Faculty Seminar on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Date & Time
- The group gathers on Fridays from 12:30 – 2 p.m., with lunch provided. The dates of the 2026-27 program are:
- September 11
- October 9
- November 13
- December 11
- February 5
- March 5
- April 2
- May 7
Location
- Ministry Center
The Seminar on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT) is designed to assist faculty members in examining the connections between the CIT and their teaching, scholarship and service. A method of engaging the most significant questions of life using wisdom accumulated over centuries, the CIT is a habit as much as a repository of knowledge; it is a way of seeing, thinking and knowing that is open, continually evolving to engage current developments in thought and relevant discoveries in science, language, art and culture. The CIT searches for and celebrates the beautiful, good and true wherever they can be found.
Participating faculty members will be invited to consider the Catholic Intellectual Tradition as a resource and reference point for their work and supported in exploring the interconnections of faith, reason and culture in contemporary society. The seminar will deepen participants’ knowledge of and engagement with USD’s mission, values, vision and Catholic identity as well as the history and distinctive purpose of Catholic higher education more broadly. In addition, the seminar provides an environment to contemplate the sources and implications of an academic vocation as well as to consider how such a calling can flourish at a Catholic university.
Facilitated by Esteban del Rio, Ph.D. (Director, Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture / Professor, Communication Department) and Michael Lovette-Colyer, Ph.D. (Vice President, Mission Integration), the seminar consists of eight monthly meetings, each 90 minutes in length.