Saint Vincent Seminary Self-Study Report
Prepared for the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
February 2018
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Table of Contents
Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. i Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 The Founder’s Mission …………………………………………………………. 1 The Legacy of Boniface Wimmer’s Mission …………………………………… 1 Accreditation History …………………………………………………………… 3 Self-Study Structure and Participants ………………………………………...... 3
ATS GENERAL INSTITUTIONAL STANDARDS
Standard 1: Purpose, Planning, Evaluation …………………………………………………………………. 5 1.1 Purpose …………………………………………………………………….... 5 Recommendation …………………………………………………………... 7 1.2 Planning and Evaluation ………………………………...... 7 Recommendations …………………………………………………………... 12 Standard 2: Institutional Integrity …………………………………………………………………………… 12 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 12 2.1 Relations with the ATS Commission on Accrediting ……………………….. 12 2.2 Compliance with State and Federal Laws and Regulations………………….. 13 2.3 Accuracy in Public Communications………………………………………… 13 Recommendation…………………………………………………………….. 14 2.4 Ethical Treatment of All Persons…………………………………………….. 14 Recommendation…………………………………………………………….. 15 2.5 Diversity of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture…………………………………… 15 Recommendation…………………………………………………………….. 16 2.6 Participation and Leadership of Women…………………………………….. 17 2.7 Financial Assistance…………………………………………………………. 17 2.8 Goal and Policy Sharing with Saint Vincent College……………………...... 18 2.9 Credit Transfer Policy……………………………………………………….. 18 2.10 Policy on the Ethical Use of Technology…………………………………..... 19 Recommendation………………………………………………………….... 19 Standard 3: The Theological Curriculum: Learning, Teaching and Research……………………………… 19 Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 19 3.1 Goals of the Theological Curriculum……………………………………….. 19 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 21 3.2 Learning, Teaching, and Research………………………………………….. 21 3.3 Characteristics of Theological Scholarship…………………………………. 28 Recommendation…………………………………………………………..... 33 Standard 4: Library and Information Resources………………………………………………………...... 33 4.1 Library Collections………………………………………………………….. 33 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 35 4.2 Contribution to Learning, Teaching, and Research…………………………. 35 Recommendation…………………………………………………………... 36 4.3 Partnership in Curriculum Development……………………………………. 37 4.4 Administration and Leadership……………………………………………… 37 4.5 Resources……………………………………………………………………. 37 Recommendations…………………………………………………………... 38 Standard 5: Faculty…………………………………………………………………………………………. 39 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 39 5.1 Faculty Qualifications, Responsibilities, Development, and Employment…. 40 Recommendations……………………………………………………………. 43 5.2 Faculty Role in Teaching……………………………………………………. 43 5.3 Faculty Role in Student Learning…………………………………………… 44 5.4 Faculty Role in Theological Research……………………………………..... 45
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Recommendations………………………………………………………….... 47 Standard 6: Student Recruitment, Admissions, Services, and Placement…………………………………... 47 Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 47 6.1 Recruitment………………………………………………………………….. 47 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 49 6.2 Admissions…………………………………………………………………... 49 6.3 Student Services……………………………………………………………... 53 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 54 6.4 Student Borrowing…………………………………………………………... 55 6.5 Placement……………………………………………………………………. 55 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 55 Standard 7: Authority and Governance…………………………………………………………………...... 56 7.1 Authority…………………………………………………………………….. 56 7.2 Governance………………………………………………………………….. 57 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 59 7.3 Roles and the Governance Process………………………………………….. 59 7.3.1 The Governing Boards………………………………………………. 59 Recommendations…………………………………………………… 63 7.3.2 Administration………………………………………………………. 63 7.3.3 Faculty……………………………………………………………….. 64 Recommendation…………………………………………………….. 65 7.3.4 Student Participation in Governance………………………………… 66 Standard 8: Institutional Resources………………………………………………………………………… 66 8.1 Personnel……………………………………………………………………. 66 8.2 Financial Resources………………………………………………………… 67 Recommendation .…………………………………………………………... 69 8.3 Physical Resources………………………………………………………….. 69 Recommendation……………………………………………………………. 70 8.4 Information Technology Resources……………………………………….... 70 8.5 Institutional Environment…………………………………………………… 71 8.6 Cooperative Use of Resources……………………………………………… 71 8.7 Clusters ……………………………………………………………………... 72 8.8 Instructional Technology Resources………………………………………... 72 Recommendations……………………………………………………………. 72
EDUCATIONAL STANDARD
E. Standard 1: Degree Programs and Nomenclature…………………………………………………...... 74 ES 1.1 Post-Baccalaureate Degree Programs…………………………………... 74 Recommendation………………………………………………………….. 74 ES 1.2 Basic Programs Oriented toward Ministerial Leadership………………. 75 ES 1.3 Basic Programs Oriented toward General Theological Studies……...... 75 ES 1.4 and 1.5 Advanced Programs.……………………………………………. 76 ES 1.6 Degree Program Standards…………………………………………….. 76 Recommendation………………………………………………………….. 76 E. Standard 2: Campus-Based Education………………………………………………………………….. 76 ES 2.1 Residency………………………………………………………………. 77 E. Standard 3: Extension Education………………………………………………………………………. 77 E. Standard 4: Distance Education………………………………………………………………………... 77 E. Standard 5: Faculty-Directed Instruction……………………………………………………………..... 77 E. Standard 6: Assessment of Student Learning…………………………………………………………... 77 ES 6.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 77 ES 6.2 Overall Assessment Strategy…………………………………………… 78 ES 6.3 Data…………………………………………………………………….. 78 ES 6.4 Faculty, Students, Trustees…………………………………………….. 79 Recommendation………………………………………………………. 80
E. Standard 7: Academic Guidelines……………………………………………………………………… 80 ES 7.1 Admission……………………………………………………………… 80 Recommendation……………………………………………………... 80 ES 7.2 Transfer of Credit……………………………………………………… 80 ES 7.3 Shared Credit in Degree Programs……………………………………. 81 ES 7.4 Advanced Standing……………………………………………………. 81 E. Standard 8: Non-Degree Instructional Programs………………………………………………………. 81
DEGREE PROGRAM STANDARDS
Standard A: Master of Divinity (MDiv)…………………………………………………………………... 82 A.1 Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment…….... 82 A.2 Program Content………………………………………………………….. 85 A.3 Educational Resources and Learning Strategies………………………….. 87 Recommendations……………………………………………………… 89 A.4 Admissions………………………………………………………………… 89 Standard B: Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry (MAEM)………………………………………………. 90 B.1 Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment…...... 90 B.2 Program Content………………………………………………………….. 93 Recommendations……………………………………………………... 94 B.3 Educational Resources and Learning Strategies…………………………... 94 Recommendations……………………………………………………... 95 B.4 Admissions………………………………………………………………… 96 Standard D: Master of Arts (MA)…………………………………………………………………………. 96 D.1 Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment……… 96 Recommendations…………………………………………………………. 99 D.2 Program Content………………………………………………………….. 99 D.3 Educational Resources and Learning Strategies………………………….. 100 D.4 Admissions………………………………………………………………… 101
CONCLUSION
General Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 103 Summary Findings …………………………………………………………………………………………. 103
Abbreviations
Organizations and Boards
ATS Association of Theological Schools BR Seminary’s Board of Regents BD College Board of Directors BCPF Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Formation of the BR CCE Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education MSCHE Middle States Commission on Higher Education SFLFG Seminary Faculty Library Focus Group USCCB United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Publications and Documentation
Bulletin Saint Vincent Seminary Bulletin (2016) CADP Course and Degree Program Evaluation CTA Comprehensive Timed Assessment DCLH Diocesan Community Life Handbook ES ATS Educational Standard FAH Faculty and Administrators’ Handbook FPH Formation Program Handbook GIS ATS General Institutional Standards Mission Statement Saint Vincent Seminary Mission Statement PPF Program of Priestly Formation, 5th edition RFM Readiness for Ministry Exam
Degree Programs
MA Master of Arts MACPS Master of Arts (Catholic Philosophical Studies) MAEM Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry MDiv Master of Divinity STB Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology
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Introduction
The Founder’s Mission
Saint Vincent Seminary traces its canonical foundation to the papal bull Inter ceteras of 1855, but its actual origins go back to the vision of a single Benedictine monk from Bavaria, Boniface Wimmer (1809-1887). As a monk moved by the Benedictine tradition of missionary activity, Wimmer was concerned for the pastoral care of German Catholics in America, who lacked priests to minister to them in their native language. Fr. Boniface sought and received permission to go to America to serve his fellow German Catholics whose spiritual plight had so moved him. In 1846, Wimmer and a handful of young monks arrived in western Pennsylvania in response to an invitation the bishop of Pittsburgh had extended to him to work as missionaries in that diocese. Fr. Boniface and his confreres would eventually settle at the parish of Saint Vincent de Paul, near what is now the city of Latrobe. On that site, he established a monastic community, the center of his vision as a missionary. To prepare monks for ordination and missionary work, Wimmer planned for a seminary and a college; the college would provide the monks with the basic tools needed to enter the seminary and to study theology. From the first year, however, Fr. Boniface found he needed to build flexibility into his plan, which continues to be the case to this day; that is, the need for flexibility on the part of today’s “missionaries.” Saint Vincent Seminary currently has approximately 45 students, almost all of whom are preparing for ministry as Catholic priests or permanent deacons. Seminarians from the dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown, Beijing, Covington, Erie, Greensburg, Hanoi, Metuchen, and Pittsburgh are represented at the Seminary, along with seminarians from several monasteries. Continuing a tradition dating to the nineteenth century, international students form a critical part of the learning community at Saint Vincent, comprising roughly 20% of the student body in recent years; their presence brings a richness of cultural perspectives and diversity to our school. The seminary’s total income budget is approximately $2.2 million, with roughly 35% coming from tuition and fees, 21% coming from private gifts and grants, 18% from the endowment, 15% from auxiliary enterprises, and 11% from our sponsoring Benedictine community (Saint Vincent Archabbey). At present the endowment is approximately $11.4 million.
The Legacy of Boniface Wimmer’s Mission
Boniface Wimmer’s mission in America was one of adapting to changing circumstances while at the same time remaining faithful to the essence of his vision, and this legacy applies also to the Seminary Wimmer founded, as the following developments attest:
Ø The Seminary was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1870 as part of the Saint Vincent College Corporation. Ø The Seminary continues to maintain its charter membership in the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, now the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, first awarded in 1921. Ø In 1966, the Seminary became an Associate Member of the Association of Theological Schools and began offering the Bachelor of Divinity degree in Theology, changing this to the Master of Divinity (hereafter, MDiv) degree in 1971.
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Ø In 1969 all American Catholic seminaries changed their programs for priestly formation from a 6-6 form (six years of minor seminary - six years of major seminary) to a 4-4 form (four years of undergraduate college - four years of Theology). Ø A Consultation Team from the Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Formation of the USCCB visited the Seminary in 1976 and affirmed the Seminary’s formation program. The team recommended the MA (hereafter, MA) degree program be reinstituted and non-ordination students of both sexes be admitted to the Theology degree programs, which the Seminary subsequently did. Ø After an extensive ATS self-study in 1982-1983, the Seminary initiated a major curriculum revision, one that was flexible enough to allow for four academic years and incorporated pastoral experiences. The revision also enabled students to be candidates for both the MA and MDiv Degrees.1 Ø In 1984, in response to a growing need, a formal (non-degree) Pre-Theology Program was initiated which allowed college graduates to complete the prerequisite Philosophy courses as residents in the Seminary. Ø With the approval of the fourth edition of the Program of Priestly Formation in 1992, the Seminary substantially revised its Pre-Theology Program and reviewed its entire curriculum. Ø In response to requests from bishops to prepare their seminarians for further graduate studies in the ecclesial system of higher education the Seminary began to offer the STB degree in 1999 through an affiliation with the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. This affiliation was eventually transferred to the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome in 2014—in order to better align our STB program with the Benedictine identity of the Seminary and new requirements of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education (hereafter, CCE). Ø Awareness of the needs of the Church in the area of homiletics led Saint Vincent to establish the Pope Benedict XVI Chair in Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation in 2005. This endowed chair2 has had a challenging history but has recently been given new direction and parameters in concert with the Seminary’s institutional mission and goals, as the 2008 ATS visitors recommended, and its very existence is strong evidence of a clear awareness of the Seminary’s institutional purpose on the part of its stakeholders.3 Ø In 2010 the Seminary approved the Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry (hereafter, MAEM) degree for permanent diaconate candidates and other candidates for lay ecclesial ministry, again demonstrating responsiveness to changes in the Church and seminary formation (BR Minutes of 17 February 2009 and 16 February 2010). Ø Further revision of the Pre-Theology Program took effect in 2016, when new guidelines issued by the Holy See for all Catholic seminaries went into force. These guidelines expanded and deepened the Pre-Theology curriculum to the extent that
1 Upon completing the visitation in 1983, the Association of Theological Schools granted the Seminary full accreditation and approval of its degree programs. The Seminary has maintained this accreditation. 2 Renamed the Pope Benedict XVI Chair in Biblical Theology and Homiletics for Excellence in Preaching in 2009. 3 See the Saint Vincent Seminary ATS Visitation Team Report, standards 1 and 2. 2
the Seminary was given approval by ATS to grant the Master of Arts (Catholic Philosophical Studies) degree (hereafter, MACPS) in 2016. Ø From September 2013 until September 2015 the Faculty engaged in a two-year process of curriculum review and revision. The newly revised curriculum of the MDiv degree was approved by the Seminary’s Board of Regents (hereafter, BR) in September 2016 and will be implemented in August 2017.
Accreditation History
Saint Vincent Seminary became an Associate Member of the Association of Theological Schools in 1966 and a full accredited member in 1984. Our most recent comprehensive evaluation visit took place in the spring of 2008, resulting in reaccreditation for a period of ten years. Pursuant to that visit ATS Commission on Accreditation voted to require reports on:
Ø The Seminary’s revised governing documents, job descriptions, and administrative responsibilities of the Rector and Academic Dean; Ø The statement of the purposes and goals of the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation, embracing governance, Faculty oversight, and assessment of the effectiveness of the program; Ø A comprehensive assessment plan that evaluates institutional effectiveness in achieving its mission; Ø The effectiveness of each of the degree programs offered by the Seminary.
In June 2009 the Commission voted to receive a report detailing the Seminary’s review and revision of relevant governance documents as well as a report on the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical and Liturgical Proclamation, “embracing governance, Faculty oversight, and assessment of the effectiveness of the program.” In June 2010 ATS voted to receive the reports required by the Commission regarding assessment of institutional effectiveness and degree program effectiveness. In January 2014 the Reader Panel voted to accept an additional report on the implementation of assessment requested in June 2010 and further specified in May 2011. Saint Vincent further received preliminary approval to offer a Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry (hereafter MAEM) in February 2010 and full approval for the degree in May 2011 following the reception of reports on the programmatic assessment of student learning for the new degree. Approval of a new MACPS degree was granted by the Commission in June 2015. The Seminary has benefited greatly from its relationship with ATS and is always honest, prompt, and appreciative in its correspondence with the Association.
Self-Study Structure and Participants
Saint Vincent began its formal self-study process in the late autumn of 2015 when the Seminary’s Coordinator of Seminary Assessment was appointed to Saint Vincent College’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education self-study steering committee. This appointment enabled her to liaise with the College on relevant matters and to keep good communications flowing between both institutions as they went about their parallel studies. In the summer of 2016 the Rector appointed a Seminary ATS self-study steering committee, consisting of the Academic Dean, Fr. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B., the Coordinator of Seminary
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Assessment, Dr. Kathleen Borres—who chaired the steering committee and served as the director of the study—and the Rector himself, Fr. Edward Mazich, O.S.B. The steering committee in turn reviewed the ATS Self-Study Handbook and adopted the approach taken by many smaller member schools, namely, establishing three subcommittees as follows to draft the self-study, with each subcommittee consisting of a member of the Board, members of the Faculty, and a seminarian:
Committee 1 – Standards 1, 2, 7, and 8: Dr. James Maher – Emeritus Chairman of the BR Dr. Kathleen Borres – Coordinator of Assessment Fr. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B. – Academic Dean Fr. Edward Mazich, O.S.B. – Rector Br. Conrad Wald, O.S.B. – Seminarian
Committee 2 – Standard 3 and Degree Program Standards. The Hon. Maureen Lally-Green – Member of the BR Fr. Cyprian Constantine, O.S.B. – Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Br. David Kelly, O.S.B. – Assistant Professor of Canon Law Fr. Warren Murrman, O.S.B. – Professor of Theology Br. Martinho Zevallos-Chavez, O.S.B. – Seminarian
Committee 3 – Standards 4, 5, and 6 Mr. Richard DiClaudio – Member of the BR Fr. Thomas Acklin, O.S.B. – Professor of Theology Br. Elliott Maloney, O.S.B. – Professor of Sacred Scripture Sr. Mary Veronica Sabelli, R.S.M. – Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Lawrence Sutton – Director of Pre-Theology Formation Mr. Matthew Marinelli - Seminarian
The steering committee gave each subcommittee its charge and established a time-line for the overall self-study. After drafts were assembled and edited during the spring and early summer of 2017 the entire draft self-study was circulated among the broader Saint Vincent community— including the Board, Faculty, staff, elected representatives of the student body, and College self- study team members—for feedback and critique. In September 2017, following further edits by the steering committee the BR formally voted to approve the report and submit it to ATS Board of Commissioners.
Documentation:
Accrediting History – Saint Vincent Saint Vincent Seminary - ATS Accreditation Preparation Committees ATS Project 2018 – Project Management Guidelines
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ATS General Institutional Standards (GIS) 1. Purpose, Planning, and Evaluation
1.1 Purpose
The personal experience of our founder Boniface Wimmer continues to resound in the experience and mission of Saint Vincent Seminary. Not unlike our nineteenth-century German forefather, who sought to minister in the poor missions of the still-young United States, today the Seminary strives to serve both the Church in the United States and throughout the world through its evangelism. Just as Archabbot Boniface had the grit and practicality to transfer this dream to the shifting terrain of the American frontier, so the Seminary continually reconciles its mission and the practical realities that it faces in the hope of achieving a successful balance between the two. In order to do so, the Seminary watches for changing winds and adapts accordingly, all the while remaining faithful to its general mission. We believe the Seminary’s Mission Statement is flexible enough to serve as the anchor of its efforts in this regard. The formulation of the Mission Statement came in 1983 after considerable dialogue among key constituents (i.e., the College Board of Directors [hereafter, BD]), the Seminary BR, the Rector’s Council, Faculty, and students). It was subsequently reviewed in 1990, though no change was deemed necessary, and again in 1996 and 1997. This time the review did lead to a revision, though not one deviating from the Seminary’s original mission. The revision further clarified the mission and reflected the desire to attend to the Church’s need for permanent deacons, once again reflecting the legacy of Wimmer himself that the Seminary must adapt to the times. The present Mission Statement, adopted at that time, reads:
Saint Vincent Seminary is a Roman Catholic Seminary grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living tradition of the Church in accord with the magisterium, and shaped by the Benedictine heritage of liturgical prayer, study, hospitality and community. As such, the Seminary is a center for the spiritual formation, human development, and academic and pastoral preparation of candidates for the priesthood. Consistent with this primary mission and responsive to the contemporary needs of the Church, the Seminary provides programs for permanent diaconate candidates and offers degree programs to qualified men and women seeking a theological education.
The Seminary BR showed its commitment and support of the Seminary’s mission by establishing a new standing committee of the BR, the Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Formation (hereafter, BCPF), in the fall of 2012, concentrating its oversight on the primary aim of the Seminary as articulated in its Mission Statement—being “a center for the spiritual formation, human development, and academic and pastoral preparation of candidates for the priesthood.” For its part the Faculty reviewed the Mission Statement in September 2007 and confirmed that the statement provides a strong identity and focus for the Seminary and accurately describes its present works. Further Faculty discussion and review of the Mission Statement took place in 2013 and 2014, with no changes being made. The Seminary assessment audit process has been conscious of the Mission Statement as well, as is evidenced, for example, in the reports produced in the spring terms of 2013, 2014, and 2015. The seminarians themselves review the Mission
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Statement at the beginning of each academic year, and an international perspective was brought to the Mission Statement in 2014 when the CCE of the Holy See examined and approved of the statement during the course of the Seminary’s affiliation process with the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome to grant the STB degree. The Mission Statement is publicized online on our website and is printed in our Saint Vincent Seminary Bulletin (hereafter, Bulletin) distributed to each Faculty member and student and in other printed handbooks and materials. More specifically and directly related to its mission, the Seminary established a set of institutional goals; which currently are as follows:4
Ø To provide priesthood candidates with a formation curriculum that is in conformity with the Program of Priestly Formation (hereafter, PPF), the Ratio Fundamentalis, and Sapientia Christiana, and that offers the MDiv, Bachelor of Sacred Theology (hereafter, STB), and MA degrees; Ø To provide religious and laity seeking preparation for other ministries in the Church with a program of theological education that offers the MDiv and MA degrees; Ø To provide candidates for the permanent diaconate with the opportunity for theological preparation for ministry in cooperation with their sponsoring dioceses; Ø To offer students opportunities for continuing education in Spirituality, Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies.
Since the formulation of the institutional goals associated with our Mission Statement the Seminary’s Board, Faculty and administrators have periodically reviewed the goals, especially in the course of the 2006-2007 and 2016-2017 self-studies. As has been the case since 1998, Faculty members believe the Mission Statement and goals reflect their understanding and institutional purpose, though some minor changes in language were made to the goals in order to accurately articulate the Seminary’s vision in ever-changing times. The Seminary makes continuing efforts to address the aim of the institutional goals and Mission Statement as it follows the legacy of its visionary founder, Boniface Wimmer. More specifically, as it concerns accreditation, the Seminary and its stakeholders find that the Mission Statement and the institutional goals “articulate the mission to which the school believes it is called and define its particular identity and values.” Further, the Seminary believes that the confessional commitment which is central to its identity is “clearly articulated in [its] statement of purpose,” when it identifies itself as “a Roman Catholic Seminary grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living tradition of the Church in accord with the magisterium, and shaped by the Benedictine heritage of liturgical prayer, study, hospitality and community.” The “living tradition of the Church” and “the Benedictine Heritage of liturgical prayer, study, hospitality and community” call for continued reflection upon the times in order for the Seminary to present the meaning of the Gospel in a new day, under new conditions. The fact that the Seminary, “responsive to the contemporary needs of the Church,” not only prepares men for the priesthood but also prepares other qualified men and women for various ministries is also reflective of the Seminary’s on-going analysis of internal and external forces which shape its
4 Aside from deleting reference to the Master of Religious Education degree, which is no longer offered, and minor changes in wording, these goals have been the same since 1995. 6 future. In addition, our retention figures5 show that our mission is realistic since the men we prepare for priestly ministry remain happily engaged in it—which suggests that we are doing our job well. Finally, our new strategic plan flows from the Mission Statement and thus shows that we expect the Mission Statement to shape everything we do. As of the spring of 2017 the Mission Statement is expected to be featured as the guiding principle on every course syllabus, though some Faculty are resistant. It should be noted that our focus on mission is fully in keeping with the mission and goals of Saint Vincent College, with which the Seminary has been closely linked since their common inception in 1846 and their reception of a common Charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1870. Accordingly, we can conclude with confidence that the Mission Statement and institutional goals of Saint Vincent Seminary are “realistic and accurate” and provide a vision for which the Seminary strives and which it is capable of fulfilling. After several years in which the Seminary administration felt the institutional goals were sufficiently expressed in the various programmatic goals, the ATS self-study steering committee concluded it important to again distinguish between its institutional and programmatic goals. The Seminary has already corrected the Bulletin, and has verified that its webpage and other handbooks and printed materials, when appropriate, include the Mission Statement and each relevant set of goals. Going further, students will be introduced to the Mission Statement and the Seminary’s institutional goals through the annual orientation for new students as well as during the course of their formation conferences. In particular, at each annual orientation of new seminarians, the Academic Dean will introduce them to the Mission Statement and institutional goals. The attention given to the Seminary’s mission should inform and constantly remind the students of the purpose of their studies at Saint Vincent Seminary. This remains a significant aim of the Seminary’s orientation program.
Documentation:
Bulletin Saint Vincent College Corporation Charter Assessment Audit Reports.
Recommendation:
Mandate that all Faculty follow the syllabus template, including mention of the Mission Statement.
1.2 Planning and Evaluation
The Seminary is required to do institutional planning and evaluation as specified by ATS. With a renewed vigor infused by the present ATS self-study, we intend both the Mission Statement and the institutional goals of Saint Vincent Seminary to “actively guide the [Seminary] in its comprehensive institutional planning and evaluation procedures and in making decisions regarding programs, [and] allocation of resources” among other matters. The approval of the MAEM degree program in 2010, and its further revision since that time in coordination with the
5 91.72% of the graduates of the Seminary ordained from 1989 through 2017 are still engaged in active priestly ministry, and 97.25% in the last ten years (2007-2017). 7
Diocese of Greensburg, is an example of such mission and goal-driven planning and assessment yielding tangible results. The development and accreditation of the new MACPS degree is another example of goal and mission-driven planning. The ongoing planning for online educational programs is an additional example of how the Seminary’s mission and goals drive its planning, evaluation, and decision-making processes. With input and encouragement from each of its constituencies, the Seminary Faculty, Rector’s Council, and BR cooperated in introducing online courses to the Seminary’s offerings in the fall 2017 semester. This decision was made with a full understanding on the part of all stakeholders of the importance of on-line learning and of the need to pursue it for the benefit of our various constituencies and our overall institutional health. Dialogue with the particular constituency of our priest alumni and with the bishops on our BR brought about a recognition that online educational programs could greatly increase the good that the Seminary does with respect to its graduates in a way that is indeed “consistent with its mission and responsive to the needs of the Church.” (Mission Statement) An additional example of mission and goal-driven planning and decision making is seen in the 2016 hiring of Sr. Mary Veronica Sabelli, R.S.M., as a member of the Seminary’s Faculty. Sr. Mary Veronica’s hiring was a direct result of our mission to be “a center for the spiritual formation, human development, and academic and pastoral preparation of candidates for the priesthood.” Today bishops increasingly wish that their candidates be able to seek post-seminary education in the ecclesiastical system and this requires the essential prerequisite of the STB degree. The STB degree in turn requires extensive training in philosophy from professors specifically licensed by the Church to teach in that field; Sr. Mary Veronica has these credentials and so to some extent her hiring was a direct result of the effort to continually assess, plan, and make executive decisions guided by our mission and institutional goals and with the intention of strengthening our ability to fulfill them. Other innovations guided by our mission since the last ATS self-study include our Ministry Capstone Seminar and the Readiness for Ministry Exam (hereafter, RFM), the Comprehensive Timed Assessment (hereafter, CTA) done on all students each year, the Exit Interviews of all graduates and departing students, and the Portfolio Process and Review. These are all directed at determining if we are satisfying our basic mission of forming good priests, deacons, and lay men and women. The Seminary’s strategic planning process provides yet another example of how our mission and goals guide all of our planning and activities—the plan was formulated with the Mission Statement always at the center of the attention of all those involved in the planning process, and in fact the Mission Statement was printed at the very beginning of each successive draft of the strategic plan as well as the final approved version of the plan. The ATS Standard for Planning and Evaluation notes that “evaluation is a critical element in support of integrity to institutional planning and mission fulfillment” and it further adds that this evaluation must include “the identification of desired goals” for educational programs, services, and personnel; “a system of gathering information related to the desired goals; the assessment of the performance of the program, service, or person based on this information; and the establishment of revised goals or activities based on the assessment.” To achieve this aim the Seminary revised its MDiv and MA degree goals—now referred to as “learning outcomes”—in the 2010-2011 academic year at the request of ATS (c.f., Faculty Minutes of 9 November 2010, and 14 December 2010), and implemented several new assessments that gather information measuring our success in attaining these outcomes, for instance, the Ministry Capstone Seminar and the RFM, the CTA, the Course and Degree Program evaluations (hereafter, CADP evaluations), our Exit Interviews of all graduates, and the
8 annual “Assessment Review” by the Faculty (since 2014). All of these measures are then used on an annual basis to assess whether we are realizing our learning outcomes for each degree program and satisfying our mission. The Coordinator of Seminary Assessment, with the full support of and in collaboration with the Academic Dean, leads this annual review process which also forms a foundational element of our ongoing planning process (to be discussed further below). When deemed necessary by joint Faculty and Board review, elements of our degree programs and our overall ordination program are revised based on such assessment. A recent example was the two-year process of curriculum review and revision (2014-2016) and the establishment of a new course on the Pastoral Care of Marriage and Family, which will be taught for the first time in the fall term of 2017. Exit Interviews over several years had indicated a gap in the curriculum in this area and after discussion the Seminary Faculty agreed to formulate a new course and subsequently received the approval of the BR for this improvement to our curriculum. The same is true in the area of personnel assessment and development. The Academic Dean and Rector have each sought to fulfill the annual evaluation process for all regular Faculty and Rector’s Council members as specified in FAH 4.4 and 5.1 and ensured that the evaluations, which had fallen into abeyance, are done regularly. These evaluations involve written input from the seminarians (in the form of evaluations), Faculty and Council members themselves, as well as the assessment of the Dean and Rector; they are then used to propose specific desired goals for each member of the Faculty or Council for the coming year, and follow-up is made annually to assess how well the previous year’s goals were accomplished and what means may be adopted to further these goals or new ones. Reconsideration of the frequency of the Faculty evaluations is in order (biennial evaluations may suffice). The Rector’s Council members are evaluated annually, with all such evaluations involving their own self-assessments. The Rector’s evaluation includes a written review by the Executive Committee of the Seminary BR. The Seminary administration and its governing body are thus brought together in a concrete assessment process that enables both to “exercise leadership adequately on behalf of the school’s purpose and to operate the school with integrity.” Under the leadership of our Academic Dean and our Coordinator of Seminary Assessment new ongoing evaluation procedures for institutional vitality and the educational effectiveness of its individual degree programs have been introduced (c.f., for example, the RFM, the CTA, and the Annual Exit Interviews, Portfolio Reviews and Outcomes Assessments). These provide the Seminary with clear and actionable information regarding the effectiveness of its work and the ability of the Seminary to carry out its mission. The Faculty and Administrators’ Handbook (hereafter, FAH)—currently under revision—and evaluation processes for Rector’s Council and Faculty members and for the Academic Dean and Rector provide assurance that the Seminary is being responsible and accountable to its stakeholders. We use such evaluations to develop an ever more effective ability to both attain its mission and to plan for specific future improvements. In sum, at Saint Vincent Seminary our Mission Statement guides our ongoing planning and evaluation, and, in turn, our evaluation processes are indeed “a critical element in support of integrity to institutional planning and mission fulfillment.” Accurate and meaningful evaluation is needed in order to measure success in achieving goals and purposes and to produce truly effective and practical plans for an institution. To this end the Seminary has not only adopted the new measures of assessment mentioned above but has further developed its culture of assessment which contributes directly to all of our planning processes. Clear evidence of this is seen in the annual assessment audits done by the Coordinator
9 of Seminary Assessment with the cooperation of the Faculty and Rector’s Council. Outside perspective on this matter was sought in 2012 through the counsel of Vianney Vocations, an independent firm that offers assessment and advisory services to Catholic seminaries and schools of theology. The Seminary has made clear its intentions with respect to assessment and planning through Faculty in-service day discussions guided by external experts, (including several from ATS), through internal Faculty colloquia6 as well as extensive and regular discussions of assessment, planning, accountability, and institutional improvement at Faculty meetings and BR meetings. The very act of creating the position and hiring a Coordinator of Seminary Assessment to assist the Dean in 2013 demonstrates the seriousness and thoroughness with which the Seminary has approached this important task. Good assessment naturally leads to good planning and, as already noted in our 2013 periodic report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Seminary has focused on “the initiation of a strategic planning process which is ongoing, proactive and timely in responding to the feedback of constituent dioceses, Faculty and seminarians in the formation program.” The new course on the Pastoral Care of Marriage and Families for all priesthood candidates as well as the 2015-2016 curriculum review and revision process provide examples of how the evaluation processes we have in place lead to frank annual assessments of our programs’ effectiveness in accomplishing our mission and also lead to the planning of specific improvements that go toward the end of attaining our mission. While the Seminary has always sought to assess itself vis-à-vis its mission, it has been involved in formal and ongoing strategic planning since 1989. As expected, the Seminary’s planning revolves around its Mission Statement and institutional goals and it involves all the constituencies of the Seminary, including students, alumni, Faculty, the Rector’s Council, and the BR. In the past each of these constituencies had direct representation on a planning committee which was a standing committee of the BR tasked with maintaining and evaluating a five year strategic plan in consultation with all represented constituencies. The Board’s planning committee met for the last time in September 2010 and was informally dissolved thereafter.7 The ATS self-study team recommends re-starting this important effort to bring together each Seminary constituency with the aim of promoting effective and ongoing institutional planning, well-informed by annual assessment information. The ATS self-study team urges that such a committee of the BR include Faculty and student representation and that it meet once annually. Its charge would be to evaluate and recommend updates to the strategic plan in the light of annual assessment data and to assess the progress toward fulfillment of its goals and objectives, always guided by the Mission Statement and institutional goals of the Seminary. In this manner the Seminary will assure that its “various institutional and educational evaluation procedures shall be analyzed, coordinated, and employed in comprehensive institutional planning.” Furthermore, such a standing committee of the BR would build upon our recent efforts noted above in section 1.2., to use “information gained in evaluation…within the institution for ongoing administrative and educational planning.” The process through which the 2010-2015 strategic plan was developed was a lengthy and difficult one, which the Seminary Board, administration, and Faculty resolved not to repeat when creating the current 2017-2022 plan. Reviewing the progress that has been made in recent years—both under the 2010-2015 and 2017-2022 plans—will demonstrate how assessment-
6 The fall semester Faculty colloquium each year since 2015 has been dedicated to assessment review and Faculty discussion of the previous academic year. 7 Last mentioned in BR Minutes on 28 September 2010. 10 driven and documentable accomplishments and ongoing mission-focused planning are now a strong and consciously-promoted element of the Seminary’s culture. The current Rector took office in July 2015 and, working as a concerted team with the Chairman of the BR, the Vice-Rector, the Academic Dean, and Faculty, began to address urgent concerns related to enrollment, constituent relations, alumni relations, budgeting, and fundraising, among other matters. Once these immediate concerns had begun to move in the right direction, beginning in the summer of 2016 the Rector assembled a Strategic Planning Steering Committee consisting of three Board members—including our local bishop—as well as the Academic Dean, the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment, and the Rector himself. The committee first examined the best practices associated with strategic planning and then conducted a SWOT review of the Seminary, inviting and receiving input from all the Seminary’s constituencies, including students, alumni, Faculty, staff, the Rector’s Council, and the BR. Keeping a careful focus on our Mission Statement, which in fact was prominently featured at the top of each draft of the plan, the committee next produced a structure with an overall theme, three principles of integration, and four “core values” through which the theme and integrating principles would be specified and brought into practice. The theme of the strategic plan, Preparing for Ministry in the Living Church, is the organizing principle of the plan and is meant to focus all stakeholders on the collaborative effort to make Saint Vincent Seminary an outstanding place of priestly, ministerial, and theological formation which is mission driven and self-reflective. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee’s work was guided by consideration of three critical points of integration to be infused into each of the major goals or core values identified for the Seminary. These points were identified by considering the SWOT analysis and they serve to further describe the plan’s theme Preparing for Ministry in the Living Church. Finally, the committee’s expression of the Seminary’s strategic vision was accomplished by unfolding its theme in four separate categories of Seminary life which concretize its core values. These core values reflect the common threads of the points of integration and the commitment of those who are stewards of this institution to bring the traditions of its past forward for a new generation. The promotion of these core values will help the entire Seminary community in fulfilling its mission. A copy of the completed Strategic Plan 2017-2022, approved by both the Seminary BR and the Saint Vincent College BD, is available to the ATS visitation team. This plan provides a renewed vision and guiding principles for the Pope Benedict XVI Chair developed in light of the Seminary’s mission—finally bringing to completion a recommendation given by ATS visitors in their 2008 report on the Seminary. We intend, as stated in our 2013 interim report, to take an “on-going” approach to planning, making the strategic plan a document that is central to the operation of the Seminary and is continually refreshed through assessment input and coordinated evaluation, all directed toward the end of satisfying our Mission Statement and accomplishing our institutional goals.
Documentation:
Saint Vincent Seminary BR’s Abstract of the 2013 Periodic Review Report to MSCHE Saint Vincent Seminary – Strategic Plan 2017-2022 Accrediting History – Saint Vincent Faculty In-Service Day and Faculty Colloquium on Assessment ATS 2013 Report Related correspondence with ATS The Yearly “Assessment Review Book” (since 2014)
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CADP Evaluations RFM grade reports CTA reports
Recommendations:
1. Continue to effectively communicate the Seminary’s Mission Statement, goals and strategic plan to our constituents through presentation in orientation programs, formation conferences, and BR and Faculty meetings.
2. Consider a biennial schedule for the evaluation of regular Faculty members.
3. Base annual Rector’s Council member evaluations on the Mission Statement as well as on each member’s position description.
4. Form a committee of the BR including Faculty and student representation which would meet annually to assess the progress of the strategic plan.
5. Build on the purpose and principles of the Pope Benedict XVI Chair by conducting a national and international search for a chair holder.
2. Institutional Integrity
Introduction
The Seminary strives to ensure its activities, commitments, and relationships with constituents are guided by its strategic plan and consistent with its mission, which is prominently featured in its Bulletin, on its webpage, and in other published materials. Whether these commitments concern the student body, Bishops, religious superiors, the College, Faculty, administration, staff, donors, accrediting agencies or other concerned persons within and outside the Church, the Seminary is respectful of all persons and an honest steward of their interests while remaining faithful to its own mission and integrity. Saint Vincent Seminary is a Roman Catholic school which has always had a strong representation of its constituent bishops on its BR. Additionally, the Archabbot of Saint Vincent is both ex-officio a member of the Board and serves as the Chancellor of the Seminary. Through the members of the Board and the Chancellor the Seminary maintains its commitment to the Catholic Church in the United States and to the Holy See, which has granted the Seminary the authority to confer ecclesiastical degrees.
2.1 Relations with the ATS Commission on Accrediting
The Seminary carries out its educational programs and institutional activities according to the standards and procedures established by its accrediting agencies and it communicates with them honestly in all regards. The cooperation which the Seminary has demonstrated toward the ATS Commission on Accrediting and its representatives can be seen in the correspondence between the Seminary and ATS over many years and in the responsiveness which the Seminary 12 has shown to ATS recommendations and requests. Seminary officials, particularly the Academic Dean, have a close working relationship with ATS staff members and regularly communicate with them and participate in annual ATS meetings. The Seminary’s hiring of a Coordinator of Seminary Assessment in 2013 is a further indication of the seriousness with which the Seminary takes its responsibility toward all of its stakeholders and toward the agencies which grant its academic recognition.
2.2 Compliance with State and Federal Laws and Regulations
Saint Vincent Seminary conducts all of its operations in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations and continually seeks to ensure that its published materials accurately represent the institution to its various constituents. The Seminary complies with all United States Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations and regularly submits data concerning enrollment, program completions, graduation rates, Faculty and staff, finances, institutional tuition and fees, and student financial aid to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) as well as to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Saint Vincent Seminary, as an educational institution and as an employer, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, veteran status, national origin, genetic history, or disability. The Seminary will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. In addition, the Seminary follows all relevant laws related to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Policy on the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, mandated reporter training and clearances, and other applicable statutes. The Seminary publicizes its policy on non-discrimination and other policies in its Bulletin, on its webpage, in the FAH, and in other relevant documents, and it further publicizes the designated resource persons who are to handle inquiries or grievances regarding these concerns. In preparation for this self-study the Seminary initiated a review of all its policies and procedures to ensure their accordance with federal and state law and this fruitful process resulted in the updating of the Bulletin, including, but not limited to, the institution’s sexual harassment policy, veterans’ benefits policy, and mandated reporter training and clearances. The revision of the FAH has been similarly fruitful with respect to policy development. As part of the Saint Vincent College Corporation, chartered by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1870, the Seminary is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization; its yearly IRS 990 forms are publicly available and it undergoes an annual financial audit by a certified public accounting firm.
2.3 Accuracy in Public Communications
The Seminary continually reviews all its published materials, both in print and digital format, to ensure that they accurately and honestly portray the institution, its purpose, and its resources. The Rector and Academic Dean both review materials for accuracy and appropriate presentation prior to their publication, as do professional staff members of our public relations office. In its most recent review (December 2015) the Seminary recognized the outdatedness of some previously published electronic material and made a conscious effort to update the website.
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Still, the members of our public relations staff are pursuing steps to make the website easier to navigate and more appealing in terms of design interface. They are also working toward the end that any redesign of the website will make it possible for key Seminary administrators and their assistants to more easily update the site. All tuition charges and fees are clearly disclosed on the Seminary website. Withdrawal and refund policies are stated in the Bulletin (112). Saint Vincent has published inclusive language guidelines for its students and Faculty in the Bulletin, and makes “a conscious effort…to use inclusive language in all forms of written and spoken communications” (Bulletin, 115).
Documentation:
Bulletin http://www.saintvincentseminary.edu/pdf_files/tuition_and_fees.pdf Samples of printed P.R. materials
Recommendation:
Commit to the renewal and maintenance of a stable and user friendly Seminary webpage.
2.4 Ethical Treatment of All Persons
The Seminary treats “students, Faculty, administrators, employees, and the publics to which it relates in ethical ways.” Our FAH, the Formation Program Handbook (hereafter, FPH), and the Diocesan Community Life Handbook (hereafter, DCLH) all address the critical nature of ethical behavior and respect for others at all times. Faculty members are required “to respect and defend the scholarly pursuits of associates; to show due respect for the opinions of others in the exchange of criticism and ideas; to acknowledge academic debts and to strive to be objective in the professional judgment of colleagues; to accept a share in Faculty responsibilities for the governance of the institution” (FAH, 4.6.2.). Seminarians are taught, by word and example, to respect others. The DCLH reminds the students that “At Saint Vincent Seminary, this rule of life has been established to assist in the formation of living the Christian life with others. It is based on the Gospel and the norms of the PPF.” In an atmosphere of freedom, each student is called to grow in maturity and personal responsibility. An atmosphere of mature and just conduct toward others is inculcated throughout the Seminary formation programs. These foundational requirements of community and academic life are integrated with the core purpose of the Seminary and in all the documents that direct that mission. Opportunities for growth in respect for others, and the responsibilities this entails for seminarians and future priests, are seen in the annual presentation to all seminarians on sexual abuse awareness and the review of the Saint Vincent Seminary Sexual Misconduct Policy, the annual review by all of the Seminary’s Policy: Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, and the Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. Other annual opportunities include regular conferences on maintaining proper boundaries, appropriate internet usage, and conferences on celibacy, healthy sexuality, and chastity. A fair program of tuition refunds comparable to most of our peer schools is maintained by the Seminary and is clearly described in the Bulletin (112). Other ethical best practices are maintained by the Seminary and clearly publicized in the Bulletin, the FAH, or other relevant
14 documents, such as a non-discrimination practice in employment, (a special “Note on Benedictine Status with Respect to Employment” is articulated in the FAH), and clearly defined processes for handling grievances on the part of Faculty, administrators, staff, or students. Specific means of commitment to these ethical standards include:
Ø Distinct committees elected annually by the Faculty to deal with Faculty and student grievances by means of procedures that are published in the FAH, the Bulletin, and the DCLH; Ø A multi-stage appeal process for disputes regarding seminarians’ annual profiles; Ø The recent innovation of requiring all professors to produce written grade report forms for oral exams and papers; Ø The process of Exit Interviews, which give departing students the opportunity to provide written feedback to the Seminary on a wide range of issues, including ethical treatment in all matters. Financial transparency and integrity is maintained through regular financial reports to the BR and the College BD, annual audits of the Seminary’s finances by a certified public accounting firm, annual disclosure of the Saint Vincent College Corporation’s IRS 990 forms, and the assistance of professional accountants from the Saint Vincent College business office in forming budgets and making financial projections and decisions. During the tenure of the immediate past Rector the Seminary ceased publishing a complete annual financial report, and the ATS self-study team recommends that this important practice be resumed for the sake of transparency.
Documentation:
Bulletin FAH 2.4.5, 4.6.4, and 4.9 Formation Folder on OneDrive DCLH FPH
Recommendation:
Resume the practice of publishing a complete annual financial report for the sake of transparency.
2.5 Diversity of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Because the primary mission of the Seminary is to form Catholic priests, most of our students are male Roman Catholics, and their ethnic backgrounds broadly reflect the composition of Catholic congregations across the United States, with a majority being white. The Seminary recognizes the value of a diverse and rich student body and seeks to welcome those who come to us in a way reflective of our Benedictine heritage, which directs us: “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ” (Rule of St. Benedict 53:1). Of our total enrollment, the percentage of students from racially or ethnically diverse backgrounds varied from 22.0 percent to 30.4 percent in the period from 2012-2016, or an
15 average of 26.1 percent (ATS Institutional Peer Profile Report 2016-2017, 20). These numbers are not atypical for a Seminary of this size, based on ATS Institutional Peer Profile Reports. At present and in the recent past we have had seminarians who are black, Asian, and Latino, as well as students from every economic class in the U.S. Currently we have students from Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Peru, the Philippines, and Vietnam studying with us. Initiatives to promote an appreciation for cultural diversity among our students include:
Ø The newly-revised Hispanic Ministries Program; Ø Annual pastoral ministry workshops on multi-cultural ministry; Ø The Rector, Faculty, and students taking part in the MLK Day celebration at Saint Vincent College; Ø Artistic, musical, academic, and other cultural events sponsored by the College; Ø The Seminary – College sports teams chaplaincy program; Ø The weekly Union Mission (homeless shelter) outreach; Ø Prison ministry opportunities for pastoral formation; Ø The alternating annual 3rd-4th-year Pilgrimage Trips to Rome and the Holy Land.
To nourish the exposure of our students to a diverse world we seek to create a Faculty which will serve to broaden their intellectual and pastoral horizons. At present, the Seminary has sixteen regular Faculty members, ten adjunct members, and eight College Faculty members assisting in the Seminary. Of this total, six are women, one is African, one is of Latino descent, and one is the retired Rabbi of a local Jewish congregation. Our Faculty members also come from a broad spectrum of economic and social classes, and their international educational experiences add to the understanding of diversity which they bring to our institution and its students. Together with the activities noted above the Faculty strive to convey to our students “the particular knowledge, appreciation, and openness needed to live and practice ministry effectively in culturally and racially diverse settings.” The Seminary’s policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity is published in the Bulletin (pp. 97-98), on the webpage, and in the FAH (3.2.4). In addition, every course syllabus reminds the student that a key goal of our MDiv and MAEM degree programs is that “Students will develop pastoral and leadership skills required for diverse contexts and cultural dimensions of Roman Catholic parish ministry.”
Documentation:
Bulletin ATS 2016-2017 Institutional Peer Profile Report Syllabus Template FAH
Recommendation:
Review the non-discrimination and equal opportunity policy statement and publish the same statement in both the Bulletin and the FAH. Include the Seminary’s non- discrimination and equal opportunity policy statement in the FPH and the DCLH.
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2.6 Participation and Leadership of Women
Whether prospective students are applying for admittance into the MA, MDiv or STB degree program, Saint Vincent Seminary welcomes diversity in its student body. The Seminary accepts both lay men and women into its Non-Ordination MDiv and MA programs and accepts people of all ages, nationalities and denominational traditions into these programs. As noted above in section 2.5, every course syllabus reminds the student that a key goal of our MDiv and MAEM degree programs is that “Students will develop pastoral and leadership skills required for diverse contexts and cultural dimensions of Roman Catholic parish ministry.” The fact that this applies to the participation and leadership of women in the Church is specifically emphasized to each student in the required course on Christian Anthropology, in which a unit on women in the life of the Church is taken up, and the Holy See’s document “On the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World” is reviewed and discussed by students with Faculty guidance. The percentage of women enrolled in St. Vincent Seminary for graduate work has ranged from 1.5 percent to 2.2 percent of the total student population over the last ten years. Considering that the majority of our students are men enrolled in the ordination MDiv program, we do not believe this to be surprising. Six women serve as members of the regular or adjunct Faculty, or are College Faculty members assisting in the Seminary. An additional female Faculty member of the College frequently teaches students enrolled in our Pre-Theology program. The Director of Public Relations, the Registrar, and two administrative Assistants in the Seminary are women. The Seminary has had two women serve in the past as the Academic Dean of the Seminary. In addition, as of this writing two women are members of the Seminary’s BR and take an active role on the Board, both currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Board; others have provided similar Board leadership in the past.
Documentation:
Bulletin ATS 2016-2017 Institutional Peer Profile Report FAH
2.7 Financial Assistance
Since a diocese or abbey sponsors most of our students, and since they seldom participate in U.S. federal student financial assistance programs (aside from the rare GI Bill aid recipient) it is not necessary for the Seminary to monitor student indebtedness or to counsel students in matters of financial responsibilities relative to their studies. Through the generous support of its donors, the Seminary is able to make available substantial scholarship funds to all ordination students. The Seminary grants the same amount of financial assistance to each ordination student, but it considers special requests from ordination students and their sponsors on a case-by-case basis. For example, if a given diocese or abbey is unable to meet its financial obligations, then an extra award would be considered. Lay students also receive scholarship monies, and many of our lay students also receive support through their home dioceses.
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Documentation:
Bulletin
2.8 Goal and Policy Sharing with Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent Seminary has a 170 year-long tradition of close cooperation with Saint Vincent College, and both institutions hold a common vision and pursue a common mission, granting that the Seminary’s aims are specialized to the ministry. Evidence of the ways in which both schools (which together form the Saint Vincent College Corporation) “contribute to the overall goals of the larger institution and support its policies and procedures” is seen in the following:
Ø Both schools were established (1846) through the integrated vision of Boniface Wimmer. Ø The schools share a common Charter (1870) from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ø Both schools share corporate and board structure, with the Seminary BR being a consultative body to, and having an ex-officio voice on, the College BD. Ø The President of the College and the Rector of the Seminary enjoy regular, (often daily) conversations on matters related to the schools and have an excellent working relationship and a common vision for the schools. Ø Saint Vincent has an extensive history of Faculty sharing and sharing of institutional resources involving the business office, the registrar’s office, and the Integrated Language Studies program. Ø Both schools share policies on a wide range of student and campus concerns, resources, and activities. Ø There is an increasing involvement of Seminary students in College activities through campus ministry and the sports teams chaplaincy program, among other endeavors.
Since Seminary students frequently share classes or other activities with College students, they experience the common mission and purpose of the schools first-hand, and they are encouraged by the Faculty to make optimal use of the many resources and possibilities at their disposal to carry the shared goals of the Seminary and the College into the next generation.
2.9 Credit transfer policy
The Seminary’s policy on credit transfer is clearly stated in the Bulletin (130-131) and in other relevant documents. The Academic Dean and the College Registrar work together closely to maintain good communications on any issues that arise in this regard—a significant improvement over the confusion which was noted relative to the Seminary’s pre-theologians in the 2008 self-study report, and which was already in the process of being remedied at that time.
Documentation:
Bulletin 18
2.10 Policy on the Ethical Use of Technology
The Seminary encourages the use of computers and electronic communications as essential tools to achieve its institutional goals and mission and to support the work of evangelization. The policy on the responsible use of technology by students, Faculty, and staff is contained in the Bulletin (110, 117-121) and it outlines the acceptable use of computers, the internet, and other resources at the Seminary. The proper use of technology resources is also emphasized in the FAH, on each course syllabus, in documents on the protection of children and vulnerable adults, and during annual conferences for all ordination students on celibacy.
Documentation:
Bulletin FAH 6.6.1 and 2 DCLH
Recommendation:
Review the Responsible Use Policy for technology and publish the same statement in both the Bulletin and the FAH.
3. The Theological Curriculum: Learning, Teaching, and Research
Introduction
The Seminary’s Mission Statement and the institutional goals that flow from that Mission Statement motivate and direct its theological curriculum. As an institution dedicated to the training of individuals for service in the Roman Catholic Church, the Seminary derives its identity from the core values of the Gospels, the teachings of the Church and the Benedictine heritage of “liturgical prayer, study, hospitality, and community,” as indicated in its Mission Statement (Bulletin, 1). At the same time the Seminary strives to create a community of learning, teaching and research in the broadest sense, one in which individuals are challenged to grow in faith, in character and in their commitment to a life of service. To meet this overarching goal, the Seminary offers a curriculum that seeks to challenge students intellectually, guide them morally, form them as mature persons, and foster their talents for service in ministry.
3.1 Goals of the Theological Curriculum
An essential quality of Saint Vincent Seminary’s theological curriculum, reflected in its Mission Statement, is its focus on integration; that is, it aims at the “integration of a candidate’s human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual life” (Bulletin, 40). The institutional goals further define the means by which the Seminary fulfills its mission to prepare men and women for service in the Church, as do the various degree program goals discussed later in this report. The reader can find evidence of the ways the Seminary fulfills the standards of a well-developed theological curriculum in the syllabus for each course in the academic curriculum, in the CADP evaluations, in the student portfolios, and in the yearly Exit Interviews. 19
Considering each of its components in its own way, and taken as an integrated whole, the theological curriculum has a formative aim that is consistent with the Seminary’s institutional and degree goals and which leads to “the development of intellectual, spiritual, moral and vocational or professional capacities.” Through the implementation of the theological curriculum, the Seminary strives to realize the goal of theological education in its students; that is, to help students in “deepening spiritual awareness, growing in moral sensibility and character, gaining an intellectual grasp of the tradition of a faith community, and acquiring the abilities requisite to the exercise of ministry in that community.” While these qualities are addressed primarily in individual courses within the academic curriculum, the Seminary strives to provide an integrated approach in all the activities and experiences that make up the overall curriculum and draw upon or contribute to the intellectual life of the students: including special formation sessions, fieldwork assignments with opportunities to reflect on the student’s experience, planning and execution of communal activities and social concerns events, and engagement in various tasks that contribute to a student’s personal, vocational, and professional development. This formation is crafted both in accord with the overall institutional goals of the Seminary and with the aims of the specific degree program in which each student is enrolled. Special attention is given “to the coherence and mutual enhancement of its [both the more comprehensive and narrow sense of the curriculum] various elements.” Noteworthy in this regard is the implementation of a significant change in the theological curriculum in the 2009-2010 academic year. After some deliberation, specifically over the Seminary’s formation program, the Seminary developed a new formation program – moving from a Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday cycle, to a Monday-Thursday and Tuesday-Friday schedule, thus leaving Wednesdays open for pastoral, spiritual, and human formation programs. This deliberation can be traced through the Minutes of the Faculty meetings of the 2008-2009 academic year. Of special merit in this regard was the close involvement of the Faculty and administration in the decision process, and the concern of both to preserve the integrity of the academic component of the Seminary while strengthening the integration of that component with the other aspects of the theological curriculum that contribute to the overall goals of the institution. To this same end, the Faculty and administration recently contributed to a review and revision of the MDiv curriculum. The purpose of this effort was to better align the Seminary’s MDiv curriculum and formation activities, intended primarily for candidates for the priesthood, with the institutional goals and integrated formative aims of the PPF (the four pillars of priestly formation). The BR in general and the BCPF in particular supported this initiative throughout the two-year review process. In a formal vote, the Board approved the new curriculum for the MDiv degree program and its implementation in the 2017-2018 academic year. The Seminary also recently introduced the MACPS degree to better align its theological curriculum with its institutional goals and certain ecclesial documents, e.g., Pastores Dabo Vobis and the Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy. Those who participate in this program and complete it will be in a position to teach basic Catholic philosophy in Catholic schools or colleges or pursue additional studies leading to the MDiv degree, the ecclesiastical Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology degree (STB), or to the MA degree with it various concentrations.8 This development is a practical one that contributes “to the coherence and
8 The reader will note the formative nature of the degree on pages 89-93 of the Seminary’s Bulletin. 20 mutual enhancement of its various elements” [i.e., the Seminary’s theological curriculum]. An effective assessment system will be developed for the MACPS degree. In accordance with its overall mission and institutional goals, the Seminary also revised its other MA degree programs (General Theological Studies) since the last self-study to integrate into the program more practical exercises for the students who may go on for further study and/or teaching. The degree program, regardless of the concentration (Sacred Scripture, Systematic Theology, or Monastic Studies) has a more structured curriculum and now requires an MA thesis and public lecture on the thesis. The program aims to form the student pursuing advanced studies and/or the future teacher with the knowledge and practice necessary in a general theological field. Altogether, the program, and each of its parts, is formative with respect to research and teaching and thus appropriate to the degree. While there have been no substantive changes in the Seminary’s MAEM Degree Program (Basic Program Oriented Toward Ministerial Leadership), the Seminary is in continual dialogue with local dioceses concerning this program and how its various elements cohere and enhance the program, especially the Dioceses of Greensburg and Altoona-Johnstown since the program is highly dependent upon diocesan application to the permanent diaconate program and the assessment of current programs offered by those dioceses. As it stands now, the degree program, with its structured list of courses, practica and opportunities for integration at strategic places in the curriculum, and in accordance with the Seminary’s institutional goals, serves to develop the “intellectual, spiritual, moral, and vocational or professional capacities” of diaconal or lay students “seeking to do diocesan and parish level ministry in the Church” (Bulletin, 86). With the development of on-line Seminary courses, we believe this program can accommodate some of the anticipated diocesan changes and in its own way will contribute to the on-going development of the Seminary’s theological curriculum.
Documentation:
BR Minutes (19 February 2008) Faculty Minutes (March – May and August – November 2008) Faculty In-Service Minutes of 22 August 2008 CADP Evaluations Exit Interviews and Reports Wednesday Formation Schedules Syllabi and Template Portfolios Bulletin
Recommendation:
Develop an assessment mechanism for the MACPS degree.
3.2 Learning, Teaching, and Research
Saint Vincent Seminary strives to imbue in the life of the community what Jean Leclercq called the love of learning and the desire for God. 9 As noted on page 40 of the Bulletin, “…we
9 The Love of Learning and the Desire for God is composed of a series of lectures given to young monks at the Institute of Monastic Studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome during the winter of 1955- 21 seek to instill in all our students an understanding that the Church herself is the model for the constant and dynamic love of learning and search for God that all her priests must learn to imitate in order to attain a rich and fulfilling priestly ministry.”10 The love of learning is a hallmark of the Benedictine culture, which we strive to inculcate in various ways in courses and community life in general and in a way that is “appropriate to post-baccalaureate education.” Discussed more fully later in this report, our entrance and degree program requirements clearly spell out the expectations of our various degree programs. Our students have not only baccalaureate degrees from accredited agencies but also the necessary philosophical and religious knowledge and/or language skills upon which our theological curriculum builds. When exceptions are called for, we conditionally admit students into the Seminary until they have met all prerequisites. The fact that other accredited institutions admit many of our students into more advanced programs is further evidence of the post-baccalaureate education they receive at Saint Vincent Seminary. Even as the Seminary works to instill a love of learning in the students, members of the Faculty are encouraged to model for the students a commitment to life-long learning within their individual disciplines as well as the “cultivation of scholarly discourse,” “as understood by the relevant scholarly and ecclesial communities” and the larger world community. To encourage the “cultivation of scholarly discourse” in the Seminary, the Seminary encourages Faculty to share their research, their participation in conferences, colloquia and other “extra-curricular” activities in the classroom and through other means. This fosters and encourages in the Seminary students the theological vocation and the “capacity to understand and assess one’s tradition and identity and to integrate materials from various theological disciplines.” In all this, students and Faculty alike learn through a variety of means and pedagogical approaches. Faculty members teach students to think critically and to engage in scholarly discussions and/or the practice of ministry in the physical or electronic classroom while at the same time thinking with the Church, in faith. Faculty feedback on student papers, exams, and via general conversation, serves the same end, development in critical thinking, writing, etc. For their part, students teach Faculty the importance of not only modeling a balanced approach to the faith but also finding new ways to communicate concepts and ancient truths to an ever-changing student population, which the students themselves must learn to appreciate and do in their respective vocations in order to be effective preachers and teachers. The classroom environment becomes a dynamic exchange of teaching and learning for both students and Faculty alike. There are many other opportunities to exchange knowledge and encourage the learning and growing of the community of learners, both students and Faculty. For example, when a Faculty member directs a student’s thesis or advises a student, meetings can often be an opportunity to discuss challenging academic and/or formational issues for students, e.g., some particularly dense material that is difficult to understand, concerns relative to teaching methodology, what it means to be orthodox, etc. Faculty can identify what may be impeding growth in learning and offer suggestions. This is true also of human formation meetings. They, too, are educational and formation opportunities for students and Faculty. It is also the case for
56. See Jean Leclercq, O.S.B., The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study in Monastic Culture, translated by Catherine Misrahi (New York: New American Library of World Literature), 1962. 10 This love of learning and desire for God is a hallmark of the Benedictine tradition deriving from the ancient monastic practice of lectio divina which is “a quest for communion with the Lord through the devout reading of scripture, philosophy and spiritual writings.” 22 formation conferences in general. While not credited courses, they are designed to aid students’ growth and integration, to “enhance ministry and cultivate emotional and spiritual maturity.” The various capstone exercises, for example the RFM and the Lectio Coram, are two means by which the Faculty assesses the outcomes of student learning and the quality of the theological curriculum. In the RFM, the Faculty evaluates how effective students are at putting into practice what they have learned. Curricular gaps, which have become apparent in the course of past RFMs, have resulted in new curricular offerings, such as our course on the Pastoral Care of Marriage and Families. In a Lectio Coram, graduating students present a thesis to the Faculty and students, which gives these students an opportunity to apply in a very practical way what they have learned, which, in turn, offers the Faculty an opportunity to assess the quality of a student’s teaching skills—a matter directly pertinent to the purpose of the degree program. In these exercises, the quality of student learning becomes apparent and the graduating classes assume the role for which they have trained, modeling leadership for their peers. Long before the time comes for a capstone exercise, however, students and Faculty have had opportunities to work together as a community of disciples. As noted in the course syllabi, the Seminary regularly asks students to present papers of various lengths, make oral presentations (sometimes accompanied by the use of technology), preach in different settings and participate in classroom discussions. As appropriate, professors will weave into their courses different ways to apply what students are learning so that they grow in confidence and ability and realize the end for which they aim, a theological vocation and priestly ministry in some form or another. The course syllabus template, the CADP evaluations and student profiles all serve this same end. Every syllabus should contain the Mission Statement and degree goals to which the questions on the CADP evaluations are addressed. The Seminary expects students to be able to assess themselves vis-à-vis the degree goals in a course. The evaluations are not so much about the performance and/or perception of a professor but a student’s performance and perception of himself and his love of learning. Encouraging and assessing a student’s own commitment to life- long learning is a critical element however of the entire individualized assessment instrument (the Profile Process) and given particular importance in light of the expectation that the seminarian will eventually be responsible for presenting the Gospel and the teachings of the Church accurately and professionally as part of his ministry. While the Seminary does not complete yearly profiles for those in continuing education or in our MA programs, we have recently introduced a Faculty feedback form on our MA students that seeks to assess a student’s academic proficiency, which includes academic curiosity and the willingness to stretch one's self for the sake of learning. In addition, we believe interest in lifelong learning is reflected in a student’s overall pursuit of learning in the MA program in its entirety, including the opportunity to research and write a thesis in an area of interest. We also recognize the many other formational opportunities that aid student learning. These include: opportunities for service and leadership on the Student Leadership Forum, writing reflections for the Seminary Forum Dispatch; various pastoral experiences supervised by Faculty members who share these with the students; pastoral visitation of the sick; ministry to the incarcerated and/or emotionally ill, to the homeless, aged, and those struggling with addictions. There are also opportunities for formal and informal theological reflection on these experiences. There are also many spiritual formation opportunities such as retreats, days of recollection, and conferences. Bishops and Vocation Directors visit the Seminary on a regular basis to meet with their students and with the Rector’s Council to evaluate and discuss the ongoing formation of each student. Faculty and students benefit as well from collegial exchanges and oversight
23 provided by the USCCB, the CCE, and the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm, relative to the purposeful design of curricular and extra-curricular programs. The USCCB (promulgators of the PPF), the CCE, and the Athenaeum provide oversight and direction to the philosophical formation programs for our seminarians. Finally, the Seminary, College, and Archabbey also offer a range of learning experiences on campus throughout the year, through a public concert series, national conferences, guest speakers, convocations, and guest formation presenters. The Seminary invites and encourages all seminarians and lay students to participate in the curricular and extra-curricular learning opportunities so that they too can inculcate in themselves a sincere love for life-long learning and growth. Members of the Faculty and Administration hold advanced or terminal degrees in their areas of specialization and are committed not only to maintaining a professional standard in their teaching but also to modeling in their personal decorum the values of “mutual learning, respect, and engagement” that are fundamental to Saint Vincent Seminary and its mission. They bring to the classroom and community of learners their knowledge and unique way of understanding and communicating that knowledge based on an experiential knowledge of the faith, diversity, and catholicity in the universal Church. These experiences and the worldwide educational background of the Faculty help students to appreciate the Catholic faith as a one and many reality, as does the Seminary’s syllabus template. The template serves to remind and anchor the students and Faculty in the purposefulness and singlemindedness of their work while the courses themselves, the Faculty and the changing student population remind stakeholders that their work is ultimately about something wider and deeper than a Mission Statement or degree goal can encapsulate. This humble admission is something the Faculty understands and strives to help students to understand in an “environment of mutual learning, respect, and engagement.” This is one reason the Seminary shifted its emphasis from course evaluations to course and degree program evaluations consonant with the mission and institutional goals and with an emphasis on student’s self-assessment. Students and Faculty alike need strategic reminders of institutional and course and degree program goals and students in particular need to learn how to assess not only professors but also themselves relative to the goals. They need to learn to communicate their judgments respectfully and honestly so that they can develop as teachers and assessors themselves. The ability to engage in self-assessment and the assessment of others with honesty and respect and the willingness to engage in theological reflection on different experiences in Seminary life is also an important element of the annual profile process and teaches Faculty and students “about working together in an environment of mutual learning, respect, and engagement.” An appreciation of the science and art of assessment as a theological activity itself helps students as future leaders, as they will have to assess programs and personnel themselves. It also aids in Faculty and course development and in teaching effectiveness in general, as students provide a certain amount of feedback to Faculty in papers, exams, classroom dialogues and evaluations. Student feedback provides the data upon which Faculty can reflect on teaching theology in a Seminary environment. While most teaching is done in a traditional classroom setting combining lecture and multi-media presentations of varying kinds, the Seminary also offers (and indeed, requires) seminars on specific topics, ministerial practica and their accompanying in-class discussion and reviews, and, when circumstances warrant, independent studies to meet the needs of students.
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The diversity in classroom pedagogy accommodates different learning styles and encourages growth and integration of knowledge. Some tasks, methodologies or courses encourage “remembering” basic facts or concepts while others encourage comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation or creation (Bloom’s taxonomy). The diversity in classroom and extracurricular activities, pedagogy, and content stimulates theological conversation and teaches the art and science of a theological knowledge capable of finding application in worldwide and local settings. The Seminary expects seminarians to use library sources and write extensively throughout the course of the curriculum as well as for certain capstone exercises. This teaches students about critical thinking, research, and integration of sources. It also teaches them the duties of a professional theologian. The research librarian, an adjunct Faculty member, teaches the fundamentals of research and writing in a course required of all students in the Seminary’s MACPS degree program. The campus also provides Schoology, an integrated learning management tool, through which students and Faculty can share resources outside of the class time on an ongoing basis. Some of our Faculty members are becoming quite adept at integrating Schoology into their courses and students are benefitting. This, too, is a practice students can later apply in their ministries and vocations; i.e., the notion of an on-line learning community. As necessary, the Seminary addresses the diversity of life experiences of its students through such programs as Integrated Language Studies and the newly mandated Spanish language courses and immersion experiences for its MDiv students. Individual Faculty members also accommodate students with learning disabilities and other challenges, e.g., if English is not a student’s primary language. The Seminary also works with men and women who want to pursue degrees in divinity, theology or ecclesial ministry and welcomes their participation in our programs, as their participation is yet another way to teach students about the Catholic faith. All students benefit from the participation of diverse groups of people in a common study, whether this means working alongside people from other countries or from religious orders other than the Benedictine order; people who are older, who have been married and have raised a family; or women who stayed home to raise a family and are now pursuing further education or have been professionals the whole of their adult lives. The Seminary draws on these experiences to educate students about aspects of the Catholic faith and ecclesial life in general. The collaborative nature of education at Saint Vincent Seminary is also seen in the 2015- 2016 MDiv curriculum review and revision process (GIS 3.1). It is an example of the Seminary’s vigilance in maintaining Faculty, student, and governance participation in crafting an integrated and well-informed program of study. This systematic assessment of our complete course structure led to the design of new courses and extensively revised courses, all within a curricular strategy that incorporated the contributions of Faculty, students, and clerical and lay members of our governing board, as well as the best practices seen in the curricula of our peer schools. There are many ways to measure teaching performance. For example, the CADP evaluations and Faculty responses, the annual CTA, the various Capstone exercises and exams, the Exit Interviews, the Portfolios, and the annual personnel interviews and reports all reflect directly or indirectly teaching performance or perceptions thereof. Equally important, however, is the measurement of student performance reflected in these instruments. The aim of the various instruments is to assess how able and willing students perform. Such a measurement is an important development in the Seminary’s comprehensive assessment program, re-purposed in many ways beginning in 2013. While there has been a shift in the Seminary’s philosophy of
25 assessment, Faculty and administrators nevertheless continue their efforts to improve their performance as educators. We note this reflected in their responses to the CADP evaluations, their annual self-evaluations, their annual reviews of portfolios and careful review and revision of the curriculum, their participation in the strategic planning process and responsiveness to governing boards (especially the BCPF), and their participation in Faculty meetings, in-service meetings and colloquia. In addition, in service to the Faculty, the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment manages a number of assessment projects each year, which involves the distribution of assessment instruments, the review of assessment feedback, and reporting on the findings. Each year, the Coordinator shares this information with the Faculty at a Faculty in-service or colloquium dedicated solely to reviewing the various assessment instruments and reports. Seminary Faculty always strive “to ensure the quality of teaching within the context of its purpose and as understood by the relevant scholarly and ecclesiastical communities.” The Seminary offers many programs as preparation for ministry. As such, there is an emphasis in the curricular on integrating the practical application of knowledge. The type and quality of research undertaken by the Faculty is at their discretion and appropriate to the degree programs. In all cases, however, as part of its diligent oversight of the academic programs, the Seminary has very clear expectations of the criteria for student research for courses in general as well as for particular degree programs. These expectations include a standardized style manual as well as standards of length (Bulletin, 60-63; 72; 76-81; 88; 93; 132). The Seminary expects Faculty to grade student papers and theses according to the published standards. The forms and “markers” used for grading papers and other student work substantiate this expectation; though, admittedly, a strict adherence to this is not always apparent, as the portfolio reviews and some MA papers evidence. After some deliberation, per the recommendation of the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment and with the support of the Academic Dean, the Faculty decided to change the degree requirements for the MA program. Instead of two smaller papers, students must now write a thesis under the closer supervision of a director (Bulletin, 76-80).11 We believe and expect that with this change, along with the portfolio reports and Faculty feedback on the quality of research and writing, a revised grading scale with clear expectations, and a required course on Research Methodology for those in the Seminary’s MACPS degree program, there has been and will continue to be improvement in the area of student research. We recognize this to be a work in progress, one that involves the best efforts of all stakeholders. Quality of writing and evidence of good research in written papers, however, is just one way to assess student work and the Seminary as a whole when it comes to research. There are many other ways students demonstrate their abilities to conduct good research, to integrate that research into their thinking and work. In the Lectio Corams, part of the MA Comprehensive Exams, students share their research and findings with students and Faculty in oral presentations and in their responses to questions from the Faculty and students. Their visual support materials also bear witness to their research, comprehension, assimilation and capacity to not only apply what they learned in a teaching and/or public setting but to also construct a framework through which they present what they have learned. In their own way, these students “strengthen classroom experiences.” The same is true of theological reflections and student presentations in different courses, as part of an assignment. For example, in Pentateuch and Exegesis, students conduct a 1 - 1 ½ hour “exegesis presentation” (Bulletin, 162), thus demonstrating their abilities to “discover information and to integrate new information with established understandings.” In the Ministry
11 The policy changes regarding the thesis were discussed and adopted by Faculty vote on 28 August 2015. 26
Capstone Seminar, “students will be assessed on their ability to prepare written and oral presentations of various catechetical topics to different audiences. Theological reflections are also essential components of this seminar.” The Seminary expects students to “integrate and synthesize the following areas: Scripture, spirituality, morality, systematic theology, catechetics, and pastoral practices” (Bulletin, 159). Students usually have to conduct research for the reflections and presentations to prepare them for the reality that applied theology will always require some degree of research, assimilation, construction of patterns of understanding, etc. In courses in general, especially in seminars, Faculty will often require students to make public presentations of their research and papers and in other courses, Faculty ask students to respond to questions posted in Schoology after having read assigned materials or independently researching material related to the questions. Assessors can see quickly how well students have read, researched, understood and responded to the questions and whether they have been able to build upon a foundation of knowledge and integrate new material into their thought processes, constructing their own “patterns of understanding.” Homilies are another way of assessing how well students can construct patterns of understanding, after having researched and discovered new information and integrated that information “with established understandings.” Faculty themselves are a resource to students when they engage in the sharing of information and thought patterns with students. Faculty are a “walking library,” virtually available to students and to each other in a “communal enterprise.” Their commitment to developing themselves as professionals, conducting their own research in order to develop courses, write articles or books, present papers or prepare talks for conferences, colloquia or symposia, “in constructive relationship with the academy, with the church, and with the wider public,” makes them a virtual walking library and/or resource librarian. A review of Faculty vitae and their research and creative activities clearly indicates that Faculty members take their professional responsibility for research and professional development seriously. Not only is this an expectation for maintaining a Faculty position in the Seminary (FAH, 4.4.4.3 - 4.4.4.4.), it is also a personal matter to the Faculty because they understand the vocation of a theologian to be a lifetime endeavor. In that regard, many of our professors are regularly involved and active in professional organizations and attend yearly conferences to stay current in their fields. Many have been engaged in research or creative work “rendering service to the Church,” some of them directly impacting the Seminary’s sense of theological scholarship. For example, Fr. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B. developed a workbook for the Seminary’s formation program, an in-house publication entitled Learning and Practicing the Art of Critical Reading and the Preparation of a Divisio textus, and another work entitled The Saint Vincent Biblical Study-Tour Program in Israel: Brief Introductory Histories, Biblical and Primary-Source References, and Related Materials for the sites to be Visited in the Holy Land, in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Periodically, professors will share in Faculty colloquia the results of their research and/or their publications, some of which reach a wide ecumenical audience and others reaching out to the whole of the Catholic population in the local diocese or in the United States. Many of the Faculty members have also been active in sharing their work publicly in “think tank” dialogues, at conferences and other institutions of higher learning, and via television circuits or radio waves, domestically and internationally. In addition, Faculty members have given numerous talks to local parishes and other communities of learning. To the Faculty of Saint Vincent Seminary,
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“theological research is both an individual and a communal enterprise undertaken in constructive relationship with the academy, with the church, and with the wider public.”
Documentation:
List of Faculty In-Service Days (August 2010 to August 2015) and Faculty Colloquia (October 2010 to October 2017) 2016 Portfolio report and individual assessors’ comments from earlier years Kathleen Borres: Assessment as a Tool for Theological Reflection Sample Portfolios with list of artifacts (includes profiles) Student Leadership Forum Minutes and Forum Dispatches List of pastoral and spiritual formation opportunities MA Student Evaluations (Faculty SurveyMonkey form) CADP Evaluations with Commentary and Response Forms Closing the Loop Assessment (OneDrive Public/Summative Reports) Faculty Self-Evaluations and Dean’s Reports Sample MA papers, theses, Lectio Coram grade reports and slides Grade Report Form (generic and completed samples) MA Comprehensive Exams (essays, papers, slides, grades, etc.) Official Seminary Style Sheet (Bulletin, p. 132, no. 37) List of College, Seminary and Archabbey lectures Curricula Vitae Markers Document (identifying proficiencies) RFM Scenarios and Reports CTA Reports Five year ATS report Exit Interview Reports Syllabi and Template Bulletin FAH
3.3 Characteristics of Theological Scholarship
Saint Vincent Seminary acknowledges that theological scholarship, broadly speaking, involves many different stakeholders collaboratively and actively engaged in teaching, learning and research and committed to a lifetime of learning and theological reflection, of “seeing, judging, and acting” (cf. In-Service Minutes of 28 August 2015). More narrowly, we understand that our stakeholders are not limited to those living and working at Saint Vincent Seminary since “collaboration and communication extend beyond the theological school’s immediate environment.” Both the integral and the far-reaching nature of the theological enterprise necessitate that the Seminary relate its theological scholarship “to the wider community of the church, the academy, and the society” and that it do so through many different means and in a variety of contexts. This sensitivity to the wider community – and a consciousness of racial, ethnic, gender, and global diversities - can be encouraged and taught in physical and electronic classrooms, offices, and libraries, in parishes and in other field placements. The constitutive elements and aims of theological scholarship are not limited to physical classroom settings but involve one-on-one exchanges wherever and however they take place. This is the Seminary’s understanding of theological scholarship in the broadest sense, which the Mission Statement,
28 institutional goals, the theological curriculum, and the Seminary’s “own community of learning,” each in its own way reflect. The ability to contrast and compare differing systems of thought and to examine how others arrive at answers to significant theological and moral questions is a hallmark of excellent graduate schools of theology and successful formation programs. The Seminary, as situated within a Benedictine tradition, has always supported sound intellectual study and scholarship within the context of a faithful adherence to the teaching of the Magisterium. The Seminary understands that scholarship is integral to the theological vocation of “faith seeking understanding.” As the FAH notes, the “search for understanding necessitates freedom of investigation and discourse by which the faith of the Church is protected and made meaningful to the community of believers” (FAH 4.6.1). As such, the Seminary strives to maintain a healthy climate for learning, teaching and scholarship, offering an environment of study that is both challenging and enriching for everyone in consonance with the mission and institutional goals of the Seminary and with respect for a healthy diversity. Electronic resources and library holdings bear witness to the freedom of inquiry and scholarly collaboration encouraged in the Seminary; and their proper reference in the degree programs, emphasized in the Research Methodology class and course requirements, reflects the intellectual property rights of those whose works students and Faculty are encouraged to consult. Likewise, the Seminary’s active engagement with people outside the immediate area of Pennsylvania—including numerous international students—fosters a healthy climate for the exchanging of ideas and for learning, teaching and scholarship. Members of the Seminary community come from a range of geographic areas and ethnicities. Ages differ widely as well. The diversity has had a positive effect on orienting students to the larger world context allowing them to see issues of faith outside a traditional American and Western European context and to appreciate that diversity and freedom of inquiry and expression are fundamental principles of the Catholic faith. To reinforce this and to encourage the practice of freedom of inquiry in a Catholic context, the Seminary has published policies relative to academic freedom, professional ethics and due process (FAH 4.6 and 4.7), which together suggest that faithfulness to Church teaching and freedom of inquiry are by no means mutually exclusive. While the majority of our students understand this, there are students who from time to time struggle with a proper understanding of the Catholic faith and, consequently, Anselm’s description of the theological vocation as “faith seeking understanding.” In doing so, some students may prefer one method of philosophical and theological thought to another. With special attention and formation, they can usually outgrow this view and become more open to theological scholarship across the ages and the diversity of expressions of faith within the context of faithful adherence to the teaching of the Magisterium, which is the understanding of the majority of our students. To encourage openness, we remind the students that Faculty and administration have made an Oath of Fidelity and Profession of Faith. We also strive to emphasize freedom of inquiry in the curriculum and one way we do this is by our historical emphasis in the curriculum and by teaching the theological traditions of Church history. Both implicitly and explicitly, we encourage the use of different methodologies, theological constructions and biblical senses. The resources we provide students relative to the faith and tradition and the tensions we draw out in the historical presentations of the same challenge our students to be people open to learning, freedom of inquiry, and diverse publics. We believe that in the process we are not only suggesting to our students that humility fosters freedom of inquiry
29 but we are also encouraging our students to be humble practitioners in their proclamations of the mysteries of the faith. Since Father Boniface Wimmer established Saint Vincent Seminary in 1846 the Seminary and its Faculty have been engaged with the wider public in a deep and continuous manner, serving for example as circuit rider pastors and goodwill ambassadors of still-suspect Catholicism throughout western Pennsylvania while at the same time teaching in the Seminary. Although those pioneer days and their exigencies have long past, the spirit of those times remains strong within the institution of the Seminary, with Faculty members and administrators in varying ways assuming responsibility “for relating to the church, the academic community, and the broader public” and “for the appropriate exercise of…[their] public interpretive role to enrich the life of a culturally and religiously diverse society.” Faculty members and administrators regularly assist in weekend parish ministry, provide spiritual direction and offer other programs for an ever-growing number of lay and ordained faithful of various denominations, publish widely in Catholic and ecumenical journals so that its “theological scholarship informs and enriches the reflective life of the church” and contributes “to the scholarly study of religion and its role in higher education.” They also serve on various boards and committees and participate in various missions, field trips, programs and “think tanks” that serve the local and wider community in special ways. These experiences have a way of finding voice in Seminary community life as Faculty, either formally in meetings or in-service and colloquia gatherings, or informally, share their experiences with their peers and students. Through its Pastoral Formation Program, the Seminary is involved with various social service organizations, for example the Union Mission, the Latrobe Food Bank, the annual March for Life, local state hospitals, nursing homes, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, prisons, and schools for exceptional children, to name just a few. There is often an ecumenical and inter- religious dimension to this work as well, as there is frequent opportunity for common prayer, ecumenical discussion and witness to the faith. Saint Vincent is proud to continue its 170-year history of being an institution well known and highly regarded amid the broader public. The Seminary also continues its legacy for representing “the historical breadth, cultural difference, confessional diversity, and global scope of Christian life and thought.” As the Catholic Church in the United States has become more diverse and vibrant, the Seminary has continued to adapt to its changing needs. An example of this collaborative enterprise and scholarship as practiced at Saint Vincent Seminary is the ELS program, which has seen much development since the last self-study. In collaboration with Saint Vincent College, we offer “a full time, fully accredited English Language Study program for our students” (Bulletin, 45). In a related area, we have also been re-building our Hispanic Ministry Program. As our Bulletin states, “People of Hispanic origin and culture constitute one of the most rapidly growing segments of the United States population” (Bulletin, 46). The Bishops of the United States continue to emphasize the growing need to train seminarians for ministry to Hispanic people, encouraging Seminaries to provide language courses, courses in Hispanic cultures, and immersion experiences. Our program (beginning in the fall 2017 term) will require all new seminarians to complete one year of Spanish language instruction at Saint Vincent focusing on the use of Spanish in pastoral situations, to participate in annual workshops dealing with issues of concern in Latino and multi-cultural ministry, and to complete a summer immersion program in Spanish language and Latino cultures. Pastoral assignments requiring ministry to Latino populations will also be available, and mass will be offered in Spanish each week.
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Our appreciation for the value of engaging diverse publics is reflected also in our collaboration with Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh and with the Athenaeum in Rome. Among the many fine opportunities these relations provide, we include the recent hire of Father Christian Kappes from Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary and the arrival of Father Laszlo Simon, O.S.B. as a visiting professor from the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm. The Seminary acknowledges with gratitude the unique contributions that these most recent hires bring to the Seminary’s theological curriculum in general and to the degree programs, specifically. We believe the sharing of resources and theological scholarship strengthens our programs, as does the Seminary’s recent hire of Sister Mary Veronica Sabelli, R.S.M. for the Seminary’s philosophical formation program. Sr. Mary Veronica comes to us with a unique background in law, philosophy, assessment and Vatican relations. In different ways, these recent developments all reflect the Seminary’s mission, institutional goals, and deep sensitivity to the appreciation of history, cultural and confessional diversity, and the global scope of Christian life and thought” which informs the whole of the theological curriculum in the narrow and broad sense. We acknowledge with gratitude the contributions that our regular and long-standing adjunct Faculty makes to the realization of the Seminary’s mission, institutional, formation and degree program goals. Every member of the Faculty, each in his or her own way, represents a diverse public and unique perspective relative to theological scholarship. We have international representation, males and females, laity, diocesan clergy and religious working on a regular basis at the Seminary. Many of them are also active in theological work outside the Seminary, teaching locally in diaconal formation or outside the country in various programs, and serving on editorial boards and translation committees, often in a leadership capacity. Regular and adjunct Faculty give talks at public workshops, retreats and conferences and they are active working in spiritual direction, on the radio and other forms of Catholic media, and in leading retreats as far away as China. They bring these experiences back with them, thus bringing a truly Catholic sensibility to the Seminary. Their Curricula Vitae and annual self-evaluations testify to their many activities and associations and we are grateful for their efforts to “ride circuit” locally and globally on behalf of the Seminary and Church. These activities have a way of influencing the theological curriculum in dynamic ways and reflect the Seminary’s “awareness and appreciation of global interconnectedness and interdependence, particularly as they relate to the mission of the church.” When alumni return to the Seminary, they too contribute to learning, teaching, and theological scholarship in the wider community of the Church and world, as does the broader regional and even global character of the far-flung pastoral, educational and missionary involvements of the monastery. The presence of monks and sisters from other religious orders and countries contributes to the global character, influences in appropriate and dynamic ways the Seminary’s theological curriculum, and aids in the realization of the Seminary’s mission, institutional, formation and degree program goals. The contributions that bishops, vocation directors, and other professionals who have offered workshops, provided sound counseling, and addressed the students on curricular and formational matters is note-worthy as well. They too influence in appropriate and dynamic ways the Seminary’s theological curriculum, helping the Seminary to fulfill its mission, institutional and various degree program goals.12 While the Seminary’s student population is primarily male, we have had a number of women attend the Seminary. A few of them have since graduated and pursued terminal degrees.
12 See Formation Folder on OneDrive. 31
Two of these women have taught in the Seminary and one still does. The presence of these women and other women on the Faculty, along with female administrators and other professionals who in one capacity or another serve the Seminary, adds to the healthy climate for learning, teaching, and theological scholarship in “patterns of institutional and educational practice that…related to the mission of the church.” Though the numbers of females may be small, comparatively speaking, the Seminary as a Catholic institution is not discriminatory. As its Mission Statement and institutional goals reflect, the Seminary is open to the gifts of all persons, regardless of gender, cultural background, race, and creed. The Seminary invests in the global context of its mission in a number of ways. In addition to what we have already cited, we can also cite the college apostolic work of some Seminary students; e.g., sports chaplaincy and campus ministry, both of which involve engagement with people of different faith traditions, ethnicities, etc. While participation in these apostolic ministries is not mandated, all of our students, throughout the four or six years of formation, participate in different pastoral assignments that bring them to encounter people of different races, religious traditions, and cultural backgrounds. While western Pennsylvania is not especially diverse in terms of its international population, some cities and towns are growing in this way; and much of western Pennsylvania reflects the immigration of different ethnic groups even today. This sensitivity to the global context of our mission is seen in an important addition to the Seminary’s theological curriculum that came about through the recent curriculum review and revision process. Our new course, TH 834 – Ecclesiology, Missiology, and Ecumenism, will emphasize the fundamental missionary impulse of the Catholic Church and bring students who come from relatively homogeneous communities into contact with the reality of the wider Church and their call to engage with it. While the focus of our theological curriculum is Catholic - and not other major religions - this new course will necessarily involve “the study of other major religions” as these religions relate to the one, catholic, holy and apostolic church. To heighten sensitivity to the awareness of the global mission of the Church and Seminary, the Archabbey, College and Seminary often host international figures of some renown as speakers on campus and encourage interfaith and ecumenical dialogues and workshops. These programs provide additional opportunities for our students, Faculty and administrators to experience the global nature of the Church’s mission. Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe and alternating annual pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land are other ways to foster a global awareness and respect for the cultural sensitivities and traditions that our Catholic faith embraces, which itself is reflected in the PPF. The Faculty and administration of St. Vincent Seminary assume “that all students come to us for a serious purpose and expects them to be responsible individuals who demand of themselves the highest standards of honesty and personal conduct” (Bulletin, 107). To maintain the integrity of its programs, the Seminary sets clear expectations for its Faculty, administrators, students, and sponsors relative to its theological curriculum and formation and degree programs. There are policies on plagiarism, proper use of information resources, electronic recordings, use of internet for research and writing, inclusive language, and grading, etc. (see Bulletin, 107-132). While the Seminary recognizes the need to accommodate students with disabilities and will not hesitate to recommend Disability Support Services to a student, should the need arise, the Seminary expects Faculty and administration to maintain the integrity of the Seminary’s program by dutifully following the Seminary’s grading policy. If necessary, the Seminary will advise a student to withdraw from the Seminary for academic reasons. The Seminary follows an academic
32 warning policy which includes sending a student “a cumulative average warning” with copies sent to the student’s Faculty advisor, the vocation director, and the bishop or religious sponsor (Bulletin, 108).
Documentation:
List of College Support Programs List of Faculty In-Service Days and Colloquia Faculty Self-Evaluations and Dean’s Reports Formation Folder (esp. Human, and Pastoral) Portfolios FAH Curricula Vitae
Recommendation:
Create a task force of Faculty members to consider ways of addressing students who have difficulty understanding the value of history and diverse methodologies in the study of theology and the practice of ministry.
4. Library and Information Resources
4.1 Library Collections
Saint Vincent Latimer Family Library was founded as part of a monastic-educational institution by the Benedictine monk Boniface Wimmer of Bavaria in 1846. The combined collections of the Archabbey (which included the Seminary) and College were integrated into one Library housed in a single building in 1958, thus making the holdings available to the entire Saint Vincent Community. This allows the Seminary to share this common facility along with the College and Archabbey collections, a great advantage for the breadth and depth of the library collections available to the Seminary, for both graduate and undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and differing levels of academic competence. This report evaluates Saint Vincent Seminary’s library and information resources as providing priesthood and other qualified students with information needed for their “spiritual formation, human development, and academic and pastoral preparation” (cf. the Mission Statement,” Bulletin, 1) and “the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (ATS Handbook of Accreditation (2006) § 9, p. 1). The Library has a notable collection of primary texts ranging from Old Testament Hebrew and Greek versions through the critical editions of Greek New Testament texts, as well as Latin and other major versions. Complete sets of patristic writings in their original languages are supported by translations and commentaries, along with official texts of Church documents and extensive secondary literature commenting on them. The Library complex houses nearly 290,000 books and periodicals, and 99,000 microforms. The theological holdings make up about a third of the total collection, including nearly 100,000 printed volumes. There are an estimated 6,000 volumes of philosophical studies and the recent John Deely bequest of 15,000 volumes in the field of philosophy, which has not
33 yet been catalogued, will greatly enhance this collection. Over 80 of Saint Vincent Library’s approximately 270 journal subscriptions are theological and 20 are philosophical. The central reference area provides access to more than 3,500 resource titles. Within this collection there is a special emphasis on materials in the various sacred sciences: historical and systematic theology, Sacred Scripture, canon law, church history, along with many of the standard philosophical references. The Library collection serves our student population well but faces the same challenges that all academic libraries confront in terms of the explosion of both print and electronic publications and the accompanying cost of collection development. Online access exists to an extensive list of bibliographic and full-text information materials through such resources as EBSCOhost’s Academic Search Premier, ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index, ATLA Religion Database with ATLA Serials, Philosopher’s Index, PsycINFO, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, and five JSTOR databases. Materials not available here may be requested from other libraries through the Interlibrary Loan service and the Library’s participation in the Westmoreland County Libraries Reciprocal Borrowing Program. As noted above with respect to our print collections, the current electronic and online resources are sufficient at present, but changing demographics, increasing engagement with the global church, and ongoing developments in theological fields mean that the collection requires specialized evaluation and greater financial support. The Seminary updated its Library Policy Regarding Collection Development and Retention in 2007 after having received input from the Seminary Faculty Library Focus Group (hereafter, SFLFG). The SFLFG is composed of Faculty members from the various academic departments of the Seminary. With this Faculty input into the Library collection practices, the Library staff then revised its 1985 Policy Statement. Further input for the Seminary’s new policy came from the Library staff and an examination of the Library’s biblical holdings by Br. Elliott Maloney, Professor of New Testament Studies. The policy formulated was approved on 11 September 2007 by the Director of Libraries, Br. David Kelly, O.S.B., and the Rector of the Seminary, Fr. Justin Matro, O.S.B. The Library Director and staff have already made many of the policy changes related to the collection of digital materials and deselection of print materials. Our policy has been to maintain a diverse collection of scholarship in religion, theology and philosophy, as well as materials for pastoral ministry. The revised collection development policy brought the process up to date until 2014 when funding for new acquisitions was reduced due to budgetary restraints. As noted above this situation must be addressed as part of the Seminary’s commitment to provide the needed resources in support of its academic programs. Any revised and reinvigorated collection development policy will recalibrate collecting levels to match current programs (such as the new MACPS degree and the prioritization of Hispanic Ministries). Because of its combination with an undergraduate College, the library will continue to collect in cognate disciplines, other religious traditions, philosophy and theology, with emphasis on digital subscriptions. While increased acquisition funding is needed, at the present time the Library’s large holdings, particularly when considered in conjunction with the holdings and contribution of Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Archabbey, adequately cover relevant materials from cognate disciplines as well as basic texts from various other religious traditions. The latter collection is also supported and supervised by the College’s Theology Department and is more than sufficient to representatively demonstrate diversity and inclusiveness, though not nearly as extensive, of course, as the materials on the Christian and Catholic traditions.13 The philosophical collection
13 See p. 4 of the O’Malley Report on OneDrive. 34 has been developed over many years by the Philosophy Department of the College and greatly increased by the recent Deely bequest of 15,000 volumes. The Library houses a unique special collection preserving the institution’s Benedictine patrimony, giving special attention to the acquisition and preservation of Benedictina. The Library’s renowned collection of rare, valuable, and unusual theological books and manuscripts, kept in a climate controlled special collection area, is evidence these traditions are being well preserved. Former Director of Libraries (1984-2001) Fr. Chrysostom Schlimm, O.S.B. was named Special Collections Librarian in 2001 in order to initiate a preservation program. Most of these materials appear in the OPAC and thus are available to Seminary Faculty and students, although some have limitations on their use due to their value. In addition to print materials, the collections include the online data as well as other media and electronic resources as appropriate to the curriculum, including collections of audio tapes, CDs, DVDs and video tapes, all with appropriate players. The Library’s collection of microfilm and microfiche items is accompanied by readers and a printer for patron use. As noted earlier “the changing demographics, increasing engagement with the global church, and ongoing developments in theological fields” mean that these non-print collections require specialized evaluation and greater financial support.
Documentation:
Bulletin 2007 Report on the Library’s New Testament Collection Library Collection Development Policy-Seminary The O’Malley Report
Recommendation:
Increase acquisitions funding to build the Library’s print and non-print collections, including philosophy, through systematic evaluation of the collection by a specialist in collection evaluation with input from the Seminary Faculty Library Focus Group and/or other groups and departments.
4.2 Contribution to Learning, Teaching, and Research
Library staff promote learning, research, and teaching through providing reference services to Faculty, staff, and students in person and by phone and email. Two members of the library staff also teach in the Seminary, Br. David Kelly, O.S.B. and Ms. Denise Hegemann, and thus provide assistance to seminarians regarding the use of research materials. Evidence of the Seminary’s concern for information literacy comes from two primary sources, the library orientation components of the curriculum and the requirements of the various theology courses for research and writing of papers. In terms of orientation, at the beginning of each school year, Ms. Denise Hegemann conducts an orientation to the Library for all new students, in which a tour of and introduction to the basic resources are given along with assurance of that librarian’s availability during library hours for consultation on any research needs. In addition, Ms. Hegemann teaches a class, AS 700: Research Methodology, in standard theological inquiry for students in the MACPS program with a component of online information data.
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All the Library staff promote learning, research, and teaching through collection development and information technology to support our degree programs and lifelong learning opportunities for alumni. As to proof of research by Seminary students course syllabi list the research requirements for classes involving research. These requirements spell out clearly the goals of each assignment and thus provide exercises to enhance the information literacy of the students. Examples of their work, as evaluated by the class professor, are to be found for each student in their MDiv Portfolio (and will be in the near future for MA student Portfolios). Various activities of the Faculty and students also evidence active support of research, for example: suggestions for acquisitions of books and serials, requests for inter-library loans, the assistance of the Public Services Librarian, and the use of electronic resources for research for papers, articles, and books. While the circulation statistics of books used by students and the frequent use of the Library’s reserve books service do not single out seminarian Library use from the composite (College, Monastery, and other), such statistics are not as important as the requirements given on the course syllabi to show that the library is an integral part of the learning process. Nevertheless, the further evaluation of print and electronic resources’ usage may provide insights into how the Faculty can assist students in making the Library a key component of their learning experience at Saint Vincent and in their future ministry. Access to the vast number of resources is possible because of the technological infrastructure supporting the management of and access to the Library resources. Computer access began in 1978 when Saint Vincent Library joined OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center), thus initiating computerized cataloging and mutual availability of materials between Saint Vincent Library and other libraries. Then, in 1994, the Library installed an integrated automated library system from Innovative Interfaces. Today most of the Library holdings (Abbey, Seminary, and College) are included in that system known as OPAC, which is locally maintained by Ms. Beth DiGiustino, Head of Technical Services with assistance from the institution’s Information Services Department. Faculty and students can access the catalog in the Library and on the Internet through the campus computer network, on and off campus. Library staff computers are fully integrated with the campus network and there is a computer lab and wireless internet access available in the Library overseen by the Saint Vincent College’s Information Technology Department. As the College expands its library resources the Seminary Faculty and students will benefit from the availability and development of these resources. The Library provides a hospitable, comfortable physical setting with 72 individual study stations and 66 chairs at work tables along with spaces for instructional activities. In addition to College and Seminary students, the Library serves Faculty and staff, local clergy, students from other seminaries, and walk-in patrons, thus contributing to the learning and currency of information for all these constituencies.
Recommendation:
Conduct an online survey of seminarian usage of the Library’s print and electronic resources, with the goal of providing “insights into how the Faculty can assist students in making the Library a key component of their learning experience at Saint Vincent and in their future ministry.”
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4.3 Partnership in Curriculum Development
From its foundation to the present day, the Saint Vincent Library has had as its purpose to provide scholarly material to any person who desires the advancement of knowledge. The Seminary’s mission to teach Roman Catholic theology and to deepen the appreciation of the Benedictine tradition shapes the development of the Archabbey-Seminary holdings, supports courses taught at Saint Vincent Seminary and provides for ongoing spiritual and educational development for all who utilize the Library. The teaching staff of the Seminary is in close communication with several Library staff members. Br. David Kelly, Director of the Saint Vincent Library, is also a Faculty member of the Seminary and thus participates in the regular Faculty meetings. He and the Special Collections Librarian, Fr. Chrysostom Schlimm, another Seminary Faculty member, for example, have both been part of the process of recent curriculum development.14 These two library staff members provide the Library/Seminary Faculty reciprocal information. The Seminary Faculty also consults on various matters with the Assistant Librarian, Ms. Denise Hegemann, who participates in student orientation programs and teaches the basic research course for new students.
4.4 Administration and Leadership
The Director of Libraries provides leadership in theological collection development, ensures effective educational collaboration with the Faculty and students in the institution’s theological school, and is an ex-officio member of the regular Faculty of the Seminary. The Director holds master’s degrees in library science, religious studies, canon law and political science. The Assistant Director holds a Master of Theological Studies degree as well as the master’s degree in library science. The Director exercises responsibility for regular and ongoing evaluation of the collection, the patterns of use, services provided by the Library, and the Library personnel.
4.5 Resources
The Seminary shares theological and philosophical resources with the College and Archabbey and therefore is part of a concerted effort to provide the Library services needed for the Seminary programs. Thus, in spite of budgetary pressures the Seminary contributes its fair share of the financial burden for the operation and maintenance of the whole Library institution; in the current fiscal year (2016-2017) the Seminary’s allocation for the Library’s operating expenses is $54,000. The Library is an EEO employer. The current staff numbers four full-time and two part- time professional librarians, two of whom have Faculty status, and a number of paraprofessional and support staff members who are available to assist students with research needs, directions to the contents of the collection, and access to available print and online resources in the Library. Staffing appears to be sufficient but the Seminary will be eager to review any recommendations made in this regard by the College in its MSCHE self-study report. For each of the past three years the Seminary has allocated $54,000 for Library operational funding. In addition the Archabbey provides $12,000 to the Library annually for
14 Final approval in the Minutes of the Seminary Faculty Meeting for 10 May 2016. 37 upkeep, salaries and acquisitions in areas relevant to the Seminary’s curriculum. While it is true that the Seminary “contributes its fair share of the financial burden for the operation and maintenance of the whole Library institution” it is also true that this funding does not go toward the acquisition of new books, most of which are purchased through restricted funds donated for that purpose. In terms of the future, the formation of the SFLFG in June 2007 helped to determine the appropriate level of resources for the Library and its funding at that time. Now, the Seminary must reconsider its financial commitment to the Library. The cost of existing items such as ATLA and other Seminary-related databases has been covered by the Library’s operating budget, but the Seminary must again revise its collections policy in keeping with a budget that includes electronic materials and the rising cost of publications in the Sacred Sciences. The SFLFG has charged the Faculty to make yearly recommendations for information resources, books and periodicals in their areas. This work must resume aided by a recommendation from the Academic Dean to each member of the Seminary Faculty requesting a list of items they would like the Library to obtain for use by the students. Admittedly, the Library will not be able to acquire all items on such lists. Interlibrary Loans may supply resources the Library does not possess, however, and consideration of much more electronic acquisition seems to be the way forward. In terms of the hours of operation and the environment, the Library is open to patrons 83 hours each week when school is in session and it is generally conducive to learning because of its ample space and usually quiet atmosphere. All Library holdings, staff offices and services are centrally located which makes management and service tenable. There is also lounge space for students who may wish to take a break, or conduct small group work or hold discussions. The needs of persons with disabilities are met by handicap access to all areas of the main level of the Library (periodicals, reference books, electronic catalogue, Public Service Librarian’s desk) and by special elevator access to the main stacks in theology (Yellow Level of the Library). The other levels in the Library are accessed by the service of staff members who retrieve any books or bound periodicals when needed. The Library accommodates the vision and hearing impaired on an individual basis. Staff members speak to them individually and conduct them by means of the elevator and special doorways to the areas they need to consult. Maintenance of the adequacy of the Library depends on the availability of funding from all its constituents. While there is a general satisfaction within the Seminary community that adequate collections and electronic resources are offered and are supported by a knowledgeable and friendly staff, nonetheless the Library deals with budgetary constraints which may prove to be a challenge as we move forward. The Library participates in an Interlibrary Loan program but does not rely on it to supply core resources or integrity of the collections. Although budget restraints have limited acquisitions in recent years the Latimer Family Library is self-sufficient and “remains accountable for the quality of library resources available to its students and Faculty.”
Recommendations:
1. Develop a revised Seminary library collections policy which accounts for electronic materials and the rising cost of publications in the Sacred Sciences, and is in keeping with budgetary constraints.
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2. The Library Focus Group, with the endorsement of the Academic Dean, should contact each Seminary Faculty member to carry out ongoing assessment of the collection and to obtain a list of desiderata in their areas of expertise.
5. Faculty
Introduction
The Faculty, the central organ of Saint Vincent Seminary, is made up of sixteen regular and ten adjunct Faculty who serve in a range of capacities from teaching theology to instruction in fine arts, pastoral leadership, library services and spiritual formation. Eight Faculty from Saint Vincent College assist in teaching in the Seminary. The composition of the Faculty reflects a strong Benedictine presence with twelve of the sixteen members of the regular Faculty and five of the ten adjunct Faculty being Benedictine Monks. The remaining four members of the regular Faculty consist of two diocesan priests, one religious Sister and one layperson. As the Mission Statement of the Seminary professes, “Saint Vincent Seminary is a Roman Catholic Seminary, grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living tradition of the Church in accord with the Magisterium” (Bulletin, 1). All Catholic Seminary Faculty upon appointment make a profession of faith and an oath of fidelity. While almost all Faculty are Roman Catholic and most are ordained priests, four Faculty are women, and a Jewish Rabbi teaches pastoral counseling. The appointment process is clearly stated on page 21 of the FAH, as are policies for grievances, rank and tenure, benefits, and other matters. There have been no significant problems to be resolved in these areas over the past ten years. The Faculty’s strong Benedictine foundation supports a longstanding historical collaboration between Saint Vincent Archabbey and Saint Vincent Seminary. While the Faculty structures its activities and theological instruction to be consistent with the norms for human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation in conformity with the fifth edition of the PPF, the Seminary formation program and curriculum of study is highly influenced by elements of the Benedictine intellectual tradition, specifically the Benedictine openness to learning. For example, a recent Faculty colloquium considered the balance of faith and reason according to the great Benedictine theologian, Saint Anselm.15 As the four pillars of the PPF are organic in nature, so are the learning, teaching and research components of the curriculum interconnected in planning course structure, delivery of course material, and deployment of assessment mechanisms. The Faculty regularly addresses curricular issues pertaining to the PPF in its Faculty meetings and colloquia.16 In 2015, for example, a Faculty in-service day considered the place of theological reflection in seminary formation.17 The concern for integration is evidenced in the design and deployment of a range of coursework and formation programs addressing each of the pillars listed above. Survey evidence indicates that among all Seminary stakeholders, as well as graduates, there is generally strong agreement that given the recent re-emphasis on reflection on the mission of the Seminary and increased promotion of our Mission Statement in internal and external publications, the Faculty
15 See the Minutes of the 5 October 2015 Faculty colloquium on faith and reason, available on OneDrive. 16 See the Faculty Meeting Minutes and a listing of titles of colloquia and Faculty in-service days on OneDrive. 17 See the listing of Faculty in-service days and colloquia on OneDrive. 39 has managed well its part in the implementation of the Seminary’s mission across all Seminary programs, bringing it into every course, the Strategic Plan, and every major decision.18
5.1 Faculty Qualifications, Responsibilities, Development, and Employment
The majority of the regular Faculty members have appropriate terminal and/or ecclesiastical degrees from a range of institutions that permit the diversity of training and outlook necessary for a graduate program of Catholic theology. Two Benedictines are currently pursuing doctoral degrees to prepare them to teach in the seminary in sacred scripture. Looking to the future, there is need to prepare Faculty in systematic theology, liturgy, canon law, church history, and in homiletic and pastoral theology. Nine of the present regular Faculty will exceed 75 years of age within the next ten years. Obviously Faculty may also be drawn from outside the Benedictine community, but this does show how serious the need in the coming years will be to recruit Benedictine and other Faculty. Advancement in rank proceeds regularly, among Benedictine and non-Benedictine Faculty, with three Faculty recently advancing to the rank of Professor, two to Associate Professor, and two others are in the process of being advanced to Emeritus status. Regular as well as adjunct Faculty members, besides having appropriate education, also have vast ecclesial and other professional experience giving them expertise in their respective fields of psychology, parish and other ministry, rhetoric, education, and spirituality.19 The Faculty members remain generally current in their respective disciplines and use current academic material, always including recent research and magisterial documents, as well as an awareness of relevant current issues. The Faculty regularly attends to continuing education, including regular provision of opportunities to keep pace with rapidly developing educational technology. Besides the development of new courses and the revision of existing courses, many attend yearly professional and other conferences and most read widely, practicing the Benedictine ideal of life-long learning. Many professors welcome students’ questions as an opportunity to explore an area related, but tangential, to their areas of expertise in order to respond to the inquiries of students. As will be further discussed in 5.4, most Faculty members have published books, book reviews, articles and conference papers, further evidence of currency in their fields. A review of the Curricula Vitae and the Faculty self-evaluations bears this out. Faculty occasionally give a brief summary at Faculty meetings or colloquia of conferences they attend or works they recently published, addressing how this work concerns their fields of study and expertise and affects their teaching. The topics of colloquia also show how the Seminary has drawn upon resources and persons from ATS to assess and evaluate programs, as well as to discuss topics such as “Evangelical Catholicism” and “Ministering to Communities in Crisis.”20 All of the Faculty share in a love for the Catholic faith and tradition as well as the Benedictine heritage. Fidelity to tradition is balanced with measured and thoughtful openness to change and growth. A review of the regular Faculty Minutes over the last ten years reveals how assessment is both formal and informal. The Faculty regularly assesses its curriculum and degree requirements. At times, the discussion is about a new course or a different emphasis in a course, which leads to a new course description. At other times, it is about how an elective will serve to
18 See the various Assessment Reports Review available on OneDrive. 19 The credentials of all Faculty members can be found in the Saint Vincent Seminary Bulletin 2016, pp 137-142. See also the Curricula Vitae on OneDrive. 20 See list of colloquia on OneDrive. 40 round out the curriculum in a given year. Sometimes discussions are about a course or degree that demands more credit hours or books that need to be placed on the comprehensive reading exam list. At other times, there is a discussion of a library collection policy or an MA thesis proposal. It is worth noting that at the fall colloquium each year (since 2015 and moving forward) the Faculty reviews and discusses all the reports from the various assessment tools for the previous year. This includes the annual CTA exam which gives direct feedback to the Faculty on specific courses in terms of how well the students are learning and retaining the material taught in those courses. The diversity of the student body has required the Seminary Faculty to review its curriculum regularly, as have the expectations of other governing bodies, for example, the CCE, the USCCB, ATS, Middle States, or a particular constituent diocese. Most recently, over the past three years, the Faculty has substantially revised its curriculum to better implement the Hispanic ministry program, to more comprehensively cover all of Sacred Scripture, and to create a new course on the theology and pastoral care of married couples and families. These changes are scheduled to be implemented in the fall semester of 2017. During a number of workshops and in- service days, the Faculty has devoted time to exploring the vocation of the teaching Faculty at Saint Vincent Seminary. These forums provide opportunities for thoughtful reflection and oversight of the curriculum. A review of the Faculty self-evaluations and Curricula Vitae reflects a tremendous diversity of experience and background. This gives flesh to the reality and universality of the Church, one, holy, Catholic and apostolic, and reflects the desire to truly live out the evangelical and Benedictine reception of the other as Christ. In this way the Faculty lives out and realizes the Seminary’s Mission Statement.21 Faculty members listen closely to their constituents as a normative oversight practice in other ways as well – listening to advisees, spiritual directees, or peers contributes, at least indirectly, to curricular oversight. On any number of occasions, a Faculty member consults another on a particular matter of doctrine, an assignment, or something a student said in the external forum. The teaching Faculty along with the formation Faculty are continuously and actively seeking to program more and better opportunities for integration, for making pastoral connections, and for growing in cultural sensitivities. The Faculty members remain open to constructive growth and development without jeopardizing their fidelity to the Church’s tradition or compromising the Seminary’s programs. When proposals for new programs, courses and other initiatives surface, they are reviewed by the Faculty for their adherence to both the standards specified in the PPF and academic rigor. The Faculty reviews all curricular proposals or changes that might significantly affect the curriculum and they make recommendations to the BR for approval, and then to the governing body of the institution, the BD. With respect to compensation, Saint Vincent Seminary pays competitive salaries commensurate with the academic and professional experiences of each of its members, at least with respect to its regular lay professors and adjunct professors. The large number of monastic Faculty members do not receive an actual “paycheck” in the same way lay persons do, but a transfer of funds is made from the Seminary to the Archabbey. Saint Vincent Seminary strives to pay all Faculty and staff not only that compensation which might be sufficient for priests and monks but sufficient as well for lay professors with families to support, and it continues to benchmark compensation with other similar institutions with reference to ATS’ Institutional
21 See Faculty Self-evaluations, Curricula Vitae, Faculty Meeting Minutes and other documents available on OneDrive. 41
Peer Profile Report. Saint Vincent Seminary Faculty probably have a higher workload than at peer institutions when many other duties and responsibilities are factored in, such as spiritual direction, human formation and academic advisement opportunities, independent studies, giving outside talks, retreats, and conferences, teaching in outside Permanent Diaconate programs, and pastoral responsibilities. We will further discuss this problem later. As for the Seminary’s adjunct professors, their rate of compensation is commensurate with that of the College Adjunct rate and they receive the same annual adjustment as do the College adjuncts. In terms of other benefits, two Faculty members took advantage of the sabbatical policy over the past five years. No other requests were submitted. Since a sabbatical leave is a useful tool for upgrading and renewing one’s education and providing quality time for research and publication, a review of the FAH could serve as an excellent opportunity to make certain all Faculty members understand the importance of sabbatical leave and how to go about applying for it. This is significant in light of the Seminary’s research expectations and the Faculty’s own desires for professional enhancement. Some funding is in fact available for Faculty development, and some professors take advantage of these funds. Saint Vincent Seminary has established the Pope Benedict XVI Chair in Biblical Theology and Homiletics for Excellence in Preaching. This endowed chair involves a visiting professorship including teaching and special lectures open to the public; it has been vacant for five years. Effort should continue and be intensified to identify a suitable occupant for this distinguished professorship. Physical plant and technological renovations of the last ten years are readily apparent. Aquinas Hall, now named the Brownfield Center, has been renovated, providing additional office space for the director of pre-theology formation and counseling, as well as some other space for adjunct professors. It would be advantageous to create more office space for adjunct Faculty to share in order to meet with students. It would better integrate the adjunct Faculty into the community and help build a sense of community for the Seminary as a whole if this office space could be located nearer to regular Faculty. Classroom space has been renovated and is technologically up to date and adequate. Sharing physical and other resources with the College, including classrooms, is mutually beneficial. Athletic facilities, cultural events, lectures, wellness services, and more are readily available to Seminary Faculty because of the shared governance structure. In terms of technology, the transition has been completed from CARS information management system to Datatel. Educational technology is switching from Blackboard to Schoology. These improvements are important as the Seminary ventures into distance learning in the fall of 2017. Finally, in terms of administrative support, the Faculty has a secretary they share with the Academic Dean. However, the support the secretary can realistically provide the Faculty is limited because of the amount of work the office of the Academic Dean generates. This does not seem to be a problem however, as Faculty members are able to handle most tasks independent of secretarial help.
Documentation:
ATS’ Institutional Peer Profile Reports Faculty Self-evaluations Curricula Vitae Faculty In-Service and Colloquia Minutes
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Recommendations:
1. Careful attention should be given to planning for the replacement of a number of Faculty who are soon passing retirement age.
2. Provide funding for sabbatical leaves and encourage Faculty to apply for them.
3. Identify and hire a suitable occupant for the Pope Benedict XVI Professorship.
5.2 Faculty Role in Teaching
One of the ways in which Faculty members stay current in their fields is through teaching. Many subscribe to periodicals in their field and regularly make research a part of their teaching experience. Positive CADP evaluations conducted at the end of each semester often reflect this. The CADP evaluations have been revised so as to provide opportunities for Faculty to respond to the students’ evaluations in writing and to solicit more substantive feedback from the Faculty regarding their own progress and challenges. Moreover, the Dean is attempting to renew the annual evaluation process for all regular Faculty in light of the fact that the policy outlined in the FAH has not been followed (Cf. FAH, 4.4.). The individual Faculty member receives a draft report at the end of this meeting which includes commendations and recommendations (if any) to review for any corrections and or further discussions. Once finished, the Dean and Faculty member sign the report, a copy is given to the Faculty member and the signed original goes into his or her personnel file. This process seems adequate. Moreover, Faculty are required to submit syllabi to the Academic Dean at the beginning of each semester, and the Faculty has discussed different syllabi from time to time, including one in-service day when at least part of the day’s discussion turned to the connections between course evaluations, syllabi and Faculty role in teaching. Further, the Dean issued a syllabus template to include not only course evaluation, but evaluation of integration of the course goals with the Mission Statement of the Seminary and the various degree program goals. This revised template is designed to coordinate and standardize syllabi from course to course and from professor to professor, as well as to ascertain that all important information about the course and all expectations and polices of the professor and institution are communicated. As noted earlier some Faculty members have been resistant to following the template. Faculty always strive to prepare students for the kind of integration expected from them by their courses and programs. When followed up with the various connections professors make in their courses between the different formative pillars, and with ample opportunities for theological reflection and ministerial application, the course content should prove to be both informative and formative to the students. The Faculty work toward the goal that each of the formation “pillars,” that is the human, spiritual, academic and pastoral formation programs, create space for theological reflection and integration. The idea of connections and the aim of integration permeate the whole of the ordination program as witnessed by in-service days of 2015 and 2016 at the Faculty level and the all-day special Wednesday Formation Conferences at the seminarians’ level. Recent Assessment audit reports and Exit Interviews also speak to this integration of learning. Each year the regular Faculty submits a budget to the Seminary’s Financial Analyst. The budget typically includes a breakdown of potential expenses, for example, cost of books and
43 journals and fees for professional organizations and conferences, all of which should enhance the teaching skills of our professors in some way. There is also an endowed fund for Faculty development. Funds are also available for electronic resources to enhance teaching skills. While the use of electronic classrooms and slide presentations does not necessarily make one an effective teacher, it can enhance the teaching skills of a professor as has been seen by recent Faculty adoption of the Schoology learning management system and devotion of Faculty meeting time to instruction regarding the use of this system. Each fall, the Faculty colloquium is devoted to an “Assessment Reports Review.” This compilation of institutional assessment by the Academic Dean and the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment is an achievement of which we are very proud. It has replaced the Course Significance Analysis cited in the 2006 Self Study. This report includes the CTA, the most recent Exit Interview Report, the most recent Portfolio Review, the Assessment Audit Report, CADP Comments and Sample Syllabi Comments. This comprehensive assessment process has led to recommendations taken seriously by the Faculty, such as improvements in teaching each Faculty member’s particular courses as well as a Seminary-wide effort on the part of the Faculty to map formation program and curricula across the years of study to help students make connections sooner rather than later. The impact of assessments narrated above validates the confident and positive self-evaluation of Saint Vincent Seminary and its Faculty. It is also reflected in the analysis below.
Documentation:
Assessment audit reports of 2013 and 2014, and the Exit Interviews of 2015 and 2016 Assessment Booklets on OneDrive 2016 Faculty Colloquium Assessment Reports and Minutes Faculty Self-Evaluation forms on OneDrive
5.3 Faculty Role in Student Learning
Students assess the Faculty and Faculty members assess the students in a number of different ways. In the classroom, professors measure student performance against particular standards they set for the courses. In the course syllabi, professors typically write what they expect the students to learn, as well as grading policies assessing a number of different areas over a range of activities involving oral and written communication, analysis and synthesis, and other higher order thought processes. A review of the syllabi reveals the extent to which these different activities are involved in assessment. Since each course is unique, each course will have its own integrity and professors evaluate accordingly. Still, it is the typical practice of our Faculty to assess a student’s knowledge of the subject matter by his or her ability to convey that knowledge to the professor and/or to fellow students. In some courses, professors want to see that students can make connections with ancillary subject matters and appropriately apply what they know to new situations. In other courses, professors want to see that students know how to find answers to their own questions. Some professors simply want to see that students can recall the facts and circumstances of a given situation. Some foundational courses can especially emphasize this type of learning outcome. The extent and type of thought, therefore, is dependent in part on the nature of the subject matter, the vision of the professor for the course and the placement of the course in the curriculum.
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The fact that the Seminary’s primary mission is to prepare men for the priesthood and secondarily to prepare lay persons for other ecclesial work, and that the Faculty are expected to respect certain Church guidelines, does not mean there is no room for freedom of inquiry. The tradition of the Church is meant to spur inquiry and deepen penetration and better articulation of revealed truth. This is ultimately the significance of theology, the search for the meaning and understanding of Christian revelation for each new generation and culture. Quite candidly, the Faculty might not always align completely in their understanding of academic freedom as exercised in a Roman Catholic Seminary, and while there is surely a diversity of approaches to doing theology among the Faculty, this is mostly a fruitful tension. All Seminary Faculty do, in fact, agree with, profess, and sign the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity before beginning to teach in the Seminary and they agree that the curriculum should help students to understand and distinguish between revealed truth and various modes of expression. The Faculty generally feels that students who do not pursue freedom of inquiry nor make the often subtle distinctions between revealed truth and the expression of that truth are not evidence of any failing on the Faculty’s part. It is rather the result of some students’ pre- disposition against such inquiry, perhaps arising from poor catechesis prior to entering Seminary, or from formation in a Pre-Theology program of weak intellectual quality before their arrival at Saint Vincent. Still, while the students are in our midst, the Faculty must find ways of helping them to understand the meaning and limits of the theological quest. Without the freedom to wonder and explore the meaning of a given truth a fundamental dimension of formation is missing. While the Faculty cannot insist on such openness, this is stressed early and throughout the formation program by all Faculty members, and Faculty regularly discuss and evaluate whether students are growing in this area. There are a number of forums to do so, for example, academic advising, human formation advising, as well as through the CTA, the CADP evaluations, annual seminarian profiles, and classroom discussion. Academic advisors utilize advisement as a forum for discussing and assessing a student’s growth in theological comprehension and assimilation and share this information with the human formation advisors so their work with a student can be more helpful. The learning process takes place both inside and outside of the classroom. The Faculty at Saint Vincent Seminary understand this, and the availability of professors has always been a hallmark of a Benedictine education at Saint Vincent Seminary. It seems to students that they are the number one priority for Faculty, and opportunities for teacher-student dialogue are not limited to the classroom or set office hours. As the FAH notes, regular Faculty members do publish office hours on their syllabi. However, teacher-student exchanges take place in many different ways and at many different times. Some of our professors dine with the students and so are readily available to the students during these times; others engage in casual conversation with students between classes. Some professors spend considerable time electronically conversing with students, answering probing questions of one sort or another. Still others are available through the more formal forums of human, academic, and spiritual advising.
5.4 Faculty Role in Theological Research
The Seminary is primarily oriented to the formation of men for service as priests. It also seeks to train permanent deacons and lay persons for service in the Church and wider society. As
45 such, the type and level of the professional development and research carried out by members of the Faculty should reflect this. A review of Faculty Curricula Vitae and their research and creative activities clearly indicates that Faculty members take their professional responsibility for research and professional development seriously. During the last ten years, regular and adjunct Faculty at Saint Vincent Seminary have produced many articles and book reviews in their research fields, both hard copy and online, and have presented scholarly papers and various academic lectures. Several Faculty have written weekly columns or submissions to Catholic journals. Such contributions are often of a scholarly nature and are attempts to make pastoral or spiritual applications to daily life. Besides this, Faculty have published roughly ten books over the last ten years, as well as written poetry and encyclopedia articles, done work on radio, composed Masses, produced study guides and handbooks, and performed numerous organ recitals. Of course, as described above, much Faculty research takes place in directing theses, preparing lectures and especially new courses, and staying current in their field. It is easy to see how, for some, the teaching load can be heavy, combined with administrative duties, spiritual direction, counseling and advising. The time spent offering independent studies, as well as providing human formation and shouldering the Faculty role in the student evaluation profile process, often impedes the accomplishment of the independent research that many Faculty would like to achieve. Even with the appointment of a Coordinator of Seminary Assessment, Faculty are asked to serve on committees and to continuously engage in ongoing evaluation and assessment of themselves and the institution, as well as the students. The Seminary Faculty naturally cannot be expected to publish as much as or even the type of content that their colleagues do who teach at universities or research institutions. Still, if one reviews the curricula vitae and Faculty self-evaluations, it would appear that most Saint Vincent Seminary professors are exceeding the expectations of this policy, though admittedly to varying degrees. As would be expected, many of our professors are regularly involved and active in professional organizations and attend yearly conferences to stay current in their fields. The annual Faculty self-evaluations and Faculty curricula vitae give ample evidence of fulfillment of the “Policies Regarding Institutional Expectations and Requirements for Faculty Research and Evaluative Criteria with Regard to These Expectations,” the published policy in the most recent edition of the FAH (p. 21). When someone is being considered for a higher rank, the Committee on Rank does appraise the work of a given Faculty member. In light of these concerns regarding time for research and the oversight of research and professional activities, the Seminary should continue its ongoing candid discussion of expectations and performance among the members of the Faculty and administration, especially in light of other responsibilities Faculty members have besides their load for teaching. Presently, Saint Vincent Seminary considers a full-time teaching load to be four courses per semester, according to the FAH (p.18). Most graduate schools consider three courses per semester a full- time load. It will be important for the Seminary to continue to examine how to define a full time course load, and how to balance teaching with other expectations for administrative and formation responsibilities as well as research and ministry expectations. There is stability and continuity with respect to the Faculty, witnessed by the strong monastic presence on the Faculty. Happily, this is also true for the adjunct professors, many of whom have been a part of the Faculty for years. Newer members are continuing the pattern. This speaks well of the sense of mission at the Seminary and the sacrifices people are willing to make for the sake of the mission. Though the Seminary Faculty members do not have tenure, the
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Benedictine charism of stability provides a certain guarantee of continuity. One thing must unequivocally be said of Saint Vincent Seminary Faculty: they are dedicated.
Documentation:
Faculty In-Service Day and Colloquia Minutes Faculty Self-Evaluations and Curricula Vitae Portfolio Reviews Assessment Audit Reports and Exit Interviews Bulletin FAH
Recommendations:
1. Conduct a Faculty-wide discussion to clarify Faculty research expectations.
2. Factor other duties and roles, such as independent studies, academic, human and spiritual formational responsibilities, special assessment and evaluative roles, and special research, publication or other creative and professional work, into the measure of “full time” teaching.
6. Student Recruitment, Admission, Services, and Placement
Introduction
As specified in its Mission Statement, the primary purpose of Saint Vincent Seminary is to provide spiritual, human, pastoral and intellectual formation for candidates to the Roman Catholic priesthood. In his 1992 Apostolic Exhortation on the Formation of Priests, Pastores Dabo Vobis, Pope Saint John Paul II quoted the word of the Lord as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart” (Jeremiah 3:15). This is the over- arching goal of the policies and practices of the Seminary with regard to candidates for priesthood. Moreover, the Seminary was founded with a broader educational purpose in mind. “Saint Vincent Seminary is a Benedictine institution, an apostolate of the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States. Saint Benedict called his monastery a ‘school for the Lord’s service.’”22 Thus the Seminary provides additional formation programs for permanent diaconate candidates and for men and women seeking education in theology to prepare them for ministry in the Church and for bringing Jesus Christ to the world.
6.1 Recruitment
The qualities sought in a seminarian are clearly set forth in various Seminary publications, including the DCLH, the FPH, and the Bulletin. The qualities listed in these
22 Daniel J. Heisey, Saint Vincent Seminary from Its Origins to the Present (Latrobe: St. Vincent Archabbey Press, 2006), 8. This author is an adjunct member of the Seminary Faculty. 47 publications reflect the expectations presented in the 5th edition of the USCCB’s PPF. These student handbooks and the Bulletin have been regularly updated during the last ten years to ensure that the standards articulated therein accurately reflect the actual practice of the Seminary in choosing and retaining men who are able to be formed into “shepherds after the Heart of Christ.” These publications also present in a detailed fashion the concrete components of the priestly formation programs offered at Saint Vincent Seminary. In addition to the publications mentioned above, these programs are also described in the Seminary’s “Pre-Theology Immersion Program” brochure and the “Priestly Formation” brochure, both of which are published for the express purpose of marketing and recruitment. Another publication that serves not only for fundraising but also for recruitment purposes is the semi-annual Seminary magazine, Leaven.23 The Public Relations and Development offices are of great help in preparing these materials. The majority of those who study at Saint Vincent Seminary have been recruited through the vocations office of their diocese or religious order and have received the express support and sponsorship of bishops or religious superiors. The Seminary therefore does not directly recruit seminarians but responds to and supports the recruitment efforts of the dioceses and religious orders. Face-to-face communication is an integral part of the Seminary’s recruitment plans. The Rector makes personal visits each year with sponsoring bishops and superiors. This is a time for the Rector to hear firsthand some of the concerns, hopes, and expectations of the Seminary’s sponsors, and they give the Rector the opportunity to share with them the news and developments that have recently taken place at the Seminary. These visits continue to prove fruitful for all concerned, as many candid conversations and assessments provide the opportunity for discussing each of the men in the Seminary’s formation programs. In addition, each November the Rector, Academic Dean, the Archabbot, and representatives of the Faculty and students attend the USCCB’s annual meeting and host a breakfast reception for the Seminary’s constituent bishops and any other interested bishops. This event, first instituted in 1989, continues to be productive as a forum that not only helps solidify the relationships of existing partners but also provides an opportunity to introduce other bishops to the Seminary through the networking activities of constituent bishops. In addition to the Rector’s visits to sponsoring dioceses and abbeys, the Rector periodically visits dioceses and abbeys that do not send candidates to the Seminary for recruiting purposes. The Rector also invites bishops and superiors of non-sponsoring institutions to the Seminary for retreats, Days of Recollection, installation to ministries, and other spiritual life programs. This gives the visitor first-hand experience of the Seminary, its administration, its Faculty and its seminarians. Sponsoring Bishops and Vocation Directors also visit Saint Vincent to receive first-hand evaluations of their seminarians. During these visits, these Bishops and Vocation Directors meet with the Rector’s Council, the body that is charged with the annual assessment of each seminarian in the Saint Vincent program. Also very beneficial for recruitment are on-site visits by men considering the Seminary for their priestly formation. Prospective students visit the Seminary for a day or a weekend; often these days and weekends give prospective students a sense of the Seminary and also provide a discernment opportunity. The annual Alumni Mass and Banquet held in the fall term and the Fourth-Year Recognition Mass and Dinner held in the spring term have also been methods of recruitment because of the exposure that the Seminary has to alumni and other priests in a position to
23 These documents are all available on OneDrive. 48 encourage vocations and application to the Seminary. The Rector, when he visits bishops or superiors, also organizes meetings with local alumni to strengthen their interest in Saint Vincent Seminary through personal dialogue. The Seminary’s Scholarship Programs also support recruitment. The prospect of receiving financial aid to assist with the costs associated with their sponsorship of seminarians is a strong point in Saint Vincent Seminary’s favor. Recruitment may benefit from a policy of allocating aid based on the special needs of dioceses and communities facing financial challenges. An additional service which the Seminary offers sponsoring or potential bishops and superiors and which supports recruiting of seminarians is the availability of psychological evaluations for their potential seminarians as an essential part of their application procedures. With this program comes also the possibility for prospective or current seminarians to work on a short or long-term basis with our resident clinical psychologist throughout their seminary career on any issues deemed necessary by their sponsors or by the Seminary. The Seminary is also committed to training other qualified men and women for service in the Church through its MA, ecclesial ministry, and permanent diaconate programs. The Seminary’s recruitment activities for these programs correlate, in part, with the recruitment efforts of the dioceses, particularly in the case of those men who study for the permanent diaconate. Regarding those seeking a MA degree apart from the permanent diaconate, these applicants interview with the Academic Dean before admittance into the program. This interview can help prospective students to discern their callings, areas of concentration, and readiness for academic work at the post-baccalaureate level.
Documentation:
DCLH FPH PPF Bulletin Leaven issues
Recommendation:
Consider allocating aid based on the special needs of dioceses and communities facing financial challenges.
6.2 Admissions
For candidates seeking preparation for priestly ordination, the application for the MDiv program reveals the extent to which the Seminary takes its responsibilities seriously to prepare “shepherds after God’s own heart.” It does so in accordance with the expectations of the PPF, specifically, that there be full disclosure of past studies and/or affiliations with religious orders or dioceses and a completed psychological profile to support the prospective student’s application to the ordination program. Moreover, multiple background checks and clearances at the state and federal levels are required. In addition to the application form itself and supporting documents, the Seminary requires prospective MDiv students to satisfy certain other entrance requirements (e.g., a
49 bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, transcripts from prior course work, letters of recommendation, and the required number of credits in philosophy, Judeo-Christian theology, and languages). These prerequisites are found in the Bulletin. If students cannot satisfy the entrance requirements, the Seminary directs them into the Pre-Theology program and/or directs them to register for those courses that will help them to meet the prerequisites (e.g., credits for New Testament Greek or proficiency in Latin). A TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper exam, 215 on the computer exam, or 79 on the online exam is required for those whose first language is not English. In collaboration with Saint Vincent College, the Seminary has established its own Integrated Language Studies program in which students can study for a year or more in order to gain English proficiency before being accepted into the MDiv program. Prospective students also interview with members of the Admissions Committee24 and should already manifest clear and positive signs of a priestly vocation. The Admissions Committee will confirm the overall readiness of prospective students for the Seminary formation program by a careful review of their completed files and the issuance of a formal letter of acceptance. The admission requirements for seminarians wishing to obtain a dual degree, (that is, the MDiv plus either an MA in Theology or the STB), are not as extensive as those required for the MDiv degree. This is because admittance into the MDiv program precedes admittance into either the MA or the STB program.25 The admission requirements of the MA degree programs for non-ordination/lay students are as follows: transcripts of prior course work; a baccalaureate degree from an accredited school; prerequisite courses in philosophy, Judeo-Christian theology, and possibly languages (depending on one’s area of concentration); three letters of recommendation, two of which must come from people who know the prospective student’s academic capabilities; a personal interview with the Academic Dean; and, if requested, a recent GRE score to ensure the student’s readiness for further study. Applicants are also required to clear several background checks, reflecting the mission of the Seminary to prepare qualified men and women for work and ministry in the Church and in the world. The same applies to the MAEM Program, non- diaconate track. For those seeking the MAEM as preparation for ordination to the permanent diaconate there is the additional requirement of a letter of sponsorship from the candidate’s sponsoring bishop. In recent years, Saint Vincent Seminary has adopted a new grade-scale that is designed to ensure that the standards of scholarship in the Masters programs of the Seminary (MDiv, MA with its three different concentrations, the MAEM with its diaconate and non-diaconate tracks, and the MACPS) are higher than those of undergraduate programs. For example, a grade equivalent of 70% or C- (1.67 grade points) is required for passing a course, compared with the undergraduate grade of 60%. A 70% is still considered unsatisfactory, however. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above is required for the MDiv degree, a 3.0 for MA degrees, and a 3.25 for the STB (Bulletin, 112-115). The requirements of some combination of research methods courses, proficiency seminars, capstone seminars, comprehensive examinations or their equivalent, and,
24 Comprised of the Rector, the Academic Dean, and the Vice Rector. 25 The STB is an ecclesiastical degree that largely overlaps with the MDiv in terms of course requirements but also has unique requirements above and beyond those of the MDiv degree. Anyone admitted into the MDiv program may qualify for admittance into the STB degree program, if he has fulfilled the specific Philosophical Formation Program requirements for the STB program and if he has exhibited the capacity to maintain a 3.25 grade point average in his coursework. He must also have the support of his sponsor and submit a completed application. The Seminary will admit students into the STB program only after one semester of successful coursework. 50 in the academic MA and STB programs, the writing of a thesis, ensure that these programs are conducted at a post-baccalaureate level (Bulletin, 72-94). Saint Vincent Seminary has developed a variety of tools for regularly assessing the status of individual candidates admitted to its programs and the outcomes achieved in the intellectual, human, pastoral and spiritual formation of its students. Tools such as the CTA and the CADP evaluations have contributed toward the development of new additions to the curriculum and new approaches to teaching which in turn raise the academic standing of the Seminary and thus are elements of “institutional strategies to maintain and enhance the overall quality of the student population.” These assessment tools include the following:
Ø The CTA, given at the beginning of each academic year to all seminarians, which assesses knowledge of foundational ideas or themes relative to Catholic theology, ministry, and history. Ø The Profile Process and Review, which is an extensive process in which specific artifacts are collected for each student as they progress through the seminary. Each summer a team of Faculty members evaluates a selection of these portfolios and reports on teaching effectiveness and overall student learning and progress. This process takes into account the student’s intellectual, human, spiritual and pastoral formation and includes his own self-evaluation, input from Faculty members, a report by the seminarian’s human formation director, input from the Seminary’s Director of Human Formation and from the Rector, and a written report to, as well as discussion with, the sponsoring Bishop or his delegate.26 This process has as one of its goals to ensure that all students are making progress toward achieving learning goals. Ø The revised and enhanced CADP evaluations. Formerly called Course Evaluations, the new CADP evaluations still give students the opportunity to evaluate their individual classes and professors, but now they also require the students to reflect upon how what they learn in individual classes relates to their particular degree goals as well as integration with the various pillars of formation. Ø The Syllabus Template. A Syllabus Template has been developed to require Faculty members to include and address how their courses connect to the Mission Statement of the Seminary and to the various Degree Goals of each of the programs available through the Seminary. They are also asked to describe how this integration will be addressed and evaluated in each course. Ø The Ministry Capstone Seminar and the RFM: Each fourth-year seminarian is required to take the Ministry Capstone Seminar in the fall semester. The purpose of this seminar is to first review and evaluate the students overall theological learning and integration. The second objective is to present practice pastoral scenarios to the students in order to test their ability to draw on the learning, knowledge, and experience they have gained in the seminary and apply it to actual pastoral practice. This part of the seminar is to be practical preparation for the taking of the RFM which is given in the middle of the spring semester. This exam entails the student selecting from a bag three scenarios and then presenting for ten minutes each to a panel of four professors how they would respond to these scenarios. Their responses are evaluated by the Faculty members present and a formal report is compiled and presented to the student and his sponsor.
26 See also the complete list of artifacts for each year and class on OneDrive. 51
Ø An annual Assessment Audit is performed by the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment and submitted to the Rector and the Academic Dean. This report is then shared with the Faculty as a way to close the loop and assist and encourage the Faculty and administration to continue to integrate and improve as we move forward together. Ø Each fall semester at the Faculty colloquium, the topic of the meeting is Assessment Review and Discussion. For these discussions a booklet is compiled which contains the reports and results from all the assessment tools employed in the previous academic year. These serve as the basis for a discussion amongst the Faculty as to what we can learn from the results and how we can improve our teaching effectiveness as we move forward in the new academic year. Ø We also do a number of surveys the results of which are evaluated and included in our assessment reviews. These include: the annual Exit-Interview of graduating men (done each year), the Priest-Alumni Survey (done every four years), and the Pastors of SVS Alumni Survey (done every four years).
Since the primary mission of Saint Vincent is to prepare men for ministry as Roman Catholic priests most of its students are Catholic men. Nonetheless, women and students of other denominations are always welcome to enroll in the Seminary’s MA and non-ordination programs and have long contributed to its vibrancy. Given the limits of its primary mission Saint Vincent Seminary is blessed with notable ethnic and cultural diversity. In addition to the many students from dioceses in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and beyond, there is a significant international student body. During the last ten years Saint Vincent has received students from Brazil, China, Colombia, El Salvador, France, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Vietnam. In addition, the Seminary has drawn students from both diocesan and Benedictine communities. Considering a different aspect of diversity, Saint Vincent Seminary has a great reputation for working with students who have learning disabilities. Most recently, Dr. Lawrence Sutton, a permanent Deacon and a clinical psychologist specializing in autism and other learning disorders, has joined the Seminary and is involved in both the initial assessment of seminarians as well as therapeutic interventions with students who are in need. He is available as well to all students for personal counseling, as are several other trained members of the Faculty. Integrated Language Studies and other programs of integration have also been developed and employed to achieve a better preparation for studies and integration into the community for students in these circumstances. In these ways Saint Vincent Seminary has adapted over the last twenty-five years to serve a diverse student body. Saint Vincent Seminary has truly expanded its reach and its capacity to receive and appropriately integrate these students into its formation process. In addition to preparing students for ministry among diverse populations of people, the diversity of its students and Faculty allows all students at Saint Vincent Seminary to be prepared to serve in the context of a broad and diverse Church.
Documentation:
Bulletin Assessment Reports Faculty Colloquia Minutes
52
6.3 Student Services
All policies regarding students’ rights and responsibilities and the institution’s code of discipline can be found in the DCLH and the Bulletin distributed to every Seminarian at the beginning of the academic year. Lay students in the Non-Ordination MDiv or MA Programs can find these policies within the Bulletin (57-81 and 106-132). The “appropriateness, adequacy, and use of student services” offered on campus is evaluated regularly by Saint Vincent College and Seminary. Both share resources as noted in 8.6 below. This cooperation is effective in terms of providing for collegians and seminarians alike. There is occasional sharing of Faculty and they share IT and library resources, Integrated Language Studies programs, health and counseling services, and athletic facilities. They also share registrar and business office services and support services such as disability testing and academic accommodation planning. The section of Saint Vincent College’s MSCHE self-study entitled “Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience” contains further assessment and documentation of the way in which annual College surveys have positively shaped and developed these services. To be clear, the seminarians are not included in these annual surveys, but the results of the surveys yield benefits for all members of the Saint Vincent campus community. All students of the Seminary have full rights to use all of the resources noted above; no complaints have been lodged regarding access to these services in the past decade. The Office of the Academic Dean houses the academic files of current students within fireproof file cabinets. No one but the Academic Dean, the Rector, or their Administrative Assistants can access these records. If another member of the Rector’s Council needs to review something, he does so with the permission of the Academic Dean and within the office. Files are not distributed or removed from the office except during the admission process when the members of the Admissions Committee receive the file to prepare for a student’s personal interview. The Academic Dean and his Administrative Assistant also channel information from the College to the members of the Admissions Committee as appropriate. The Office of the Academic Dean keeps the files of alumni in fireproof file drawers in the Administrative Assistant’s office for a period of five years. After five years, the secretary removes the files from the cabinet, shredding all documents except transcripts, profiles for each year the students were at Saint Vincent, any other pertinent materials, and the archive basic information sheet (which contain information such as: student I.D., Social Security number, date of entry/exit, parents’ names, and ministry dates). These files are placed in the “Archive” fireproof file drawers in Roderick Hall 119. The Office of the Academic Dean also keeps student records in a computer database, from which the Administrative Assistant prints the archive sheet. In addition to the sheet placed in the folder of each student, the Administrative Assistant keeps a second copy in a binder in a fireproof file drawer in the office. The computer information is on the school’s network, which the College backs up to secure cloud storage on a regular basis. Degree programs are regularly evaluated by the Faculty to ensure that the program requirements meet the stated program outcomes and mission of the Seminary, giving all students and their sponsors’ educational formation of exceptional value for the investment they are making. The major curriculum revision project undertaken with the direction of Academic Dean, Fr. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B., in 2014-2016 offers an example of diligence in this regard. This new curriculum was approved by the BR and implemented in the fall of 2017. Proposed degree program changes are generally first reviewed for appropriateness and formative value by
53 the Faculty before being presented for approval to the BR. For example, three years ago, the BCPF recommended to the Faculty that a course in Pastoral Communications should be inserted into the regular curriculum, and after the Faculty review, this recommendation was adopted. The BR and the BD approve the tuition and fee schedule each year at their spring meetings; the College’s Vice President of Finance and Administration and his professional staff ensure that these costs remain within the range of regional peer schools. Up-to-date tuition and fees for all programs are found online.27 Financial aid is equally provided to all students admitted to the ordination program. Tuition and Room and Board expenses for some students, from dioceses and communities in need, are partially or completely underwritten by the Saint Vincent Benedictine community, on a case by case basis. All lay students also benefit from limited Seminary support and in some cases diocesan support. All requirements related to degree programs, courses, noncredit requirements, and grading and other academic policies are published in the Bulletin, which is available online as well as in print copies that are distributed to each student and applicant. The Seminary follows the principles of ATS Policy Guidelines on financial aid with the significant qualification that almost all of our students are completely supported by their diocese or religious community, and therefore our students generally incur no debt whatsoever during their studies. In fact, according to varying diocesan polices they receive stipends for living and sundry expenses in addition to having their tuition, room and board covered by their sponsors. Some also receive additional support from the Knights of Columbus organization. The Seminary has no record of a student complaint “in areas related to the Commission Standards of Accreditation.” The Seminary’s ATS standards and 2017 Self-Study report are available to our students on the Seminary Portal. This will afford them the opportunity to become familiar with ATS standards and how the Seminary has evaluated itself in their regard. It will also give the students a basis upon which to raise any complaints or concerns regarding ATS standards. According to a Seminary policy formulated in 2017, were such a complaint to arise it would be directed first to the Faculty Due Process Committee described in 7.3., below, and in the FAH (4.4.4). This Committee will determine whether it can settle the matter to the satisfaction of all involved, or whether it must be referred to the entire Faculty, the Rector’s Council or the BR for further action. This written policy will be included in future editions of the Bulletin and the FPH.
Documentation:
Bulletin Application Materials Minutes of the BR and BD DCLH Saint Vincent College’s 2017 MSCHE Self-Study
Recommendation:
Include a formal procedure for addressing student complaints “in areas related to the Commission Standards of Accreditation” in future editions of the FAH and the FPH.
27 See http://www.saintvincentseminary.edu/pdf_files/tuition_and_fees.pdf. 54
6.4 Student Borrowing
As noted in 6.3., almost all of our students are entirely supported by their sponsoring diocese or community and do not incur personal debt during their formation at Saint Vincent.
6.5 Placement
The majority of our students are men preparing for the priesthood who are placed in assignments after ordination by their sponsoring diocese or religious order. The Seminary, however, in working with the men and their Vocation Directors and Bishops throughout the formation program, is able to provide the men the assistance they may need in their preparation for placement. By continually assessing the state of the Church, the student body and alumni, the Seminary is responsive to the placement needs of the universal Church, dioceses, religious orders and future priests. This includes sensitivity throughout the formation process to issues of marginalization and the disadvantaged in society. The success of Saint Vincent Seminary in preparing students for the realities of post-graduate life and work is witnessed by the fact that the Seminary has a retention rate of 91.72% over the 28 years from 1989 to 2017 and a 97.25% over the last ten years. During this 28-year period, 338 men were ordained to the priesthood, 28 (or 8.28%) have sought canonical departure, and 310 remain in active ministry (Bulletin, 10). While many of our MA and continuing education students are not preparing for the priesthood, the Seminary supports their efforts for placement in the curriculum itself by providing them with a graduate program that exposes them to oral and written comprehensive exams, thesis research and writing, a Lectio Coram lecture in front of their professors and peers, and a well-rounded curriculum. These students are further assisted through Faculty advisement and the writing of personal references and recommendations by professors. Due to these efforts, and the personal efforts of these students, the personal knowledge of the Faculty and other anecdotal evidence suggests that most, if not all, of our MA alumni have found work consonant with their training. Overall, in the period from 2007-2017, taking into consideration all degree categories, 97.25% of Saint Vincent graduates have had a “positive placement” as defined by ATS.28 In order to obtain even more empirical data on placement outcomes for non-ordination students the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment recently began surveying graduates who were not seeking ordination and will continue to track this information as the survey is periodically repeated.
Documentation:
ATS annual reports Outcomes Placement Surveys
Recommendation:
Continue tracking the placement of graduates from the Seminary’s non-ordination programs through the recently instituted alumni survey specifically directed to these graduates.
28 ATS Strategic Information Report 2016-2017, figure 1-20f. 55
7. Authority and Governance
7.1 Authority
Saint Vincent Seminary is governed through the cooperation of two corporations: the Benedictine Society of Westmoreland County and the Saint Vincent College Corporation. The Benedictine Society of Westmoreland County, consisting of all the solemnly professed monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, is the actual ownership corporation. It monitors the College Corporation’s activities through a delegated authority of seven members, referred to as the Board of Incorporators. The Archabbot of Saint Vincent is ex-officio the chairman of this Board and the remaining six members are all solemnly professed monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, elected by their peers. With its delegated authority the Board of Incorporators also monitors the Corporation’s two constituent units, Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary, equal in terms of powers, distinct in terms of mission and each having its own chief executive officer and administrative staff. Each unit, the Seminary and the College, exists as a distinct degree-granting institution. Both units of the Saint Vincent College Corporation are governed by the same Saint Vincent College Charter of 18 April 1870 (last amended in 1995) although they have separate bylaws (the Saint Vincent Seminary Bylaws having been most recently amended in 2016). The Archabbot of Saint Vincent is ex-officio the Chancellor of both Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary. While the Board of Incorporators is the delegated authority of The Benedictine Society of Westmoreland County and derives its authority from the state-granted Saint Vincent College Corporation Charter, it confers much of the power for actual governance of the College and Seminary to a BD which has the responsibility to establish policy for the educational units of the corporation. The powers of the BD are listed in section 4.7 of the College Bylaws. While conferring policy decisions to the BD, the Board of Incorporators reserves to itself the following oversight activities and judgments, noted in section 2.5 of the College Bylaws:
Ø Approval of the construction of new buildings and major renovations of the existing physical plant; Ø Authorization of the acquisition or disposal of land and plant assets; Ø Approval of debt financing pursued in the conduct of the educational units; Ø Dissolution of the BD without cause.
Although the BD is empowered to set policy for the Seminary, it defers to the recommendations of the Saint Vincent Seminary BR in those matters pertaining to the Seminary’s ecclesiastical mission, as described in sections 1.3 and 4.8 of the College Bylaws. While the Seminary is autonomous of direct ecclesiastical governance outside of Saint Vincent, it maintains close relationships with the local dioceses and the larger Catholic Church through ex-officio membership on its BR of the Bishops of Greensburg and Pittsburgh and through its affiliation with the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome in granting the STB degree. The relationships between the College Corporation, the BD, the BR, and the Seminary administration and Faculty are set forth in sections 1.3-1.5 and 2.1-2.3 of the Seminary’s FAH,
56 so that all Faculty members and administrators are well-informed regarding their authority and responsibilities. This shared authority and responsibility are “reflected in the cooperation of the regular Faculty and the Academic Dean in matters pertaining to promotion in rank, academic policy, academic freedom, academic curriculum and programs, advising of students, requirements for degrees, approval of candidates for degrees, strategic planning, and the revision of [governing documents], etc.” (FAH, 2.3). The joint service of administrators and regular Faculty members on numerous committees entrusted with forming policy, such as the Academic Committee, the Admissions Committee, the Committee on Rank, and the Faculty Due Process Committee, among others, assures their voice in governance (FAH, 2.4). An example of the substantive and collegial involvement of the Faculty in governance matters is found in the curriculum review and revision process of 2014-2016, witnessed in the Faculty Minutes. A further avenue of shared governance lies in the Seminary’s Rector’s Council, which consists of those persons in charge of the management and operation of the Seminary as well as those overseeing the formation process. As a body, the Council works closely with the Rector, advising him regarding particular areas of responsibility or delegation, reviewing administrative and formational matters as they arise, and working with the Rector and Director of Human Formation in overseeing the annual student evaluation process. On a regular basis, (every second week), matters of concern are reviewed by the Council which will later be brought to the entire Faculty.29
Documentation:
Saint Vincent College Corporation Charter Saint Vincent College Bylaws Saint Vincent Seminary Bylaws Faculty Meeting Minutes FAH
7.2 Governance
While the lines of governing authority are made clear for all stakeholders in sections 1.3- 1.5 and 2.1-2.3 of the FAH—copies of which are distributed to each Board member, Faculty and staff member, and administrator—the Seminary has a long tradition of collegial governance with Faculty, staff, Board members, students, and alumni all contributing to decision making in legitimate ways. The primary mission of the Seminary in forming priests for the Catholic Church is very much at the center of collegial decisions, with our local bishop being a frequent and welcome visitor to campus, and his input—and that of relevant other ecclesial authorities— always being taken into consideration. The recent addition to the curriculum of a course on the Pastoral Care of Marriage and Families provides an excellent example of this synergy. The initial recommendation for such a course came from assessment of both student and alumni surveys. The Faculty and Rector’s Council then reviewed and concurred with the assessment, and the Board approved the new course. Another example of collegial governance is found in the Faculty Minutes of 2012-2013 when the complete re-structuring of the student government
29 See the Rector’s Council Minutes on OneDrive. 57 association was accomplished, taken up at student initiative, with oversight from the Faculty, the Rector’s Council, and the Rector himself. The relationships and roles of the Faculty and administrators in the governance of the Seminary are defined in sections 2.1-2.3 of the FAH, where policies regarding discrimination and equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment, freedom of inquiry, and procedural fairness are also defined in sections 3.2 and 4.6 - 4.7. The FAH is in the process of being updated by a joint group of Faculty members and legal counsel, to be subsequently approved by both the BR and the BD. The appointment of a new Rector in 2015 provided an opportunity for institutional learning through a Seminary-wide assessment of governing structures, policies, and communications. Under the guidance of the Academic Dean, the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment, and the Rector, and with the direct advice of Board members who are experts in the relevant areas, this effort led to:
Ø A new and successful initiative for strategic planning Ø Renewal of the process of Faculty assessments Ø Revision (in some cases pending approval) of:
o The Bulletin o the FAH o the DCLH o the FPH o the BR Bylaws and committee structure o the Rector’s Council member annual assessments o the Curriculum Review and Revision Each of these results touches upon governance and collegiality in some manner and bears evidence of the Seminary’s commitment to collaborative development and institutional learning and self-correction, based on professional best practices. Additional evidence of institutional learning based on comparison with other institutions is found in our recent curriculum revision process, in which the Academic Dean led the Faculty in an examination of the entire curriculum of five peer schools in order to arrive at prudent additions and modifications of our own curriculum. The hiring in 2013 of a Coordinator of Seminary Assessment (see GIS 1.2.) is further evidence of a desire and commitment to continually learn and improve for the sake of our mission, and the improvements made to our pre-theology curriculum in 2015 in the light of our application to affiliate with the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome highlight our willingness to learn from educational models beyond our own.
Documentation:
FAH FPH DCLH BR Bylaws Faculty Meeting Minutes Bulletin (for Pre-Theology Program requirements)
58
Recommendation:
Complete the revision of the FAH and obtain BR and BD approval.
7.3 Roles and the Governance Process
1. The Governing Boards
The BD, which meets quarterly, and the BR, which meets biannually, enjoy a cooperative relationship aided by the ex-officio presence on both Boards of the Archabbot-Chancellor, the Rector of the Seminary, and the Chairman of the BR (see College Bylaws 4.1.a). The active participation of the Bishops of Greensburg and Pittsburgh on both Boards helps to ensure the strong commitment of both groups to the ecclesial mission of Saint Vincent. At present two lay persons also sit on both Boards as the result of their professional expertise and involvement in the regional Catholic community (not in an ex-officio capacity) and their presence on both bodies further adds to the good communication and cooperation that exists between the Boards. The Rector reports to the BD at each of its meetings, as specified in section 6.4 of the College Bylaws. As defined by the Saint Vincent College Corporation Bylaws (see College Bylaws 1.3 and 4.8) the BR is a consultative body for the Chancellor and the Rector regarding matters of priestly formation and the training of seminarians. By delegation of the BD, and based upon their individual and collective expertise and experience, the BR is charged with overseeing the day-to-day administration, operations, and life of the seminary. The BR reviews and advises the Chancellor and the Rector on all policy, financial, and programmatic matters regarding the seminary and, through its ex-officio members on the BD, reports and communicates with the Directors as required by the institutional bylaws (cf. GIS 4.3). The BR is informed of all developments by board books received with an agenda in advance of each meeting, which include financial statements and a summary balance sheet, up- to-date information on enrollment, institutional advancement, and academic affairs, descriptions of pending proposals and current activities as well as examples of public relations materials and other items. The Finance Committee of the Board (which includes the CFO and the Director of Accounting of the College Corporation) reviews the financial statements and institutional advancement report prior to each meeting. The Board Chairman, the Archabbot-Chancellor, and the Rector confer prior to each meeting to formulate an agenda that will enable the Board to satisfy its duties in a timely and fruitful way. The members of the Finance, Institutional Advancement, Academic Affairs, and I.T. Committees all meet, usually by teleconference, prior to each Board meeting to keep abreast of developments and prepare for effective meetings. Two practicing attorneys currently sit on the Board and provide practical counsel when appropriate on legal matters, and additional counsel is provided as needed by the Corporation General Counsel and the Director of the College’s Office of Human Resources. The Seminary’s finances are audited annually by an outside CPA firm as part of the larger Corporation audit, and the investment firm of Hirtle Callaghan provides professional advice regarding Seminary endowment and investments. The BR has been fully informed regarding the progress of the present self-study since its inception by the Rector and the Academic Dean, and each of the three subcommittees working under the direction of the Self-Study Steering Committee have a Board member with relevant
59 professional expertise as a member.30 An emeritus Board member, who has served in the past as a Commissioner of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as well as a member of the Task Force on Accreditation of the NASULGC/AAU, has been a helpful advisor to the Rector throughout the self-study process. The entire Board received a draft of this report in August 2017 and discussed it at its 19 September 2017 meeting. The Rector further reported on the progress of the self-study at the quarterly BD meetings in 2016 and 2017. The Seminary is proud of its BR members and their distinguished qualifications and service to the broader community. Among its members there is a retired Pennsylvania Commonwealth Superior Court judge, another attorney who was the first female managing partner of a major Pittsburgh law firm, successful businesspersons with decades of experience as the CEOs of their firms, several of the bishops who send students to the Seminary for formation, the Archabbot-Chancellor and the Rector. Members may serve a maximum of four three-year terms. (BR Bylaws I.5) Prior to attending their first meeting, new members of the BR are given copies of the Corporation Charter and Bylaws, the BR Bylaws, the FAH, and the Bulletin. Each new Board member meets personally with the Chairman, the Archabbot-Chancellor, and the Rector in order to orient the member and deepen his or her understanding of the mission and operations of the Seminary. The Self-Study Committee recommends establishing a written position description for Board members and strengthening the existing orientation program in order to better prepare new Board members for the service they are beginning. The BR acts in an advisory capacity to the Seminary Administration without prejudice to the authority of the BD of the College Corporation. The BR communicates and advises the College BD on all key activities through the ex officio membership of the Rector and Chairman of the BR on the BD (Charter 4.8; cf. 7.3.1). The BR’s responsibilities are listed in their bylaws (I.2):
Ø To keep the Seminary cognizant of the educational and religious needs of the Church and society; Ø To inform the administration of the Seminary concerning extra-institutional viewpoints and standards; Ø To cooperate with the appropriate departments of the Saint Vincent College Corporation in the formation and execution of programs for public relations, publicity, fund raising and development; Ø To cooperate with the Business Office of the Saint Vincent College Corporation in securing appropriate advice, guidance and help in conducting the legal and financial affairs of the Seminary; Ø To make known the purposes and programs of the Seminary in the religious, business and civic communities to which the members belong; Ø To be mindful of the ecclesial mission of Saint Vincent Seminary in all matters of conducting the business of the Seminary.
Much of the work of the BR is accomplished through its six standing committees, whose membership and responsibilities are enumerated in the Board Bylaws (IV). A complete review and restructuring of the Board committees—with input from all Board members—was
30 See, for example, the Board of Regents Minutes of 15 March 2016 and 13 September 2016. The three Board members are the Hon. Maureen Lally-Green, Dr. James Maher, and Mr. Richard DiClaudio. 60 completed in 2016, at the same time that revised bylaws were adopted. These revisions were prompted by a series of converging events which affected and energized the Board: the appointment of a new bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg (who is an ex-officio Board member), a change in the Chairmanship of the Board, the shared recommendations and counsel of both the outgoing and the newly elected Board Chairmen, and the appointment of a new Rector. The BR is consulted by the Chancellor before the Rector is appointed (Charter 6.4), and it receives reports on the finances and budget of the Seminary before recommending actions on these matters to the BD (Bylaws IV.6). Three BR members were members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, including our local bishop—helping to ensure our denominational and theological commitments—and two lay members with many years of successful strategic planning expertise in academia and business.31 Throughout the strategic planning process and in its follow-up the BR has been fully involved in planning and apprised of its results. Evidence of the Board’s regular and substantive “evaluation of outcomes to assure faithful implementation of the school’s purpose” is seen in the following:
Ø At the level of on-going institutional planning and evaluation, the systematic review of the “Four Pillars of Priestly Formation” by the BCPF, together with its subsequent recommendations and corresponding program improvements; Ø The Academic Dean’s reports to the Board on learning outcomes (based on the CTA assessment); Ø The revision and approval by the BR of the Pre-Theology program (based on recommendations of the CCE of the Holy See) and the consequent development and accreditation of the new MACPS degree. Ø The review and approval of the new curriculum (implemented in fall 2017).
Hiring, contracts, budgeting, and the routine business of the Seminary are handled by the Rector and supported by the College Business Office with oversight from the BR and the BD. The responsibilities of the Rector and other administrators are listed in the FAH (2.2.2-2.2.9). In 2015 a new effort was begun to follow through on the evaluation process that had formally been in place for the Rector and administrators for many years. Every second year the Chair will form an ad-hoc committee of the BR to evaluate the Rector, and the Regents have begun to receive a verbal summary of the Rector’s evaluations of other administrators at their meetings (FAH 5.1- 2). The BR addresses the concerns of the broader community through representation on the Board of both lay and clerical members who are representative of the regional Catholic population (Bylaws I.1 and I.3). Drawing on their experience and initiative, three of the Board’s key committees (on Academic Affairs, Finance and Budget, and Institutional Advancement) are currently chaired by lay members. A recent effort to serve the Board’s constituencies well is seen in the 2012 creation of the Board’s Committee on Formation, which directly responds to the educational and broader formational concerns of those who send students to the Seminary. The “Priestly Formation” marketing brochure recounts the work of this Committee in strengthening Saint Vincent’s formation programs, as do the Minutes of the Committee itself. The participation of five of its members (three ex-officio) on the BD ensures good communications between the
31 The Hon. Maureen Lally-Green is currently the Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law, and Mr. Richard DiClaudio is the CEO of Blue Tip Energy, a Pittsburgh-based private equity firm. 61
Regents in offering their advice to the governing BD as well as the sponsoring Benedictine community. Although the BR exercises its authority only as a group, individual members play a valued role in the operation of the Seminary through the Board’s committee structure. BR members do not engage in business relationships with the Seminary nor do they derive any material benefit from serving on the Board. The members of the governing BD make a written conflict of interest declaration which is updated annually. The BR’s Bylaws specify a membership between twelve and twenty non-ex-officio members; the current membership of fifteen provides an appropriately sized body to offer the perspectives of diverse constituencies while remaining functionally efficient. (Bylaws I.3) As noted above, much of the work of the Board is accomplished through its six standing committees (Executive and Membership, Formation, Academic Affairs, Information Technology, Finance and Budget, and Institutional Advancement), whose membership and responsibilities are enumerated in the Board Bylaws (IV.1-7). The Board meets twice annually, a practice which has proven to be adequate to address all relevant business, and the Executive Committee has authority to address concerns between regular meetings (Bylaws III.1 and IV.2). Board Bylaws state that the Chairman of the Board “participates in the assessment of the performance of Board members” (Bylaws II.1). At present this takes place on an on-going and informal basis. Formalizing this evaluation through a written self-assessment for each Board member, done once during each three-year term, may provide an improved means of assessing Board performance. An example of the Board’s active recognition of its responsibilities and its efforts to shape its response to these responsibilities more effectively can be seen in the creation of the BCPF in 2012. While not a formal expression of self-assessment the establishment and work of this Committee demonstrates self-reflection on the part of the Board and an attempt to better meet its purpose and aims. The BCPF has played a critical role in recent improvements in the Seminary’s formation curriculum. An ad-hoc committee appointed by the Board Chair evaluates the Rector (Bylaws II.1 and FAH 5.2). The present Rector was appointed in 2015 and was first evaluated by the Board in 2017. The Board receives semi-annual reports for review, questioning, and evaluation on finances, enrollment, and other aspects of the operation of the institution.
Documentation:
Board Books, Minutes (2016-17), Agendas, and Bylaws Annual Corporation Audits BD Conflict of Interest Declaration Minutes of the Board Committee on Formation Saint Vincent College Corporation Charter Strategic Plan 2017-2022 Correspondence (including email) with the Board Bulletin (for a description of the Pre-Theology Formation Program and curriculum), “Priestly Formation” brochure FAH
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Recommendations:
1. Provide a written description of expectations for BR members, and include these expectations in the BR Bylaws.
2. Expand the orientation program for new BR members to include the opportunity to meet with students, administrators, Faculty members, and formators.
3. Continue efforts to maintain diverse BR membership.
4. Institute a formalized triennial BR Self-Assessment.
2. Administration
The Rector and the members of the Rector’s Council constitute the administrative leadership of the Seminary. With assistance from the College Business Office and Office of Human Resources they carry out the policies and programs approved by the BR. The Rector’s Council generally meets every second week, though special meetings are often held to accommodate the schedules of visiting bishops or vocation directors. Each member of the council is evaluated by the Rector in writing annually, with the evaluations being used as the basis for new performance goals.32 As already noted, the Rector was first evaluated by an ad-hoc committee of the Board in 2017 (Bylaws II.1 and FAH 5.2); with the approval of the BR he has instituted a biennial Rector- assessment process. The Rector is in routine telephone contact with the members of the Executive Committee of the Board and has encouraged a new spirit of effective Board- administration communications since taking office. The Rector meets with the student body each semester to seek and respond to student concerns directly, and in addition he is continually in contact with the student body as he lives and dines with the students. All operations of Saint Vincent Seminary are imbued with the age-old Benedictine heritage of good stewardship. Each member of the BR, administration, Faculty, staff, and student body benefits from and contributes to the beauty of the campus and the care of its grounds and buildings, many built by the Benedictines themselves over the past one-hundred seventy years. Our stewardship and rootedness to the school’s mission is further reflected in the fifteen-century tradition of Benedictine monasticism and education. Particular examples of this stewardship are seen in the Rector’s reports to the Board, which demonstrate a commitment to transparent communications, fiscal oversight, and administrative professionalism, as do the annual “State of the Seminary meetings” at the beginning of each school year. Good stewardship of the resources entrusted to us by benefactors is found in our annual audits (as part of the larger College Corporation) and in the systematic examination of the ethical integrity of our investment portfolio, an effort led by a Board member.33 An example of the cooperation between the Board and the administration regarding stewardship may be seen in the Regents’ Financial Committee urging fiscal accountability when the Seminary encountered budgetary difficulties in 2012-2015
32 See the “Rector’s Council Self-Assessment Template – 2016,” as well as the archived evaluations from 2016-present, all on OneDrive. 33 Mr. Richard DiClaudio; see the Agenda and Minutes of the 4 December 2015 Saint Vincent College BD meeting. 63 and the corresponding fiscal austerity measures taken by the administration to demonstrate that it took this charge responsibly (Minutes of the BR – 2012-2015). Equity in the distribution of financial aid and campus-wide cost sharing with the College and Abbey provide additional signs of good stewardship. Finally, strong financial and personnel support of the Seminary from the Abbey underlines its own commitment to the Catholic and Benedictine character of our school and the responsible use of its resources. Insofar as possible, given the Seminary’s size and mission, the administrators and staff members reflect the Seminary’s constituencies and have adequate time and resources to complete their work. The administrative responsibilities for each position are listed in the FAH (2.2.2- 2.2.8) and further specified in each administrator’s position description. Lines of accountability are clearly noted on each position description as well as on the Seminary’s organization chart.
Documentation:
BR Bylaws and Minutes BD Minutes Organization Chart FAH Annual Audits Minutes of the “State of the Seminary” meetings Position Descriptions
3. Faculty
The Faculty frequently has the opportunity to provide input with respect to matters of governance, and ordinarily the members of the Rector’s Council are members of the regular Faculty. The Academic Dean represents the Faculty at every BR meeting (Board Bylaws IV.4), and at present the Academic Dean is also an elected member of the Corporation BD; additionally a Faculty member is appointed annually by the Rector to serve on the BR’s Academic Affairs Committee.34 The Faculty members are routinely involved in decision-making matters related to “promotion in rank, academic policy, academic freedom, academic programs, advising of students, requirements for degrees, approval of candidates for degrees, [and both short-term and strategic] planning” (FAH 2.3). Further, the Faculty votes to approve candidates for candidacy and holy orders, for advancement to each respective year of formation and for graduation, and it had a central role in establishing and periodically affirming the current Mission Statement of the Seminary. A brief review of the ten-year summary of Faculty Minutes bears this out. For example, the Faculty was involved in substantial decisions concerning institutional assessment, degree criteria and admissions, curriculum revision, committee membership (see below), colloquia and Faculty in-service day topics and speakers, the policies set forth in the FPH, and administrative procedures, among other subjects. The Faculty also shares in the governance of the Seminary as members of Faculty committees. The FAH describes these committees and areas of responsibility where Faculty consultation and approval is required in the process of decision-making and governance. The current committees and responsibilities are (see FAH 2.4):
34 See Faculty Committee Lists (on OneDrive). 64
Ø The Academic Committee serves in an advisory role to the Academic Dean and brings student concerns or suggestions regarding academic issues to the attention of the Faculty and Dean. Ø The Admissions Committee reviews all application materials and determines whether to admit a person, at what level, and if there are any advanced standing considerations. Ø The Committee on Rank reviews applications for advancement and recommends advancement to the Rector. Ø The Due Process Committee reviews and decides how to respond to a given petition or request for due process. Ø The Grievance Committee deals with Faculty grievances. Ø The MA Committee collaborates with the Academic Dean in the oversight of the MA curriculum and admission of new students. Ø The STB Committee collaborates with the Academic Dean in the oversight of the STB curriculum and admission of new students. Ø The Scholarship Committee advises the Rector on the disbursal of student financial assistance. Ø The Student Academic Due Process Committee is an appeal board for students with an academic complaint. Ø The Library Focus Group Committee oversees the Seminary’s recommendations on ordering books for the library and oversees the collection policy and procedures.
In addition, ad-hoc committees are established from time to time when a need arises, (e.g.: the 2008-2009 Pope Benedict XVI Chair task force) which offer another forum for sharing responsibility for the governance of the Seminary. The committees have generally functioned well and we see no present need to change them. The Faculty committee membership is reviewed and adjusted on a yearly basis to improve the quality and responsiveness of the Faculty in governance matters that call for Faculty input beyond regular Faculty meetings.
Documentation:
BR Bylaws Faculty Meeting Minutes Faculty Committee Lists FAH
Recommendation:
Make available a new forum for Faculty input with respect to the Pope Benedict XVI Chair and its purpose.
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4. Student Participation in Governance
Students do not take part in the formal structure of governance at Saint Vincent, although their concerns are brought to the administration by the Student Leadership Forum, a consolidation of the two previous leadership groups (the diocesan resident seminarians used to constitute the Seminary Resident Forum and all other students comprised the Student Association). The Forum officers “officially represent students at Rector’s Council/student meetings” and meet with the Rector and administration as needed to “cooperate with the Rector, Rector’s Council, and Faculty in realizing the Mission and goals of the Seminary” (DCLH 2016- 2017, 24).
Documentation:
DCLH
8. Institutional Resources
8.1 Personnel
The Seminary is fortunate to have a staff of dedicated administrators, Faculty, and support personnel. Recruitment and hiring of new personnel is handled by the Rector and the Academic Dean, with the professional assistance of the Saint Vincent College Director of Human Resources. The personnel of the Seminary form a team which consistently impresses visitors and students as being collaborative, mission-focused, well-qualified, and genuinely devoted to their faith commitments and professional responsibilities. The Seminary helps its personnel to be “nurtured in their development, and prepared for their various tasks within the institution” by providing opportunities for professional growth through sabbatical leaves, professional development funding, and Faculty research support, among other initiatives. Seminary policies concerning “procedural fairness, discrimination, and sexual harassment,” are addressed in the FAH and the Hourly Employees’ Handbook. The Seminary maintains a Faculty that is adequate to achieve its mission without placing undue burdens on Faculty, staff, or administrators. Currently our regular and adjunct Faculty comprise a group of twenty-four professors and instructors who are committed to excellence in teaching and ministry. The breadth of their backgrounds and specializations provide an outstanding resource for our seminarians. New Faculty members are regularly retained to strengthen the Seminary’s programs. In 2013 clinical psychologist Dr. Lawrence Sutton was hired as the Director of Pre-Theology Formation, and he is also available to the Seminary students as a counselor. In 2016 Sister Mary Veronica Sabelli, R.S.M. was hired as a new member of the Seminary Faculty, assigned to teach philosophy at Saint Vincent College. In 2017 Fr. Christiaan Kappes and Fr. Laszlo Simon, O.S.B. both served as adjunct Faculty members, further strengthening an already broad and well-qualified Faculty. The appointments of each of these Faculty members confirm the Seminary’s commitment to its mission and to overall academic excellence. The Seminary also keeps an eye toward the future: currently two young members of the Saint Vincent Benedictine community are engaged in full-time graduate studies with the hope of teaching in the Seminary when they complete their degrees.
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All employee-related policies are approved by the BR and the BD and they are implemented by the administration. Experience has shown that the policies are clear and adequate, and the distribution of the FAH or as relevant the Hourly Employees’ Handbook ensures that they are well-publicized. Specifically, policies involving “job performance evaluation, termination, sexual harassment or misconduct” are addressed in the FAH and the Hourly Employees’ Handbook. These policies have undergone a recent routine update and review by legal counsel and they conform to all “applicable requirements mandated by federal [and] state jurisdictions” (GIS 8.1.3). The Seminary provides compensation for all employees commensurate with regional standards and with the special nature of an employee pool which has numerous members who either teach part-time or are vowed religious (Benedictine monks). The housing, board, and other costs of Benedictine employees is provided by the Benedictine community which is the Seminary’s parent organization. Clear position descriptions exist for each employee and are available for review. Policies concerning grievances are readily available in both the FAH and the Hourly Employees’ Handbook, as relevant.
Documentation:
Position descriptions Hourly Employees’ Handbook FAH
8.2 Financial Resources
The endowment of Saint Vincent Seminary currently stands at $11.4 million, and has generally shown stability over the long term. The Seminary sustained net cash flow losses in 2012-13 and 2013-14 due to a drop in enrollment. With the external support it began receiving from Saint Vincent Archabbey in 2014 the Seminary has finished each year with a positive cash flow since the 2014-15 fiscal year. The Seminary is able to provide for all the needs of its Faculty and student body without borrowing money or drawing on its endowment beyond its long-standing policy in this area. The recent stabilization of enrollment has provided the Seminary “reasonable expectations of future financial viability and overall institutional improvement.” The revenue from tuition together with the pledged support of the Benedictine community has given the Seminary a firm basis on which to carry out its mission. Revenue from online courses will hopefully provide an additional source of income beginning in the fall of 2017. Fundraising has been strong in recent years and the Seminary’s development office has consistently met or exceeded its annual goals. In December 2014 the Saint Vincent College Corporation BD adopted a new endowment investment and spending policy. The spending policy limits distributions from the endowment in a given fiscal year to an annually set percentage between 3% and 7% of the 3-year moving average of the endowment’s principal, measured on 31 December of the previous fiscal year and utilizing the trailing twelve quarterly values as data points.35
35 See the Minutes of the 5 December 2014 BD meeting, Institutional Advancement and Investment Committee report. See also the Saint Vincent College Corporation Audited Financial Statements on OneDrive. 67
Saint Vincent College and Seminary share the resources of a common Business Office, led by a Treasurer and his staff of accounting professionals. The Seminary’s budget is developed each year with the direct input of all Faculty members and administrators. The Rector, the Treasurer, and an accountant from the Business Office then review a draft budget to ensure the spending plan is in line with the mission of the Seminary. The budget is next presented to the BR for review at its spring meeting; if approved there, the Rector presents the budget to the BD at its June meeting for final approval. The BR reviews the budget again at its fall meeting and notes any actual variances to the budget. Over the last three fiscal years for which full data exist the Seminary has operated without a cumulative loss. The Seminary’s endowment draw policy is noted above; this standard protects “the long- term purchasing power of the endowment from erosion by inflation.” The Seminary shares with Saint Vincent College an investment policy which states “the conditions governing the granting or withholding of investment discretion, investment goals of the institution, guidelines for long- term asset allocation, a description of authorized and prohibited transactions, and performance measurement criteria.” Since 2014 the College Corporation has adopted the practice of reviewing this policy annually, with the last review having taken place in December 2016. Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary share many resources and both institutions benefit greatly from each other. Since both schools are part of the larger Saint Vincent College Corporation and are owned and directed by the Benedictine community of Saint Vincent Archabbey there exists a generally strong and supportive rapport between them. Saint Vincent College is a member of NACUBO. The Business Office employs the generally accepted accounting procedures of the Financial Accounting Standards Board for institutional accounting. Saint Vincent enlists the services of an outside public accounting firm each year to audit the College Corporation. The Corporation has received an unqualified opinion from its auditors for at least the last ten years, and the Seminary BR and the Corporation BD both have full access to audits and auditors. Together with the annual audit opinion the College Corporation receives a required communication letter from its external certified public accounting firm. The Seminary’s budget development process and budgetary oversight is described above. The Business Office regularly produces multi-year financial projections of anticipated revenues, expenditures, and potential variances. As per the Bylaws (4.7c, d, and e) of the Saint Vincent College Corporation the BD holds the final authority to approve budgets and financial policies. The business management of the Saint Vincent College Corporation is handled by a staff of accounting and management professionals. The integrity of the internal management and reporting structures is witnessed by the management letters and financial statements issued by external certified public accounts. The Seminary’s Institutional Advancement program has yielded strong results in recent years. Building on this success and seeking to address approaching future concerns a new Director of Development was hired in July 2016 who has extensive experience in fund raising in church-related institutions. At his direction a new development plan has been put in place including annual giving, capital giving, and planned giving; this plan is strategically oriented to make the Seminary less dependent on a few major contributors who are aging and whose connection with the Seminary is largely based on personal relationships with one or another individual Seminary stakeholders. The Rector plays a prominent role in the new development plan and is being mentored in this role by the Director of Development. Further participation of
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BR members in fund-raising would advance the Seminary’s development efforts even more, and the Rector and Director of Development are working to this end. The Seminary strictly adheres to the restrictions that donors place on their gifts. It places unrestricted gifts in a general operating account to cover the ongoing costs of managing the institution and restricted gifts (including campaign gifts) in accounts that specifically designate the type of spending permitted from the account. Donors are recognized in the annual report published in the Seminary’s Leaven newsletter. They are also honored through the inclusion of their names on plaques displayed prominently in the Seminary buildings.
Documentation:
Recent Seminary Budgets, Financial Reports, and Development Reports (available in BR Meeting Books) Budget Projections College Corporation Audit Reports and Financial Statements IRS 990 Forms Institutional Advancement Plan Investment Policy Endowment Policy
Recommendation:
Pursue greater BR participation in fund-raising.
8.3 Physical Resources
Saint Vincent Seminary is the primary user of four buildings on the Saint Vincent campus:
Ø Roderick Hall, housing most Faculty and administration offices, student rooms and guest rooms, as well as conference rooms, archives, and storage; Ø Leander Hall, housing student rooms, guest rooms, storage, and one Faculty office (outside the residence area and separated from it by a card-access locked door); Ø The Brownfield Center, housing all Seminary classrooms, the practice chapel, and two Faculty offices; Ø The Saint Gregory the Great Chapel.
The Brownfield Center classrooms are all equipped with instructional technology that has served the Seminary and its students well and is currently (2017-2018) undergoing a routine renewal and upgrade. The seminarians eat in the Seminary Dining Room on the second floor of Placid Hall during the week and in the Saint Vincent College Cafeteria on the weekends. A major renovation of all dining spaces on campus is currently in the planning phase, and the Rector has been specifically included in architectural planning meetings from the start of this project. The Seminary budgets for depreciation of its physical plant assets and maintains them through the professional staff of the Saint Vincent College Facilities Management Office in a manner befitting the Benedictine hallmark of good stewardship.
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All Seminary buildings undergo annual fire safety inspections and meet all relevant federal, state, and local safety codes. In particular, all Seminary facilities are equipped with smoke and heat detectors, and the two residence buildings are further protected by sprinkler systems. Two fire drills are held each year in both Seminary residence halls. The residence areas of the Seminary are all protected by a twenty-four hour card-access security system, ensuring the safety of the students. All elevators on the campus are inspected annually by the state inspectors and copies of their certification are kept on file in the Facilities Management Office. As noted in the DCLH smoking is prohibited in all Seminary buildings, though this policy needs to be updated to bring it into conformity with the policy of Saint Vincent College. The regular Faculty and staff are generally satisfied with the adequacy of their space, and several unusual temporary building-use problems noted in our 2008 self-study have long since been remedied. With the exception of students in their final year who spend weekends in a parish assignment, all full-time ordination students are required to live on campus throughout their formation at Saint Vincent Seminary. Saint Vincent budgets for depreciation and addresses issues of deferred maintenance on a prioritized basis, guided by the professional assistance of the Facilities Management Office. All physical resources used by the Seminary are the property of the Saint Vincent College Corporation, of which the Seminary is one of two co-equal parts. The cost of utilities and other maintenance services for shared facilities is calculated with the professional assistance of the Facilities Management Office and divided accordingly among the relevant cost-sharers (Seminary, College, Archabbey, and Parish).
Documentation:
http://www.stvincent.edu/student-life/public-safety https://issuu.com/saintvincentseminary/docs/2016_seminary_catalogue (179) DCLH
Recommendation:
Bring the Seminary’s smoking policy into conformity with that of Saint Vincent College.
8.4 Information Technology Resources
The Seminary shares the services of the Saint Vincent College Information Technology Department. The IT Department has long provided the Seminary with every form of assistance requested in a timely and helpful way. These services include but are not limited to the purchase, installation, updating, and troubleshooting of all Faculty office computers and software and all classroom technology, installation of the newly adopted (2016) Schoology learning management system and supervision of training for its use, and installation and maintenance of the Wi-Fi networks active in the office buildings and residence halls. At the direction of the BR’s IT Committee a review of classroom technology was made and a plan for classroom upgrades to aid both traditional and online teaching formats was made in the spring of 2017. The IT Department is currently conducting an upgrade and replacement of much of the existing classroom technology and is also providing guidance to several Seminary Faculty members on the use of information technology for distance education.
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Saint Vincent Seminary makes extensive use of SurveyMonkey instruments to gather data related to course and degree goals, student progress in formation, student satisfaction, and other areas of assessment which are aimed at determining “the extent to which the institution is attaining its academic and institutional purposes and objectives.” This information is gathered and assessed by the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment and the Academic Dean and is securely stored in a Microsoft OneDrive licensed by Saint Vincent College. The OneDrive is set up to allow for different degrees of access to information by different users, assuring the security of proprietary information. Beyond its campus, the Seminary shares “appropriate information thus generated among institutions and organizations” through its submission of data to ATS, CARA, and to the National Center for Education Statistics using IPEDS.
8.5. Institutional Environment
On a human level the remarkable loyalty and stability of our Faculty and staff are evidence of a healthy atmosphere. Our extensive sharing of human, financial, and physical resources with Saint Vincent College also points to a healthy environment which is focused on the achievement of a coherent and valued mission. The Benedictine charism of genuine hospitality and mutual respect for other people and for the resources entrusted to the Seminary comes through in many subtle ways and is frequently observed by visitors. The strong morale of the Seminary community, even in the light of cultural and social developments which create a challenging world for seminarians, serves as a model for them and directs them toward cooperating fully with the Seminary’s primary mission of forming vibrant priests. A healthy environment cannot exist in any organization without effective communications. At Saint Vincent the regular meetings of the Rector’s Council and the Faculty are characterized by a free and respectful exchange of views, and the publication on the web of weekly and semester calendars as well as other announcements contributes to the atmosphere of openness and good organization. The BR has a strong level of morale at present and readily responds to requests for advice or guidance.
8.6 Cooperative Use of Resources
The Seminary’s cooperation with Saint Vincent College is excellent in terms of shared Faculty, IT, and library resources, Integrated Language Studies programs, legal counsel, athletic facilities, the services of the registrar’s and business offices, and other support services such as disability testing and academic accommodation planning. A prominent example of the fruits of such cooperation between the two institutions is the new MACPS degree approved by ATS. This degree resulted from a cooperative effort by the Seminary and the College to strengthen the College’s philosophy department and its offerings while at the same time improving the Seminary’s ability to attract new seminarians in the pre-theology stage of formation and giving it the ability to offer the full prerequisites for the STB degree. The Seminary’s right to grant the STB through its collaboration with the Vatican’s CCE and the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm is an example of the Seminary’s cultivation of “carefully formulated relationships with other schools or institutions.”
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8.7 Clusters
Saint Vincent Seminary is not part of any educational cluster arrangement.
8.8 Instructional Technology Resources
Saint Vincent Seminary launched its first online courses in the fall of 2017. As we increase our online offerings our use of technology and the resources and pedagogy we adopt will be consciously selected with the intention of: i) focusing on the course and degree program goals already defined for these courses in their current format, and ii) maintaining the interactivity in the community of learning that is necessary for us to achieve our mission of forming well-trained priests, deacons and lay faithful. It may be worth assessing the effectiveness of IT usage by Faculty members not only for online courses but for traditional classroom courses. Our students rarely need instruction in technology use, but when they do the resources of the Saint Vincent College IT Department Service Desk are at their disposal. All students have access to secure Wi-Fi in their residence halls and in all classrooms and hallways on campus. In addition LAN internet access is available to all students in the residence halls. Monk-seminarians have access in the East Lounge computer center in the monastery building and throughout the rest of the campus. Although the students are generally savvy users of IT resources the Self- Study Committee recommends formal introduction to these resources for all students during the orientation process so that they are aware of the tools at their disposal; the same recommendation holds true for Faculty members, especially those who are new the Seminary. The Saint Vincent College IT Department provides many technology-related services to students, including internet, cable, and telephone connections in residence hall rooms, personal computer support and repair, and accounts for College services, such as e-mail, e2Campus emergency text notifications, and Schoology. The IT Department Service Desk staff are available for assistance via phone, email or in person and they provide support for student, Faculty, and staff-owned computers free of charge including virus removal, computer optimization, hardware diagnostics and repair, and operating system installation. Training is available for Faculty members using the Schoology learning management system, which three Seminary Faculty members helped select. An active Faculty Schoology online discussion group has been conducted since the system’s adoption in the fall of 2016. The replacement cycle for computers and other technology equipment is lengthy but few problems have been reported by Seminary Faculty in this regard and IT support has responded quickly with replacement equipment when problems have arisen. The IT Department has consistently kept the Seminary buildings updated in terms of Wi-Fi hardware and related equipment.
Documentation:
https://mysv.stvincent.edu/technologyservices/it/Pages/default.aspx, http://www.stvincent.edu/student-life/campus-technology.
Recommendations:
1. Assess the effectiveness of IT usage by both students and Faculty on course evaluation forms in coordination with the existing question on teaching methodology. 72
2. Encourage and support, by way of orientation, the use of IT resources by students and Faculty.
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Educational Standard
ES.1 Degree Programs and Nomenclature ES.1.1 Post-Baccalaureate Degree Programs
Saint Vincent Seminary offers the following post-baccalaureate degrees:
Ø Master of Divinity (MDiv) Ø MA in Ecclesial Ministry (MAEM) Ø MA in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies (MA) Ø MA (Catholic Philosophical Studies) (MACPS) Ø Baccalaureate36 in Sacred Theology (STB)
The MDiv and MAEM are “oriented primarily toward ministerial leadership,” and the MA in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies, MA (Catholic Philosophical Studies), and the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology are “oriented primarily toward general theological studies” (ES.1.1). The distinctions among the degrees granted by the Seminary along with detailed accounts of their vocational and professional purpose, goals, and objectives are described in the Bulletin (57-93). The curricular design of each degree program is in accordance with the Seminary’s mission and the Commission Standards of Accreditation. To keep the focus on the Seminary’s mission we will use a clear distinction in the Bulletin between goals of the institutional and degree programs and learning outcomes of individual courses. The number of students in our MDiv program provides a sufficient learning community. With the exception of the MAEM the other degree programs overlap with the MDiv in terms of academic curricula and formation programs and thus have a viable student community. The MAEM degree program is quite small but is run as such at the request of the diocese which provides students for it; the learning community is supplemented by additional interaction with formators and practical ministry training they receive from diocesan instructors. Saint Vincent uses the standard ATS nomenclature for its MDiv and MA degree programs (see Degree Program Standards A, B, and D). Its STB degree program uses a nomenclature defined by the Holy See and in standard use in Catholic seminaries and theological faculties throughout the world. Aside from the STB all Saint Vincent degree programs have been approved by the Board of Commissioners according to the Commission on Accreditation’s formally adopted procedures (see ATS Commission on Accreditation Policies and Procedures) and individual Degree Program Standards.
Recommendation:
Be consistent with terminology in the Bulletin, using “goals” to refer to institutional and programmatic aims and “learning outcomes” to refer to course aims.
36 Despite the name of this degree by American higher educational standards, it is a post-baccalaureate degree with prerequisites that include substantial philosophical formation. A typical STB student at Saint Vincent holds a bachelor’s degree in addition to having completed 60 credits of philosophy, pre-theology, and language courses. 74
ES.1.2 Basic Programs Oriented toward Ministerial Leadership
The curricula for the MDiv and MAEM degrees are “oriented primarily toward ministerial leadership” and thus have the common features expected for such programs, as articulated in the learning outcomes for these degrees (Bulletin 82, 86). Firstly, they include a carefully developed program of intellectual, human, spiritual, and pastoral formation in the theological tradition of the Catholic community. This is seen in the courses in systematic and moral theology, scripture, and pastoral studies and practice which are required for candidates for these degrees, as well as in human formation workshops and mentoring, and regular spiritual direction. The MDiv degree requires considerably more theological, spiritual, and pastoral formation as its graduates will be leading faith communities as pastors in distinction from MAEM students whose ministry will support that of church pastors. Secondly, through theological reflection and extensive pastoral field experience students for these degrees are exposed to and integrate themselves into the cultural realities of the people whom they will serve in the course of ministry. The two-semester parish assignments for MDiv and MAEM students in their final year of formation are examples of such commitment to learning the real-life situation of the communities in which they will carry out their future mission. Thirdly, as noted in the Bulletin (83), all MDiv candidates “are required to participate fully in the human, intellectual, pastoral, and spiritual formation programs of the Seminary,” giving them a well- rounded formation that sees to their “emotional maturity, personal faith, moral integrity, and social concern.” MAEM students also complete a thorough program of human and spiritual formation, being overseen directly by the Diocese of Greensburg, in addition to their academic and pastoral curriculum at the Seminary (GIS 6.3., and Degree Programs Standard B.1). Fourthly, through the consistent emphasis on developing a love for life-long learning that is a stated learning outcome for both the MDiv and MAEM degrees (Bulletin 82, 86) students in these programs are prepared to begin effective ministry upon their graduation from the Seminary and to continue growing in their ministry and in the ability to adapt to new movements that arise in ministry in response to developments over time. The fact that Seminary formation workshops on topics of human, spiritual, and pastoral formation are open to both active and retired clergy from the local region is a strong tangible encouragement to current students to commit themselves to lifelong continuing education. Saint Vincent is consistent in using the proper ATS nomenclature for degree programs oriented toward ministerial leadership; i.e., “Master of Divinity” and “MA in Ecclesial Ministry.”
ES.1.3 Basic Programs Oriented toward General Theological Studies
The MA in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies, MACPS, and STB degrees at Saint Vincent are oriented toward scholarly theological study. Our Bulletin states that the MA degree programs are designed “to equip the student with the tools for critical thinking and research on a graduate level” (72), and in the case of the MACPS degree “to provide the philosophical and educational formation required by the Vatican Congregation for Education as the basis for further ecclesiastical theological studies and degrees” (91). The Bulletin further notes that the STB is “more academically oriented than the MDiv degree” (57), and these descriptions of the academic orientation and rigor of the degrees are borne out by their stated learning outcomes and goals which are consistent with graduate level theological
75 education. As described in the Bulletin (57-93) each of these degrees requires a foundational curriculum in theology and theological methodology (philosophy for the MACPS), scripture, history, and supporting fields, as well as seminar-style student research and writing, and a comprehensive capstone or final exam. These degrees are all designed around and are in conformity with the mission and programmatic goals of the Seminary (Bulletin 1, 13-14) and are supported by the Faculty and institutional resources noted in ATS standards 4, 5, and 6. Saint Vincent is consistent in using the proper ATS nomenclature for degree programs oriented toward theological study; i.e., “MA in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies,” “MA (Catholic Philosophical Studies),” and “Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology.”
ES.1.4 and 1.5 Advanced Programs
Saint Vincent Seminary does not offer any degrees in these categories.
ES.1.6 Degree Program Standards
All Saint Vincent Seminary degrees abide by the Commission’s Degree Program Standards; see that section of the self-study for complete detailed information.
Documentation:
Application of the Seminary and ATS confirmation regarding the MACPS degree Response from ATS regarding the curriculum revision Bulletin
Recommendation:
Note in the Bulletin that MAEM students also complete a thorough program of human and spiritual formation, being overseen directly by their sponsoring dioceses, in addition to their academic and pastoral curriculum at the Seminary.
ES.2 Campus-Based Education
Since its founding in 1846 Saint Vincent Seminary has provided a traditional campus- based educational experience which “includes the presence of Faculty, students, administrative support services, and library and information resources in a common location.” As noted in the Bulletin (175-180) we share our beautiful 200 acre campus with Saint Vincent College, and together with the learning community of the College our seminarians enjoy full access to state of the art athletic facilities, library resources, the Wellness Center, professional counselors, dining and guest facilities, cultural events and entertainment, an art gallery which regularly hosts juried exhibitions, a private campus security service and more. These campus resources, together with the College Faculty resources which supplement the Seminary’s own Faculty through adjunct instruction and consultation, offer Seminary students an outstanding learning community in a supportive academic and mission-oriented environment.
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ES.2.1 Residency
With few exceptions all of our students, in keeping with the PPF, reside on campus in Leander Hall or Roderick Hall, and can thus benefit from an immersion in in-person “intellectual, spiritual, personal, and professional formation necessary for religious leadership” as well as a full range of campus services.
ES.3 Extension Education
Saint Vincent Seminary does not have any branch campuses, complete degree sites, or international sites.
ES.4 Distance Education
Saint Vincent Seminary does not offer comprehensive distance education. It will begin offering its initial distance education courses in the fall term of 2017.
ES.5 Faculty-Directed Individual Instruction
Seminarians studying for the MA or MDiv degrees may take courses through individual directed instruction (independent study) to pursue specialized studies (usually in languages) or because of legitimate scheduling conflicts (Bulletin, 115). All independent study courses must be approved in advance by the Academic Dean and the individual instructor. All independent study courses are to run for the duration of one semester (or summer). They must be properly registered for, and grades must be turned in during the grade reporting period for that semester or summer; see the Bulletin (115-116) for further details.
ES.6 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
ES.6.1 Introduction
As noted in response to GIS 1.2, since its last accreditation visit the Seminary has instituted a vigorous system of assessment policies and practices which have already borne fruit in terms of improvements in the overall curriculum and in individual courses:
To achieve [effective assessment of student learning outcomes] the Seminary revised its MDiv and MA degree goals—now referred to as “learning outcomes”—in the 2010-2011 academic year at the request of ATS, and implemented several new assessments that gather information measuring our success in attaining these outcomes, for instance, the Ministry Capstone Seminar and the RFM, the CTA, the CADP evaluations, our Exit Interviews of all graduates, and the annual “Assessment Review” by the Faculty (since 2014). All of these measures are then used on an annual basis to assess whether we are realizing our learning outcomes for each degree program and satisfying our mission.
Student achievement of degree goals has been particularly aided by our comprehensive assessment program which provides an indication into the progression of student learning and 77 potential roadblocks to such learning.37 The Seminary has instituted a broad-based policy of “closing the loop” on assessment by annually bringing the entire Faculty as well as our governing body into the discussion on the subject of student learning outcomes and on possible improvements to aid such learning (cf. GIS 1.2). The recent revision of our curriculum (in effect in the fall of 2017) demonstrate the concrete results of such assessment and follow-up.
ES.6.2 Overall Assessment Strategy
As narrated in GIS 1.2., the Seminary’s assessment strategy flows directly from its Mission Statement and its programmatic and degree goals. Evidence for the alignment of assessment with individual course and degree goal outcomes is seen in the varying formats of the CADP evaluations for the MDiv and MA degrees as well as in the requirement that all MDiv students (those who will be most oriented toward ministerial leadership after graduation) complete the Ministry Capstone Seminar and pass the RFM. That “appropriate administrative and financial resources” are allocated to assessment and its results is demonstrated through the Seminary’s establishment of a new office and hiring a Coordinator of Seminary Assessment in 2013, an official who, working under the office of the Academic Dean, coordinates all aspects of annual assessment and “closing the loop” on its results constructively. The Seminary’s efforts to foster a culture of effective assessment and its evaluation of assessment itself have been furthered by the annual reviews of selected students’ learning portfolios. This process helps link learning outcomes for individual courses to the larger goals and outcomes for degree programs. Our culture of assessment has also been strongly promoted by regular discussion of assessment measures and their results at Faculty meetings, and similarly focused discussion in special venues, such as the 2013- 2016 Faculty in-service days led respectively by Fr. Patrick Cronauer, O.S.B., Dr. Helen Blier of ATS, Dr. Kathleen Borres, and Ms. Debbie Creamer of ATS. In sum, over the past decade Saint Vincent Seminary has taken an entirely new and integrated approach to assessment of learning outcomes, anchoring the desired outcomes in our mission and tracking them with a variety of new tools—and most importantly an institution-wide understanding of the vital importance of assessment for higher education.
ES.6.3 Data
The new assessment tools noted above (the RFM, the CTA, the CADP evaluations, Exit Interviews, Outcomes Assessment, and portfolios) together with annual student profiles treating human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral growth and challenges for each student, provide the Faculty as well as students themselves with a range of objective and subjective information regarding their individual formation and the overall effectiveness of the institution. Input for the student profiles is drawn from the students’ own self-reflections, Faculty members, and peers, and thus ensures a broadly-founded body of qualitative feedback. The Coordinator of Seminary Assessment takes appropriate measures to safeguard the confidentiality of student data when used in assessment activities.
37 For example, the RFM, CTA, and CADP evaluations, Exit Interviews, the Outcomes Assessment, and portfolios. 78
ES.6.4 Faculty, Students, and Trustees
The Seminary’s evaluation of student learning is based primarily on Faculty members’ assessment and analysis, best seen in their active participation in the “Student Concerns” section of each Faculty meeting, in their review of portfolios, in their judging RFMs, and above all in the annual review of CADP evaluations led by the Coordinator of Seminary Assessment. Specific Faculty review of assessment measures and their results at the annual fall Faculty colloquium (devoted to the topic of assessment and follow-up planning) also contributes to the involvement of the teachers of the institution in effective and fruitful assessment. The recent curriculum revision project provides a clear example of the results of such collaboration of the Faculty in assessment work. Great progress has been made since the last ATS visitation in implementing across the board consistency in communicating the learning goals of courses and degree programs on syllabi, in the CADP evaluations, as well as online and in the Bulletin. The Coordinator of Seminary Assessment has created a syllabus template which flows from the Mission Statement to the degree goals each student may be pursuing and to the specific learning outcomes for the course, keeping the outcomes of each course clearly framed within the overall goals of our degree programs and our institutional mission. Since our last ATS accreditation visit the Seminary’s BR has undertaken a comprehensive and ongoing assessment of the Seminary’s formation program. When examining the intellectual pillar of formation the Board has made extensive use of the information compiled by our Academic Dean and our Coordinator of Seminary Assessment, in particular expressing interest in the RFM results and using feedback from the CADP evaluations as part of the evidence which led the Board to approve our revised curriculum in September 2016. Saint Vincent publishes a “statement of vocational and educational effectiveness” in its Bulletin (9-10) and on its webpage.38 This statement includes matriculation figures as well as degree completion rates for each of our degree programs and retention in priestly ministry rates—indicating the primary focus of the institution on the formation of candidates for the priesthood. The Seminary is proud that over the period from 1989-2017, 91.72% (97.25% in the last ten years) of its graduates are still active in priestly ministry, a figure which is truly extraordinary for American Catholic seminaries. The statement of educational effectiveness and accompanying rates of degree completion and retention in ministry are updated as frequently as possible, with an annual update being our goal. To date we have not published placement rates since the overwhelming majority of our students are seeking ordination to the priesthood or the diaconate and are thus placed automatically by their bishop or superior in a ministry upon graduation and ordination.
Documentation:
Bulletin Faculty Meeting Minutes
38 As this Self-Study Report goes to press the new edition of the Bulletin is being readied for publication, the pagination of which has not been finalized. It will contain an updated statement of educational effectiveness, including matriculation figures as well as degree completion rates for each of our degree programs up to 2017; this updated statement will also be posted on the Seminary’s webpage at http://www.saintvincentseminary.edu/about_us. 79
Faculty In-Service Day Minutes Minutes of the BR Meetings of 15 March 2016 and 13 September 2016 Sample student profiles
Recommendation:
Consider the publication of additional forms of data as mentioned in V.G.3.c of ATS Policy Manual (e.g.: time to completion rates, commentary from student Exit Interviews, summary data from CADP evaluations, capstone projects and portfolios).
ES.7 Academic Guidelines: Admission, Transfer of Credits, Shared Credit in Degree Programs, and Advanced Standing
ES.7.1 Admission
The MDiv, MAEM, MA in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies degrees all have a baccalaureate degree prerequisite (Bulletin 73, 82, 86). We acknowledge that the admission standards for the MACPS degree need to be clarified. No more than 15% of students in the MDiv degree program may be admitted without a baccalaureate degree, with the Admissions Committee determining how to judge educational equivalency for the baccalaureate degree and how deficiencies in an applicant’s undergraduate education will be remedied (82). Even students who do not have a baccalaureate degree are required to complete 18 credits of philosophy (30 credits for the ordination MDiv students), 12 credits in theology, 2 credits in New Testament Greek and two semesters of Latin before being admitted to the MDiv program (Bulletin 82). At present the Seminary has a total of two MDiv students without a baccalaureate degree, both of whom are mature vocations who have had successful careers in business and are on track to complete their MDiv. Undergraduate students do not normally take courses at Saint Vincent Seminary; exceptions to this rule generally fall along the lines of seminarians who are enrolled in our pre-theology program (not yet matriculated for the MDiv, STB, or MA degree programs) and who are finishing their baccalaureate degree at the same time. Occasionally an outstanding student from Saint Vincent College, majoring in Theology or Religious Studies, will be allowed to register for a Seminary course with the instructor’s permission. All such undergraduate students are held to the same course requirements and goals as matriculated MDiv, STB, or MA students and accordingly receive graduate credit for their work.
Recommendation:
Clarify and note in the Bulletin the admission requirements for the MACPS degree.
ES.7.2 Transfer of Credits
The Seminary accepts transfer credits only from accredited graduate institutions if the student earned at least a C in the course(s) to be transferred, and provided that these credits were completed within ten years of the date of the student’s application to Saint Vincent Seminary and total no more than 60 transfer credits for the MDiv (ordination track), 50 transfer credits for the MDiv (non-ordination track), and 12 credits for the MA degree programs. Additional
80 requirements concerning the substance and content of courses proposed for transfer apply and the ultimate judgment in these matters always lies with the Academic Dean. The total number of credits allowed to be transferred toward any of our degree programs never exceeds 50% of the total credits for a given degree.
ES.7.3 Shared Credit in Degree Programs
After two semesters of studies with a 3.0 GPA a student may apply to the MDiv/MA dual degree program. Only ordination students may enroll for two degrees. Students complete all degree requirements, including distinct comprehensive capstone exams, for each degree in order to maintain the integrity of each program (Bulletin 93-94). No more than 50% of the credits earned for the MDiv degree program count toward the MA degree.
ES.7.4 Advanced Standing
Saint Vincent only admits students to advanced standing in a degree program through the transfer of credits, not simply owing “to decisions about students’ competence when no transcripts of graduate credit are presented” (7.4.1). Specific course requirements are occasionally waived for students in special circumstances (usually Introduction to Music for those who have professional musical backgrounds or Greek and Latin courses at the request of their bishop or superior).
Documentation:
Bulletin
ES.8 Non-Degree Instructional Programs
The only non-degree instructional program offered by the Seminary is the non-degree Pre-Theology Program, consisting of 30 credits of philosophy, 15 credits of theology and scripture, and 12 credits of languages. The program is entirely directed toward the aim of preparing students for further theological study in the Catholic tradition (Bulletin 91) and as such contributes to our overall mission. The non-degree Pre-Theology Program is run parallel to the academic MA (Catholic Philosophical Studies) degree, for which the additional requirements include a 3 credit MA proficiency seminar (which requires a research paper and an oral comprehensive exam), six credits in a modern language other than one’s own, and a 2-credit research methodology course. The non-degree Pre-Theology Program has all the oversight, academic, and administrative support that any of our degree programs offer, including full access to both Seminary Faculty and the excellent philosophy Faculty of Saint Vincent College.
Documentation:
Bulletin
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Degree Program Standards
Basic Programs Oriented Toward Ministerial Leadership Standard A: Master of Divinity (MDiv) A.1 Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment The standards indicate that the purpose of the MDiv is “to prepare persons for ordained ministry and for general pastoral and religious leadership responsibilities.” This purpose harmonizes with the Seminary’s Mission Statement which declares that the Seminary “is a center for the spiritual formation, human development, and academic and pastoral preparation of candidates for the priesthood.” Consistent with this primary mission, it also provides programs for permanent diaconate candidates and others seeking a theological education (Bulletin, 1, 81). The Mission Statement also professes that the Seminary is “grounded in the Gospel of Christ and the living tradition of the Church and shaped by the Benedictine heritage of liturgical prayer, study, hospitality and community,” which accords with the goals of fostering “students’ knowledge of religious heritage, understanding of the cultural context, growth in spiritual depth and moral integrity.” A syllabus template was developed so that the various courses could articulate how they related to these learning outcomes (see Bulletin, 82): Ø Students will learn the doctrinal heritage of the Roman Catholic Church and acquire the capacity to communicate this heritage through academic courses as well as through formation conferences and structured opportunities for faith sharing. Ø They will develop pastoral and leadership skills to meet diverse contexts and cultural dimensions by acquiring the academic and professional competency needed. Ø They will develop a commitment to life-long learning, rooted in the Word of God and integrated with their spiritual lives. Ø They will acquire competency for preaching that is biblically grounded, doctrinally sound, pastorally focused, and rhetorically effective. Evidence that the students are exposed to and become aware of these learning outcomes is re-enforced by the explicit inclusion of these outcomes in the syllabus required for each course. Samples of syllabi and templates for Faculty use in the creation of syllabi are available on OneDrive. This demonstrates the commitment to making these MDiv degree learning outcomes explicit in each course. Student feedback on the learning outcomes is also found through the CADP evaluation given at the end of each semester in every course. This provides an opportunity for students to directly respond to questions designed to determine whether the course has met its expected outcomes. As the samples on OneDrive indicate, the CADP evaluation is less focused on student feedback regarding the professor and/or course and more focused on the learning experience and expectations provided at the beginning of the course and how well the student can apply and integrate what they are learning with their particular degree program goals. The Seminary considers their feedback as more than indirect evidence. When students can “connect the dots” in their coursework and formation, and explicitly make that connection on a CADP evaluation, this is direct evidence of learning. The primary mission of the Seminary is the formation of candidates for priesthood in the Roman Catholic tradition. This mission requires the Seminary to conform to the expectations of 82 the PPF of the USCCB, including its formation program and related activities. Details of the way in which Saint Vincent Seminary implements this program are spelled out in the Bulletin on pages 13-47. How these outcomes inform supervised ministry experiences is described in the FPH, as noted on pages 13-14 of the Bulletin. The text identifies supervised pastoral ministry as a means of human and spiritual development, of preparing for effective ministry, and of assisting in the development of an ecclesial identity and readiness to accept leadership roles of service in the Church. Other related strategies and programs include formation conferences, spiritual direction, personal guidance, study, and pastoral practice. There is a broad and varied range of strategies, methods, and criteria by which the Seminary evaluates the educational effectiveness of the degree program. Included here are the grading mechanisms appropriate to specific courses, such as regularly scheduled written and oral exams, research and reflection papers, written and oral presentations of preaching, and seminar presentations. There are also mechanisms assessing the over-all program, such as Exit Interviews and demonstration of competency in preaching and liturgical service both in the Seminary and in supervised pastoral settings. Other specific strategies used to measure the broader academic program and its gradual, developmental approach include 1) the CTA (see Bulletin, 49-51), and 2) the Ministry Capstone Seminar and its subsequent RFM (Bulletin, 51-53), which is meant to measure a student’s ability to both integrate and pastorally apply what he has learned in his studies (Bulletin, 52). Faculty Feedback relative to each student attests to whether or not a student is able to “connect the dots” of his studies, to identify theological and canonical issues, and to apply this knowledge in practical ways, e.g., in a homily, teaching or otherwise. In addition, the Seminary also mandates that all ordination students participate in the annual student evaluation known as the Profile Process (Bulletin, 53) and the Portfolio Project (Bulletin, 54). These are treated as substantially equal measures of the educational and formational effectiveness of the Seminary’s commitment to the MDiv degree program and its stated goals. The Portfolio Project has been especially valuable in that it gives the Seminary an opportunity to “see the forest through the trees.” Evaluators can see how students have progressed individually and generally across the years of study and in varying capacities. Three Seminary professors review the collection of artifacts (which include all the above-named assessment tools) each summer and respond to a series of questions relative to each portfolio and the learning outcomes of the degree program. In this regard, sample evaluative comments from the 2014 Portfolio Project are worth citing, as they concern one of the learning outcomes in the MDiv degree program, commitment to life-long learning. One assessor in particular did an exceptional job in his review. Recognizing that a commitment to life-long learning can be hard to assess, he suggested how and why certain artifacts reflected a commitment to life-long learning and further suggested that the Seminary expand its thinking relative to this goal to include commitment to life-long learning about one’s self and about human experience in general. He identified numerous markers for the Seminary to consider relative to this goal and how the student portfolios reflected these markers (or not). For example, he wrote that:
Ø “Self-confidence and the capacity to learn about one’s self and the human experience are aspects of life-long learning” and must be “present to make . . . intellectual learning viable and applicable to . . . ministry.” Ø “Encyclopedic knowledge” must be contextualized (ministry) to be “a more balanced and integrated form of life-long learning . . . [that] includes the full range of human experiences.”
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Ø The “willingness to cooperate with the pastor and others to accomplish tasks . . . [including those] the candidate was not too familiar with or were outside his normal comfort range . . . [are] signs of an ability to engage in life-long learning.” Ø The “use of external sources in . . . homilies . . . shows not only a commitment to life- long learning, but also the ability to use it appropriately.” Ø A “deepening commitment to prayer and to physical exercise as ways of enhancing . . . [a candidate’s] ability to engage more fully in his studies” also reflect “a well-developed awareness of the importance of ‘life-long learning.’”
This 2014 reviewer did the same for every response, clearly articulating how and why the portfolio artifacts evidenced (or at the very least suggested) achievement of a learning outcome. For example, he did a very fine job assessing the assessor’s methodology (in a case in which a faculty member had assessed a paper). The reviewer wrote about:
Ø The “massive instructor feed-back done through MSWord ‘Track Changes’ software. Much of the value of this project as a learning tool derives from the interplay of student and teaching in the candidate’s theological proficiency as the instructor carefully praises and prods the student to ‘get it right’ without undue criticism or excessive praise.” Ø How the pastoral practicum supervisor evaluation form “doesn’t provide any incentive for the supervisor to give useful information that would lead to a ‘plan of action’ for the candidate to improve his performance.” Ø How “the success and value of these evaluations [pastoral practicum evaluations] depend very much on the willingness of the supervising priest and others to spend the time completing the questionnaire.” Ø How engagement with an audience and passion in preaching are signs of effective preaching; how the incorporation of sources in a paper alone “does not elevate it to the level of ‘analysis.’” Ø How the appropriate use of magisterial sources, Scripture, the Fathers, current events, and applicability to the Eucharistic celebration, etc. are signs that a student has developed a solid understanding of the doctrinal heritage of the Church and the capacity to effectively communicate it in today’s cultural context with sound pastoral sensitivity, competency and imagination. Ø How a candidate’s “unifying” presence in a five-parish community serves as a sign of his leadership capacity. Ø How one’s physical presence and concern about energy, etc. are directly related to one’s “social presence. This same dynamic also makes . . . [the candidate] a liturgical and spiritual presence which is complimented by his approachable demeanor.” Ø How the Comprehensive Timed Assessment alone does not tell us if a candidate has the capacity to communicate the teaching of the Church.”
These sample comments show the kind of active engagement in the process of assessment that this reviewer assumed. What he asked of others (e.g., students), he asked of himself, indicating his appreciation for the formative value of learning and the purpose of assessment. The MDiv Portfolio Project aims to encourage “active participation” in its reviewers as much as it involves the assessment of students and programs. That said, not all reviewers are as positive about their role in the Portfolio Project as they might be. The reader may look to the
84 various reports on OneDrive that pertain specifically to the portfolios for evidence of educational assessment. Upon request, the reader may also consult the portfolios themselves. The Seminary is committed to an on-going program assessment to determine the extent to which the MDiv degree program is meeting the needs of students and the overall goals for the program. The Bulletin indicates this with the inclusion of an Educational and Vocational Effectiveness Statement (2015) (Bulletin, 9-10). Included with the statement are: i) a table of Matriculation and Completion Rates, 2003-2015, and ii) a list of Retention Rates for Post- Ordination Students (priest-graduates) 1989-2015. The retention rate for Saint Vincent Seminary indicates that 91.4% (91.72% through 2017) of its priest-graduates ordained in the past twenty- nine years are still in active ministry, and 94.6% (97.25% through 2017) of those ordained in the past ten years are still in ministry.
Documentation:
Bulletin CADP Evaluations CTA Exit Interviews (and Reports) FPH Ministry Capstone Seminar Course Description Portfolio Reviews and Reports Readiness For Ministry Exams Syllabus Template
A.2 Program Content
The MDiv program is expected to provide both breadth and depth within the academic disciplines as well as opportunities for appropriation and application of this learning within a large range of pastoral ministries. In order to be a candidate for the MDiv degree a student must have fulfilled a prerequisite philosophical course of study (often called “Pre-Theology”) which includes a minimum of: 30 credits in philosophy for ordination students (18 for non-ordination students), 12 credits in Judeo-Christian theology, 2 credits in New Testament Greek and a working knowledge of Latin (two semesters). The MDiv program is a major part of the four-year Ordination Program for priesthood candidates, whose requirements go beyond those for the degree itself. The normal cycle of classes for the Ordination MDiv degree program features a distribution of courses in Sacred Scripture (19 credits), Theology (41 credits), Church History (12 credits), and Spiritual and Pastoral Studies (46-48 credits) in such a way that each semester provides a planned blend of disciplines and content that leads progressively to foster a personal integration by the students of studies, spiritual growth, and pastoral competence. Students in the Non-Ordination MDiv degree program must complete no fewer than 100 credits as specified on page 83 of the Bulletin. Until recently students in the Ordination MDiv program were required to complete no fewer than 127 credits (see below). Students are provided structured opportunities to develop “a comprehensive and discriminating understanding of [their] religious heritage” not only by courses in Sacred Scripture and Theology but also by required courses in Church History and Pastoral and Spiritual Theology. These courses provide awareness of cultural realities and global mission with ample references to the universality of the Church as well as to its structures of papacy, councils, and 85 synodality. After two years of extensive discussion at Faculty meetings, and with supportive interaction of the BR, the Faculty approved a curriculum revision on 10 May 2016. This revision raised the total number of credits required for the Ordination MDiv Program from 127 to 135/136. The revised curriculum remains substantially the same but does entail the redistribution of components among several courses and a few alterations in course names. It also introduces new courses, including Pastoral Care of Marriage and Families and two courses in Spanish. The two curricula for ordination to the priesthood are as follows (see Bulletin, 83- 85):
Curriculum until Spring of 2017 Curriculum as of Fall of 2017
Sacred Scripture (19 credits): The core Sacred Scripture (24 credits): The core requirements include courses in Pentateuch and requirements include courses in The Primary History Exegesis; Wisdom Literature and the Psalms; of Ancient Israel; Wisdom Literature and the Prophetic Literature; Synoptic Gospels; Writings Psalms; Prophetic Literature; NT Exegesis, Mark of Saint Paul; and The Fourth Gospel. and Matthew; Luke-Acts and the NT Epistles; Writings of Saint Paul; and Johannine Literature. Theology (41 credits): The core requirements include Theology (41/42 credits): The core requirements courses in Fundamental Theology; Christian include courses in Fundamental Theology; Christian Anthropology and Grace; Christology; Trinity; Anthropology and Grace; Christology; Trinity; Ecclesiology, Fundamental Liturgy; Principles of Ecclesiology, Missiology and Ecumenism; Funda- Moral Theology; Catholic Social Ethics; Mariology; mental Liturgy; Principles of Moral Theology; Theology of the Sacraments; Sacraments: The Mysteries of Faith; Theology of the Priesthood and Catholic Social Ethics; Mariology; Sacraments of Celibacy; and Biomedical Ethics. Initiation; Sacraments of Healing; Theology of the Priesthood and Celibacy; and Biomedical and Medical Ethics for Priestly Ministry. Church History (12 credits): The core requirements Church History (12 credits): The core include courses in Patrology; Medieval to Counter requirements include courses in Patrology; Medieval Reformation Church History; Modern Church History; to Counter Reformation Church History; Modern and the Catholic Church in the U.S. Church History; and the Catholic Church in the U.S. Pastoral Studies (35 credits): The core requirements Pastoral Studies (35 credits): The core include courses in Catechetics; Introduction to Pastoral requirements include courses in Catechetics; Communication; Homiletics I; Homiletics II; Deacon Introduction to Pastoral Communication; Homiletics Preparation Lab; Pastoral Counseling I; Pastoral I; Homiletics II; Deacon Preparation Lab; Pastoral Counseling II; Pastoral Leadership and Parish Counseling I; Pastoral Counseling II; Pastoral Administration; Pastoral Visitation of the Sick; Priesthood Preparation Lab; Ministry Capstone Leadership and Parish Administration; Pastoral Seminar; as well as supervised Parish Practicum (for Visitation of the Sick; Priesthood Preparation Lab; deacons). Ministry Capstone Seminar; as well as supervised Pastoral and Spiritual Theology (11/13 credits): The Pastoral and Spiritual Theology (15 credits): The core requirements include courses in Worship and core requirements include courses in Worship and Ministry; Priestly Spirituality; Introduction to Canon Ministry; Priestly Spirituality; Introduction to Canon Law; Canon Law and Sacraments; and Pastoral Law; Canon Law and Sacraments; Pastoral Care of Theology. Marriage and Families; and Pastoral Theology. Liturgical Music (2 credits): Introduction to Liturgical Music (2 credits): Introduction to Music, Music, and, Liturgical Music. and, Liturgical Music. Spanish Language (6 credits): Introduction to Spanish, and, Liturgical Spanish.
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The MDiv degree program is also intent upon providing opportunities for the students to develop “a critical understanding of and creative engagement with the cultural realities and structures” in which the Church finds itself. The members of the administration and Faculty have had extensive experience living and studying in other parts of the world, some of them being graduates of foreign universities; and the student body is comprised of students from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds and several foreign countries. Expressing the diversity of faiths and cultures comes naturally in many of the courses, for instance in Scripture, Church History, Ecclesiology, and Pastoral Liturgy. Emphasis on both Christian ecumenical dialogue as well as inter-faith dialogue is encountered not only in academic courses but in a variety of formation program elements supported by the Seminary—including our relationship with Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary in Pittsburgh, whose Academic Dean is a member of our adjunct Faculty—and in events sponsored by the greater Saint Vincent community. The Seminary is also in the process of re-shaping its program for study of the Spanish language and of Hispanic cultures as part of its Hispanic Ministries Program. It is also continuing to develop the instances of liturgical celebration and devotional prayer in Spanish in the Seminary schedule. The Seminary has progressed in strengthening its programs for human and spiritual formation as witnessed by the positive feedback found in the In-Trust and Vianney Reports and some comments under Outcomes Assessment. Besides academic courses in moral theology, pastoral counseling, and those that touch upon prayer, faith witnessing, and Christian virtue, the Seminary provides an extensive formation program that is structured according to the USCCB’s guidelines found in the PPF which emphasizes the “four pillars” of necessary formation: human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral. For instance, each ordination student has a human formation advisor with whom he is to meet monthly. The formation advisor, in coordination with the Director of Human Formation, and with input from other formators, Faculty members, and student peers, writes an annual Profile of each candidate for consideration by the Rector’s Council which is then shared with the sponsoring diocese or community. In addition, each ordination student is assigned a spiritual director with whom he is to meet twice per month. In addition, there is a well-defined schedule for daily common prayer and liturgy. Similarly, the student’s capacity for ministerial and public leadership is developed by courses in ministry practice and by means of abundant supervised experiences in ministry, both in the Seminary itself and at a variety of sites, e.g. hospital visitation, sports team chaplaincy on campus, a men’s homeless shelter, local parishes, Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, and Personal Care Centers for the elderly. Documentation:
“Curriculum Revision” in the Faculty Minutes, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 Outcomes Assessment (“Interview” of Alumni and Pastors of Alumni) In-Trust Report Vianney Report
A.3 Educational Resources and Learning Strategies
The Seminary’s history reflects the importance given by ATS Standards to “a comprehensive community of learning” which goes beyond an accumulation of academic work. Saint Vincent provides a residential community of learning through in-person Faculty-student instructional contact on a single campus, as well as supervised ministerial experiences both on
87 campus and off campus. The learning proceeds mainly from classroom instruction, classroom- based seminars, supervised liturgical laboratory practice, and supervised pastoral placement. The MDiv degree program normally envisions a residence on campus of four academic years, although some students may be involved in our preparatory philosophical program, which may require one or two years more. The students may also have some ministerial assignments in the summer organized by their respective dioceses; in such cases, the reports of their supervisors may be shared with the Seminary. These assignments contribute to the overall learning for the students and are important strategic options for diocesan or religious formation. Relatedly, other students may take a pastoral year or a leave of absence to discern their calling, in which case the years of formal instruction may be non-consecutive and the time to complete the degree longer than four years. The Seminary has often found that when a man has taken a leave of absence from his studies for discernment purposes, and opted to return, he and the Church benefit greatly from the decision. They return with vigor, eager to pursue their priestly vocation. In all cases, however, “all course credits applied toward degree requirements . . . [are] earned within ten years of the awarding of the degree” (A.3.2.2). The assessment of the effectiveness of supervised ministry in off-campus locations occurs through reports of the on-site supervisors, observation visits by the Director of Pastoral Formation, and through supervised reflection sessions with the students led by the Seminary’s Director of Pastoral Formation. Room for improvement exists regarding the familiarization of on-site supervisors with the specific goals and objectives of priestly formation. There is “regular and substantive student-Faculty interaction” to achieve learning outcomes. The fact that the majority of the administrative and Faculty positions are filled by Benedictine monks of the adjacent monastery also means that the Faculty-student interaction permeates the entire day. Some other of the Benedictine Faculty are even engaged in parish life and leadership (A.3.3.2.2) which affords them a certain credibility in the eyes of the students. This is true also for the non- Benedictine Faculty who teach at the Seminary. Students appreciate the “war stories,” the real- life examples the priest Faculty members can share with them. Students are eager to learn real life pastoral care from these professors. The Faculty come to the Seminary from all parts of the world and from different professional backgrounds after having experienced “other lives” before pursuing ministerial or theological work. This too contributes to the overall learning environment. It lends a certain normalcy to the learning environment in that students are learning, from a diverse population of men and women, to minister to a diverse population of men, women, and children. In all, the Faculty are “of adequate number . . . [and] possess sufficient diversity of perspective to achieve the degree-program goals” (A.3.3.2.3). There are stipulated norms governing a student who wishes or needs to engage in an independent study; these must be arranged with an amenable Faculty member and approved by the Academic Dean (Bulletin, 115-117). The Seminary Faculty and Administration are committed to the on-going development and strengthening of the total academic, spiritual, and pastoral program. Even as they seek to lead the students to integrate their experiences and to “close the loop,” the Faculty and Administration are continually involved in a similar process, by incorporating insightful critiques and constructive suggestions arising, for instance, from the CADP responses of the students and through the recent 2015 Alumni Survey Report (of 2006-2012 graduates). This in turn has led to a number of programmatic developments such as a new CADP Faculty Response Page, a revised
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Syllabus Template, a revised (2016) Instrument for Evaluating the Portfolio Artifacts, and the above-mentioned recent Curriculum Revision. Due to its relationship to Saint Vincent Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery, the Seminary has had a long and strong tradition of community life which “provides informal educational experiences, a sustaining religious fellowship, and adequate opportunity for reflection upon the meaning of faith in its relation to education for ministry” (A.3.3). Various examples include common meals, regular common prayer, access to regular spiritual direction and counseling, and annual picnics and retreats. The Faculty embodies a wide range of academic training and cultural backgrounds, with national and international credentials. Most are simultaneously engaged in the practice of various aspects of ministry which they bring to the task of improving the “students’ spiritual development and professional growth” (A.3.3.2.1). For instance they include spiritual directors, human formation advisors, parish supervisors, parish clergy, a member of the diocesan judicial tribunal, teachers in permanent diaconate programs, and presenters of public talks, workshops, and parish missions. Among its community resources are the vital relationships the Seminary maintains not only with the Benedictine monastery at Saint Vincent but with the local Diocese of Greensburg and the other dioceses and monasteries from which its students come. In addition it shares its campus and facilities with Saint Vincent College. It also maintains a cordial and enhancing relationship with other theological institutions, the schools where the Faculty themselves studied as well as local seminaries. There is a particular relationship with the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm, the Benedictine university in Rome. In addition the Seminary and the greater Saint Vincent community provides various cooperative conferences held on campus, such as the recent three-day Conference “The New Evangelization and Higher Education: The Vision of Pope Francis” held on 23-25 May 2016 and the “Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: Created in the Image of God” held on 3 November 2016. Recommendations:
1. Review the evaluation of supervised off-campus pastoral assignments to ensure that they are meeting the goals and expectations of the Seminary program.
2. Update the Pastoral Practicum Field Supervisor Workbook to include specific expectations as well as suggestions to the Supervisors of specific activities in ministry, liturgical opportunities, and pastoral experiences. Support and reinforce this during on- site visits by the Seminary’s Director of Pastoral Formation.
A.4 Admissions The Seminary’s MDiv program’s admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Should the case arise that a student not have the educational equivalency of a bachelor’s degree, the Seminary’s Admissions Committee would determine how to judge educational equivalency and remedy any deficiencies (cf. ES. 7.1; Bulletin, 82). At times the Seminary may judge it best to conditionally accept someone into the program, allowing course performance to determine continued eligibility and/or full admission. In any case, we confirm that no more than 15% of students are admitted without a bachelor’s degree. Relatedly, due to our relationship with Saint Vincent College, we can afford some students the opportunity to complete their college studies towards a bachelor’s degree. In regard
89 to ascertaining “evidence of the commitment and qualities desired for pastoral leadership,” the Seminary is in a cooperative relationship with the various dioceses and religious communities who conduct the initial screening of candidates and with whom we confer to ascertain the suitability of each candidate. Judgment of the human, spiritual, and intellectual ability to engage in seminary studies and formation, however, is conducted by, and reserved to, the Seminary.
Basic Programs Oriented Toward Ministerial Leadership Standard B: MA in Ecclesiastical Ministry (MAEM) B.1: Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment The primary purpose of this graduate-level professional degree is “to equip persons for competent leadership in some form of specialized ministry in congregations and other settings” (B.1.1.1). In particular the MAEM may be considered under Classification III, that is, an MA in Pastoral Studies for parish ministry or service with a specialized focus. Our MAEM has two sets of addressees: permanent diaconate candidates and lay men and women who are interested in parish ministry or service. Provisions are made for both tracks. The learning outcomes for the MAEM include the following (see Bulletin, 86): Ø Students will appropriate the doctrinal heritage of the Roman Catholic Church and acquire the capacity to communicate this heritage through the academic courses. Ø Students will develop pastoral and leadership skills required by the diverse contexts and cultural dimensions of the parish ministry by acquiring the academic and profession competency needed to begin ecclesial ministry. Ø Students will demonstrate the capacity to integrate their theological study with the pastoral field work training appropriate to their future ministry goals. Ø Candidates for the permanent diaconate will acquire the requisite competency to preach homilies which are biblically grounded, doctrinally sound, pastorally focused, and rhetorically effective. Ø Students will develop a commitment to life-long learning, rooted in the Word of God and integrated with their spiritual lives.39
The Seminary designed the MAEM program to offer students opportunities not only to grow in their intellectual knowledge of the Catholic faith but to grow personally, pastorally and spiritually in and through the course of their studies. While students in the Seminary’s MAEM degree programs do not follow the same formation program the MDiv students do, the majority of them (the diaconate students) benefit from the oversight and support of the local diocese for their human, spiritual and pastoral formation. The students, diaconate and lay, also receive support directly from the Seminary by way of the Integration Seminar (EM 765), which a Seminary Formator teaches and oversees. The seminar draws together a student’s intellectual training and field work experience so that, as the Bulletin notes, the student’s work reflects “an understanding of the theological principles guiding the Catholic faith tradition and how these are experienced in the practical order of a person’s and a community’s life of faith” (Bulletin, 88). The leadership component of the degree program is also emphasized, for “the student is expected to articulate his role as an ordained deacon or lay minister” (Bulletin, 88). In the seminar,
39 A fuller description of the MAEM program appears in the Bulletin on pages 86-88. 90 students write a 5000 word paper that reflects what is presumed in these expectations, namely the intellectual, human, spiritual and pastoral formation of the students and the realization of the degree learning outcomes. Students receive the intellectual, human, spiritual and formation assumed in the learning outcomes through the local diocese, in field work assignments (EM 755: Field Work I and EM 760: Field Work II), and through coursework. The Seminary courses aim to facilitate the formation and integration of the students in the four pillars of Catholic faith formation. A review of the course syllabi and CADP evaluations suggest that those who teach the MAEM courses are generally successful in fostering formation and integration. In some cases, students in this degree program may decide that they do not want to pursue active pastoral ministry but would enjoy the benefits of the coursework and additional intellectual work. In such cases, they would not enroll in Field Work, or the Integration Seminar but would take an elective course and write a thesis. The kind of support they would receive would be equivalent to those in the Seminary’s various MA degree programs. A thesis director would provide some of the support that a human formation and academic advisor would offer. Pastoral formation and spiritual formation would not play as prominent a role as they would for those in the (diaconate or priestly) ordination track. Of course, any number of spiritual directors from the Seminary or local diocese are available should a student seek additional formation support. Regardless of the emphasis a MAEM student chooses—active pastoral ministry or non- ministerial—the Seminary’s MAEM degree program is an intellectual program in the Catholic faith tradition which fosters in students the capacity to reflect upon the Catholic faith tradition in a pastorally and culturally sensitive way that will allow them to communicate the faith in their preaching, teaching, or writing. The educational assessment of MAEM students and the program in general is best reflected in the Portfolio Project. Certain papers and other artifacts are collected each year (see list of MAEM artifacts on OneDrive) and selected portfolios are reviewed and assessed at the end of each year (if there is a graduating student). The Seminary has also begun to solicit student feedback by means of the Exit Interview. This, too, will become standard assessment material. Positive results have emnerged from these portfolio reviews. As noted in our 2013 report to ATS, the Seminary reviewed the portfolios of two of the three 2013 graduates. The evaluators had many positive things to say about the students and their artifacts and the issues of leadership and a commitment to lifelong learning. The strong and positive feedback of the portfolio reviewers suggested to us that the students were ready for ministry. They were prepared well to be effective communicators, leaders and/or homilists upon ordination to the diaconate or in their lay ministry positions. It is worth repeating some of the 2013 portfolio reviewer comments as they concern the four pillars of diaconal formation as reflected in the National Directory for the Formation, Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in the United States:
Ø “The field work and Integration Seminar papers show that the student is deeply in touch with the pastoral needs of the people he served in prison ministry. He is aware of the cultural background of the prisoners and shows real sympathy with their plight.” Ø “The field work and Integration Seminar papers show a real understanding of the prisoners and of their need to regain self-respect as human beings.”
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Ø “This [the integration paper] is a strong example of the desired integration of theological and theoretical training with pastoral application in a specific environment.” Ø “Solid blending of scripture, theology, personal experience and pastoral mentoring; truly an example of integration of the academic, spiritual, scriptural and pastoral dimensions of formation.” Ø “[The student’s] final integration paper was a sustained reflection on prison ministry in which he incorporated insights from his coursework. This paper, which incorporated a reflection from his fieldwork, showed great pastoral sensitivity to the personal, familial, ecclesial and social issues, opportunities, and challenges facing inmates, family, the institutions themselves, church, etc.”
Since 2013, the Seminary has reviewed three more MAEM portfolios, two in 2014 and one in 2016. The results have been positive, though limits are acknowledged. For example, one 2014 portfolio reviewer hoped that a student in the MAEM degree program would pursue a deeper understanding of the faith, beyond “a strictly catechetical knowledge of certain topics.” Still, this reviewer acknowledged the student had a sincere desire to reach the “folks in the pews” and in this, “he brings together theory, personal commitment, and practice in any effective way for the good of his ministry.” In other words, while this student did not appear to the reviewer to be as gifted as other students in the MAEM program, and while he should “go deeper” in his reflections, the student was in fact integrating the four pillars well and would presumably do so in the future. In the 2016 review, one reviewer wrote the following: “His integration paper demonstrates his ability and willingness to cooperate with the pastor and other members of the two parishes in developing programs and carrying them out. He seems as well to recognize that they are not just programs but life projects to build up the community of the church (borrowing of course from the title of the one project.” Concerning this same student, another reviewer wrote:
I think from what I have seen in the portfolio that [this student] . . . has what it takes to exercise a truly successful pastoral ministry. From his videotaped homilies I would say that his approach to homiletics—while it needs a lot of polish and development—will be appreciated by congregations as honest and experienced. His papers tell me that he has definitely deepened his knowledge of the faith while at SV, and that he has the capacity to bring this knowledge forward in diverse contexts and situations. His pastoral practicum supervisor’s report by . . . was helpful in underlining how [the student] has grown in his ability to relate across a broad spectrum of people in a large suburban parish. It also offered some insight into [the student’s] . . . capacity for leadership, though opportunities to exercise pastoral leadership seem to have been limited during his practicum.
For additional assessment feedback, please see the 2013, 2014 and 2016 MAEM Portfolio Reports on OneDrive. While the volume of evidence is not high in our portfolio assessment of the MAEM degree program, this is because the program is highly dependent upon the supply of diaconal candidates from the local diocese. The Seminary hopes to maintain this degree program and welcome an increasing number of candidates in the coming years. As was noted earlier (Standard 3):
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The Seminary is in continual dialogue with local dioceses concerning this program and how its various elements cohere and enhance the program, especially the Dioceses of Greensburg and Altoona-Johnstown. . . .With the development of on-line Seminary courses, we believe this program can accommodate some of the anticipated diocesan changes and in its own way will contribute to the on-going development of the Seminary’s theological curriculum.
Documentation:
Bulletin National Directory for the Formation, Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in the United States Portfolio 2014 and 2016 reviews and reports
B.2: Program Content
As noted above, the MAEM program addresses through course work, supervised field work assignments, and various formation opportunities what constitutes a basic program oriented toward ministerial leadership. It takes up the religious heritage of the Roman Catholic Church, cultural context, personal and spiritual formation and “structured opportunities for students to gain understanding and skill in practice related to the areas of specialization.” It allows them to “acquire the capacity to design and maintain effective practices and programs in the areas of the specialty, and to develop skill in assessing the efforts and contributions of the specialized ministry” (B.2.5). More specifically, the program content includes 21 credits in Systematic Theology, 9 credits in Sacred Scripture, and 18 credits from either the diaconal ministry track or the lay ministry track, for a total of 48 credits. The normal load for the MAEM degree program is six credits per semester over a period of three years and six credits per summer in the first two years. A candidate must complete all the requirements within 10 years after acceptance into the program. In addition to the classroom instruction students receive through the Seminary, MAEM students seeking ordination also complete a thorough program of human and spiritual formation as noted above, overseen directly by the Diocese of Greensburg and supported by the academic and pastoral curriculum of the Seminary (cf. ES.1.2). The Diocese and the Seminary “co-teach” and cooperate in the administration of the MAEM program in different ways. For example, the Seminary cooperates with the diocese on parochial arrangements for pastoral placement, supervision, and assessment. All field supervisors are Catholic priests familiar with the demands of ministerial life and the skills needed to serve in a leadership capacity in the local Church, and aware of the importance of their mentoring role as it concerns the formation of deacon candidates. They have been selected by the diocese to help “raise up the deacon” and to serve in an integral way as formators in the Seminary’s MAEM degree program. They serve as practical extensions to the Seminary’s MAEM degree program in their oversight of the students in field work assignments. They provide feedback relative to the four pillars of diaconal formation, both informally and formally, evidenced in a student’s 5000 word paper for his Integration Seminar and, when submitted to the Seminary, in the supervisor’s formal evaluations of a student, subsequently placed in the student’s portfolio. In their evaluations, supervising pastors may address any number of formation matters including a student’s homiletic skills, his or her theological proficiency, leadership skills, and cultural or pastoral sensitivity, among other things. It is recommended that the Seminary continue to stress
93 the importance of the supervising pastor’s evaluation of the MAEM students. As is the case concerning the evaluations of our MDiv students by supervising pastors, the Seminary does not always receive the evaluations; and if we do, they are not always of a substantive nature. Here we may acknowledge room for the diocese and Seminary to develop a more cooperative mentoring and assessment program. We have noted a similar concern and recommendation for the MDiv program (see A.3).
Documentation:
Bulletin Integration Papers and Supervisor Evaluations (in Portfolios)
Recommendations:
1. Review the evaluation of supervised field work assignments—especially by diocesan pastors—to ensure that they are meeting the goals and expectations of the Seminary program and the expectations of sponsoring dioceses.
2. Develop a Field Work Supervisor Workbook including specific expectations and suggestions to the supervisors of specific activities in ministry, liturgical opportunities, and pastoral experiences. This should be supported and reinforced during on-site visits by either the Seminary’s Director of Pastoral Formation or the Seminary formator who teaches and oversees the Integration Seminar.
B.3: Educational Resources and Learning Strategies
Efforts have been made to provide a sufficiently supportive community of learning for students in our MAEM program, though it must be acknowledged that the community of learning for this degree program is highly dependent upon the pool of diaconal candidates sponsored by the local dioceses. When there is a sufficient pool of candidates, the students benefit from “regular and substantive interaction . . . [and] peer learning” (B.3.1.1). Any limits to the community of learning can be addressed, however, through the field work experiences of students and the interaction they have with members of the clergy, pastoral associates, parish council members, and parishioners in the diocese or in their local parish as it concerns formation. In other words, there are opportunities for “the development of ministry skills; supervised experiences of ministry; and growth in personal, spiritual formation” (B.3.1.2). In addition, there may be limited interaction between our day and evening students. Most of the students pursuing the MAEM degree can take courses offered on campus only in the evening, which limits their exposure to most students whose courses are taught during the daytime. However, MAEM students are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in all extra-curricular and student community activities (formation talks and conferences, special events, liturgical celebrations, etc.). In view of the Seminary’s commitment to fostering a community of learners, while also acknowledging the difficulties that on-campus, evening courses add to the already-busy lives of the students of the MAEM, the Self-Study Committee recommends that the Seminary investigate making on-line courses available for the MAEM program—and indeed this process has already begun in the all term of 2017.
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The duration of the MAEM degree program is three years and “due to the formative nature of this degree, a new cycle will usually begin only every two years. New students must enter the program with a cohort at the beginning of each new cycle” (Bulletin, 87). The cycle of courses, most of which are provided on campus, begins with foundational coursework in theological methodology, creation, Trinity, Christology, Christian Anthropology, and moral and sacramental theology and moves in a systematic way to address the New Testament writings, the Church, and such practical subjects as homiletics (two semesters) and other ministerial matters in two semesters of field work experience. It culminates in the capstone Integration Seminar already discussed. This program is generally adequate, though it is the opinion of students and Faculty who have examined the program that a course in the Old Testament and a course in Canon Law should be added. As the Seminary works closely with the dioceses that sponsor diaconal candidates, the cycle of courses will be reviewed and possibly revised to address this lacuna and any others. The number of MAEM courses each semester is limited because the program is designed for people who are working fulltime, most of them married and supporting families. The teachers are drawn from the regular Faculty, many of whom are also engaged in pastoral ministries, and from adjunct College Faculty (B.3.3). While Faculty members serve in various capacities in other programs or places, they are sufficiently numbered. In fact, their involvement in other programs and/or in the local diocese puts them in a position to bring to the students’ attention the realities of life in the Church, and to address how each ministry, priestly, diaconal and lay, contributes to the building up of the local Church. Library resources and other support services are also adequate. Students can take advantage of the same support services as other commuter students. Those who teach in the MAEM program understand the challenges MAEM students face and usually plan their courses and requirements in a way conducive to evening and weekend studies. As it concerns library use, the MAEM professors will want to take advantage of Schoology, the learning management system introduced last year in the College and Seminary. Professors can upload electronic resources for students to access anywhere and anytime with the appropriate computer or tablet support. Professors can also begin to take advantage of Schoology’s electronic discussion boards for theological reflection and/or addressing various pastoral cases. While the campus will remain the primary location for instruction for the forseeable future, Schoology’s extended classroom capabilities provides additional support for the MAEM students who may otherwise find it difficult to take advantage of the many campus services and resources. MAEM students have the same electronic access to the Saint Vincent College Library and its full range of resources; the use of Schoology is another way of providing support to this particular community of learners. The guidance for the program is largely governed by the relationships between the Seminary, the sponsoring religious communities, and the dioceses and parishes supporting the students. As already noted, while the Seminary enjoys a good working relationship with the sponsoring dioceses students would benefit from a more “cooperative mentoring and assessment program” (B.2 above). As the Seminary dialogues with the local dioceses concerning the diaconal track and formation this recommendation should be a part of that conversation.
Recommendations:
1. Continue the gradual roll-out of an online MAEM degree program, already begun in the fall term of 2017.
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2. Investigate further opportunities to bring MAEM students into regular academic, spiritual, and social interaction with other seminarians. Academic interchange might occur through meetings on particular issues; invitations could be given for spiritual and social events scheduled conveniently for all concerned.
3. Consider adding courses on the Old Testament and on Canon Law to the MAEM curriculum.
4. Consider working with the local dioceses to develop a collaborative mentoring and assessment program for MAEM candidates for the permanent diaconate.
B.4: Admissions
Admission requirements for the MAEM degree program (Bulletin, 86) include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school, and a minimum of 18 credits in philosophy and Judeo-Christian theology. Our Bulletin states, “for permanent diaconate candidates without these credits, admission into the program may be contingent upon a score of 85% or above on an entrance exam that tests the applicant’s basic knowledge of Catholic doctrine” (Bulletin, 86). While the Seminary allows for such occasions, it is not likely that such a need would arise as the diaconal candidates who attend Saint Vincent Seminary, at least those sponsored by the Diocese of Greensburg, have already had two years of coursework at a neighboring university. Still, it is feasible that on occasion a diaconal candidate may need to “test out” of the requirements. For permanent diaconate candidates a diocesan letter of sponsorship is also required. While a personal interview with the Academic Dean may also be requested (cf. GIS 6.2), the Seminary relies on the careful evaluation of the students assumed in diocesan sponsorship. That said, a student’s performance in the classroom and the assessment done by the Diocese and the Seminary provide further “evidence of the commitment of qualities desired for ministerial leadership” (B.4.1).
Basic Programs Oriented Toward General Theological Studies Standard D: Master of Arts (MA) D.1: Purpose, Goals, Learning Outcomes, and Educational Assessment
Saint Vincent Seminary has awarded the MA degree since the early 1870s, following reception of its charter from the State of Pennsylvania in 1870. The program has developed since that time, especially after the Seminary joined the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1921 and the Association of Theological Schools in 1966. An historical review indicates only a small number of students have been accepted into the MA program and completed it. In its current configuration the MA Program is open to both ordination and non- ordination students. The Seminary offers MA degree programs to qualified diocesan, religious, and lay students in the areas of theology and philosophy. These programs are of two to three year duration with concentrations in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, Monastic Studies, or Catholic Philosophical Studies. They are designed to equip the student with the tools for critical thinking and research on a graduate level or for ministry within the Church—“for further
96 graduate study or for general educational purposes” (D.1.1.1). They provide the student the opportunity to work in a program of studies best suited to his/her particular interests, goals, and circumstances. The learning outcomes for the MA degrees in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies are as follows (Bulletin, 72-73): Ø Students will attain academic competency in theology with a concentration in one of the three areas. Courses in the 800 series of the Seminary curriculum are acceptable for the MA program; courses in the 700 series may be admissible with additional work and approval of the Academic Dean. Ø Students will acquire knowledge of the Catholic theological tradition by engaging in graduate-level research, which includes at least one graduate research seminar and the completion of a directed thesis in the stated area of concentration. The seminar paper is to be a minimum of 5,000 words (exclusive of footnotes and bibliography). The thesis is to be 10,000-12,500 words (exclusive of footnotes and bibliography), totaling 40-50 pages. Ø Students will develop the skills needed for critical theological reflection through coursework and discussion of research topics. Ø Students will also demonstrate theological integration, in addition to the written thesis mentioned above, through a comprehensive examination and the presentation of a public lecture (Lectio Coram) before a Faculty board, students, and others, based on written research work submitted by the student (Bulletin, 89).
Educational assessment of the students in the various theologically oriented MA degree programs (Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies) is done through course exams, written papers and reflections, seminar presentations and oral reports in specific courses. Recently a new Grade Report Form has been introduced calling for more substantial feedback from professors (see Minutes of Faculty Meeting, 10 May 2016) for oral exams, reflections, and papers. In addition, to develop the assessment of the MA degree programs in a more systematic way than in the past, a new end-of-the-year Faculty Evaluation of each student has been introduced and will be placed in a student’s portfolio. A “Portfolio Project” is another new endeavor for the MA program. Introducing a Portfolio Project for the MA degree programs will allow the Seminary to systematically assess its various MA degree programs. The required thesis, comprehensive exam, and public lecture—introduced since the last self-study report— provide further, broader integrative measurements. “Based upon a list of comprehensive-exam questions,” part one of the comprehensive exam “assesses the student’s general knowledge of the Catholic theological tradition in his/her area of concentration” (Bulletin, 76). Part two involves the student’s thesis, that is, the extensive research and writing of a 10,000-12,500 word paper, the culmination of a well-prepared, two-semester long project. Part three involves a Lectio Coram, that is, a thirty-minute public lecture on an approved topic. In all three parts of the comprehensive exam, assessment is conducted according to the Seminary’s grading scale and is accompanied by feedback substantiating the grades for each part. The final grade for all three parts “is comprised of the grades taken from the three parts of the exam [each of which must be a minimum of 83%] and averaged together (Bulletin, 80). These artifacts are also placed in the student’s portfolio, along with the above mentioned artifacts, CTA exams, written papers from seminar work with faculty feedback, and the student’s Exit Interview. Altogether, the new instruments and the Portfolio Project will help the Seminary to measure the success of student
97 learning and performance in a more systematic way. The Seminary is just beginning to gather the artifacts into portfolios and so it will take some time to come to a more systematic and complete assessment of the MA degree programs, but we recognize the importance of doing so and are taking steps toward that end. Assessment of the MA programs identified above is also seen, in part, in the feedback of the students on CADP evaluations. Admittedly, there can be more perception than performance in these evaluations, more indirect than direct evidence, but the assessment is telling, as is student success in ministry or entry into further graduate programs. Some of our students have pursued terminal degrees and have successfully reached their goals of graduating with a Ph.D. or other advanced degree. The MA (Catholic Philosophical Studies) (MACPS) is a new degree for the Seminary. It is a two-year, 62 credit, academic degree responding to the requirements of the Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy which was issued by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education on 28 January 2011. As the Bulletin states, “in this decree, the Vatican has mandated significant changes to programs which have previously been called ‘Pre-Theology Programs’” (Bulletin, 89). Not in any way discounting the value of the existing Pre-Theology Program, which remains in place, Saint Vincent has implemented these requirements in its most recent ATS-accredited degree program, the MACPS degree program. The learning outcomes for the MACPS are as follows (Bulletin, 91):
Ø To obtain the intellectual formation necessary for further theological education; Ø To develop a sound philosophical foundation and a reflective awareness of the fundamental relationship between faith and reason (fides quaerens intellectum) in the Catholic tradition; Ø To develop good intellectual “habitus;” that is, to learn the good habits of speculation and reflection and to apply them to revelation, life, and the human condition.
Educational assessment of this degree program has yet to be developed in a systematic way, as it is a new degree and it will require some time and the work of a body of students to assess. It should be noted, however, that basic assessment does and will take place in the midst of students’ coursework (e.g., examinations, papers). An MA Proficiency Seminar will serve as broad, integrative assessment tool (see Bulletin, 93). The Seminar “serves to synthesize and test the MA candidate’s philosophical learning” and involves: i) the writing of a twenty-page paper “on the application of philosophical speculation and refection as it applies to revelation, life, and the human condition” (Bulletin, 93), and ii) an oral comprehensive examination. At this point, however, there is no oral comprehensive exam or paper to assess since the program and pool of candidates is still in its infancy. When the Seminary is in a position to assess the capstone work (comprehensive oral exam and paper), it will follow the Seminary’s official grading policy. A Portfolio Project similar to what has been implemented for the MDiv program, and is in the process of being implemented for the MA degree programs in Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies, will become a routine assessment program for the Seminary.
Documentation:
Bulletin
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Recommendations:
1. Fully implement the process of gathering and evaluating artifacts for MA Portfolios (similar to the MDiv Portfolio Project described in the Bulletin, 54).
2. Develop a systematic program of assessment for the MACPS degree program (e.g., a list of artifacts for a Portfolio Project).
D.2: Program Content
The program content of each of the three MA degrees in theological areas (Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies) is somewhat varied, according to the goals of the concentration (see the course listings in the Bulletin, 74-75). While each program of study involves a focused study of a specific theological discipline, it also includes foundational exposure to the broader range of theological disciplines in recognition of the organic nature of the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition and the purpose of general theological studies: “to provide a basic understanding of theological disciplines for further graduate study or for general educational purposes” (D.1.1.1). More specifically, the following is required for each of the degree programs: Ø Systematic Theology (43 credits): 11 designated courses and 3 electives (one of which is an MA seminar); Ø Sacred Scripture (43 credits): 11 designated courses and 3 electives (one of which is an MA seminar); Ø Monastic Studies (42 credits): 10 designated courses and four electives (one of which is an MA seminar; two of which may be fulfilled by completing a thesis).
A student’s successful completion of the courses, the maintaining of a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 each semester, and a B grade or better in each course and seminar, is required to continue eligibility in the program. In addition, the successful completion of a “summative evaluation” is expected for graduation; more specifically, the successful completion of several concluding requirements and exercises: a comprehensive exam, MA thesis, and public lecture (Bulletin, 75-81). These concluding exercises “reflect the academic goals of the degree” (D.2.1), which and “allow for a summative evaluation” (D.2.2). The written comprehensive exam is based on a list of questions compiled by the faculty for each of the degree programs. A student receives the list of questions appropriate to the degree program upon admission into a MA program and is responsible for preparing him or herself for the exam which takes place in the last year of studies. The questions serve as “guideposts” for the degree program and are designed to provide students with a tool for approaching their coursework and their own independent studies in preparation not only for the successful completion of a three-hour exam but also for his/her theological vocation which is ultimately the purpose of the degree programs. The MACPS degree described under D.1 is classified under the ATS classification of General Theological Studies but actually serves as a preparation for undertaking theological studies leading to the MDiv degree, the other MA degrees, or to the ecclesiastical STB degree. Half of its credit requirements are philosophical courses but it also includes fundamental linguistic, biblical, and theological studies, which are seen as preparatory for theological and
99 ministerial education; hence, the classification, General Theological Studies.40 It in fact aims to “deepen a seminarian’s understanding of philosophy and the role of philosophical inquiry within the Catholic intellectual tradition” (Bulletin, 91), to show how faith and reason cooperate as “two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter, Fides et Ratio).
D.3: Educational Resources and Learning Strategies
All MA degree programs (Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, Monastic Studies, and Catholic Philosophical Studies) require a minimum of two years of full-time study to meet the breadth and depth of the educational goals. A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from other accredited graduate schools, in which case the time for the program at the Seminary might be slightly reduced. All courses are currently provided on campus, permitting regular and substantive interaction of Faculty and students and thus fostering a community of learning. Good cause must be demonstrated for a student to undertake independent study (Bulletin, 115- 117), such as transfer into the program, unavoidable scheduling conflict, or a student’s desire to “pursue a special project” (Bulletin, 115). Even so, only a limited number of courses may be taken in this manner and they are dependent upon Faculty availability and willingness to direct and supervise the independent study. For the most part, especially given the Seminary’s policy relative to independent studies— that they be “true independent study courses” (Bulletin, 116)— this has not been a problem. The number of Faculty is adequate to the needs of the programs. Library resources and other support services are also sufficient, as discussed earlier in this report. Students in the MA degree programs have access to the same resources that our MDiv and MAEM students do. All of them have access to the library and its abundant print and electronic collections and thus we judge that the Seminary has the distinctive resources needed “to sustain students in these programs” (D.3.3). If they are not already doing so, those who teach in the MA degree programs may want to take advantage of Schoology, uploading electronic resources for student use. The Seminary also has a sufficient number of Faculty members to teach in the various areas of concentration (Systematic, Sacred Scripture and Monastic Studies). Like the other MA degree programs, the MACPS is designed to “fulfill the broad educational goals of the program” (D.3.2); the courses are held on campus and resources are adequate to the task. The Seminary is fortunate to be associated with Saint Vincent College and to enjoy what we believe is a mutually beneficial working relationship with the College’s Department of Philosophy. Faculty in the College’s Department of Philosophy are actively involved in the Seminary’s MACPS degree program, as is Sr. Mary Veronica Sabelli, R.S.M, J.D., Ph.D. a recent hire in the Seminary. Library resources are also adequate and as noted earlier there are an estimated 6,000 volumes of philosophical studies and a recent John Deely bequest of 15,000 volumes in the field of philosophy is yet to be catalogued. The abundant electronic resources available through the library and the use of Schoology further solidifies the sufficiency of these offerings.
40 Until this 62 credit program is fully implemented and required by the Catholic Church for all seminary students, the current 48 credit Pre-Theology Program is also still in place. A more detailed account of the history, rationale, and learning outcomes of this reformed philosophical studies program can be found in the Bulletin, 89-93. 100
Documentation:
Bulletin
D.4: Admissions
The MA degree programs in theological studies (Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Monastic Studies) are open to diocesan, religious, and lay students “whose background and academic records indicate the ability to engage in graduate-level study for academic pursuits or personal development” (D.4.3). Evidence to support the admission of a student into graduate- level study include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school, a minimum of 18 credits in philosophy and Judeo-Christian theology, the results of a recent Graduate Record Examination (if requested), three letters of recommendation and a personal interview with the Academic Dean (cf. GIS 6.2; Bulletin 73). Should the case arise that a student not have the educational equivalency of a bachelor’s degree, the Admissions Committee would determine how to judge educational equivalency and remedy any deficiencies (cf. ES. 7.1). At times the Seminary may judge it best to conditionally accept someone into the program, allowing course performance to determine continued eligibility and/or full admission. For the concentration in Sacred Scripture, an introductory course in Sacred Scripture is also required, as well as a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew or Greek at the intermediate level. For the concentration in Systematic Theology or Monastic Studies, a working knowledge of Biblical Greek or Latin is preferable, although French or German may be substituted. Determination of sufficient language ability is normally made by examination. These requirements serve to help students to engage not only in the kind of intellectual work potentially demanded of anyone studying in their area of concentration but to actually do so in the course of their studies. Students must be able to consult any number of sources in their coursework and to analyze passages in their original language. This is especially the case for those who may eventually seek a terminal degree, as has been the case of some of our MA graduates. Their basic working knowledge of certain languages, augmented with further studies at the Seminary, allowed them to be successful in the pursuit of their terminal degrees. Students who have been admitted to the MDiv degree program, or to one of the MA programs in theological studies, may transfer later from one program to the other, provided they meet the requirements of that program. After one semester of successful studies in theology, ordination students in the MDiv program who have proven to be strong academically may apply to enroll in a dual degree program, provided they meet the entrance requirements for the MA program and have the support of their sponsors. A number of our MDiv students have opted to do this; and some of them have pursued, or are presently pursuing, terminal degrees, having been better prepared through additional study to handle the advanced expectations that a terminal degree presupposes. Always, the integrity of each degree program is maintained, and all the requirements stipulated for each are completed (Bulletin, 93-94). To support students in the MA degree programs, the Seminary asks each MA candidate to seek an academic advisor from among the regular Faculty who teach in the student’s area of concentration. The advisor provides assistance regarding program requirements, policies, and course choices, which may involve a student’s vocational decisions; and he or she aids the student in preparation for the written comprehensive exams. The advisor may also write letters of recommendation when the time comes for such things. Thus students are “provided with guidance and support for the particular vocational decisions related to the purposes of their 101 programs” (D.3.3). Normally this advisor also serves as thesis director (Bulletin, 73-74) and has an eye toward this capstone assignment when he or she counsels the student about coursework and vocational decisions. Finally, as it concerns the MACPS degree program, students who have earned a bachelor’s degree may be admitted into the Seminary’s newest degree program.
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General Conclusion
Saint Vincent Seminary’s Self-Study brings forth the strengths and the challenges facing an institution which since its founding in 1846 has seen profound changes in the American religious landscape, in the Catholic Church, and in theological education. Significant strides have been made in recent years to build a culture of effective communications, assessment, and accountability all directed toward our mission as a Catholic and Benedictine seminary striving to form candidates for the priesthood and to provide quality theological education. While much progress has been made ensuring stakeholder confidence, the fact that the Seminary’s enrollment, while stable, is both small and tied to a region where vocations to the priesthood are persistently lacking means that institutional openness to further change and development of our mission will be critical in the coming years. The spirit of collaboration that characterized the successful 2016-17 strategic planning process provides the necessary foundation for such change within Saint Vincent and between Saint Vincent and the institutions which are part of the broader context of its ecclesial mission. The people and resources needed to address this challenge are already in place: strong Faculty and staff morale, greater Board involvement, a strengthened formation program, a new curriculum, probative assessment. Together, these will enable Saint Vincent Seminary to remain faithful to the missionary philosophy of its founder Father Boniface Wimmer: “Forward, always forward, everywhere forward…man’s adversity is God’s opportunity.”
Summary Findings
Standard 1: Purpose, Planning, and Evaluation
Continue building upon the renewed culture of assessment which the Seminary has developed since the last self-study. This assessment can be carried forward in the following ways: i.) by forming a committee of the BR including Faculty and students which would monitor strategic plan achievement and update the plan as necessary; ii.) by conducting a nationwide search for a Pope Benedict XVI Chair holder.
Standard 2: Institutional Integrity
Move forward with the pattern of re-energized communications in the Seminary by returning to best practices regarding the publication of annual financial reports and by establishing consistent publication of all policies relevant to the rights and expectations of all Seminary stakeholders.
Standard 3: The Theological Curriculum
Build on the long-standing strength of Saint Vincent in academic formation by: i) creating an effective assessment mechanism for the MACPS degree, utilizing the proven MDiv assessment methods where applicable; and ii) encouraging dialogue between students and Faculty members over concerns regarding different cultural and generational perspectives on doctrinal orthodoxy.
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Standard 4: Library and Information Resources
Safeguard the value of the Saint Vincent Library by increasing acquisitions funding in a carefully targeted way, through systematic evaluation of the collection by a specialist in collection evaluation with input from the Seminary Faculty Library Focus Group and with the benefit of student library usage data.
Standard 5: Faculty
The Faculty of the Seminary is a treasury of professionals who are outstanding in terms of their education and experiences and deeply devoted to their faith. Keeping this Faculty strong will depend on planning for the replacement of Faculty who are near retirement, and on encouragement and support for Faculty members who would benefit from a sabbatical leave. As noted under Standard 1 the search for a new Pope Benedict XVI Chair holder will aid institutional strength and mission focus.
Standard 6: Student Recruitment, Admission, Services, and Placement
Maintain the current efforts to broaden the pool of constituent dioceses and abbeys through personal recruitment visits, and promote through personal discussion with relevant students the many (and often overlooked) resources available to them at Saint Vincent. Continue quantifying educational and degree outcomes by tracking the placement of graduates from the Seminary’s non-ordination programs through the recently instituted alumni survey.
Standard 7: Authority and Governance
Make good use of the recent momentum in examining and improving policies and communications by bringing to completion the current revision of the FAH and obtaining BR and BD approval for it. Further measures to strengthen existing good stakeholder engagement include continuing efforts to maintain diverse Board membership, establishing a written position description for BR members, expanding the orientation program for new BR members to include the opportunity to meet with students, administrators, Faculty members, and formators, and instituting a formalized triennial Board member Self-Assessment.
Standard 8: Institutional Resources
Expand opportunities for development by pursuing greater BR participation in fund-raising. Follow up on the benefits brought about by good fundraising by encouraging Faculty use of available technology resources and resources provided in coordination with Saint Vincent College.
Educational Standard
Be consistent in all publications, especially the Bulletin, in the terms used to describe institutional and programmatic aims, and in clarifying the non-academic elements of the MA and MAEM degree programs. Consider deepening the already strong results of institutional
104 assessment by adding categories of data to that assessment, for example: time to completion rates, commentary from student Exit Interviews, summary data from CADP evaluations, capstone projects, and portfolios.
Degree Program Standards
Strengthen the pastoral dimension of formation by reviewing the evaluation of supervised off- campus pastoral assignments; the Seminary should ensure that they are meeting the goals and expectations of the formation program. To this end the Pastoral Practicum Field Supervisor Workbook should be up-dated to include specific expectations as well as suggestions to the Supervisors of specific activities in ministry, liturgical opportunities, and pastoral experiences. This should be supported and reinforced during on-site visits by the Seminary’s Director of Pastoral Formation.
Capitalize on the advancement made in Seminary assessment over the last decade by fully implementing the systematic program of assessment for the MA degree program and by establishing such a systematic program of assessment for the MACPS degree program. In view of the Seminary’s commitment to fostering a community of learners the Seminary should continue its efforts to make on-line courses available. Further, the Seminary should investigate other opportunities to bring MAEM students into more regular academic, spiritual, and social interaction with the other seminarians.
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