Providence College

Providence College Providence, Rhode Island www.providence.edu

Overview Situated between New York City and, even more closely, to Boston, is the historic and one-time industrial city of Providence, Rhode Island. The city, the largest in the most concentrated Catholic state in the nation, hosts seven colleges, the most notable being IvyLeague Brown University and the Dominicans’ Providence College. Bordering the diverse Elmhurst neighborhood, the 105-acre Providence College traces its history back to 1917 when then-Bishop Matthew Harkins promoted the establishment of a Catholic college. The Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph launched the institution two years later. It is the only U.S. college affiliated with the Dominican friars, and that is good reason to expect commitment to faithful Catholic education. The Dominicans are known for their orthodoxy. The noticeable presence of 49 Dominican friars and sisters, including Father Brian Shanley, O.P., the college president, is a key feature of the college. The college continued to grow throughout the 20th century, adding a graduate school in 1964 and admitting women for the first time in 1971. Today PC has nearly 4,000 undergraduate students, about 68 percent who come from New England and the remainder from throughout the United States and 14 other countries. About four out of every five students are Catholic. There are 49 undergraduate majors, but none predominates. Forty-three percent of students are enrolled in seven majors in this

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quick facts Founded: 1919 Type of institution: Medium-size university Setting: Urban Undergraduate enrollment: 3,966 (2008–09 academic year) Total average cost: $43,680 (tuition, room and board for 2009–10) Undergraduate majors: 49

Five Key Points 1. Providence is the only U.S. college run by Dominican friars. 2. The Dominican presence is widespread and enhances Catholic identity. 3. The Development of Western Civilization Program is widely respected. 4. The current president has enhanced the college’s Catholic identity. 5. The college has impressive retention and graduation rates.

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order of popularity: biology, marketing, management, political science, English, education and finance. There also are 34 minors available. Perhaps the most well-known aspect of the school is its Development of Western Civilization Program, a multi-disciplinary, twoyear program that constitutes about 40 percent of the 50-credit core curriculum. It also has a prestigious honors component, which traces its roots back to 1957, and includes about 10 percent of the freshmen and sophomores. In addition to undergraduate studies and the schools of arts and sciences, business, and professional studies, PC has a School of Continuing Education, which allows flexibility for parttime students. There also are 11 master’s degree programs, mostly in education and business (M.B.A.). Among these graduate programs are master’s degrees in biblical studies, theology and theological studies. Approximately 800 students are enrolled in graduate programs. PC has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges since 1933. The college is proud of its very high graduation rate of 85 percent, which ranks it among the top in the nation, and its highly enviable 90 percent freshman retention rate.

erty and approval of a president. There are 12 members of the corporation, including four Dominicans and three other ex officio religious members: the Dominican provincial, the bishop of Providence (currently Bishop Thomas Tobin) and the college president. General governance is entrusted to a 35member board of trustees, nine of whom are Dominicans. Corporation members also are members of the board. Father Shanley, 51, has led the college since 2005. He is a Rhode Island native and Providence alumnus who began his teaching career at the college. He subsequently taught at Emory University and The Catholic University of America before returning to Providence. A widely published Thomist scholar, he received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Toronto. Father Shanley is the 12th college president, all of whom have been Dominicans. The president is required to be a Dominican. Among the eight members of the president’s cabinet—the senior staff—are three Dominican friars who hold the positions of executive vice president/treasurer, vice president of mission and ministry, and vice president of student affairs administration.

Governance

Public Identity

Providence College is administered by a corporation and board of trustees. Members of the board are selected by the corporation, which also has authority over college prop-

One long-time faculty member told us that the Dominican presence is strongly felt. “Anyone who comes here to visit has to know this is a Catholic institution. The evidence is too

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From the Financial Aid Office “Providence College has a long-standing commitment to making a high quality education accessible to students and their families. We offer an extensive and comprehensive financial aid program which includes assisting families through our institutional merit and need-based scholarships and grants, as well as federal grant, loan, and employment opportunities. Each year, approximately 60 – 70% of enrolled first-year students receive some form of need-based institutional and/or federal financial aid. “Providence College uses the Federal Methodology required by the Higher Education Act, as amended, to determine a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid programs. Students who wish to be considered for all federal programs are required to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). “For Institutional need-based aid, the College subscribes to a more comprehensive analysis of a family’s ability to contribute known as Institutional Methodology. The information provided on the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE allows the College to utilize a more systematic and objective measurement of a family’s financial situation to determine the amount of financial assistance a family truly requires to manage the cost of a student’s education. For the 2008 – 2009 Academic Year, the total Providence College Grant and Scholarship Commitment was $39,484,000.” great. There are 40 [officially 49] guys walking around in long white robes; crucifixes on The Newman Guide

the walls; a big, new copper-domed chapel; and a Western civilization program with theology and philosophy featured as well as additional core curriculum requirements in both subjects.” The college promotes its Catholic and Dominican identity on its website and elsewhere. On its website, the college proclaims: “Catholic teaching guides the investment of the endowment, the enforcement of parietals in the residence halls, and the generosity extended to students and employees in need.” Father Shanley has been a strong force in maintaining and strengthening the Catholic identity at Providence. In his inaugural address in 2005, he partially articulated his vision by stating: “Aquinas’s ultimate argument for the unity of truth and corresponding unity of all disciplines at a university is relatively simple: the source of all truth is the one God who is both (1) the creator of our minds and the world that they are designed to know and (2) the source of all revealed truths believed in faith.” One way he implemented this philosophy was by prohibiting a campus performance of the lewd play The Vagina Monologues in 2006, not long after taking office. In a long and impressive statement, he said, “A Catholic college cannot sanction the performance of works of art that are inimical to the teaching of the Church in an area as important as female sexuality and the dignity of women.” Organizers of The Vagina Monologues on college campuses worldwide argue that their play raises awareness of violence against women. But Providence has addressed this serious issue in a clearly more appropriate way by developing an annual weeklong Project S.A.V.E. (Sexual Assault and Violence Education), which was last held in March 2009. Among the many activities is a Mass to commemorate victims of abuse. Another way that PC promotes its identity is through its Center for Catholic and

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Dominican Studies, which sponsors a lecture series and a variety of other events. The speakers, who are presented four times a year, are very good and have covered topics such as vocations, historical figures in the Catholic intellectual tradition, and religion and the Constitution. There also is the Rev. Robert Randall Professorship of Christian Culture, established in 2002, and which has brought visiting scholars to campus. Among recent honorees have been Dr. Russell Hittinger, a prolific writer and holder of Warren Chair of Catholic

studies at the University of Tulsa, and Father Fergus Kerr of Oxford University. Commencement speakers and honorees are usually individuals with a Providence College or local relationship. Examples include the 2007 speaker, Dave Gavitt, an alumnus, former PC basketball coach and retired Big East basketball commissioner. The 2009 commencement speaker was Martin Doblmeier, another alumnus and a noted filmmaker who has produced several religious-oriented movies. Princeton professor and Catholic commentator Robert George was among those

Message from the President Dear Parents and Prospective Students: Before it was a place, providence was a theological term denoting God’s loving plan to bring each created being into fulfillment. Thus the name Providence College does not only reflect our location, but also our mission: to help students discover and embrace their role in God’s loving plan and pursue it with excellence. At Providence College, we prepare you to make the best decisions for fulfilling your role within God’s plan. As a Catholic college rooted in the 800-yearold intellectual tradition of the Dominican Order, we teach you to love and live truth. We challenge you to ask tough questions, evaluate competing arguments, integrate diverse perspectives, and contemplate the meaning of truth both in and beyond the classroom. We provide a rigorous liberal arts education with Core Curriculum requirements in the arts, sciences, philosophy, and theology and a two-year interdisciplinary course in the Development of Western Civilization. In the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas, we introduce you to faith and reason as compatible and complementary and engage you in the lively intellectual debate we call “disputed questions.” Transformed by wisdom and enabled by God’s grace, you are challenged to live a life of virtue and purpose that will transform society.

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Yours in Christ, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D.

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who received an honorary degree. In April 2009, Providence forbade former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo from speaking on campus, to a group that was not officially recognized by the university, because Tancredo’s views on immigration contrast with the teaching of Bishop Tobin. The flap raised concerns about holes in Providence’s speaker policy which in past years has allowed pro-abortion Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (both Providence graduates) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse to speak on campus on issues not related to abortion. We could identity no such incidents since 2007.

Academics Undergraduates need to complete a 50-credit core curriculum plus nine credits of non-major electives and demonstrate English proficiency. Included in this core are six credits of theology and six credits of philosophy. A key part of the core, which has earned accolades from leading Catholic intellectuals, is the Development of Western Civilization Program that students take throughout their freshmen and sophomore years. One Providence professor called the program “the heart of Catholic identity at Providence College for the last 35 years.” A parent of two young alumni said, “It was the best thing they ever took” in college. In this Western Civilization program, students are taught by teams of professors in history, literature, theology and philosophy, with some art and music added. The program, one professor noted, “was not originally designed to preserve or enhance Catholic identity, but The Newman Guide

it is, in fact, where the ‘practical transmission’ of Catholic identity takes place.” We are told that professors who have taken jobs in the departments of history, English, theology and philosophy have understood that they would be required to teach in the Western civilization sequence and, therefore, those attracted to the college have tended to be self-selecting. As a result, there is a higher number of practicing Catholics in these departments than in others. Also, we are told that sometimes other faculty members have been brought back to the faith through their involvement with the program. The theology department is reported to be generally solid, but a few courses are considered somewhat weak. Nearly all the professors hold the mandatum. Overall, there is a strong Thomistic element in the department. We were told that one of the best courses in the department is the “Introduction to Thomas Aquinas.” The faculty members in the philosophy department are predominantly Catholic. According to one philosophy professor, “in the 20-person department, there are no moral relativists.” We received an estimate that about 70 percent of the humanities faculty members are Catholic, and about 35-40 percent outside of the humanities are Catholic. There also are non-Catholic Christians and some observant Jews who support or respect the mission of the college. We could identify no department which has no Catholic faculty member. Every faculty job candidate has to write a response to the college’s mission statement,

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which if not adequate will have to be rewritten for consideration. Father Shanley picks from among the final candidates and has been known to overrule departments’ final slate of candidates and declare a search to be failed. He holds “town meetings” every semester for campus discussions; a recent topic addressed was: “How would a Catholic teach at this school? How would a non-Catholic teach at this school?” Among notable faculty members recommended to us were Dr. Anthony Esolen, professor of English and a Renaissance scholar who informally meets with students to discuss issues of faith and scholarship; Dr. Richard Grace, a professor of history who has headed the honors program for the past 19 years; Dr. Jay Pike, assistant professor of chemistry; and Dr. Dana Dillon, assistant professor of theology. Father Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., who holds joint appointments in the biology and theology departments, is a popular professor. He told us, “I am able to bring the truths of Catholic teaching to my teaching of science.” Father Austriaco teaches a section on bioethics and courses on biochemistry. One of the college’s notable graduate programs is its eight-yearold Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT), which helps recruit college graduates to teach in the region’s Catholic schools. This program, affiliated with similar institutions at other schools, including the University of Notre Dame, allows

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students to obtain a graduate degree in education. Providence supports study abroad. One program offered is through International Educational Exploration, which had a 10-day trip to Costa Rica in 2008. To assist students to engage in overseas study, an alumna established the Father Philip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowships for Study and Service Abroad in October 2008.

Spiritual Life Religious activities at Providence revolve around St. Dominic Chapel, a 600-seat chapel dedicated in 2001. In addition to many stained-glass windows, the chapel has a large pipe organ. Outside of the chapel there is an attractive grouping of the Stations of the Cross. The chapel has three daily Masses Monday through Thursday and two on Friday. There is a Saturday vigil and three Sunday Masses. Adoration is available on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Students can join the Dominicans in their liturgical life, such as for compline. Confessions are heard three times a week. One recent alumnus told us that the rotating Dominican priests who celebrate Mass are “skilled homilists, some really phenomenal.” He also said they exhibited sound doctrine in their homilies. The Sunday evening Mass at 10:30 p.m., the so-called “Last Chance Mass,” is reported The Newman Guide

Providence College

to be “packed.” One faculty member estimated that about 100-150 students go to at least one daily Mass each week. Again emphasizing the Dominican influence, there is a St. Thomas Aquinas Priory Chapel on the campus, which offers daily and Sunday Masses. There also is a nearby diocesan parish, St. Pius V, run by the Dominicans. In addition, there are two oratories, one in Harkins Hall and another in Saint Catherine of Siena Hall. The office of mission and ministry, headed by a vice president and associate vice president (both Dominicans), oversees the office of the chaplain and campus ministry. The chaplain and two assistant chaplains also are Dominicans. The office publishes a biannual newsletter, Logos, and does annual assessments. In March 2008, it issued a 41-page report entitled “Casting a Broader Net: A Pastoral Plan for Outreach and Evangelization at Providence College.” Campus ministry is active. In addition to various committees that assist with Mass, there are others which deal with RCIA, retreats and talks. Among activities identified as social justice initiatives there are those dealing with senior citizens, hunger, children and Special Olympics. Students participate in an alternative spring break. In March 2009, campus ministry organized Habitat for Humanity work for students in 11 U.S. cities. Among other efforts was a Faith, Politics, and Service program in New Orleans arranged by Dr. Joseph Cammarano, a political science faculty member.

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Student Activities There were more than 60 recognized clubs in the 2008-09 academic year. There are numerous honor and pre-professional societies reflecting academic interests. The Battle of the Brains, previously called the College Bowl, holds competitions for student teams. Publications are The Cowl, the weekly student newspaper; Alembic, the literary journal, which dates back to 1920; and VERITAS, the yearbook. Service organizations include the Knights of Columbus, the Campus Ministry Council, an interfaith Pastoral Service Organization and the Friars Club, founded on campus in 1928. The Best Buddies group, which has about 35 members, was instrumental in the mayor of Providence issuing a “Best Buddies Day” proclamation in March 2009. There is an active pro-life club, PC for Life, which in recent years has had as many as 40 students and has participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Esolen participates in an informal group of about 20 men who gather to listen to professors’ talks and pray. There also is an informal group of women students who get together for reading and prayer; a recent study book was Dr. Alice von Hildebrand’s The Privilege of Being a Woman. We were concerned about two campus organizations, a chapter of Amnesty International, whose official international policy supports abortion; and a homosexual support group called Stopping Homophobia,

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Eliminating Prejudices And Restoring Dignity (S.H.E.P.A.R.D.). However, neither group appears to act openly in defiance of Catholic teachings. The new Smith Center for the Arts holds concerts, dramatic presentations and other performing arts events. It includes a small stage called the Angell Blackfriars Theatre, where five plays were presented in 2008-2009. The Blackfriars Theatre group is named for a Dominican friary near London that was used for theatrical productions during the Reformation when Catholic religious orders were suppressed. Other performing groups include I Cantori, a chorus that sings sacred and secular music and, with the Concert Chorale, has performed in several European cities. The Liturgical Choir has performed at the Vatican. There are other music ensembles and dance groups, such as the Irish Dance Club. In another genre, students are able to enjoy art exhibits in the Hunt-Cavanagh Gallery. To help increase facilities where students can socialize and hold group activities, the Slavin Center is being expanded in 2009. Various social activities are also available at McPhail’s Entertainment Facility. And students can take advantage of the Concannon Fitness Center, a 23,000-square foot facility opened in 2007. Sports are important at Providence. An NCAA Division I school, Providence competes in 19 sports, most of them in the Big East Conference, of which it was an original

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member in 1979. Among the most followed sports is men’s basketball, which played in the National Invitational Tournament in March 2009. This squad plays its home games at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, an off-campus facility opened in 1972. The team has been a top local attraction since at least the 1960s, with prominent coaches and players. There is an active intramural sports program which includes flag football, kickball, soccer, field and ice hockey, dodgeball and tennis.

Residential Life Nearly all—97 percent—of underclassmen live in campus housing. Freshmen and sophomores live in nine traditional residence halls. There are four each for men and women; the ninth, Aquinas Hall, has separate wings for men and women. Upperclassmen can choose between five college apartment buildings or a newer 348student suitestyle residence, Suites Hall, which opened in 2004. The college notes on its website, “The Office of Residence Life is strongly committed to upholding the JudaeoChristian heritage of Providence College and the traditions of the Dominican Order that celebrate the dignity and sacredness of the individual.” As a result, overnight opposite-sex visitation in residence halls is prohibited; disciplinary procedures are enforced. Dominican friThe Newman Guide

Providence College

ars live in most of the residence halls and are available to counsel and befriend students. Students have access to a traditional dining facility in Raymond Hall as well as a food court, coffee shop and a convenience store. Drinking, as with most colleges, is a concern for the ad m i n i st rat ion which is aggressively addressing the issue. An open campus session was held in April 2009 to get student input and discuss changes in campus drinking policies (alcohol is available on campus at McPhail’s). Crime on campus is very low, restricted to liquor violations, some drug violations and burglaries. However, there has been an increase in crime in the surrounding area. The on-campus health center handles routine illnesses and wellness matters. For more serious problems, there are several Providence hospitals, including Roger Williams Medical Center, which is about one mile from campus, and the 719-bed Rhode Island Hospital about three miles away.

The Community Providence has a population of about 175,000, ranking behind Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, in New England. The city, which was founded by Puritan preacher Roger Williams in 1636, has had a long mercantile and industrial history. One notable industry was textiles and, as with other such cities in the region, the decline of that sector aversely The Newman Guide

affected Providence; the city’s population peaked in the 1940 census. The city has worked to diversify its economy, but the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March 2009 was 12.5 percent. Those below the poverty line in Providence are about one-third of the population. Providence College’s bordering neig hborho od of Smith Hill has had a large recent influx of immigrants, and it continues to experience economic difficulties. Despite facing many of the same challenges that confront older Rust Belt cities, Providence is a hospitable, livable and compact city. Among its attractions are cultural offerings, including the diverse Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Providence Performing Arts Center. The Providence Bruins play professional hockey in the American Hockey League. Also, students are attracted to the many cultural, sports and social opportunities in Boston, which is only about one hour away. Partly as a result of its geographic location in the Northeast corridor, Providence is easily accessible. Seven large commercial airlines serve the T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. Amtrak and the busy Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company links Providence with Boston and New York and other major cities. There is a local Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority, which also provides bus service to Green Airport.

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Catholics in the Diocese of Providence, which encompasses all of Rhode Island, represent 59 percent of the state’s population of 1.05 million.

The Bottom Line Providence College has been educating New England Catholics for 90 years. While there may have been challenges at times to live up to its standards amid the secularization of most other New England Catholic colleges, Providence today enjoys the leadership of Father Shanley, the witness of his Dominican

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brethren and the ongoing contributions of committed lay faculty. The Dominican presence is complemented by one of the most impressive core curricula, which relies heavily on a unique two-year immersion in Western civilization. We were constantly reminded by students and faculty how this program reinforces Catholic values and identity on a day-to-day basis. Providence College is really a small university, and for those looking for a faithful school offering a large number of majors and minors while still deepening their liberal arts knowledge, this New England institution may be the right match.

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