Looking at the non-financial benefits of authentically Catholic higher education

What are the benefits students receive through Catholic higher education compared to secular education? This is the question that Jason King, the Beirne Chair and director of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary's University in San Antonio explored in a recent study. He spoke with OSV News' Charlie Camosy in June about the non-financial benefits they found that Catholic higher education had on students.

-- Charlie Camosy: How did you come to do a study like this? Who were your partners?

-- Jason King: I have been thinking about Catholic higher education for a while. I have worked for over 20 years in Catholic colleges and universities, mostly teaching core classes to students with all sorts of majors. It's been fantastic, watching students think through ideas and their future, reflecting on the Catholic intellectual tradition.

This joy, though, is mixed with worry these days. When I look at higher education, one concern that has been weighing on me is the reduction of college to a simple cost benefit analysis. Just see the numerous studies on the economic value of a college degree from the Bureau of Labor Statistics or The New York Times' podcast episode "Is College Worth It?" based on Paul Tough's "Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College."

This monetary focus is not just a truncated view of education. It causes schools to rework their curriculums accordingly and, in effect, forms students into worker drones. Catholic colleges and universities hold that, while jobs are important, life is more than a job.

I thought that Catholic higher education might be different and, if it was, might be useful for a broader conversation on the value of higher education. First though, I had to get the data. This was where the study came from. It was done with YouGov. I wanted to ensure the validity of the survey and results.

It was also done with the support of St. Mary's University and the Center for Catholic Studies. The university had done lots of work to establish and fund the center. It enabled me to do the study.

-- Camosy: What were some of the key results of the study? Did you expect them? Were they surprising?

-- King: When the results came back, we were thrilled. They were positive across the board (something that was not guaranteed). Moreover, the findings pointed to a pretty good vision for higher education: fostering a meaningful life rooted in community and ethical behavior.

The key results are:

Meaningful life:

-- Catholic graduates are 10% more likely to report that their life is close to ideal.
-- Catholic graduates are 9% more likely to have a clear sense of direction in life.

Community life:

-- Catholic graduates are 15% more likely to feel fulfilled in their social life.
-- Catholic graduates are 13% more likely to feel fulfilled in their community involvement.
-- Catholic graduates are 9% more likely to be civically engaged.

Moral life:

-- Catholic graduates are 19% more likely to say that the various aspects of morality surveyed are extremely important in decision making.

Two interesting aspects that also link these outcomes to Catholic schools are:

-- Catholic graduates are 9% more likely to say that their university, its curriculum and its community has had a major influence on the overall alignment of goals and values in their life.
-- These findings are observed across demographics, ideologies, political affiliation, and location.

These are the highlights. People can check out the general overview or a more detailed review. They can also reach out to me for more about the survey and data.

-- Camosy: This study comes at a key moment for thinking and debating about Catholic higher education in the United States. Are there any lessons suggested by the results for us?

-- King: There are two lessons that immediately jump out to me.

First, backing off on Catholic identity seems mistaken. There are lots of challenges in Catholic higher education right now. I know weakening or abandoning Catholic identity, like cutting theology and philosophy departments and weakening the liberal arts core curriculum, has been tried by a few places in hopes of addressing their problems. The results of my study suggest this is wrongheaded. It would eliminate the value of a Catholic education, weaken its distinctiveness and more likely jeopardize the school than save it.

Second, more broadly, the results suggest values for all of higher education. Catholic colleges and universities foster a meaningful life, one that is ethical and engaged in the community. These three values -- meaning, ethics and community -- are not bad values for all of higher education. Wouldn't we want more people who have a sense that their life is meaningful, believe that community engagement is important and make decisions based on ethical principles? Catholic colleges and universities could point the way for other schools trying to foster these outcomes.

-- Camosy: Obviously Catholic institutions of higher education serve many, many non-Catholic students. Has there been interest in your study outside of Catholic circles?

-- King: The outcomes noted in the study hold for graduates of Catholic colleges and universities, including graduates that are not Catholic. It looks like the schools help everyone, and all of these graduates then help others. That seems positive not just for Catholic higher education but for all of society.

Right now, the interest has been from Catholic media. I am hoping it will make its way beyond these circles and push the public conversation on the value of higher education beyond cost-benefit outcomes. I don't know if it will get a hearing. Positive news about Catholic institutions is often overlooked. But I think this work is so important. It points to the value of life being more than economic productivity. Education can open people up to life's broader purposes and values, and Catholic education, rooted in the Gospel's demand that we love others as God loves us, can be a model for how to do this.