Hellwig: education should be `for practice'
By Stacey Kaplan
News Writer
Serious change is necessary in Catholic education, said Monika Hellwig, Executive Director for the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities [ACCU], in a lecture on Monday.
"The most neglected [aspect of Catholic education] is education for practice. We need to practice for active engagement in society," Hellwig said, referring to low voter turnout in recent elections.
"Even the most educated people seem to think they are powerless." she said. "People just don't engage."
In response to this problem, Catholic educators need to encourage action in the public realm, said Hellwig.
Catholic education does have numerous advantages, including professional preparation, scholarly standards and efforts to overcome, she said. The disadvantages include the tendency to become overly specialized in graduate studies.
"The more narrow your specialization, the less you are empowered to act," she said, explaining that more specialized information can become less practical.
Hellwig also pushed for Catholic intellectuals to span their studies across several disciplines.
"We need to educate in such a way that the various fields are integrated," she said.
The goals of individual students also present a problem, according to Hellwig.
"The pressure [on students] to professionalize quickly is really a pressure towards conformity because it is away from creativity," she said.
Hellwig advocated a Catholic educational system that stresses creativity and imagination.
"If we look at higher education in terms of Christianity, then the goal [for students] is not the moment of graduation but the moment they die. What have they done with their lives?" said Hellwig. "The goal should be a lifetime engagement in search of the reign of God."
Her lecture is just part of a three-day conference that includes talks by nationally recognized scholars and consultation sessions for participants.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 15, 2000
