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Ten years ago, in March 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, taking the papal name Francis. Pope Francis has had a profound impact—some would argue a transformational impact, on the Catholic Church and on the world. To celebrate ten years of his papacy, the idea came about to put together a special issue of The Review of Faith & International Affairs on one aspect of his magisterium: his vision for education and integral human development, including the idea of a Global Compact on Education. The essays gathered in this special issue consider Pope Francis' vision and how it may be relevant for schools and universities (Catholic or not) as well as for businesses and our understanding of the economy and integral human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pope Francis' vision for a global compact on education, including the role that Catholic universities should play, is in sharp contrast to the vision that dominates the higher education sector: that of producing graduates for gainful employment. Can Catholic colleges and universities rise to the challenge? This article provides a partial answer to that question by first considering four trends affecting higher education globally: (i) the impact of Covid; (ii) the technologization of higher education; (iii) the promise of employability; and (iv) the great unbundling towards micro-credentials. Thereafter, using data for the United States, the article provides a brief assessment of whether Catholic universities may be losing ground, while nevertheless keeping some sources of comparative advantage. The analysis remains explorative and tentative. What seems clear is that there is a lot of heterogeneity between institutions, with some struggling and others finding ways to maintain their comparative advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service-learning can be a powerful tool to implement the commitments suggested by Pope Francis under the idea of a Global Compact on Education. The practice is considered high-impact for students. It can also help Catholic higher education institutions support their students' search for meaning while strengthening their own Catholic identity in a way that respects the diversity of views about faith in the student body. Service-learning may also contribute to a culture of encounter, bringing more tolerance and compassion into the world. Do Catholic universities provide adequate service-learning opportunities to their students? Based on a recent survey, this article provides a diagnostic of the level of institutionalization of service-learning and community engagement activities in Catholic universities globally. While most Catholic universities do have a range of service-learning initiatives, these activities are fully integrated in only one-fourth of the universities that responded to the survey. There is however a lot of interest in doing better, and clear pathways for that purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2019, Pope Francis called for a broad alliance to renew our commitment to education to build a more fraternal humanity. To understand the Pope's call for a Global Compact on Education, it is useful to explore his vision for education. For Pope Francis, education can no longer be reduced to what happens in the classroom. We need educational strategies that give a chance to the transformation and above all to the humanization of the world. We need an "education village" in which parents, communities, and societies are fully engaged. The call for a Global Compact on Education can be understood as a new paradigm for thinking about education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, Catholic universities operate in an increasingly competitive market. They tend to have a strong academic reputation in many countries and their graduates tend to do well professionally. One explanation for this success could be that many universities are selective: they may attract motivated students. In addition, it is sometimes suggested that the values emphasized in Catholic education may also play a role, including for the choice of students to attend a particular university. Whether values and the Catholic faith matter for students, or rather how much they matter, is important for the future of Catholic universities in a context of rising competition as well as pluralism, including in terms of the views held by students. After a review of broad trends in enrollment in Catholic higher education globally and regionally over the last four decades, and a discussion of some of the increasing competitive pressures Catholic (and other) universities are confronted with, this article explores some of the factors that may lead students to enroll in Catholic higher education institutions. Values and faith matter, but (not surprisingly) other factors matter more. The paper also discusses the possibility for Catholic universities to invest in service learning as an opportunity to strengthen their Catholic identity in a way that respects pluralism in the student body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, those considering enrolling in a Catholic college or university may have a choice between a few universities or none at all. In the United States, they can choose between more than 240 Catholic colleges and universities. This provides a rich array of choices, but it may also make the decision of where to apply and ultimately enroll more complicated. This article provides a simple framework to discuss some of the factors that affect the decision to enroll in higher education and where to enroll. Four basic sequential questions that students may ask are considered: (1) Should I go to college? (2) How should I select a college? (3) How can I compare different colleges? (4) Should I go to a Catholic college? By providing elements of response to these questions, the article provides insights into the decision to enroll in Catholic education and its implications for universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the 62 million children enrolled in K-12 Catholic schools globally, the Catholic Church estimates that 6 million students were enrolled in Catholic institutions of higher education in 2016. How has the number of students in Catholic higher education evolved over the last four decades? In which parts of the world is growth in enrollment taking place, and where do we observe a decline? How are Catholic universities faring in comparison to other Catholic institutions of higher education? Within universities, is the number of students enrolled in ecclesiastical studies increasing? Finally, given trends in enrollment in Catholic secondary schools, does the future of Catholic higher education globally look promising? To answer these questions, this paper provides trends in enrollment in Catholic higher education from 1975 to 2016 and discusses some of the potential implications of the analysis for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]