Since its founding in 1863, Boston College has had its identity rooted in the fact that it is a Catholic, Jesuit university. This identity has propagated questions concerning how its Catholic foundation plays a role in the classroom, including questions of what effect Catholic professors have on education and how the Catholic nature of BC ultimately impacts the students' education.
Within the Church of the 21st Century, Tim Muldoon has been trying to address such issues. He and others have been trying to raise the question of what the role of a university of faith's tradition is in shaping the religious development of its students.
Individual institutions vary in their different approaches to answering this question. "In can be seen as a question of, 'how do we balance our Catholicity and our scholarship?'" said Muldoon. "It has a lot to do with how BC is distinctive."
This distinction can apply to other Catholic universities that may have a different approach to such a balance. Muldoon explained that the Rev. Michael Buckley, S.J., the former director of Boston College's Jesuit Institute, distinguished between Catholic schools, defining a custodial college as one where Catholics teach Catholics.
"This model is like a seminary for undergraduates. There is very obvious Catholicism," said Muldoon. "That is not the model that BC embraces. We embrace one that is more difficult - we want to invite the world, not just Catholics, to be here. It's been a very explicit decision to invite the rest of the world to participate in this institution of learning."
The Rev. Joseph A. Appleyard, S.J., vice president of university mission and ministry, explained that while this approach can be difficult, both Catholic and non-Catholic faculty can help maintain the balance of BC's Catholic tradition and educational obligations with a framework of tolerance and understanding. "While many students at BC are Catholic, not all are, and so we must be careful to support all of the religious questions and personal searches students may have, and people who are not Catholic do a good job of that as well," said Appleyard.
BC employs professors of various religious backgrounds, both Catholic and non-Catholic, including many Jesuit professors. Appleyard maintains, however, that there really isn't an overwhelming difference between the two groups. "Both Catholic and non-Catholic teachers try to converge and bring useful insights to students," said Appleyard.
Appleyard has worked for many years as a professor in the english and honors departments of BC, and when asked how being a priest had influenced his teaching style, he explained that he supposes it makes him concerned for his students in a pastoral way, as well as in an intellectual way.
"I suppose it predisposes me to be concerned not only about their intellectual, but their social and spiritual development, but I would hope any teacher would do that," said Appleyard. He did, however, point to one difference that exists between Jesuit and non-Jesuit professors. "I could joke and say I get invited to officiate at their weddings and baptisms, because that happens sometimes too."
The Rev. Arthur J. Madigan, S.J., a professor in the philosophy and honors departments, also maintains that while being a priest may influence his approach to teaching, there are many things that he has learned as a Jesuit, which a layperson would also know by teaching. "I would think that I learned first as a priest that one has to teach people with great reverence, but I would hope that I would also know that from being a teacher," said Madigan.
In class he tries to distinguish whether he is operating in a strictly philosophical or religious framework, and tries to be aware of what the other person is assuming and where that person is coming from when topics of religion, faith, and God arise. He maintained that he does not view his classroom as a pulpit. "I believe there is a place for preaching - a place for evangelization. I'm not sure the classroom is the right place for that," said Madigan.
As to whether students are able to detect a difference among the teaching practices of Catholic, or Jesuit, and non-Catholic faculty, the majority of students interviewed said there were no overwhelming differences. "Normally just [teacher's] politics, not their religion affects how they conduct class. The only priest I had was for theology, but he was just knowledgeable, like all Jesuits are. It didn't affect how he conducted class. I think it's just a matter of whether they are wearing a collar or not," said Dan Hazelwood, A&S '07.
Other students said that the religion of their professor did not play a role in the tone of the class, and that often they don't even know if their professors are Catholic, of another faith, or religion at all. "I don't know the religion of any of my teachers. There is no difference between them," said Anthony Masero, A&S '10.
Some students who said their courses were dominated by science said that the question of the effects of Catholic teachers simply was not applicable to them, because they had found few science teachers who were Catholic.
In an e-mail, Dr. Charles Kulpa, a professor at Notre Dame and chair of its department of biological sciences, said that the tone or topics of his class are not influenced by the Catholic framework of Notre Dame. "My own personal religious beliefs do not affect how I teach, as the course is based on scientific facts," said Kulpa.
Tim Muldoon, however, does not feel the sciences are exempt from a Catholic university's mission. "Catholic theology is predicated as an ordered understanding of the world - it is knowable. There is a natural affinity with the arts, but you could say the same for nursing - in the history of nursing there has been a tremendous connection with the Church. The same could be said for social work and management," said Muldoon. "Everything that this University does can be connected to its fundamental mission as a Catholic university."
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