dallas
Content
University of Dallas
Irving, Texas
www.udallas.edu
Overview
The sprawling city of Irving, Texas is a 200,000-person suburb of Dallas. In it are the headquarters of such giants as ExxonMobil and the Boy Scouts of America as well as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It also is the home of one of the finest Catholic colleges, the University of Dallas. Founded in 1956, this liberal arts-oriented institution consistently ranks among the most praised colleges in the United States. In addition to its orthodox Catholicism, the University of Dallas is widely respected for intellectual rigor and quality of teaching. The driving force behind the establishment of the university was the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur. They approached then-Bishop Thomas Gorman to expand their junior college, Our Lady of Victory, and give control to a board of trustees under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas. Among the initial faculty in 1956 were members of the Cistercian, Sisters of Saint Mary and Franciscan orders. The university draws students from throughout the United States and from 18 other countries with its commitment to a core curriculum, largely based on the classics of Western Civilization. Academic preparation is such that more than 80 percent of the students attend graduate or professional schools. The university has the distinction of gaining a Phi Beta Kappa chapter faster than any other institution in the 20th century.
quick facts
Founded: 1956 Type of institution: Small university Setting: Suburban Undergraduate enrollment: 1,232 (2006–07 academic year) Total undergraduate cost: $30,836 (tuition, room and board for 2007–08) Undergraduate majors: 27
five key Points
1. Strong commitment to a core curriculum, even in graduate study. 2. An orthodox Catholic identity is emphasized. 3. Teachers and students have created a vibrant intellectual environment. 4. A Rome semester is highly popular and impressive. 5. There is a vital spiritual life on and near the campus.
The Newman Guide
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University of Dallas
There are 27 majors that are rooted in the typical liberal arts disciplines. Included are classics degrees in either Greek or Latin and a studio arts program. The Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts was added in 1966 and offers master’s degrees in eight areas and an interdisciplinary Ph.D., which has the unique character of also relying on a core curriculum. The management school offers several M.B.A.s as well as additional master’s degrees in management. To receive an undergraduate degree at UD, students must take half of their courses in the core curriculum. There are 15 required courses distributed as follows: four each in English and history, three in philosophy, two in theology and one each in economics and politics. Students also select an additional 10 courses from several liberal arts fields. One former faculty member said of the core curriculum: “Its brilliance lies in studying the ancients, medievals and moderns several times during the college years. While there is an historical and sequential study of these eras, students also go back at different points during their years [at UD] to read, for example, Aristotle and Plato again.”
trative positions at the University of San Diego, Marquette University and the University of Dayton.
Public Identity
As part of its mission statement, the University of Dallas declares: “The University is dedicated to the recovery of the Christian intellectual tradition, and to the renewal of Catholic theology in fidelity to the Church and in constructive dialogue with the modern world.” The emphasis of the university is rooted in a core curriculum because the administration believes that its western tradition is the Catholic tradition. One English professor told us, “The core teaches us that the goal of education is to seek the Truth and that Truth exists.” As a result, one 2006 alumnus said the university is “one of the only universities left that is both Catholic and catholic. That is to say, it is orthodox and faithful and is very willing to pursue Truth from whichever avenues it might come.” President Frank Lazarus gives much credit for this Catholic faithfulness to the professors. In his inauguration address in 2004, he said: “The faculty and administration, but especially the faculty, of this institution have from the time of the founding positioned the University of Dallas in the mainstream of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition by virtue of their scholarship, their development and cultivation of the core curriculum, and by the example of their own lives in the form of personal witness to the Faith and fidelity to the teachings of the Church.” Those we interviewed gave high marks to President Lazarus for reemphasizing the university’s Catholic identity while proceeding in a balanced way. He places a high prior-
Governance
The university is governed by a 30-plus member board of trustees, comprised largely of lay business leaders from the Dallas area, other parts of the nation and alumni. There are a few Catholic religious figures on the board, most notably the Bishops of the Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth, but there no longer is any diocesan control. Dr. Frank Lazarus became the seventh president of the University of Dallas in 2004. All of his predecessors, with one exception, were lay presidents. Dr. Lazarus, a scholar of classical languages, previously held adminis98
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
ity on Ex corde Ecclesiae and stresses the university’s Catholic commitment to high school students and their parents in prospective student weekends. Unfortunately, the administration of Dr. Lazarus’s predecessor, Msgr. Milam Joseph (1996–2003), was marked by some controversy. It was reported to us that during his tenure, the university’s Catholic identity was somewhat diluted and there were a few faculty departures. However, the university, by all accounts, seems to be back on its solid, historical footing. This Catholic ethos has a transformational effect on students, according to close observers of the college. For example, Father Philip Powell, O.P., the campus minister, said, “Many freshmen come in looking like conservative Catholics. Over the course of their time at UD, they often become orthodox Catholics.” He adds, “And what is ‘orthodoxy’? It’s thinking, teaching and preaching with the mind of the Church. Look first to the Church, the presumption being that the Church has the answer, and in 99.99 percent of the time, Her answer is right.” In addition to the curriculum, the university bolsters its Catholic identity by its choice of campus speakers. Among recent commencement speakers have been Archbishop J. Michael Miller, then the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education at the Vatican, in 2006; and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson in 2003. Other speakers have included Russell Hittinger, the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, who delivered the first John Paul II Theology Lecture in February 2007; John Millbank, a British academic associated with Radical Orthodoxy, who presented the 2006 Aquinas Lecture; and marriage and family expert Patrick Fagan of The Heritage Foundation. The Newman Guide
Some of UD’s speakers do not necessarily deal with Catholic issues but rather address a range of intellectual concerns. Robert and John Hollander of the digital Princeton Dante Project and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Green Revolution pioneer, are examples. We are aware of no objectionable speakers on campus. The university also reaches out to the broader Catholic community. One example is through the renamed University of Dallas School of Ministry, which held a two-day conference on the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ document “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord,” dealing with lay ministry, in March 2007. The interdisciplinary Society of Catholic Social Scientists held their 2006 meeting on campus. The university has benefited as well from its long relationship with a number of religious orders, including the Cistercians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur and School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Spiritual Life
The spiritual life at UD is, in the words of a 2006 alumnus, “extremely robust and alive.” One characteristic of it that repeatedly emerged in our interviews is that faculty and their families actively participate in Masses and other religious activities. As a result, one English professor said, “The students can see their professor as a whole person.” About 75 percent of the student body is Catholic, and that helps ensure an active participation in spiritual activities. Two Masses are offered Monday through Friday (12:05 p.m. and 5 p.m.) at the campus Church of the Incarnation; combined they attract about 200 students daily. There are four Sunday obligation Masses, including one on Saturday night.
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University of Dallas
cian monks. There is also an Opus Dei center, the Wingren Study Center, in the area; one of their service projects is organizing an annual spring-break trip to a school for the poor in Monterrey, Mexico.
Catholicism in the Classroom
As befits a college that, as President Lazarus notes, emphasizes the Catholic intellectual tradition, it is not surprising that the theology and philosophy departments would be strong. Because of the core curriculum, students also encounter this religious heritage “at different times and in different ways in their studies,” according to one faculty member. The theology department is anchored by chair Dr. Mark Lowery, a moral theologian, described by a recent alumnus as “very orthodox and well-loved,” by a campus official as “exemplary,” and by a former faculty colleague as “a saint.” Among the others in the department frequently singled out for praise is Dr. Christopher Malloy, who teaches systematic theology. He told us, “We present orthodoxy clearly and in dialogue with philosophy and science. If a student wants to get Truth, it is very clear here.” Across the board, our interviewees report that the core curriculum integrates the Catholic worldview with the secular worlds of the various disciplines. This sense of interrelatedness is so pervasive that even a Buddhist who teaches in the English department sees the core as strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition. One alumnus spoke of him: “He loves the Catholic confidence that there is a Truth we can strive for.” There are many strong Catholic faculty members in the especially rich English de-
Confessions are heard five times a week and by appointment. Father Powell, the campus minister and also known as the assistant chaplain, is highly regarded. His homilies are accessible online through his blog. Father Powell led a group of 19 students to Peru to work in an orphanage as an alternative spring-break mission in March 2007. He said of this and similar trips, “They are open to anyone who wants to apply, Catholic or not. At the same time, it is clear that it is a Catholic trip, with no cutting back on our daily Masses, morning and evening prayers, etc.” The campus ministry has a few programs such as a monthly Theology on Tap social gettogether and pro-life work as part of the Crusaders for Life club. But social justice activities are particularly strong. Among these is participation in the Dallas Hearts & Hammer program that refurbishes inner-city houses and serves meals at homeless shelters. Students have the opportunity to participate in the spiritual life of the on-campus Priory of St. Albert the Great, which includes 15 Dominican friars, and the nearby Our Lady of Dallas Abbey, which has 28 Cister100
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
partment, including Dr. Gregory Roper, a medieval literature scholar, and Dr. Gerard Wegemer, an expert on Thomas More. Another example of a spiritually engaged and popular professor is the chair of the history department, Dr. Thomas Jodziewicz, the recipient of the campus 2007 King Fellow Award. He started a faculty-student group around the theme of faith and reason. The reading for the first meeting in fall 2006 was Pope Benedict’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est. Despite its liberal arts focus, the sciences and mathematics are not shortchanged at the university. Students in these areas get intensive training, undertake research work and go on to graduate study. Among the notable faculty is Dr. Marcy Brown-Marsden, the biology department chair and a bird expert. In addition to the core curriculum and the solid faculty, UD students greatly benefit from an excellent study-abroad program. In fact, 80 to 85 percent of the students, mostly sophomores, participate in the Rome Program. This rigorous 15-credit semester has hosted thousands over the past 35 years. The current site, known as Due Santi, is a villa with a vineyard outside of Rome, complete with a 108-student residence hall and athletic facilities. The pope’s summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, is visible from the campus. In Rome, too, the core curriculum is emphasized, as immersion in the culture and intellectual tradition merge. “It is not at all uncommon to see students reading Sophocles in the Rome metro on the way to an art and architecture class,” one alumnus told us. And as one English professor emphasized, the spiritual dimension is ever present. He said, “The semester in Rome is a significant opportunity for spiritual growth. We are able to integrate our lives of study, living together and practicing the faith. We have
daily Mass, night prayer. The students particularly love that the faculty are there with their families.” “On the whole,” we were told by a recent participant, “people grow up during their Rome semester. The challenge of balancing time, the proximity to the heart of Western Civilization and Catholicism and the closeness to some fantastic peers all rub off on people.” The university also sponsors a studyabroad program for high school students in Italy and England. There are similar opportunities for adults and teachers. This emphasis on foreign study has permitted the University of Dallas to be identified as one of the top 20 study-abroad programs according to the Institute for International Education. Students also benefit from some domestic institutes. One is the Center for Thomas More Studies, which sponsors courses, conferences and publications related to the 16th-century English saint. The department of education sponsors the Dallas Area Network for Teaching and Education (DANTE), which helps prepare and nurture Catholic schoolteachers in Texas. And since 1986 the Institute for Religious and Pastoral Studies has provided a variety of courses. Recently, the IRPS launched a Master of Theological Studies degree for the Diocese of Tyler, Texas; a Spanish-speaking Deacon program for the Diocese of Dallas; and online courses for nationwide access. In May 2007, the institute was renamed the University of Dallas School of Ministry. During that month, the school also graduated an unprecedented number of 100 graduates from its Catholic Bible School. The graduates of this four-year program came from 37 Texas parishes. Bishop Vann of Fort Worth celebrated the graduation Mass.
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University of Dallas
One final note regarding the academic environment at the University of Dallas relates to the student body. About one-quarter of them are legacy students, meaning that parents or other relatives are alumni. According to one 2006 alumnus, “Students hear firsthand from their siblings, parents and relatives how great UD is, and they want to experience it themselves. It is not at all uncommon for siblings to attend UD at the same time. There is a family atmosphere.” Yet, that does not imply a sense of smugness. Perhaps Dr. Roper crystallized this best when he said, “UD tends to have very wellrounded students but not ‘grinds.’ The ones coming here have been those who in high school were able to excel academically while also balancing their social lives and outside interests. We also have a number of homeschooled students and a few ‘funky types’ who want the life of the mind.”
in 2003 for being critical of the administration of then-president Msgr. Joseph. According to the watchdog group Accuracy in Academia, at issue was Msgr. Joseph’s support for gun control and racial admission preferences. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a broad intramural sports program. The University of Dallas fields teams in 13 sports under the umbrella of the NCAA Division III and competes regionally. Local cultural opportunities are presented in an organized program called Dallas Year.
Residential Life
All undergraduate students are required to live on campus. There are eight residence halls and a small number of apartments. All apartments are same sex although married couples can live in the apartments. Students are separated by gender by floor. The university handbook specifies visitation times throughout the week, and overnight opposite-sex visitation is not allowed. Students reportedly abide by these rules. There are chastity programs promoted in the dorms and by student government. Despite the university’s strictures against it, drinking has been a problem off and on. One former professor told us, “Drinking had an odd heritage in the early days of the university. There developed a sense that it was ‘a Catholic macho thing’ to drink, sometimes heavily.” Drinking today seems to be more of an off-campus issue. The health clinic at the Haggar University Center addresses routine medical issues. There are several hospitals in the area, including the Las Colinas Medical Center and the Baylor Medical Center at Irving.
Student Activities
There are about 50 groups on campus. In addition to typical collegiate groups, there is a popular Chesterton Society and a Best Buddies program that works with children with special needs. Crusaders for Life, the pro-life group, is very active. Every year the junior class sponsors Charity Week, a major fundraiser for charitable organizations. The student government is reported to be strong and attracts active Catholics to its service. In addition to an executive council, there is a Student Government Senate and an events programming board known as SPUD. One popular annual social event is Groundhog Weekend in February, which includes a concert, rugby match and other activities. The weekly student newspaper, The University News, is impressive. A conservative competitor to the paper, Justice, was disbanded 102
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
The Community
Irving, Texas, is adjacent to Dallas, a worldclass city and part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area, which includes about 5.8 million people. The cultural, sports and social opportunities in the area are extensive. In sports, for example, the popular Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League currently play in Irving’s 66,000-seat Texas Stadium; the stadium is across the street from the University of Dallas campus. The region’s economy is largely based on health care, aeronautics, communications and banking. The region has a pleasant climate most of the year but has scorching summers. Crime in Irving is slightly above the national average. But the University of Dallas campus is relatively safe and free of violent crime. The most campus police violations, by far, are for alcohol use. The University of Dallas is easy to reach, especially via Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which is a key hub for American Airlines. Amtrak is located in Dallas, and there is an extensive system of roads in the area as well as the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system.
The Bottom Line
The University of Dallas is a premier Catholic college in the United States. It combines an extensive core curriculum, often emphasizing classical works, with an adherence to the Catholic intellectual tradition. The university prides itself on its quest for knowledge, confident that any inquiry will lead back to the Catholic Truth. UD has one of the most impressive studyabroad semesters that we have seen with its Rome Program; more than 80 percent of its students take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to immerse themselves in the classics in a region steeped in the antecedents of Western and Catholic thought. Overall, then, it is no wonder that so many commentators and other college guidebooks give the university such high marks. Dallas has provided service to the Catholic community in Texas and throughout the nation for half a century. It has weathered some storms, expanded and, in the end, remained faithful to its mission. Any Catholic student interested in challenging his or her mind would do well to put the University of Dallas on a list of colleges to investigate.
The Newman Guide
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Irving, Texas
www.udallas.edu
Overview
The sprawling city of Irving, Texas is a 200,000-person suburb of Dallas. In it are the headquarters of such giants as ExxonMobil and the Boy Scouts of America as well as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It also is the home of one of the finest Catholic colleges, the University of Dallas. Founded in 1956, this liberal arts-oriented institution consistently ranks among the most praised colleges in the United States. In addition to its orthodox Catholicism, the University of Dallas is widely respected for intellectual rigor and quality of teaching. The driving force behind the establishment of the university was the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur. They approached then-Bishop Thomas Gorman to expand their junior college, Our Lady of Victory, and give control to a board of trustees under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas. Among the initial faculty in 1956 were members of the Cistercian, Sisters of Saint Mary and Franciscan orders. The university draws students from throughout the United States and from 18 other countries with its commitment to a core curriculum, largely based on the classics of Western Civilization. Academic preparation is such that more than 80 percent of the students attend graduate or professional schools. The university has the distinction of gaining a Phi Beta Kappa chapter faster than any other institution in the 20th century.
quick facts
Founded: 1956 Type of institution: Small university Setting: Suburban Undergraduate enrollment: 1,232 (2006–07 academic year) Total undergraduate cost: $30,836 (tuition, room and board for 2007–08) Undergraduate majors: 27
five key Points
1. Strong commitment to a core curriculum, even in graduate study. 2. An orthodox Catholic identity is emphasized. 3. Teachers and students have created a vibrant intellectual environment. 4. A Rome semester is highly popular and impressive. 5. There is a vital spiritual life on and near the campus.
The Newman Guide
97
University of Dallas
There are 27 majors that are rooted in the typical liberal arts disciplines. Included are classics degrees in either Greek or Latin and a studio arts program. The Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts was added in 1966 and offers master’s degrees in eight areas and an interdisciplinary Ph.D., which has the unique character of also relying on a core curriculum. The management school offers several M.B.A.s as well as additional master’s degrees in management. To receive an undergraduate degree at UD, students must take half of their courses in the core curriculum. There are 15 required courses distributed as follows: four each in English and history, three in philosophy, two in theology and one each in economics and politics. Students also select an additional 10 courses from several liberal arts fields. One former faculty member said of the core curriculum: “Its brilliance lies in studying the ancients, medievals and moderns several times during the college years. While there is an historical and sequential study of these eras, students also go back at different points during their years [at UD] to read, for example, Aristotle and Plato again.”
trative positions at the University of San Diego, Marquette University and the University of Dayton.
Public Identity
As part of its mission statement, the University of Dallas declares: “The University is dedicated to the recovery of the Christian intellectual tradition, and to the renewal of Catholic theology in fidelity to the Church and in constructive dialogue with the modern world.” The emphasis of the university is rooted in a core curriculum because the administration believes that its western tradition is the Catholic tradition. One English professor told us, “The core teaches us that the goal of education is to seek the Truth and that Truth exists.” As a result, one 2006 alumnus said the university is “one of the only universities left that is both Catholic and catholic. That is to say, it is orthodox and faithful and is very willing to pursue Truth from whichever avenues it might come.” President Frank Lazarus gives much credit for this Catholic faithfulness to the professors. In his inauguration address in 2004, he said: “The faculty and administration, but especially the faculty, of this institution have from the time of the founding positioned the University of Dallas in the mainstream of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition by virtue of their scholarship, their development and cultivation of the core curriculum, and by the example of their own lives in the form of personal witness to the Faith and fidelity to the teachings of the Church.” Those we interviewed gave high marks to President Lazarus for reemphasizing the university’s Catholic identity while proceeding in a balanced way. He places a high prior-
Governance
The university is governed by a 30-plus member board of trustees, comprised largely of lay business leaders from the Dallas area, other parts of the nation and alumni. There are a few Catholic religious figures on the board, most notably the Bishops of the Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth, but there no longer is any diocesan control. Dr. Frank Lazarus became the seventh president of the University of Dallas in 2004. All of his predecessors, with one exception, were lay presidents. Dr. Lazarus, a scholar of classical languages, previously held adminis98
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
ity on Ex corde Ecclesiae and stresses the university’s Catholic commitment to high school students and their parents in prospective student weekends. Unfortunately, the administration of Dr. Lazarus’s predecessor, Msgr. Milam Joseph (1996–2003), was marked by some controversy. It was reported to us that during his tenure, the university’s Catholic identity was somewhat diluted and there were a few faculty departures. However, the university, by all accounts, seems to be back on its solid, historical footing. This Catholic ethos has a transformational effect on students, according to close observers of the college. For example, Father Philip Powell, O.P., the campus minister, said, “Many freshmen come in looking like conservative Catholics. Over the course of their time at UD, they often become orthodox Catholics.” He adds, “And what is ‘orthodoxy’? It’s thinking, teaching and preaching with the mind of the Church. Look first to the Church, the presumption being that the Church has the answer, and in 99.99 percent of the time, Her answer is right.” In addition to the curriculum, the university bolsters its Catholic identity by its choice of campus speakers. Among recent commencement speakers have been Archbishop J. Michael Miller, then the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education at the Vatican, in 2006; and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson in 2003. Other speakers have included Russell Hittinger, the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, who delivered the first John Paul II Theology Lecture in February 2007; John Millbank, a British academic associated with Radical Orthodoxy, who presented the 2006 Aquinas Lecture; and marriage and family expert Patrick Fagan of The Heritage Foundation. The Newman Guide
Some of UD’s speakers do not necessarily deal with Catholic issues but rather address a range of intellectual concerns. Robert and John Hollander of the digital Princeton Dante Project and Nobel Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Green Revolution pioneer, are examples. We are aware of no objectionable speakers on campus. The university also reaches out to the broader Catholic community. One example is through the renamed University of Dallas School of Ministry, which held a two-day conference on the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ document “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord,” dealing with lay ministry, in March 2007. The interdisciplinary Society of Catholic Social Scientists held their 2006 meeting on campus. The university has benefited as well from its long relationship with a number of religious orders, including the Cistercians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur and School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Spiritual Life
The spiritual life at UD is, in the words of a 2006 alumnus, “extremely robust and alive.” One characteristic of it that repeatedly emerged in our interviews is that faculty and their families actively participate in Masses and other religious activities. As a result, one English professor said, “The students can see their professor as a whole person.” About 75 percent of the student body is Catholic, and that helps ensure an active participation in spiritual activities. Two Masses are offered Monday through Friday (12:05 p.m. and 5 p.m.) at the campus Church of the Incarnation; combined they attract about 200 students daily. There are four Sunday obligation Masses, including one on Saturday night.
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University of Dallas
cian monks. There is also an Opus Dei center, the Wingren Study Center, in the area; one of their service projects is organizing an annual spring-break trip to a school for the poor in Monterrey, Mexico.
Catholicism in the Classroom
As befits a college that, as President Lazarus notes, emphasizes the Catholic intellectual tradition, it is not surprising that the theology and philosophy departments would be strong. Because of the core curriculum, students also encounter this religious heritage “at different times and in different ways in their studies,” according to one faculty member. The theology department is anchored by chair Dr. Mark Lowery, a moral theologian, described by a recent alumnus as “very orthodox and well-loved,” by a campus official as “exemplary,” and by a former faculty colleague as “a saint.” Among the others in the department frequently singled out for praise is Dr. Christopher Malloy, who teaches systematic theology. He told us, “We present orthodoxy clearly and in dialogue with philosophy and science. If a student wants to get Truth, it is very clear here.” Across the board, our interviewees report that the core curriculum integrates the Catholic worldview with the secular worlds of the various disciplines. This sense of interrelatedness is so pervasive that even a Buddhist who teaches in the English department sees the core as strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition. One alumnus spoke of him: “He loves the Catholic confidence that there is a Truth we can strive for.” There are many strong Catholic faculty members in the especially rich English de-
Confessions are heard five times a week and by appointment. Father Powell, the campus minister and also known as the assistant chaplain, is highly regarded. His homilies are accessible online through his blog. Father Powell led a group of 19 students to Peru to work in an orphanage as an alternative spring-break mission in March 2007. He said of this and similar trips, “They are open to anyone who wants to apply, Catholic or not. At the same time, it is clear that it is a Catholic trip, with no cutting back on our daily Masses, morning and evening prayers, etc.” The campus ministry has a few programs such as a monthly Theology on Tap social gettogether and pro-life work as part of the Crusaders for Life club. But social justice activities are particularly strong. Among these is participation in the Dallas Hearts & Hammer program that refurbishes inner-city houses and serves meals at homeless shelters. Students have the opportunity to participate in the spiritual life of the on-campus Priory of St. Albert the Great, which includes 15 Dominican friars, and the nearby Our Lady of Dallas Abbey, which has 28 Cister100
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
partment, including Dr. Gregory Roper, a medieval literature scholar, and Dr. Gerard Wegemer, an expert on Thomas More. Another example of a spiritually engaged and popular professor is the chair of the history department, Dr. Thomas Jodziewicz, the recipient of the campus 2007 King Fellow Award. He started a faculty-student group around the theme of faith and reason. The reading for the first meeting in fall 2006 was Pope Benedict’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est. Despite its liberal arts focus, the sciences and mathematics are not shortchanged at the university. Students in these areas get intensive training, undertake research work and go on to graduate study. Among the notable faculty is Dr. Marcy Brown-Marsden, the biology department chair and a bird expert. In addition to the core curriculum and the solid faculty, UD students greatly benefit from an excellent study-abroad program. In fact, 80 to 85 percent of the students, mostly sophomores, participate in the Rome Program. This rigorous 15-credit semester has hosted thousands over the past 35 years. The current site, known as Due Santi, is a villa with a vineyard outside of Rome, complete with a 108-student residence hall and athletic facilities. The pope’s summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, is visible from the campus. In Rome, too, the core curriculum is emphasized, as immersion in the culture and intellectual tradition merge. “It is not at all uncommon to see students reading Sophocles in the Rome metro on the way to an art and architecture class,” one alumnus told us. And as one English professor emphasized, the spiritual dimension is ever present. He said, “The semester in Rome is a significant opportunity for spiritual growth. We are able to integrate our lives of study, living together and practicing the faith. We have
daily Mass, night prayer. The students particularly love that the faculty are there with their families.” “On the whole,” we were told by a recent participant, “people grow up during their Rome semester. The challenge of balancing time, the proximity to the heart of Western Civilization and Catholicism and the closeness to some fantastic peers all rub off on people.” The university also sponsors a studyabroad program for high school students in Italy and England. There are similar opportunities for adults and teachers. This emphasis on foreign study has permitted the University of Dallas to be identified as one of the top 20 study-abroad programs according to the Institute for International Education. Students also benefit from some domestic institutes. One is the Center for Thomas More Studies, which sponsors courses, conferences and publications related to the 16th-century English saint. The department of education sponsors the Dallas Area Network for Teaching and Education (DANTE), which helps prepare and nurture Catholic schoolteachers in Texas. And since 1986 the Institute for Religious and Pastoral Studies has provided a variety of courses. Recently, the IRPS launched a Master of Theological Studies degree for the Diocese of Tyler, Texas; a Spanish-speaking Deacon program for the Diocese of Dallas; and online courses for nationwide access. In May 2007, the institute was renamed the University of Dallas School of Ministry. During that month, the school also graduated an unprecedented number of 100 graduates from its Catholic Bible School. The graduates of this four-year program came from 37 Texas parishes. Bishop Vann of Fort Worth celebrated the graduation Mass.
The Newman Guide
101
University of Dallas
One final note regarding the academic environment at the University of Dallas relates to the student body. About one-quarter of them are legacy students, meaning that parents or other relatives are alumni. According to one 2006 alumnus, “Students hear firsthand from their siblings, parents and relatives how great UD is, and they want to experience it themselves. It is not at all uncommon for siblings to attend UD at the same time. There is a family atmosphere.” Yet, that does not imply a sense of smugness. Perhaps Dr. Roper crystallized this best when he said, “UD tends to have very wellrounded students but not ‘grinds.’ The ones coming here have been those who in high school were able to excel academically while also balancing their social lives and outside interests. We also have a number of homeschooled students and a few ‘funky types’ who want the life of the mind.”
in 2003 for being critical of the administration of then-president Msgr. Joseph. According to the watchdog group Accuracy in Academia, at issue was Msgr. Joseph’s support for gun control and racial admission preferences. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a broad intramural sports program. The University of Dallas fields teams in 13 sports under the umbrella of the NCAA Division III and competes regionally. Local cultural opportunities are presented in an organized program called Dallas Year.
Residential Life
All undergraduate students are required to live on campus. There are eight residence halls and a small number of apartments. All apartments are same sex although married couples can live in the apartments. Students are separated by gender by floor. The university handbook specifies visitation times throughout the week, and overnight opposite-sex visitation is not allowed. Students reportedly abide by these rules. There are chastity programs promoted in the dorms and by student government. Despite the university’s strictures against it, drinking has been a problem off and on. One former professor told us, “Drinking had an odd heritage in the early days of the university. There developed a sense that it was ‘a Catholic macho thing’ to drink, sometimes heavily.” Drinking today seems to be more of an off-campus issue. The health clinic at the Haggar University Center addresses routine medical issues. There are several hospitals in the area, including the Las Colinas Medical Center and the Baylor Medical Center at Irving.
Student Activities
There are about 50 groups on campus. In addition to typical collegiate groups, there is a popular Chesterton Society and a Best Buddies program that works with children with special needs. Crusaders for Life, the pro-life group, is very active. Every year the junior class sponsors Charity Week, a major fundraiser for charitable organizations. The student government is reported to be strong and attracts active Catholics to its service. In addition to an executive council, there is a Student Government Senate and an events programming board known as SPUD. One popular annual social event is Groundhog Weekend in February, which includes a concert, rugby match and other activities. The weekly student newspaper, The University News, is impressive. A conservative competitor to the paper, Justice, was disbanded 102
The Newman Guide
University of Dallas
The Community
Irving, Texas, is adjacent to Dallas, a worldclass city and part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area, which includes about 5.8 million people. The cultural, sports and social opportunities in the area are extensive. In sports, for example, the popular Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League currently play in Irving’s 66,000-seat Texas Stadium; the stadium is across the street from the University of Dallas campus. The region’s economy is largely based on health care, aeronautics, communications and banking. The region has a pleasant climate most of the year but has scorching summers. Crime in Irving is slightly above the national average. But the University of Dallas campus is relatively safe and free of violent crime. The most campus police violations, by far, are for alcohol use. The University of Dallas is easy to reach, especially via Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which is a key hub for American Airlines. Amtrak is located in Dallas, and there is an extensive system of roads in the area as well as the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system.
The Bottom Line
The University of Dallas is a premier Catholic college in the United States. It combines an extensive core curriculum, often emphasizing classical works, with an adherence to the Catholic intellectual tradition. The university prides itself on its quest for knowledge, confident that any inquiry will lead back to the Catholic Truth. UD has one of the most impressive studyabroad semesters that we have seen with its Rome Program; more than 80 percent of its students take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to immerse themselves in the classics in a region steeped in the antecedents of Western and Catholic thought. Overall, then, it is no wonder that so many commentators and other college guidebooks give the university such high marks. Dallas has provided service to the Catholic community in Texas and throughout the nation for half a century. It has weathered some storms, expanded and, in the end, remained faithful to its mission. Any Catholic student interested in challenging his or her mind would do well to put the University of Dallas on a list of colleges to investigate.
The Newman Guide
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