Lecture and Panel: Land O'Lakes and Its Legacy
In summer 1967, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame as well as of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, invited a group of Catholic university administrators, leaders of religious communities, bishops, and scholars to Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin, to discuss the past, present, and future of Catholic higher education. The document they produced, known as the Land O'Lakes Statement, sought to chart a new course for American Catholic higher education.
This lecture and panel will revisit the history and legacy of the statement at its 50th anniversary.
From 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., John T. McGreevy, dean of the College of Arts and Letters and professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, will offer reflections on the history of the Land O'Lakes Statement.
At 7:00 p.m., a panel of five presidents of Catholic universities will consider the statement's lessons and relevance for today:
John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
University of Notre Dame
William P. Leahy, S.J.
Boston College
Patricia McGuire
Trinity Washington University
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Fordham University
Julie H. Sullivan
University of St. Thomas
The Land O'Lakes Statement was one of four reports produced out of meetings held in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia in advance of the 1968 General Assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, delegates from 23 countries along with Vatican officials produced the document "The Catholic University in the Modern World."
The Cushwa Center and the Office of the President at the University of Notre Dame have reprinted the Land O'Lakes Statement in anticipation of this event. Request a free hard copy by mail or view the PDF (4.5 MB). To request multiple print copies, please contact the center at cushwa@nd.edu or (574) 631-5441.
This event, sponsored by the Cushwa Center and the Office of the President, is free and open to the public.