AmericanPapist Comments
Wow, what is going on here, I remember reading about how promising Ave Maria was and imagined myself taking classes there. Is it not possible to have 2 campuses? Is Monoghan doing this for his own glory or for the Church? I was really hoping that somehow this would be a great boon for Catholicism.
Yeah....
What exactly is the controversy? I, like the person above me, thought Ave Maria was going to be something good...
the controversy, very briefly put, is that a large portion of students, faculty and staff don't think the move is in the best interests of the school's mission. again - briefly put.
Even Mr. Monaghan doesn't have money enough for two campuses. He tried hard to expand the school in Michigan, but was not allowed to obtain variances to construct the university on the land he purchased there. He then found another site in Florida and has been picked on ever since. It is extremely unfortunate for the students and professors in Michigan, but at times it seems that the Michigan Ave Maria college is attempting to doom the Florida venture. Great thanks are due to Mr. Monaghan for his efforts and his hundreds of millions of dollars to establish a truly Catholic University.
Ok.
That helps clear this all up.
Thanks TJ and Thomas!
TJ -
With all due respect, you need to get beyond Monaghan's PR department. The isse, emphatically, is not about moving to Florida. Rather, Mr. Monaghan, through his Foundation (not the Law School, and independent entity), entered into a real estate venture as a developer in South Florida. His focus shifted from supporting the Catholic mission of the Law School to developing South Florida. Here's Fr. Fessio in Catholic World Report 2004:
""He [Monaghan] said that if the college moved to Florida - which was where he now wanted to exercise his philanthropy - it would have free land.. . He also said that if Ave Maria College wishes to stay in Michigan, of course it could do so, but it would have to find its own funding" (CWR, Aug. 2004)
That was in reference to AMC, not the Law School (AMSL). Note - "which was where he now wanted to exercise his philanthropy".
Indisputable facts:
- the faculty at AMSL passed a 'no confidence' resolution; the Board dismissed that resolution in 2 days without any investigation
- the ABA is investigating AMSL for breeches of accreditation standards
- Fr. Fessio and Mr. Monaghan have overseen the closure of *4* promising orthodox Catholic schools in the last 5 years: St. Mary's Orchard Lake, Campion College, AMC, and now AMSL
- the former AMU Chief Financial Officer reports, under oath, of violations of FERPA law, funneling of $240,000 to Fr. Fessio's personal bank account, and a host of other issues
- AMU (Florida) has had a revolving door of faculty come and leave in disgust within the first 2 years of employment; the Chairs of Economics, Philosophy, and Music have all resigned the past 2 years
Who in their right mind would *close* a successful fully accredited law school to start over again?
Much more could be said. The fact is, this is about *gross* mismanagement and behavior unfit for ethical heathens let alone Catholics.
Many statements, memos, court documents, and emails can be found at
http://www.avewatch.org
Anonymous is on the right track. This is very sad, was unecessary, and will likely doom the school.
Conservative Catholics who label themselves "orthodox" need to remove the blinders. Tom Monaghan isn't someone to support blindly. Just because a rich guy cuts checks to Catholic causes doesn't mean his behavior is sacrosanct. Anyone who takes the time to look at the history of the Ave Maria Foundation and its activities will realize that there's a lot wrong there.
Well, there's always the new JP the Great U. in San Diego:
http://www.jpcatholic.com/
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Tom Monaghan had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the closure of Campion College.
Furthermore, Fr. Fessio was not allowed (by obidience to his superiors in the Jesuit order) to have anything to do with Campion College, and was not responsible for it's closing either.
As a graduate of CC I take offense at the use of my school by people not at all involved with it, for there arguments and vindication.
Wondrouspilgrim:
one person has made a comment about Campion College. Yes, Campion College is a different story altogether and for the reasons why it was closed. Yes, yes. But one can hardly fault anonymous for including it in a list of closings of catholic colleges where Fr. Fessio had a role in the administration (if not in the actual decision to close it). Meaning, he's hardly established a great track record in managing higher ed institutions.
And one doesn't need the example of CC. The Monaghan record alone is enough.
BTW, my references to "closed" is because I was conflating the history of the Institute at USF that was the precursor of Campion College (which I assume is what you are the alumn of unless you are a recent grad, seeing as CC itself wasn't founded until 2002 I believe).
God bless Fr. Fessio!
God bless Tom Monaghan!
God bless Ave Maria University!
Saint Michael the Archangel defend them!
Well sure, we pray for God's blessings on all his people, especially if their hearts need to be converted and their ways mended.
God bless the 4 founding faculty who put up $100,000 of their own money to start Ave Maria School of Law!
God bless the enrolled students and their families who now bear the hardship of this instability, including the threat of pulled accreditation and difficulty getting their career started!
God bless Charlie Rice, Emeritus Professor at Notre Dame and a founder of the Law School, who was booted off of the Scool board for opposing Monaghan's governance, but who still drove twice a week all the way from South Bend to teach and mentor students in Ann Arbor!
God bless the Law School faculty who risked their careers to build this start-up, who voted "no confidence" in the School's Dean, only to have the Board dismiss their issues in two days without any investigation!
St. Michael, defend those who are the soul of that academic community, who gave it its "first things".
***
To note - The Board voted on Sat. Feb. 17 to close the school. On Tues. Feb. 20, there were highly orchestrated press conferences in MI and FL, complete with a prepared statement from the Gov. of Florida. Monday was President's day. It took weeks to prepare for that Tuesday blitz, yet the vote was taken only 3 non-business days earlier. I can only conclude that the Board is nothing but a bunch of rubber stamping yes-men who play fast and loose with the lives and careers of good Catholic men and women.
Why doesn't Mr. Big Catholic get his wife to convert. Tom
Hey,
This is a very unfortunate serious of developments. However, I'm a little confused about the Campion College/St. Ignatius Institute conflation. I attended the Institute, was there right in the middle of its takeover, and was around when Campion began its brief existence. The two should not be rolled into any of Mr. Monaghan's misadventures, nor added to a list of Fr. Fessio's supposed educational failures. Let's stay precise. I'm more than happy to mention specifics. If anyone is still reading this post.
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