The Open Circle: The Catholic University and Academic Freedom

Abstract

Heft tackles three important questions: First, are Catholic colleges and universities in the USA now in a place similar to that occupied by major Protestant universities 100 years ago—namely, on the verge of secularizing themselves? Second, how should Catholic universities, understood neither as closed circles nor as “market places of ideas,” but rather as “open circles,” articulate and defend a robust practice of academic freedom? Third, how should Catholic colleges and universities understand the strengths and limitations of the AAUP’s definition of academic freedom? If Catholic colleges and universities ought to be “open circles,” and neither secular nor sectarian, what do they need to do to remain Catholic?