Scientists Clothed in Values
The Benedictine Approach to Science Education
(Fall 2002)

By William Carroll

Traditionally, most liberal arts institutions in the 20th century based their curriculum solely on liberal arts. But Benedictines at St. Procopius College (the early Benedictine University) were visionary men. In 1908, they predicted that science would shake up the world. And they wanted to be part of that future. So monks were sent to the University of Chicago and other prestigious universities to study science and to prepare them and their students to live in a scientific world - and also to play a part in forming that world.

Those early monks were the giants who established a solid science curriculum that even now continues to expand. Over decades, the institution has become well known among leaders in the scientific community. The science faculty, curriculum, research and graduate achievements have brought a high level of respect to this institution. That early 1925 decision to incorporate science into the curriculum, introduced a vitality of its own on the campus, and that curiosity, that persistence to pursue, is a hallmark today.

Science continues to be woven into the fabric of this campus. Benedictine has a tremendous success rate in the acceptance of students into medical, dental and science graduate programs. The hundreds of alumni in science, medicine and research are a phenomenal testament to the strength of the sciences at Benedictine.

Highlights of Success

• A grant provided a bridge program for Chicago public school students to encourage their interest in science. Several of these groups were on campus this summer, and their enthusiasm and wonder were obvious, particularly when they gathered in the dining room and out-did each other in describing what they had done that morning.
• Benedictine is consistently ranked by Money magazine under "America's Best College Buys," as one of the top ten colleges in the nation with the highest percentage of graduates entering graduate school.
• One of the National Endowment for the Humanities, (NEH) studies ranked Benedictine University first in the state of Illinois and 29th (top 3%) nationally for the percentage of its graduates who went on to earn doctoral degrees in all fields of study, as well as 5th nationally in physics and astronomy, and 11th nationally in chemistry.

Benedictine has been like a sleeping giant, but that sleep is slowly ending as the University gains more and more scientific acclaim. It is particularly evident in both ends of the spectrum - incoming students who major in the sciences, and graduates who hold positions in business, technology or scientific institutions across the country.

Over time, science grounded in the liberal arts has become recognized as a premiere program at Benedictine. There are many fine science institutions preparing students for careers in the sciences; there are fewer liberal arts institutions that can claim science as a particular specialty. A Benedictine graduate not only knows science but also knows the ethical and moral implication involved in science. In a very real sense, Benedictine has a history of preparing "scientists clothed in values." They are prepared to do the science, but are also able to ask the difficult question of whether the science should be done.

The articles in this edition of Voices documents and celebrates the science tradition at Benedictine University. The dramatic decision to send two monks for doctoral studies in the sciences profoundly set the direction the institution would take for the next hundred years. As we enter the new millennium, the need for "scientists clothed in values" is greater than ever. Our early founders predicted in 1908 that science would shake up the world. Few could doubt the efficacy of that prediction-a prediction that still guides us today.