Negotiating Identity: Catholic Higher Education Since 1960

In this work Alice Gallin, O.S.U., takes on questions of the identity of Catholic colleges and institutions—those that educate young lay men and women—from a broad historical perspective: How have these institutions acclimated themselves to the standards of American higher education since the 1960s and, at the same time, attempted to retain a distinctive Catholic mission? Catholic colleges and universities in the modern world are continually negotiating, questioning, and defining their Catholic identity with four major constituencies by no means always in harmony: the Roman Catholic Church, state and federal government, the broad American higher education community, and the internal constituencies of faculty, students, parents, and administration. As in her earlier study of governance change in seven Catholic colleges, one of Gallin's primary concerns is to demonstrate the complexity of the task, which rules out any simple interpretations or answers. Gallin describes the crucial impact of theological changes from Vatican II, the threat of exclusion from government funding for higher education after World War II, issues of academic freedom from the differing perspectives, the transformations in student bodies and faculty loyalties, and the struggle of Catholic colleges and universities to become respected memebers of the American higher education community. Of special interest will be her discussion of events leaading up to the issuance of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, on which debate continues. Written by a historian with a lifelong involvement in Catholic higher education, this work will evoke in readers both an appreciation of the challenges and a sense of ressponsibility for the future.

About the Author :
Alice Gallin, OSU, was executive director of the Association of Catholic Collages and Universities and author of Independence and a New Partnership in Catholic Higher Education (Notre Dame Press, 1996) and American Catholic Higher Education: Essential Documents (Notre Dame Press, 1992).. After retirement, Gallin continues as scholar-in-residence at the College of New Rochelle, writing and serving on committees.

Review :
"... A nuanced and fair-minded treatment of a ... complex and contested issue." —CrossCurrents "...A fascinating story of a negotiated identity over the past four decades...." —History of Education Quarterly "A trained historian who served for many years as Executive Director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Alice Gallin is uniquely situated to tell the story of these institutions over the past three decades. The account she provides in Negotiating Identity, and her thoughtful reflections on it, are must reading for anyone interested in the present state and future prospects of Catholic higher education."—Philip Gleason, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, University of Notre Dame "I am astounded by Alice Gallin's accomplishment in her history of so complex a question as Catholic identity. But I am not surprised that she is the one to bring it off so well. She knows both the main actors and the archives and the institutional politics better than anyone, and she has followed the paper trail like a master sleuth. As a result, she gives us sharp insights on the emerging role of the laity and the political back-and-forth between the new Catholic America and nervous Rome. Anyone else who tries to write about Catholic identity will have to start here." —National Catholic Reporter "Sr. Alice Gallin, the executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities for many years and an accomplished historian who has already produced two volumes on Catholic higher education in the United States, now adds a third which carefully traces the complex tangle of issues faced by these institutions since 1960. This volume completes the magisterial study by Phil Gleason, Contending with Modernity, and makes clear that the identity of Catholic colleges and universities included an on-going process of retrieval, innovation and fidelity—very much like any tradition must do if it is to remain vibrant and engaging." —James L. Heft, S.M. (Marianist), University Professor of Faith and Culture and Chancellor of the University of Dayton, and former chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities "No one knows more about American Catholic higher education than Alice Gallin. Negotiating Identity blends solid scholarship and long experience into a unique voice and genuine wisdom. Others begin and end with criticism. Gallin points the way to constructive action to benefit society, the academy, and the Church." —David J. O'Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies, College of the Holy Cross "Ursuline Sister Alice Gallin is Father Theodore Hesburgh's contemporary in the world of Catholic higher education. . . . There is no one better placed to retell the story of Catholic educators' latter-day attempt to stand with one foot in the Church and the other in the secular culture, and no one more steadfast in her belief that the boat has never drifted too far from the dock. What she presents is not a simple memoir; she has painstakingly searched a variety of archives to give many voices a hearing." —First Things "Alice Gallin is one of the brightest stars in the world of higher education. Negotiating Identity brings us a remarkably well-written, lively yet detailed account of what has happened during the past 40 years, as American Catholic education has become simply 'catholic.' It might be said that she has justified Alexis de Tocqueville's claim that American Catholics are 'both the most obedient of the faithful and the most independent of citizens.' "—Blanche Blank, Center for Philanthropy, New York University, and former President of Hunter College