Rescuing the World—10,000 Students at a Time

Rescuing the World—10,000 Students at a Time

Web Exclusive Former university president Robert Spitzer, SJ now teaches faith and reason in the world’s largest classroom—the Internet. By Elenor K. Schoen After serving as president of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington for 11 years, Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, PhD will be sharing his love of the Catholic faith and passion for education with more students than could ever fit into a traditional classroom. Pairing sophisticated web-based technology with philosophy, Spitzer is spearheading two new institutes to promote a Catholic understanding of God and the human person—the Magis Institute of Faith and Reason and the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership. The popular Jesuit philosophy and ethics professor is a well-known author and speaker, and the creator of several Catholic television series for Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). While at Gonzaga, Spitzer successfully restored the school’s financial health, while building up the campus and student enrollment. Gonzaga Trustee and Chairman of the Board Don Nelles calls Spitzer a “visionary” in handling all the various problems he faced when he arrived at the college. Spitzer created “a growth plan that will serve us well at Gonzaga University for years to come,” according to Nelles. More importantly, Spitzer gave needed attention to the spiritual culture at Gonzaga. He made headlines in 2000 when he cancelled a campus appearance by a Planned Parenthood representative, stating, “I consider Planned Parenthood’s actions to be blatantly contrary to the Catholic and Jesuit character of the university and to its mission.” In 2002, Spitzer refused to allow performances of The Vagina Monologues to take place on campus, saying the play was contrary to the “Catholic and Christian view of marriage.” The speakers and productions permitted on campus, he said, “[speak] volumes about who we are, what our mission is, and what we believe."

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Comments

[Ed Peters]

I remember the day or so after Fr. Spitzer defended his dissertation (at GU, if memory serves), Bill May walked in for our class at CUA and said "Wow. I have not seen a finer doctoral defense than the one I just saw, Bob Spitzer's on the place of time in Augustine."