author EUGENE McALLISTER

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COMING THIS SUMMER: "NOW I SEE"

Now I See is about learning, seeing children who are overlooked, and the grace of change. Peter Schmidt is a teacher in North Carolina, who, after a divorce and tragic accident, accepts a teaching job, sight unseen, in Great Falls, Montana.

Great Falls is a blue-collar town that hasn’t grown in forty years. Lacking the glamor of Yellowstone, the city struggles to attract people and business. The teachers at Whittier school find themselves buying winter coats – or memorably, hundreds of pairs of galoshes – for the children.

Now I See is filled with vivid characters – a bespectacled Agnes, who disappears for three days; Pablo an undocumented boy who wields a knife against two bullies; and Mike, two years older than the others, who sits at back with an attitude to mask his sense of failure.

Peter’s mentor, whom he comes to admire greatly, is a 50-something woman motivated by love for the less fortunate and who lives on the edge of a cloistered religious community. Imelda challenges Peter to see things differently, and he slowly and not easily comes to recognize the dignity of his students.

At a moment of crises, Peter is torn between two students he has mentored. Walter, a developmentally disabled freshman football player attacks Robert, a bright, kind boy who looks up to Peter. Must Peter choose between the two students, as many expect, or can he dedicate himself to caring for each? The process of answering that question draws Peter deeply into the lives of his students and their families.

Now I See is a story of heart and hope.

about EUGENE McALLISTER

Eugene J. McAllister writes from experience and belief. He served as president of two Catholic liberal arts universities, the University of Great Falls in Montana and Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN. He lived for twenty years in Great Falls, a blue-collar town on the high plains of Montana. He knows the power of learning and change, particularly for those who might be left behind.

Prior to his career in higher education, Gene served in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. He was Special Assistant to President Reagan for Economic Policy and Assistant Secretary of State for Economics and Business Affairs for both presidents.

He has a B.S. in Economics from Loyola Marymount University, an M.A. from University of California, Davis and a Ph.D. in Economics from The Catholic University of America.

Gene’s appreciation for the written word began as his father would take him and his siblings to the public library on Saturday mornings.

MORE FROM EUGENE

Faith-based Universities: An American Treasure

By Eugene McAllister, St. John's University Interim President

Oct. 25, 2019

There are many great and wonderful things in the United States, and one of the best is American higher education.

Our system offers a possibility for everyone: large public universities, elite universities committed to cutting-edge research, community colleges specializing in technical education and online providers offering everything from certificates to PhDs.

This remarkable system isn’t the result of some great plan. Rather it is the sum of individual dedication and purpose, men and women who believe deeply in knowledge, learning and the virtue of teaching.

One of the very “American” aspects of higher education is the extraordinary presence of private faith-based universities. They are everywhere, from the great cities to small towns, and have been part of the landscape since before the American Revolution. Harvard and Yale, for instance, were founded to prepare clergy for the colonies.

There are many more faith-based universities than you might first guess. For instance, there are over 250 Catholic colleges. Most everyone has heard of Notre Dame, but how about Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota? Methodists have also built a large number of colleges, as have Lutherans, Baptists and Presbyterians. And we can’t leave out places like Guilford College (Quakers) and Yeshiva University (Jewish).

Some universities founded by religious denominations have moved away from their origins, but most haven’t. Some have succeeded in breaking into the top 50 rankings like Notre Dame, Boston College and Villanova, but most haven’t. And some have moments of national recognition because of a distinguished alumnus or an amazing athletic achievement.

But regardless of fame, the men and women of these hundreds of faith-based universities and colleges show up every day, intent on doing something important and good.

Faith-based universities are important to the fabric of American life. They produce good citizens, good employees and good neighbors, like many other universities. But faith-based universities are distinctive in a number of ways.

These universities were founded to serve God by serving students. That means they look at students differently. Many religions believe men and women “are made in the image and likeness of God.” So, these universities see students as possessing a God-given dignity, and their purpose is to help students see that dignity in themselves and others.

Faith-based universities have a distinctive view of the world, and so have a distinctive vocabulary. Community, a word every faith-based university uses, conveys not only a common sense of mission and purpose, but also a way of life, the importance of personal relationships. In communities, students and professors care for one another. Community is everything.

Other ideas that bind communities at faith-based universities are goodness, grace and love, as well as the values of understanding, peace, justice and stewardship. Many of these universities emphasize the world is a good place and we are to be hopeful.

Faith-based universities embrace the big questions of life, such as, what does God want of me, or what is my purpose? The human condition is central, and examined through a blend of theology, the arts, sciences and philosophy. At St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, the Benedictines emphasize the pursuit of wisdom.

Faith-based universities help students develop character and think about and serve others. Caring for the least among us is at the heart of so many of these universities. At St. John’s we have a wonderful program, the Benedictine Volunteer Corp., in which graduates spend a year supporting Benedictine monastic communities around the world in their service to others.

Finally, because they believe in the dignity of each of us, faith-based universities are exceptional in assisting first-generation students or students from families of more modest financial backgrounds. These students are embraced and cared for by communities that see their dignity and potential.

The importance of faith-based universities is uniquely American. They embody the idea of vocation in their founding and in their missions. They are hopeful and forward-looking. And they have served our nation well by preparing millions of men and women for lives of meaning and purpose. And their best years are ahead.

This is the opinion of St. John's University Interim President Eugene McAllister. To A Higher Degree is published the fourth Sunday of the month and rotates among the presidents of the four largest Central Minnesota higher education institutions.