Art Cordova
Staff Writer
With the completion of the Christ the Teacher building, Franciscan University boldly shows its commitment to expanding STEM studies.
Some might wonder why a Catholic liberal arts university like ours would expand into the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. But Franciscan has a goal: to populate all fields of work with virtuous, Catholic men and women, who walk in the fear of the Lord and love the Holy Spirit.
“(The university wants) to place faithful Catholic graduates into all different types of work. And the sciences are an area that needs to be represented as well,” said Dr. Kyle McKenna, research scientist and professor of biology.
“Our mission is to prepare students that go off to their prospective vocation and provide not just an academic contribution,” Dr. McKenna continued. “But we’re sending forth joyful disciples of Christ that are going to impact all these vocations … We have to reach (everyone).”
Catholic vocations aren’t limited to those with philosophy and theology degrees, God wants all vocations sanctified. “In any field, you need virtue, and we learn virtue through our faith,” said McKenna. “It’s vice that ends up making organizations fail.”
The sciences are in dire need of more virtuous people. Too often we see malpractice and malicious experiments. Cryogenically stored embryos and stem cell testing from aborted fetal tissue are commonplace in the world of sciences shut off from Catholic ethics.
Dr. McKenna, explaining the need for good Catholics in the sciences, added, “There is a proper way to do things and that way is grounded in Catholic moral principles.” But this isn’t limited to only the sciences.
In a column from the Franciscan University of Steubenville magazine, “Death of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences,” Dr. David Collins said, “Faith informs these values, and in this light, Christian engineering programs have a particular responsibility to integrate character development.”
Sophomore mechanical engineering major Benedict Goodman joined the university along with many others after hearing of the new STEM focus.
“I came here for an engineering open-day where they were showing the new engineering program, and it looked, like, really good,” he said. “Also, with the new building, they’ve obviously carried out all the promises they made about this new program … with all the resources we now have at our fingertips.”
When asked why he wanted to be an engineer, Goodman said, “There aren’t enough people in the engineering field who just want to make something really good. I want to build (and design) something really good.” Aspiring to be an automotive engineer, he said he didn’t want to simply lean into industry standards, but make a car that would impress the world.
“I discovered (Franciscan’s) are my favorite professors I’ve ever encountered in the program.” With their help, he’s confident his dream can become a reality – a mentality shared amongst many STEM students and faculty alike.
When asked what he enjoyed most in teaching at Franciscan, Dr. McKenna recounted what he saw in the students. “They have a better appreciation of ‘I’m trying to live my vocation, I’m here to study, I’m engaged in a process, I have a purpose.’
“They know they are a child of God made with a purpose and they’re looking to get the skills they need to actualize that purpose.”
By God’s grace, we will see many virtuous scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians stemming from Franciscan’s new halls, and, by His will, the young men and women training today will help sanctify the world through their work.