-Professor of International Business Zaida Martinez, Ph.D.
Father J. Bryan Hehir's comments in his 2007 presentation at St. Mary's heightened our awareness of the threefold education responsibility we have at Catholic institutions of higher learning: we need to prepare our graduates for a job, for a profession, and for a vocation. All three responsibilities are directly related to our quest to graduate students who reflect the characteristics of a Marianist education (i.e., formation in faith; family spirit; providing an integral, quality education; adaptation and change; and service, justice and peace). Marianist charism--our gift from Father Chaminade of faith, community, inclusivity, mission, and Mary--is the essence of these characteristics. This commentary reflects my interpretation of how our Marianist charism is the key to the integration of liberal arts and professional education and to our ability to fulfill the three educational responsibilities of a Catholic university.
Marianist Charism and the Characteristics of a Marianist Education. When Father Chaminade founded the Society of Mary, he recognized that head and heart must work together. The Marianist gift of faith is the key to the integration of our students' spiritual and intellectual development and the formation of their character. The gift of mission was a major motivator for Father Chaminade and his disciples, especially with regard to the poor and marginalized. Instilling in our students a sense of mission can inspire them to act and reach out to those who need help the most. These gifts of Marianist charism are reflected in our emphasis on developing the whole person and our educational characteristics of providing an integral quality education and educating for formation in faith. Father Chaminade's approach to rebuilding the Church in France after the French revolution was to organize small communities of faith that were dedicated to prayer, education, and acts of service. Our educational characteristic of educating in the family spirit reflects the emphasis on the gift of community and our desire to create an educational atmosphere that is supportive, accepting, and respectful of the students, faculty and staff of Marianist universities. The Marianist gift of inclusivity reflects Father Chaminade's desire to reproduce within the Marianist Family the diversity and richness of experience that exists within the broader Catholic Church. It also highlights the importance of recognizing and including those who have less voice and power in society. Inclusivity is a necessary step in educating for adaptation and change. An inclusive approach helps us work toward changes that address major global challenges, such as poverty and inequality. At the core of the Marianist charism is devotion to Mary. Mary plays a critical role in Marianist spirituality and in Marianist education. She embodies selflessness, boldness, courage, and strength. She exemplifies service to others and is the best example of the transformational power of grace in a human being. Mary is our role model in our quest to educate for service, justice and peace.
Educating Students for a Job. Many of our students seek an educational environment in which they can acquire the technical skills and knowledge that make them employable upon graduation. We may be tempted to think that preparing our graduates for jobs only requires integration across the different areas within a professional program, but this type of thinking can be misleading. The late Dr. Sumantra Ghoshal, a well known and respected management scholar, presented persuasive arguments on how the theories we teach in business education are partly to blame for recent corporate scandals. For example, by assuming that human beings are motivated by self-interest, managers justify monitoring and control systems that prevent opportunistic behavior. Yet these types of systems become self-fulfilling prophecies--people react to these systems by behaving opportunistically when not being watched. If we teach technical skills and knowledge without questioning their underlying assumptions, we may have graduates who achieve technical excellence but who are limited in their understanding of the consequences of their decisions and actions. Ultimately, we would not be graduating students that embody the Marianist spirit nor our emphasis on a holistic education.
Intentional engagement between liberal arts and professional studies faculty is needed for integration to take place at the most basic of our tasks: preparing our business students in a manner that provides them with not only the practical skills and knowledge required of an entry position in their chosen career, but also an understanding of their professional role within a broader historical and philosophical context that enables them to become ethical leaders in their fields of specialization. This level of understanding is increasingly complex because of the challenges of globalization and the impact on the cultures and traditions of people throughout the world. At Marianist universities we can draw on our Marianist charism, especially the gifts of community and inclusivity, to address these challenges. By working together, faculty from professional areas and liberal arts can help students not only question the assumptions of theories that are based on self-interest but also demonstrate through their own actions the positive outcomes that come from belonging to an inclusive community.
Educating Students for a Profession. Professionalism is typically associated with technical expertise. However, as emphasized by Drs. Michael Naughton and Thomas Bausch, graduates of Catholic universities require a level of professionalism that goes well beyond technical skills and knowledge; the "soul" of professionalism resides in a person's moral character. If we want to develop the moral character of our students, we should help them integrate moral principles in philosophy and theology with professional ethics. Moreover, if we are true to our mission, we should provide a holistic education that encourages and enables students to apply the technical skills and knowledge they learn for the common good. Mary's example of serving others and her deep faith can guide us in addressing this challenge. Catholic social teaching--and its emphasis on human dignity and the common good—is a valuable resource for helping our students make the connections between what they learn in liberal arts curriculum and professional programs. Collaborative teaching and research initiatives between faculty in liberal arts and professional areas are a step we can take towards achieving this educational goal. Indeed, collaboration is critical if we are to educate our students in a family spirit.
Educating Students for a Vocation. Vocation is a calling to transcend ourselves, to seek a higher purpose. Because vocation has a theological foundation, we may think that it is outside the domain of professional schools. This type of thinking simply reinforces the artificial separation of who we are as spiritual and religious individuals with what we do in our professional lives. Educating the whole person includes helping students integrate faith and work as well as engaging students in a lifelong process of transformation. It means working together in a community so that we create an environment that encourages this transformational process. It also means creating innovative programs that blend liberal arts and professional education so that students can imagine possibilities beyond the parameters of traditionally defined disciplines. The work of Bill Drayton, the pioneer of social entrepreneurship, comes to mind. He founded Ashoka to promote positive social change by investing in social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions. His foundation has supported thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the world, providing them with the skills they need to improve their own communities. Working together we can help our students become future leaders who will transform the world. Our Marianist charism is where it starts.