Faith and Learning Mentors

The Center for Faith and Learning facilitates the Faith and Learning Scholars Program.  Faculty from all colleges of the University and rising sophomores who are interested in exploring and discovering the intersection of faith and learning become Mentors and Scholars sharing in a three-year long faith-learning journey together.  This includes four dinner dialogues based on selected readings and a commitment to support students in their search for the integration of faith and knowledge.   Rising sophomores, who are nominated, are invited to apply to be Scholars.  Scholars who begin in Fall 2013 will conclude their experience in Spring 2016 when they graduate.  To view the Scholars application, please click the application to the right.

The “Faith and Learning Scholars” program will run at full capacity this Fall, having three groups of new and continuing scholars and mentors participating.  At present the Center is facilitating two groups of scholars/mentors, the “St. Augustine” group (21 scholars/7 mentors) and the “St. Monica” Group (27 scholars/12 mentors).    Mentors who will choose to be part of the program this year will begin the third group, the “St. Thomas of Villanova” group, with a goal of 30 scholars/15 mentors.  Each group meets individually for the dinner-dialogues at Picotte Hall at Dundale, yet the Faith and Learning Scholars Program functions as one large intentional faith community usually having the opportunity to gather as a unified whole once per semester.

Mentors introduce students to leading scholars who have explored the vocation of the mind and the intersection of faith and learning in their writings. Faculty who elect to enter the program commit to scheduled dinner discussions that explore the intersection of faith and learning and the vocation of the mind.

• Mentors will be seated at dinner dialogues together with their mentees, encouraging exploration of ideas about the readings and fostering community
• Mentors (when possible) will be available to student scholars for discernment in their life choices
• Mentors will assess and evaluate the program

For the 2013-2014 academic year, the goal is to invite fifteen (15) faculty members to serve as Faith and Learning Mentors, so we may offer a 2-1 Scholar-Mentor ratio.

To view the Mentors application, or to view a list of current faculty participating as Mentors, please click the documents to the right.

Program Design

The Center for Faith and Learning will provide structure and oversight for a variety of mentor-scholar interactions.   At a minimum, five meetings are planned for each year.

• Students and faculty meet twice a semester for dinner and dialogue to discuss assigned reading relevant to the nature, purposes, and challenges of faith and learning.  This is a 2 hour dinner commitment.
• Students and faculty will be encouraged to participate in other relevant campus programs as opportunities are identified.
• Ideally, the Faculty Mentors will continue the Scholar Mentoring relationship until the student has graduated.

Program Aspiration

The Center for Faith and Learning Faculty Mentor Program seeks to: 

• support and affirm faculty whose teaching and research incorporates the intersection of faith and reason
• provide opportunities for faculty conversations concerning the vocation of the life of the mind
• invite faculty to be role models for students to interact with faculty whose teaching and research are vocational, rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Through the intentional work of these faculty Villanova University seeks to prepare the next generation of students to integrate faith and learning into their emerging adult lives. In addition, the Center for Faith and Learning hopes to encourage young scholars to consider advanced degrees and life in the academy as a future vocation.