Formatia trans sicere educatorum

Let us begin by looking at the University of Dallas’ slogan: A Catholic University for Independent Thinkers. What can this possibly mean? The University of Dallas was founded in 1956, set on the verge of the sexual revolution and the rejection tradition values; the University set itself up as a beacon to all those individuals who wanted the tools to push back this new onslaught. Today we are still in the grips of these two radical revolutions and the need for solders to return us to a better time are needed more than ever. The University of Dallas still proclaims herself to be “A Catholic University for Independent Thinkers”.

Why is UD so important? Some may say that the University has an archaic way of thinking. Others might argue that the University is closed minded for not succumbing to the popular culture. The University of Dallas provides the world with a way to remember where it came from and where it ought to return. The University has set itself up to re-institute the notion that there is morality and that it is universal; that there are wrong opinions and that there is truth. In today’s world you can have any opinion you want, as long as it is not conservative, nor religious. If one can find morality in today’s world it is relativistic, not universal. People who don’t fall into this hideous trap must have a place of refuge; one where they can study the tradition that has been handed down for more than 5,000 years.

What good is a liberal education? The liberal arts are intended to teach someone how to think, what truth is and how it is applicable to one’s own life. The modern university system has created a world where people are trained like monkeys to perform a specific task and nothing else. UD has realized the importance of a true liberal arts education and maintained it for a half century. Liberal education isn’t for the greedy, who only want to get an education so they can go to med school or law school and make hundreds of thousands of dollars. No, liberal education is for those who want to genuinely help those around them.

In the end the University of Dallas provides Catholic persons with a working knowledge of the western tradition. People who think that the western tradition is wrong, or think that morality doesn’t exist or that truth is whatever one makes of it need not apply. By Catholic methinks the University doesn’t entirely mean one who proscribes to the Catholic faith. Catholic means universal, and by that contrast of today’s relativism we can find that even Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists can come here and thrive. Catholicism is the hallmark of western religious thought. The Catholic Church has kept the western tradition alive for nearly two-thousand years. The University of Dallas has survived for fifty years trying to instill in each student the knowledge of the western tradition. It truly is a Catholic school for Independent Thinkers. There is proof in the University that the western tradition still matters and that there are people still interested in learning it.