Summary: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition

As a new member of the Sacred Heart University faculty, the Office of Mission and Catholic Identity invited me to participate in a series of new faculty seminars focused on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. I am deeply impressed with the University’s commitment to its mission, and desire to keep the Catholic Intellectual Tradition alive and well as we forge further into the 21st century. I have benefitted from a deeper understanding of both the University’s mission and the value and importance of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.

As a result of the new faculty seminars, I expressed an interest in teaching a section of the CIT Seminar. I participated in a three-day CIT Seminar training facilitated by Dr. Lorris and Father Ciorra. The
As a function of housing patterns, Connecticut’s system of public education remains segregated along racial and socio-economic lines. Connecticut’s system of de facto segregation has contributed to the creation of an unconscionable achievement gaps between white, affluent students, and impoverished, minority students. Connecticut’s de facto segregation calls into question our community’s belief in and commitment to the dignity of every human person. The Sacred Heart University Mission Statement calls on our community to, “…share its resources and its special gifts and talents for the betterment of the human community.” Through my research on social justice issues in Connecticut public education, I aim to identify best practices in policy and programming that endeavor to narrow and eventually eliminate racial and socio-economic isolation. This research agenda a perfect fit with the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. I see multiple avenues and themes that support qualitative and quantitative research in the area of social justice in public education that will yield publishable articles that incorporate aspects of the Sacred Heart University Mission and the Catholic Intellectual