University comes from the root word universitas, which means “all” in a collective sense, often referring to a community or corporate body. Universities emerged in the medieval period as communities of students and scholars engaged in the common enterprise of learning. As Assumption celebrated another milestone in its 116-year history this fall amid a pandemic with the transition to university status, bringing to completion a dream of the Venerable Father Emmanuel d’Alzon, the sense of an academic community has never been stronger at Assumption.
As we foster this academic community, we do so not just as any university, but as a Catholic university, which means our motivation is different. In Ex corde Ecclesiae, Pope St. John Paul II writes, “A Catholic university, by institutional commitment, brings to its task the inspiration and light of the Christian message.” This means that Catholic ideals, attitudes, and principles penetrate and inform university activities. The place and meaning of the various disciplines that comprise a Catholic university should not be isolated from one another or compartmentalized, but rather represent a living union in search of truth, working toward a higher synthesis of knowledge. Herein lies an important goal of a Catholic liberal education.
The pandemic has made clear the relevance and value of a Catholic liberal education in terms of the timeless questions about self-sacrifice and human dignity. An Assumption education is grounded in enduring questions; ones that help individuals comprehend their responsibility for the common good, prudential judgment, and understanding the dignity of the human person and the importance of the preservation of life. In this issue, you will read how members of the Assumption community, in particular our alumni, have responded to the pandemic with these principles at the forefront of their hearts and minds.
As an institution, we are in a moment that speaks to the future and our commitment to enduring values. For more than a century, Assumption has anticipated the need for adaptation at critical moments in its history; established first as an alumnāte, then a preparatory high school, then a college, and now a university, we continue to honor Fr. d’Alzon’s enduring vision as we recommit ourselves as an academic community dedicated to the pursuit of truth, to an education that will give full meaning to human life through the formation of the mind, heart, and soul of all who will study here.
The pandemic has made clear the relevance and value of a Catholic liberal education in terms of the timeless questions about self-sacrifice and human dignity.
This rebirth as Assumption University is reflected in the institution’s new strategic plan, “Ever Ancient, Ever New: Refounding Assumption,” which presents a realistic and attainable vision for the University to become among the most revered Catholic universities in the Northeast. Becoming a university has strengthened our commitment to the liberal arts, while allowing us the space and opportunities to grow as an institution, as you will read in this issue.
Assumption continues to evolve to meet the challenges facing higher education. Yet, at the same time, we remain committed to being a community of thinkers engaged in intellectual pursuits rooted in a broad, liberal education, whose primary role, according to John Henry Newman, is to give students a “perfection of the intellect … the clear, calm, accurate vision and comprehension of all things” that allows the individual to make good judgments. Something our society is in need of today.
Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D.
President
