Catholic perspectives on faith, politics, gender roles, and many more. These conferences informed and stimulated scholarly conversation that will affect future research, writing and classroom curriculum, while they engaged students in the issues of the day.

The first conference of spring 2019 concentrated, indeed, on a difficult issue: the clergy sex abuse scandal and its cover-up within the Church. The conference was entitled, Crisis in the Church: On the Faith of Mary as the Pathway to Peace. How should the faithful, especially the laity, respond? What are the deep issues at stake in how people react to scandal? At this gathering, the AMU community heard insights on questions like these by Dr. Michele Schumacher of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, who presented the keynote address, “Marian Faith in a Time of Crisis.” Plenary addresses included several of AMU’s own professors. Dr. Janice Breidenbach encouraged the faithful to heed Mary’s words in the Gospel of John, “Do whatever He tells you”(John 2:5). Dr. Maria Fedoryka spoke on human sexuality and the “Battle for the Human Soul.” Kathy Clarke, of the Mothers of the Church in the Diocese of Kilmore, Ireland and Dr. Mark Miravalle of Franciscan University of Steubenville also delivered plenary addresses, as did President Jim Towey in a luncheon address. Each speaker presented thoughts surrounding the humble and unshaken faith of Our Lady as a provider of hope and a model to allow Catholics to move forward in this difficult time.

The second major event of the semester was AMU’s annual multi-session conference discussing the thought and impact of St. Thomas Aquinas. This conference is a highlight for Ave graduate and undergraduate Theology students. This year the conference focused on the theme, Aquinas the Biblical Theologian. The campus bustled with over 70 speakers from around the world, including numerous University faculty and graduates, presenting on the Bible’s importance in Aquinas’s work and on the way that he read and taught the Scriptures. Dr. Scott Hahn gave a featured keynote, “Aquinas and Biblical Theology,” showing how the work of this revered theologian can be helpful for the Church today as she considers how to best read the Word of God for all its worth. This conference was co-sponsored by the Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal (located at AMU) and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, in Steubenville, Ohio.

The inaugural year of the new Thomas and Selby Prince Building and its spacious confines proved to be a worthy setting not simply for Vice President Pence, but for others taking full advantage of its state-ofthe-art technology.

Dr. Elizabeth Lev, a renowned art historian, best-selling author, international speaker (and a certified sommelier!) enthralled a near capacity crowd with her November presentation. Dr. Lev’s lecture, “How Catholic Art Saved the Faith,” emphasized the value of art and beauty to teach and inspire the faithful centuries ago when the Church faced a serious crisis. Next up was Brother Ignatius Perkins, O.P., a Provincial Director for the Dominican Friars. Brother Ignatius addressed the challenge of end-of-life issues by offering a Christian perspective on life, healing, and fulfillment in Christ. Finally, students and faculty heard from Dr. Thomas Hibbs, Dean of the Honors College and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Baylor University. Dr. Hibbs’ lecture was entitled, “Sickness unto Death? Suffering, Evil, and Death in Contemporary Popular Culture.”

The final major academic gathering on campus this year was the “Second Annual Symposium on Creating Faith- Based Value” in April. This symposium, Innovation and Faith: Thriving Amidst Change, challenged students to leave college and enter the workforce prepared to answer questions regarding how to deal with the changing economy, cultural shifts, and political conflicts they will face. The symposium featured Dr. Jeffrey Cornwall, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in Nashville as its keynote speaker. He delivered an address entitled “The Good Entrepreneur: Finding the Intersection of Faith and Opportunity.” The University’s own Dr. Michael Breidenbach, Assistant Professor of History, Dr. James Patterson, Assistant Professor of Politics, and Dr. Seana Sugrue, Professor of Politics, led a panel discussion of “Times of Upheaval: Adapting and Thriving in the Church, at Work, and in the Public Square.” Dr. Peter Whalen, the Ungarino Associate Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at AMU, delivered the second keynote address, called “Embracing Uncertainty.”

Fox News and Wall Street Journal columnist Karl Rove, who authored a best-selling memoir on his experiences as the “architect” of George W. Bush’s successful election and re-election campaigns, enthralled AMU students and donors alike as the keynote speaker at the University’s annual scholarship dinner.

His humor and insights left a lasting impression on the many undergraduates in attendance. He followed in the footsteps of Jeb Bush, U.S. Senator Rick Scott, and others who have found the public square a fitting place to make use of their considerable gifts.

Vice President Pence, in his remarks to the University’s students, said, “I am here to thank the entire community here at Ave Maria University for the critical work you do to educate America’s next generation of leaders, public servants, and leaders in faith.” The excellence of the Catholic liberal arts education at Ave Maria University has captured the attention and respect of not only the Vice President of the United States, but most especially the students of the University who leave campus prepared to engage the world.