What’s Working?

Being Explicitly Catholic

Like many small Catholic colleges, Walsh University, in North Canton, Ohio, was founded to educate local working-class families. Almost one-third of its students live at or below the poverty line; nearly half are the first in their family to attend college. Needless to say, it has never been a wealthy campus. When Richard Jusseaume became president in 2002, one of his first goals was to make Walsh more explicitly Catholic. His reasoning: the stronger the mission, the stronger the college. He had a prayer garden built, taught incoming faculty members about the college’s traditions, opened a campus near Rome, and focused on programs that fit Walsh’s emphasis on service, such as education, nursing, and counseling. Enrollment jumped from about 1,650 to 3,000, and not just among Catholics. A recent student-government president, Mr. Jusseaume proudly notes, was a Muslim from Afghanistan. “A few people advised me to take it easy with the Catholic stuff,” he says. “It’s almost as if it’s not cool to identify yourself too much. I’m saying identify yourself and welcome everyone.”

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Educating the Underserved

About 40 percent of Roman Catholics in the United States today are Hispanic, but they make up only 9 percent of students enrolled at Catholic colleges. Part of the problem is a geographic mismatch: The colleges are often in areas where Hispanics aren’t. Some institutions are working with Cristo Rey, a network of 28 Catholic high schools, to widen the pipeline of underrepresented students to their campuses. Dominican University, in suburban Chicago, is one such partner, even though it is already pretty diverse. Nearly 60 percent of its freshman class is Latino, says Claire Noonan, vice president for mission and ministry. Outreach is a big factor in its success. In addition to serving the local Hispanic community, Dominican has made a name for itself admitting and supporting undocumented students. “It is part of our heritage to be educating immigrant families,” says Ms. Noonan.

Combining Study and Service

The Pulse Program for Service Learning at Boston College has been teaching students since 1969 about social responsibility through study and service work. The yearlong program fulfills students’ theology and philosophy requirements, while a companion volunteer placement allows them to deepen their understanding of the world around them. In class the students, mostly sophomores, study the works of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, biblical writers, and modern-day philosophers and theologians. They also spend 10 to 12 hours a week in places like health clinics, after-school programs, and homeless shelters. The program is so popular, says Meghan T. Sweeney, its director, that it fills 14 sections and still has a wait list. Because students commit to volunteer for a year at one place, they “have a chance to develop relationships with people,” she says. “That really gets into their minds and hearts.”