Ave Maria University announced recently that Jim Towey will be the University’s next president, beginning July 1, 2011. He is the former head of the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and president of Saint Vincent College.
Towey is succeeding Nicholas Healy as president and Ave Maria founder Thomas Monaghan as CEO. Monaghan plans to continue on as chancellor of the University.
National Catholic Register senior writer Tim Drake interviewed Jim Towey about his appointment. Drake asked Towey, “what makes Ave Maria different?” and Towey responded:
Ave Maria is a prototype of what Catholic education in the 21st century can be. What I love about it is the vision of this dedicated layman, Tom Monaghan. I’m going there because of his commitment and vision…
The facilities are spectacular. They’re built to withstand strong storms. I’ve toured universities all over America and at most, they’ll say, “Come see our new library.”
At Ave Maria, everything is new. What’s exciting is that I’ve had calls from archbishops, cardinals, President Bush and Gov. Bush and many others who know about Ave Maria and are excited about its future. That’s encouraging.
My local bishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, twisted my arm a little bit when I was discerning to take the job. That, to me, is a good sign that so much of America’s Church leadership is excited about Ave Maria.
Read the rest of the interview with Jim Towey here.
Ave Maria University is one of the institutions recommended by The Cardinal Newman Society in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, available here as a free online resource for Catholic families.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
2 Comments
Ave Maria University is extremely Catholic. My wife and I visited the university last week since we are in Florida for two months during the winter. We spoke to staff and students alike, viewed a video and toured the facilities. We were very impressed with its present state of development and were likewise impressed with its future plans for development. We hope and pray that our grand children will be able to attend this school and/or Stubenville in Ohio. These two schools instruct students with an emphasis on presenting knowledge and information from the Catholic World View. Today, many schools calling themselves Catholic fall short of the mark when it comes to recognizing the authority of the Church’s Teaching Magisterium. Not the case with these to schools. Feel assured that what is taught in the home will be reinforced in class. We saw where there will also be many opportunities for students to be involved in liturgical and ministerial services while at school. Can’t say enough about this Catholic institution
When talking about Ave Maria University, I think it also worth mentioning that they have a unique and valuable resource in their School of Law, teaching future lawyers about law in a Catholic moral framework.