Catholic Business Schools – Oxymoron of Higher Education? March 13, 2007

Catholic Business Schools – Oxymoron of Higher Education?

Mr. Ernest Pierucci, Esq. To Discuss The Needed “New Definition” of Catholic Higher Education

Danville, CA – (February 21, 2007) – Catholics@Work, a fellowship of individuals who explore how to actively live one’s values in the workplace, (www.catholicsatwork.org), today announced its March 2007 breakfast meeting will feature Mr. Ernest Pierucci, Esq. Mr. Pierucci is a lawyer and specialist in Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic College Business Education. He is an active participant in the Catholic Business School Project, and in the wider international effort to better define the role of business education in Catholic higher education, as well as to understand the relevance of Catholic Social Teaching to the daily conduct of business. Mr. Pierucci will discuss the reform necessary to integrate Catholic Social Teaching into the daily conduct of business, and to define the very nature of Catholic business school curriculum.

The Catholics@Work breakfast event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, March 13, 2006. A full buffet breakfast is served starting at 7:00am (Mass is offered at 6:30am at the same location.) Cost is $25 for members and $32 for non-members. To register visit http://www.catholicsatwork.org/EventDesc.aspx.

Most Catholics will state that a Catholic education helps form the foundation for Christian value-based decision making. But, how well do the business schools of Catholic colleges and universities integrate Catholic Social Teaching and apply this body of scholarship in the business practice of individuals in the workplace and in the curriculum of Catholic Business Schools?

Notwithstanding the efforts of some professors and administrators, Catholic business schools generally compartmentalize Catholic social teaching from the business management curriculum. To an impartial observer, it seems that Catholic business schools build their curriculum based on the belief that the business student has received his/her quota of spiritual direction, and now, it is time to prepare them to be successful in the business world. This is a flawed perspective, but one embraced by virtually every Catholic business school in the country.

“Reforming Catholic business school curriculum is a complex issue that requires challenging our accepted understanding of the fundamental nature of business. What is its nature and purpose?” said Ernest Pierucci, Esq. “We must actively redefine the role of Catholic higher education in growing the next generation of global business leaders.”

“Many of us hold a preconceived and accepted notion that Catholic colleges and universities provide the best undergraduate and post graduate education. Mr. Pierucci’s perspective on changing the curriculum, based on redefining how we look at the nature of business, is thought provoking, unnerving and exciting,” commented Tom Platner, president of Catholics@Work. “Join me to hear about this perspective, because it is not a perspective, we, as individuals in the workplace, are likely to discover on our own.”
Twelve Catholic colleges and universities are sponsoring the Catholic Business School Project in an effort to bring a new perspective to the integration of Catholic Social Teaching into the daily conduct of business and to define the very nature of Catholic business school curriculum. Mr. Pierucci is a business attorney, co-founder of the John F. Henning Institute on Catholic Social Thought at St Mary’s College (CA), and a member of the Board of Visitors of the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

ABOUT CATHOLICS@WORK
Catholics@Work is committed to fostering fellowship and connectivity among Catholics facing the realities of life in today’s workplace environment. The monthly breakfast gatherings are a unique opportunity for Catholics to:
• grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith,
• be encouraged to apply the principals of their faith in the everyday workplace,
• and, to network with other Catholic business professionals.

The breakfast series is held at Crow Canyon Country Club, Danville, California, on the second Tuesday of the month nine times per year (February-June, September-December). The event starts with a buffet breakfast followed by a speaker or panel discussion and runs from 7:00-8:30am. The event offers a great way to network with people who look for purpose and leadership in their lives. There is time prior to the beginning of each speaker’s presentation to interact with other attendees, to share faith, and business and personal information. Mass is offered at 6:30am for those who wish to attend before breakfast at the same location. Managed by Catholic business professionals, Catholics@Work breakfast events are open to all, regardless of faith or occupation, who want to explore the issues of actively living one’s beliefs in the workplace.
For more information visit www.catholicsatwork.org or call +1 925-389-0704.
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Official Website: http://www.catholicsatwork.org