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National Catholic Colleges Week Observed February 18-24
February 18-24, 2007, has been designated National Catholic Colleges
Week, a time to celebrate the long-standing virtues, successes and impact on the world of Catholic colleges and universities. The observance is sponsored by the National Catholic College Admission Association (National CCAA) and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU).
According to Tom Fanning, National CCAA president and director of admission and retention for John Carroll University in Cleveland, “Throughout the week we intend to focus on the advantages of attending a Catholic college and to bring this message home to high school students who now are making decisions that will affect their future.”
More than 720,000 students attend 221 Catholic colleges and universities located in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In the United States, Catholic institutions of higher learning include four medical schools, 26 law schools, 17 schools of engineering, 81 schools of nursing, 177 schools of education, 19 women’s colleges, three Carnegie-classified research universities, 13 doctoral universities and two aviation programs.
Values That Matter Survey
During the week, the National CCAA will release the results of a national “Values that Matter” survey of Catholic college alumni conducted by the firm Hardwick-Day of Minnesota. The results of the massive research project are being compared to benchmark data conducted among graduates of the nation’s major public flagship universities.
The results show that, when compared to graduates of major private flagship institutions, Catholic college graduates were significantly more likely to have:
- Engaged in classroom discussions
- Experienced an emphasis on personal values and ethics
- Graduated in four years
- Received more help in developing leadership abilities
- Become better writers, speakers, problem-solvers and decision-makers
About 80 other variables in the survey demonstrated that Catholic college graduates benefited from their undergraduate experience. For instance, 83 percent of Catholic college graduates thought there was a strong sense of community at their alma mater, while just a little more than half of the graduates of large public flagship schools felt that way about their undergraduate experience.
When asked how effective college was in helping graduates develop moral principles that guide their actions, 84 percent of Catholic college graduates answered this question “strongly” versus 35 percent of graduates from the large public flagship institutions. The Values that Matter results will be used to support college recruitment activities throughout the year.
2/19/07
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