Campus Notes

Fr. Ian Ker, Oxford don and expert on Blessed John Henry Newman, delivered a talk last month at The Catholic University of America on “Newman’s Idea of a University — Some Misunderstandings.”  From the CUA article:

In his book, Newman wrote that liberal education was the principal goal of a university. Newman’s definition of a liberal education, Father Ker noted, is not a liberal arts education as it is understood today, but “a real cultivation of the mind.”

“The heart of his philosophy of education was to use one’s mind, to think,” said Father Ker.

In order to perfect the intellect, Newman felt that a university should teach students how to use all parts of the mind, Father Ker explained. For example, students should be able to use their imagination, make judgments, see how subjects relate to each other, and express their thoughts clearly.

Father Ker notes that Newman would have been opposed to large lectures where students scribble endless notes without the information sinking in.

“The learning of facts is not, for Newman, a liberal education because it’s just memorizing,” he said. “You’re not using your mind.”

Newman also saw students as a large part of the teaching process, which is why he thought it was so important for students to live on campus and create an “intellectual community.” Even if there were no teachers, the students would still be capable of learning from each other. Newman thought a self-education — through books and conversations with peers — offered more development of the mind than “impersonal lectures,” Father Ker said….

In the end, Father Ker noted that all universities have changed since Newman’s time but that does not mean that his ideas are irrelevant today.

“The fundamental principles of Newman are still of value,” he said. “If you stray too far from them, you can’t be a university.”

While preparing for his new role as president of CUA, Garvey read The Idea of a University. The book inspired Garvey in his selection of the inaugural year theme “Intellect and Virtue: The Idea of a Catholic University.” This lecture was part of a series of events related to that theme.

Read more about Fr. Ker’s lecture on Bl. Newman’s Idea of a University here.

The Catholic University of America is included by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College for its strong Catholic identity.  Read CUA’s profile here.