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"Is there room for spirituality and reflection in gross anatomy?" While Jesuit institutions have incorporated contemplation and reflection into their curricula for centuries; the integration of reflective practices into the gross anatomy curriculum has gained traction in recent years. Additionally, more emphasis has been placed on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within health professions education. As a Jesuit, Catholic university that is simultaneously classified as a Hispanic-Serving Institute (HSI), Regis University was well-positioned to integrate reflective and celebratory activities in honor of Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead) into a graduate level anatomy course for Doctor of Physical Therapy students. From a communal "ofrenda" (altar) to a celebration during a lecture to a reflective ceremony honoring body donors in the laboratory, students and faculty constructed a learning environment that incorporated spirituality and culture into anatomy in a thoughtful manner. Furthermore, by seeking student input on the design of this innovative educational experience, each of these activities aided in fostering a sense of cultural and spiritual belonging for Hispanic and Latine students who are historically marginalized in health professions, thereby promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through a gross anatomy course.

This study examines the correlation between job descriptions and salaries at Immaculate Conception College of Balayan Inc. (ICCBI), a private Catholic institution devoted to faith-based education. Using qualitative research, a single-case study was conducted with ten (10) participants selected through purposive sampling based on specific criteria. Through face-to-face interviews, data was collected and analyzed using a narrative approach. Thus, it was found out that job descriptions at ICCBI are established through methods like job analysis, role and responsibility approaches, qualifications, and the school manual-based method. Salary determination involves factors such as tenure, educational attainment, performance, teaching loads, experience, and collegial care. Key factors influencing job descriptions include salary differentiation, aligned job descriptions, career development opportunities, and increased duties and responsibilities. Variations in the salary structure are affected by teaching loads, department designations, and educational qualifications. The findings indicate that job descriptions impact employee salaries at the institution, and future research is encouraged to explore identified factors for insights into developing more efficient roles and contributing to organizational effectiveness. With this, the study proposed a strategic plan for future use and implementation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted higher education institutions worldwide, particularly Catholic schools offering graduate programs. The pandemic substantially impacted faculty teaching performance at a Catholic graduate school. Many faculty members cited difficulties transitioning to online instruction. Providing continuing support and training for online teaching, nurturing a culture of collaboration and innovation among faculty members, and emphasizing student-centered approaches can all help improve faculty teaching performance in Catholic graduate schools. More research is needed to study the long-term impacts of the epidemic on faculty teaching performance and to discover effective techniques for assisting faculty members in transitioning to online teaching. Future research should look into the impact of other factors, such as curriculum revisions or teaching styles, on faculty teaching performance in the Catholic graduate school. Overall, the study emphasizes the necessity of assisting faculty members in adapting to the obstacles of online teaching and fostering a culture of collaboration and creativity in Catholic graduate schools to improve teaching performance. Further research can expand on these findings to inform higher education policy and practice.

Community engagement in higher education has been promoted as critical to fulfilling higher education's responsibility to the public good through teaching, learning, and knowledge generation. Reciprocity and mutual benefit are key principles of community engagement that connote a two-way exchange of knowledge and outcomes. However, it is not clear from existing literature whether community engagement positively impacts communities. This paper presents findings from a dissertation study focused on how campus-community partnership stakeholders define impact and discusses implications for place-based pedagogy. Using grounded theory, the ways community and campus partners defined community impact in a diverse set of campus-community partnerships at two U.S. urban, Jesuit universities that employ a place-based approach to community engagement were explored. Relationships as facilitators of impact and as impacts in and of themselves emerged as central themes that led to the development of the Justice-Centering Relationships Framework. The framework includes two paradigms for understanding community impact in higher education community engagement -- Plug-and-Play and Justice-Centering Relationships -- that are bridged by a reframing process. The framework contributes to and informs the "how" of taking a place-based community engagement approach that leads to positive benefits for community impact, student learning, and institutional change.

As life expectancy in the United States continues to increase, there is a need to enhance interest and competency in working with older adults. There have been efforts to do so in recent years, but research indicates that there are barriers, such as lack of awareness and negative perceptions of aging. This qualitative study examines the experiences of eight students who are pursuing or recently completed an interdisciplinary certificate focused on working with older adults. Personal experience is a strong motivator for professional interest in the older adult population. Students value interdisciplinary education on older adults, citing the opportunity to learn with those in different majors as an asset. Making students aware of course offerings on older adults is cited as a significant need. Suggestions for improving and promoting an interdisciplinary certificate on older adults have implications for strengthening the workforce to care for aging Americans, as well as faculty who want to design and implement certificate programs in higher education generally.

Community-engaged learning opportunities are increasingly prevalent in higher education. In addition to positive personal growth and learning outcomes, these opportunities allow students to learn about the community surrounding their campus and formulate their own understandings of social responsibility and citizenship. These connections can be especially powerful for students at colleges and universities located in or near urban areas. This study assesses the impact of REAL Dayton, a community engagement immersion program at a midsized Catholic and Marianist university, on students' attitudes toward and perceptions of their city through pre/post surveys and interviews. The program encourages students to build their knowledge of the city and create sustained relationships with the broader community. This research enhances understandings of the effects and outcomes of community engagement programs for students. Findings demonstrate the impact of community engagement on student knowledge about their city and student perceptions of their own roles as community members.

This study explores some of the demographic, personal, and experiential factors of emerging adults that correlate to a spectrum of moral outlooks ranging from moral universalism to moral relativism. Data was gathered from 466 volunteer undergraduate students. Respondents' demographic, experiential, and personal factors served as independent variables. The relativism index score form Forsyth's Ethics Position Questionnaire (1980) served as the dependent variable. Results suggest several conclusions: First, adults in the life of youth are a significant factor in moral outlook, exerting influence in both universalistic and relativistic directions. Second, religious practice and involvement contribute to a universal moral outlook. Third, the personal characteristics of grit and spiritual transcendence contribute to a universal moral outlook. Fourth, engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage contributes to a relative moral outlook. Fifth, a Catholic school education at both the grade and high school levels contributes to a universal moral outlook.

St. Patrick's Catholic School is a coeducational Catholic preparatory school located in a large northeastern city. The school serves an exclusively non-white, working-class student population who demonstrates the motivation and potential to attend and graduate from college. The school's mission calls for its staff to be guided by "cura personalis," meaning they will care for the whole person; yet, data show that the school's students were extremely stressed out and that much of their stress was attributable to homework. This study sought to determine if reducing the amount of homework could improve students' mental health while not negatively impacting academic performance. Across ten classrooms, teachers reduced the amount of homework they were assigning by 50% for a period of at least three months with an aim of reducing students' self-reported levels of stress by 30% while maintaining their same academic performance. At the conclusion of the project, the number of students reporting high to moderate levels of stress decreased by nearly 30%. The next step is to expand this pilot from ten classrooms to 20, thus having every teacher reduce the homework they are assigning to more effectively measure the impact it has on both students' mental health and their academic performance. The project this year indicated that reducing homework school-wide would relieve a significant amount of stress for St. Patrick's students while ensuring their academic performance remains steady.

Higher education institutions increasingly embrace hybrid learning to offer adaptable and variable educational techniques. After the COVID-19 limits were loosened, students could now take in-person and online courses simultaneously. Students engaged in distance learning for almost three years gradually return to class. Although hybrid learning has been the subject of numerous research among typical college students, little is known about how this method of instruction affects individuals with special needs. This descriptive qualitative study examined their opinions and experiences in hybrid learning environments to close this gap. Semi-structured interviews and theme content analysis were used. This study includes students with various diagnoses, including sensory impairments, learning disabilities, physical impairments, and social, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Findings revealed that students' experiences with hybrid learning were marked by efficient learning, safe feeling, a sense of belonging, and expectation setting. College students with special education needs can benefit from efficient learning and a safe feeling. However, it presented difficulties in establishing a sense of belonging and clearly defining expectations, highlighting the need for customized approaches to satisfy their various needs.

In 1950, the Sisters of Mercy opened Mercy Junior College in Tarrytown, New York for younger members of their order. In 1961, with financial assistance from the Rockefeller family, they relaunched it as a private 4-year institution for women at a new complex in Dobbs Ferry. From 1911 onward, however, the Rockefellers had a complex relationship with the Sisters of Mercy, who then lived in Tarrytown next to the main Rockefeller estate of Kykuit. While the Rockefellers' financial support of the Sisters toward the construction of a new complex in Dobbs Ferry is modest in comparison to the Rockefellers' other philanthropic endeavors in the field of education, it represents the most significant support to New York higher education outside of Rockefeller University, which Rockefeller, Sr. founded in 1901 as an institute for medical research. This article consequently explores the complex relationship between the Rockefellers and the Sisters of Mercy to illuminate a neglected aspect of Rockefeller philanthropy in their home state of New York. As a result of the Rockefellers' aid, Mercy College was able to thrive and evolve into a multi-campus, co-educational and secular institution. Today, as Mercy University, it offers nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and its main campus in Westchester County still consists primarily of the buildings built with Rockefeller assistance.

Studies have shown that Latina faculty have negative racialized and gendered experiences while teaching at their institutions. An emerging body of research shows that these experiences also occur at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latina faculty at one small, private, four-year Catholic HSI (C-HSI) that was trying to make sense of its C-HSI identity. Using a counter-storytelling approach and one-on-one interviews, we came to understand the racialized and gendered experiences of four Latina faculty through the themes of preservation, the act of being pushed out of the institution, and elusive administrative support. With a national call to recruit more faculty of Color to work in HSIs we argue for a focused effort on supporting currently employed faculty of Color, and specifically Latina faculty, as an aspect of servingness. Arguably, HSIs should serve (and humanize) Latine faculty too, not just students. Implications are offered for research and practice.

In this paper, I first provide additional evidence of the prevalence and severity of the problem of student grade overconfidence. I do so by documenting the level of overconfidence that exists in an introductory macroeconomics course. In this course, 75% of the 614 students earned a grade that was below what they expected. I also find that students who expect that their actual grade will fall significantly below their original expected grade are dramatically more likely to report that they had the worst overall experience in this course relative to their experiences in all other concurrent courses.

Service learning and community engagement (SLCE) have become near ubiquitous across United States (U.S.) higher education. While much research has demonstrated positive student learning outcomes of SLCE, there has been unequal consideration towards understanding the experiences of communities involved. Because community voices and perspectives have been largely missing from literature, this article, drawing on a community-based case study, and neoliberalism as a theoretical framework, uniquely explores the significance of SLCE at one institution from the vantage point of community members, notably local residents. As a result of the community contributions shared, this article offers a way of thinking about SLCE from nonprofits to neighbors with an aim of (re)imagining SLCE with those who have often been left out of research.

This article explores the outcomes of instruction employing a pedagogy of discomfort (or disequilibrium)--a teaching style that embraces discomfort as a part of the learning process--in a teacher preparation program. Drawing on data from a case study, we present findings from our work involving teacher candidates in discussions about social injustices to encourage a deeper understanding of the origins of these societal issues and a greater awareness of how they impact PK-12 education. This paper identifies the minimization and validation of difference and privilege that emerged in the context of participants' responses, including themes that circulate around responsibility to change the existing system into one that is more equitable to all.

This research provides a snapshot of the perceptions of 14 teachers and leaders who had just completed the "Pastoral Care and the School" course, offered as part of their Master of Education programme by The University of Notre Dame, Australia (UNDA). The participants were surveyed at the completion of the course through a qualitative survey that included both open and closed questions. The survey was designed to provide a snapshot of their understandings of pastoral care practices from their course and experiences as teachers/leaders. Results indicated that 29% of the participants were unaware of their school's pastoral care policy or programmes. Many envisaged leadership support and early career mentoring as influential in planning pastoral care interventions, considering 43% of participants were still in their early stages of teaching {3rd to 7th years of teaching}. Four common themes were found across the study that strongly link pastoral care to the heart of leading Catholic identity in a Catholic school. These were: providing a contemporary definition of pastoral care that links Catholic identity for staff; the role of pastoral care in supporting Catholic identity through sacramental programmes; the importance of leadership in providing clear dialogue to staff about pastoral care and student wellbeing concerns; and implementing training of pastoral care programmes to assist early career teachers. As such, pastoral care becomes more than knowledge about student or staff welfare, it embodies a key element of leading and promoting Catholic identity within a school itself.

Increasingly, nontraditional students (over age 25, employed, parenting) are enrolling in universities offering online options. Online programs appeal to those needing flexible educational options, yet attrition remains high for adult learners and students enrolled in online education. Building on previous research, this study examines relationships between social location, role identity, social connectedness, and academic perseverance among online adult learners. Survey results from students (n = 254) enrolled in online programs were analyzed, examining relationships between social connectedness and self-reported academic outcomes. Results showed that participants were confident in their ability to navigate school and competing priorities but recognized peer connection's value in supporting better academic outcomes; as perceptions about social connection's value increased, so too did the perception that connection fostered better academic outcomes. Implications for fostering nontraditional student social connectedness in online learning are discussed.

In recent years, biographical interviews with former pupils have become important sources for boarding school history. This raises the question as to whether these retrospective sources can be combined with contemporary written material and how to go about that. This paper argues for a triangulation of written with oral sources and the related methods of historical biography research and reconstructive social research. The combination of data and methods turns boarding school history into an interdisciplinary project that poses new challenges for research. At the same time, it also offers a way to a deeper understanding of boarding school history and its long-term effects.

Strong evidence suggests that U.S. high schools are falling short of graduating college- and career-ready students, giving rise to calls for more focus on the factors that impact students' success in college and career. The main purpose of this research was to identify the impact of social support networks on college readiness across genders in hopes of producing findings that could help future students become college-ready. The 18 participants (n = 18) were 18 to 22-year-old undergraduate students with various backgrounds and genders. This qualitative case study involved interviews, journals, and surveys used to examine how different social networks affected the participants' college preparation.

Background: The aim of Jesuit education is total growth leading to action (Jesuit Institute, 2014a), plus higher Jesuit education seeks to transform students through examining the world around them. The promotion of experiential learning is noted in Ignatian Pedagogy (2014a) by urging the whole person to enter the learning experience. Nursing education, at a Jesuit University, involves educating the whole person within a service-oriented profession. Thus, experiential learning in a nursing course at a Jesuit University is an active component of Ignatian pedagogy, promoting Jesuit values and Catholic identity. This has been challenging since the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to move classes to virtual platforms to replace face-to-face (FTF) teaching (Gamage et al., 2020). However, there is still a need to offer services to vulnerable individuals and is increasingly essential since the demand for assistance has expanded, (Croghan, 2020; Nonprofit Business Advisor, 2018), during the pandemic. Problem Statement: When COVID-19 pandemic required the suspension of FTF teaching and implemented mandatory social distancing measures, FTF service learning with COVID safeguards in place was not the only option for nursing students, at a Jesuit University. Nursing faculty strived to offer, direct, indirect or virtual experiential learning opportunities in the community. Although virtual experiential learning for nursing students is feasible, evidence of its effectiveness is scarce. In light of the gap, the researchers examined the effectiveness of FTF and virtual experiential learning experiences by comparing compassion and diversity outcomes. Theoretical Framework: Using the Social Change Model as the framework for the study, it strongly aligns with the Jesuit University's mission. Likewise, it seeks to develop nursing student's self-knowledge and leadership competence, both of which are required for the service-oriented nursing profession. Methodology: The study utilized a pre-post survey design in the first nursing class for sophomore students, along with reflective writing requirements. Results: In total, 79 students participated in the research. Fifteen individuals completed service virtually, 29 completed food-based service learning, and 27 completed nonfood-related service-learning. The remanding participants completed miscellaneous service-learning experiences. For the objective outcome related to compassion through service, the pre-survey M=4.35 and post-survey M=4.57, constituting a significant change of 0.22. For engagement with diverse community' objective outcome, the pre-survey M=4.28 and post-survey M=4.43 indicated a positive change of 0.15. Implications to Practice: The research advances the literature by comparing the experiential service learning opportunities in the community. The results suggest that virtual experiential learning could be included in higher nursing education, especially for developing nurturing compassion and enhancing an understanding of diversity. Compassion develops early within the social change model and is represented in the first nursing course. Likewise, diversity competence usually occurs later in life per the social change model and is represented in the same course towards the end of the semester at the Jesuit University. The findings suggest that virtual service-learning opportunities may be an alternative mode of FTF service-learning that can be used in the future, even after the pandemic, by allowing students to serve the community as long as they can access the internet.

This quantitative study investigated whether a relationship existed between principal's instructional leadership behavior and college readiness as measured by ACT scores in Catholic and private schools in south Louisiana. The study surveyed both teacher and principal perceptions of principal instructional leadership behaviors through the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS). This survey was sent to participating school principals to complete in south Louisiana who then sent the survey out to their faculty. The data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, a dependent t-test, and logistic regression. The results indicated that female principals felt they actively participated in instructional leadership more often than their male counterparts did. Teachers also perceived their female principals actively participated in instructional leadership more often than the teachers of male principals did. Finally, the research indicated that Catholic and private schools with male principals were 76% less likely to have ACT scores that were higher than the national average of ACT scores of private schools. This study may offer insight to educational leaders on how instructional leadership may relate to college readiness as demonstrated by ACT scores.

Our paper represents a conceptual framework designed to (a) help current stakeholders within the University Consortium of Catholic Education (UCCE) critically reflect on their respective programs' support of Latinx Catholic school teachers and (b) provide guidance for Catholic education researchers in their future inquiry into the UCCE model of teacher formation. Our conceptual framework centers on three principles derived from both critical theory and empirical research into the support of Latinx teachers: critical consciousness and praxis, dialogue, and partnership. We use these principles to raise issues and pose reflection questions that can help UCCE stakeholders and Catholic education researchers explore how UCCE programs can further transform their efforts in developing the next generation of Latinx Catholic school teachers.

This study explored the mathematics course placement process for incoming students in an all-boys Catholic high school. The sequential nature of mathematics significantly impacts students' opportunity to learn; moreover, the mathematics course taken by a student during ninth grade can have far-reaching effects. Previous studies have found that ninth-grade students enrolled in Geometry, rather than Algebra 1, have a greater chance of completing advanced mathematics courses and experiencing increased mathematics success. Thus, adequately prepared students should be placed in Geometry whenever possible. To aid this effort, this study investigated whether a relationship exists between course placement criteria and future mathematics achievement. The study sample was comprised of students who graduated from the subject high school between 2015 and 2019 (N = 1067). The placement criteria examined were Acuity Algebra Proficiency Test results, High School Placement Test mathematics scores, and eighth-grade teacher recommendations. ACT mathematics scores were used as measures of success; binary logistic regression was utilized to determine strength of association between placement criteria and future mathematics achievement. Results indicate that Acuity test performance is strongly associated with future mathematics achievement, while combinations of placement criteria are more effective than individual course placement measures. Implications for further research are discussed.

Catholic institutions of higher education are called to form citizens who fight against injustice, including persistent racial oppression. To do this, Catholic, public, and other private institutions must provide students opportunities to learn about and confront racism (Johnston, 2014). It is important that these institutions confront these issues because they employ faculty and staff who may experience systemic racism and can provide cultural knowledge to aid deconstructing racist ideologies. Undergraduate student evaluations of instructors or faculty, however, indicate discrimination against those perceived as non-white and with non-native English accents. This study focuses on one form of racism at a Catholic liberal arts college: bias against instructors who speak with a non-native English accent. This between-groups experimental study was guided by critical sociolinguistic theory and sociocultural theory to examine patterns in undergraduate engagement with material that varied only by instructor accent. Participants (n=98) completed a pre-assessment, a microlecture (randomized by accent), a post-assessment, and a microlecture evaluation. The study's theoretical frameworks suggest that students would demonstrate bias against non-white presenters, despite the Catholic context and having no visual cues about the race or ethnicity of the presenter. Pre- and post-assessment results indicated that the microlecture had some limited effects on student learning regardless of instructor accent; however, instructors that were perceived as white had significantly higher ratings in terms of the student belief that they "showed enthusiasm about the subject matter" and that "watching this microlecture improved [their] score on the quiz." These findings suggest continued work is needed to understand and confront issues of systemic racism in higher education.

The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, we seek to make a case for the promise of dual language programs to enhance Catholic schooling and enrich educational opportunities for Latinx students. Second, we offer insights into the current landscape of Catholic schools with dual language programs, drawing upon data from a national survey conducted by University of Notre Dame researchers in 2020. Through our presentation of the findings, we consider characteristics of current program models and identify areas of success, challenges, and opportunities for future growth. We conclude with a discussion of the possibilities for strengthening and sustaining dual language education in Catholic schools.

This paper reflects on the outcome of lesson study in teaching the concept of algebraic equations utilizing quasi-variables. It also concurrently examines the integration of Ignatian values and social issues in learning the said concept. This study aimed to establish a culture of planning, collaboration, and reflection in developing the understanding and relevance of mathematical concepts in grade school through lesson study. The study showed how the process of lesson study was done given the following phases: planning phase, implementation phase, and post-lesson reflection and discussion phase. Emphasis on the planning phase was given on the details of the lesson design which aimed to integrate Ignatian values in the discussion while developing algebraic thinking from quasi-variable thinking delivered in the implementation phase. Findings highlighted on three statements: i) Collaborative lesson planning nurtures a deeper sense of scholarship and collegiality; ii) Building algebraic thinking from quasi-variable (arithmetic) thinking is a viable strategy for understanding the concept of algebraic equation; and iii) Looking into the "big picture" and responding to relevant social issues could strengthen meaning -- integration of Ignatian values. Strong collaboration and communication among teachers in creating detailed lesson design enabled more meaningful learning among pupils. Research revealed the significant role of lesson study in creating meaningful strategies and activities which provided efficient structure in developing a chosen lesson topic. It does not only focus on the nature of the topic but also include making meaningful connections to the real world and integrate values.

Our intent was understanding the impact of spirituality on student resilience among race/ethnicity groups within the context of a parochial education. Students with high levels of resilience in high school and college settings experience academic persistence and school completion (Eisenberg, Lipson & Posselt, in New Directions for Student Services, 156: 87-95, 2016; Hartley, in Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 4: 240-250, 2013). Our observational study surveyed students in a Catholic high school and university. Resilience was significantly correlated with spirituality and higher than the norm among all race/ethnicities. However, both spirituality and resilience were higher for students of color (Blacks, Biracial and Latino/as). We found that spirituality mediated the relationship between race/ethnicity and resilience scores. Higher spirituality in students of color contributed to higher resilience.

Religious education leaders promote the religious identity of the school as well as foster a sense of connectedness through building school community. However, these leaders who play a key role in this area are at times the ones who feel the least connected to the school community and are more likely than other leaders to resign from the position prior to completing their full term. One of the things principals of schools fear the most is the resignation of the religious education leader in their school (Crotty 2005). The high turnover rate of these leaders and the dearth of applicants to fulfil this role have resulted in less experienced personnel being appointed to these positions. Religious education leaders themselves as well as principals are concerned with the lack of suitable successors willing to take on the role. They want successors who are experienced and capable of senior leadership. Over the past decade the religious education leadership policy reforms and initiatives from diocesan based centralised authorities for Catholic education across Australia have attempted to address these concerns. Drawing on the insights from a study into the kinds of support religious education leaders need to do their job effectively, this chapter explores the general limitations of these policies and proposes some recommendations for policy reform that will sustain Religious Education Leadership as a viable career pathway.

A women's university in Minnesota responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest in the Twin Cities provides a setting to explore ways in which critical, interdisciplinary, and collaborative campus approaches to virtual community-engaged courses and research bring focus to student learning and broaden the scope of collective university impact on urgent and emerging community issues. Three campus community engagement initiatives focusing on racial housing segregation, voting rights, and incarcerated women show the interplay and cumulative impact of curricular, cocurricular, and campuswide responses to systemic injustice. Drawing on interviews with faculty members, student evaluations, and community partner reflections, the author reflects on what can be learned from the adaptations represented in these three community-engaged initiatives during a time of crisis with critical and collective community and campus response.

Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper considers two trends affecting Catholic education globally and their potential implications for university research and programs in support of K12 schools. The first trend is the shift of enrollment in K12 Catholic education towards the global south and especially Africa in terms of the sheer number of students enrolled in schools. The second trend relates to the deepening learning crisis in K12 education affecting much of the developing world, and again especially Africa. These two trends have implications for university research and programs in support of K12 Catholic schools on the continent. The paper argues that apart from discussions related to Catholic identity, which are of course important, more attention should be placed by universities, including in the West, on the related but distinct issue of how to improve basic learning for students enrolled in K12 Catholic schools in the global south.

This qualitative follow up study sought the impressions of students after a two year program. The analysis of this data involved grounded theory qualitative methods. The primary means of data collection for the qualitative portion of this study was through digitally-recording and transcribing of participants' voices in response to individual interview prompts. Seven themes emerged from the first interviews which included: Perceptions of leadership; changing perceptions of the Jesuit ideas of Magis/cura personalis; changing perceptions of social justice; perceptions of motivation or desire to lead; Catholic identification; theory to practice; and suggested changes to the program. These themes were reinforced and refined in the second interviews, but a few new themes emerged from the additional data. Specifically, the value of the cohort was strongly expanded in the data from the second interviews. Other new themes included special education, the action research project, and some systems issues.

An unexpected academic department closure can be deeply unsettling to many stakeholders. Department closure is typically intended to be a cost-saving measure; however, department closure can be a difficult, time-consuming process with unexpected consequences. This study takes a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to explore the impact of the closure of an academic department. Participants were enrolled in one of the department's academic programs at the time of the closure announcement and during data collection. Results indicated that participants sanctified the department, a process in which persons instill an object or aspect of their lives with spiritual significance (Pargament et al., 2005). The closure prompted participants to experience a cosmology episode in which a sudden shift in worldview occurred, and participants indicated being in the sense-losing stage where meaning had not yet been made. The findings of this study can serve as a model for leadership at all levels who are considering program closures, with particular attention on how to assist students.

Canon law recognizes the pastor as the chief educational officer (CEO) of the parish school. However, recent studies demonstrate that seminaries do not prepare seminarians for work in or leadership of Catholic schools, and recent scholarship also demonstrates that an increasing number of seminarians lack the desire to lead a parish school. Our research study examined the post-seminary preparation of priests for leadership of parish schools. We also explored alternative governance models for Catholic schools. We conducted structured interviews with 10 national leaders to explore these two areas of interest. Our findings demonstrate that preparation of newly ordained and veteran priests for parish school leadership is woefully inadequate. Interviewees suggested that the pastor/principal relationship and school finance are two important topics that should be addressed in best practice preparation programs for school leaders. All 10 interviewees had difficulty imagining alternative governance models for schools in which the pastor would not serve as the CEO, but at the same time, some of the participants could see potential benefits of alternative governance models. Based on the findings of our study, we recommend that: (1) seminary programs include an initial introduction to the importance of Catholic schools for evangelization; (2) a new national model for preparing young and veteran priests for school leadership be developed and implemented; (3) existing best practices for alternative governance models be collated and promulgated; and (4) church leaders and stakeholders determine the best governance models for their schools and then prepare the appropriate people for leadership roles accordingly.

Central to the mission of Catholic higher education are the themes of Catholic social teaching. This contribution to the Education in Practice section recounts a 15-week undergraduate course that deepened student engagement in Catholic social teaching themes through comparative education studies and a study abroad experience to Japan. A detailed description of the course's main segments draws on artifacts of student coursework and post-interviews. The contribution of comparative education is that students are provided a platform upon which they can explore deeper, underlying principles to individual Catholic social teaching themes. This contribution further provides practitioners step-by-step guidance in how to develop similar learning experiences for students in their university context. This report of Catholic Education at the classroom-level fits into the existing knowledge of how universities in the United States are engaging undergraduates in Catholic social teaching themes, as an expression of Catholic mission.

In this COVID-era study, Catholic school teachers report the challenges that they experienced in supporting classroom communities during remote instruction, as well as the strategies that they enacted to address such challenges and make robust relationships with and among remote students. While teachers engaged in remote teaching, they were also studying in a Catholic Master of Arts in Teaching program, where they participated in weekly Freirian culture circles -- structured dialogues designed to help teachers identify problems of equity and collectively devise appropriate responses. The teachers found that classroom community was hindered by a lack of in-person affordances, socioemotional stressors related to the pandemic, struggles to engage students, and structures of hybrid teaching. In response, teachers used the culture circles to create and/or share strategies for supporting remote classroom communities, such as classroom meetings and smallgroup collaboration. Teachers recognized that efforts to develop classroom communities were intimately connected to commitments to equity.

This case study will describe the labor and collaborative efforts, to-date, of an embedded librarian to pilot an OER textbook creation and/or adoption program in her liaison area--a school of education serving approximately 850 graduate and 150 undergraduates at a private Catholic university on the West Coast of the U.S.A. This case study will explore the initial project goals, successes (e.g., administrative support and graduate student enthusiasm), and challenges (e.g., faculty buy-in, unbalanced labor, OER creation support) encountered in this project. The study will also discuss the librarian's professional development undertakings in an effort to fill OER creation and platform knowledge gaps. Finally, the study will discuss the librarian's next steps for this project in the upcoming academic year.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender + (LGBT+) undergraduate student community are at heightened risk for a variety of health and mental health challenges due to unsupportive environments which may include home, school, and society. However, research underscores the importance of mentors, mentorship, and other social supports upon the mental health of LGBT+ youth, especially when navigating discriminatory experiences. An online survey was conducted among LGBT+ undergraduate college students within one mid-sized university located in the Midwest to assess experiences with discrimination, perceptions of mentoring, and the beneficial components of mentoring programs. 289 LGBT+ undergraduate students (65.7% cisgender female, 47.8% ages 19-20, 51.2% bisexual) responded with 71.6% of participants reporting no current LGBT+ mentor. 56.4% either agreed or strongly agreed that acceptance of the LGBT+ community could be improved at the university. Discussion centers upon the importance of mentoring programs for LGBT+ undergraduate students to provide support and create a more affirming college experience.