MANASSAS, VA, September 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Cardinal Newman Society this week published a new, second edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, a free online resource for parents and students seeking a faithful Catholic education.
This comprehensive Guide recommends 21 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States plus eight international, online and unique programs based on the strength of their Catholic identity. In addition, the Guide includes several essays to help families better understand the search for a strong Catholic college.
The culmination of four years of research and hundreds of interviews, this edition of The Newman Guide builds substantially on the successful first edition which was published on All Saints Day in 2007. All told more than 8,000 copies of that edition were distributed to Catholic leaders and families.
“When we published the original Newman Guide in 2007 we did not know what to expect, but we found that families were eagerly searching for help in identifying Catholic colleges that truly embrace their Catholic mission in all facets of campus life,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society and one of the editors of the second edition of the Guide.
“The mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to help renew Catholic higher education, and we can think of no better way to do that than by offering this edition of The Newman Guide as a book but also as a free online resource. We are doing this so that as many Catholic families as possible are able to learn about the quality academics and faithful campus life available at the recommended colleges,” said Reilly.
Every college or program recommended in the Guide includes a complete profile that examines academics, governance, spiritual life, student activities, and residence life. New additions to this edition's profiles are a letter to families from each college president as well as information on financial aid packages.
The online version of the college profiles include additional campus pictures and videos, open house and other event details, as well as a form to request admissions or financial aid information directly from the college.
The recommended Catholic colleges are:
- Aquinas College, Nashville, Tenn.
- Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, Fla.
- Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, N.C.
- Benedictine College, Atchison, Kan.
- The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
- Christendom College, Front Royal, Va.
- The College of Saint Thomas More, Fort Worth, Tex.
- DeSales University, Center Valley, Pa.
- Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Oh.
- Holy Apostles College & Seminary, Cromwell, Conn.
- John Paul the Great Catholic University, San Diego, Calif.
- Magdalen College, Warner, N.H.
- Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg, Md.
- Providence College, Providence, R.I.
- St. Gregory's University, Shawnee, Okla.
- Southern Catholic College, Dawsonville, Ga.
- Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.
- The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Merrimack, N.H.
- University of Dallas, Irving, Tex.
- University of St. Thomas, Houston, Tex.
- Wyoming Catholic College, Lander, Wyo.
A new section in this edition of The Newman Guide recommends international, online and unique Catholic colleges and programs to help provide options to families looking for non-traditional ways to obtain a faithful Catholic education.
The recommended international, online and unique programs are:
- Angelicum Great Books Program, online
- Campion College, Old Toongabbie, Australia
- Catholic Distance University, online
- Our Lady of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Tex.
- Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Barry's Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (“the Angelicum”), Rome, Italy
- Redeemer Pacific University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
- St. Bede's Hall, Oxford, England
A study of the first edition's recommended colleges by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education found that these institutions were not just faithful to their Catholic missions, but were generally also more affordable than other Catholic and private colleges and universities. That study is available online at CatholicHigherEd.org.
“If last spring's Notre Dame scandal highlighted that there is still a long way to go to renew Catholic higher education, the colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are a prime example of how it is possible to have a quality academic program while remaining strongly Catholic,” said Tom Mead, executive vice president of The Cardinal Newman Society and one of The Newman Guide's editors.
“As a Catholic father concerned with helping my children get to Heaven, I am personally grateful that there are so many options for a faithful, liberal arts education at the Newman Guide colleges. Our great hope in publishing this edition of the Guide is that tens of thousands of Catholic families will be introduced to these campuses where strong Catholic identity is a priority.”
The complete Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College is available at TheNewmanGuide.com.