Summary
In Kansas, Mount St. Scholastica sisters announced their decision to part ways with Benedictine College due to an aging religious community and increasing demands from the board, including a proposed medical school expansion. The announcement was anticipated by Dean of Students Joe Wurtz, who believes it has been in deliberation for over a decade. According to Wurtz, the current three sisters required at every meeting—plus the prioress and rotating sisters—are unable to handle the complexity and volume of tasks involved with running an expanding institution such as Benedictine College. The new Dartmouth provost, Santiago Schnell, highlighted that higher education in the United States has failed, citing role models like Ivy League institutions which have contributed negatively. Schnell called for a return to Catholic university foundations rooted in intellectual diversity rather than ideological certainty. In Iowa, Catholic schools experienced significant enrollment growth after a 2023 state law granted public funding access through education savings accounts (ESAs).
Key Topics
Benedictine College, Mount St. Scholastika Sisters, Medical School
