Ep. 136 - Are Catholic Colleges Unique?

The Commonweal Podcast

As the fall semester begins, colleges and universities are bracing for fresh controversies over free speech, affordability, and the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence.

On this episode, Tania Tetlow, the first layperson and first woman to serve as the president of Fordham University, joins editor Dominic Preziosi to weigh in on what Catholic colleges and universities can do differently.

If entering students increasingly hail from diverse religious backgrounds—or sometimes no faith background at all—that’s an opportunity for “mission,” pursued with openness, inclusivity, and a willingness to be proven wrong.

For further reading:

• Nancy Dallavalle on whether Catholic colleges have a future
• Susan Bigelow Reynolds on public scholarship
• An interview with former UC Chancellor Nicholas Dirks