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CV NEWS FEED // The Institute at Ave Maria University (AMU) offers a mentoring and professional development program aimed at enhancing AMU students’ university education by focusing on their personal, professional, and cultural growth.
Through an eight-semester program, the Institute combines professional development courses in areas such as marketing, leadership, and strategy with personal and cultural studies, including of the human person and the fine arts, as well as vocational discernment. Students also participate in internships, service projects, and a capstone presentation, preparing themselves for careers, graduate school, or their vocations.
The Institute aims to complement AMU’s liberal arts core curriculum, which includes 35 academic majors and programs like Honors. It collaborates with AMU’s Academy, sharing over 20 professors known as “fellows,” who teach across various disciplines and engage directly with students.
In an exclusive interview with CatholicVote, Daniel Schreck, the Institute’s director, shared insights into this “super-fast university within a university,” its focus on forming well-rounded leaders, and its commitment to fostering future saints and trailblazers in every field.
What programs or initiatives does the Institute offer to support students in their academic and professional development?
The Institute provides its scholars with eight semesters of comprehensive personal, professional, and cultural development that complements all majors and our core curriculum at AMU. This integrated approach equips students with a core suite of skills and tools that all leaders need, pathways to explore industries aligned with their interests, and the credentials, experience, and network needed to succeed both personally and professionally.
The goal is to foster 360-degree development of the whole person. Career preparation is necessary but not sufficient on its own. So, we’ve built a program that fills out the rest.
Each month, the Institute introduces a new theme delivered by industry-leading experts. For example, personal development is crafted by Dr. Greg Bottaro, professional development is guided by faculty fellows and industry-specific advisors, and cultural development exposes scholars to the best of the arts and culture. These experiences are enhanced by forums where students interact and share ideas with mentors, peers, and industry leaders.
Plus, we have some cool tech tools we’re unveiling to facilitate it all.
How does the Institute differentiate itself from traditional higher education models, particularly in its integration of faith, academics, and professional development?
Higher education — and the world in general — is undergoing rapid disruption due to economic shifts, technological advances, and questions about the meaning of the human person. Many traditional higher-ed institutions, especially the name brands, are failing to provide direction in this time of change, creating a gap in the marketplace that AMU and the Institute aim to fill.
The Institute’s model builds on AMU’s strong liberal arts core curriculum, our 35 academic majors, and programs like Honors. The liberal arts and professional and personal development harmonize within the Institute, countering the notion that these two areas conflict.
We want our Institute graduates to be equipped with the critical thinking, drive, devotion, and practical knowledge needed to make them two to four years ahead of their peers — from any university — upon graduation. That’s our goal.
What are some examples of how the Institute implements a balance of practical skills and human formation in its curriculum?
Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s call for integral human formation in Ex Corde Ecclesiae and Tom Monaghan’s vision for AMU, the Institute aims to continue the university’s tradition of forming well-rounded individuals.
Personal Formation: Dr. Greg Bottaro delivers weekly guidance through his master’s program distilled down to an undergraduate level, complemented by monthly mentoring from members of Legatus, AMU alumni, and other experienced Catholics. Scholars receive consistent attention from alumni, professors, industry experts, Institute leadership, and even AMU’s president. We treat scholars as if they were top-tier Division I athletes.
Cultural Formation: Monthly outings expose students to world-class art and culture. For example, scholars recently attended an extraordinary performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Professional Development: Led by industry leaders, professional development focuses on a core suite of skills and independent study. Our advisors are exemplars in their fields, providing scholars with diverse opportunities to explore and excel in their chosen careers.
The world is more than a little crazy right now. But there’s an opportunity there; Being reasonable and being Catholic are highly correlated in times when things begin to crumble. This gives Catholic institutions a real edge because we’re seen to be highly credible even by those who don’t believe in the truths of our faith. This also gives entrepreneurial Catholic cultures a real lead too.
Considering how much the modern workplace is changing, how does the Institute prepare students for the unique challenges they’ll face?
The Institute’s lean operating model was inspired in part by Google X and Elon Musk. The Institute operates like a super-fast university within a university. That allows AMU to have real-time conversations with our growing network of leaders and businesses. We need hundreds of new members in the Institute to satisfy the demand we’re seeing: mentors, companies, leaders, professors. This growing network allows AMU to incorporate real-time feedback from leaders and businesses directly into the Institute’s curriculum, a capability traditional academic programs tend to lack. That’s the way it should be.
There are certain immutable truths one learns in the classroom; you don’t want them to incorporate whatever the world thinks. So, rather than choosing between academic rigor and practical education, the Institute integrates the two. Scholars receive an education rooted in the liberal arts and Catholic faith while mastering skills demanded in today’s marketplace.
This dual approach forms students with the character and competence to navigate a rapidly changing world and become the saints the world needs. We want to be sure that parents and students alike experience a material return on their time, treasure, and talents. Universities must begin to earn a great return for their customers, or they deserve to go out of business.
What success stories or outcomes have you seen from students who have participated in the Institute?
The Institute is a rapidly assembling network that provides in-demand education. In just four months, membership has grown to nearly 300, and the response from students, faculty, alumni, parents, and professionals has been overwhelmingly positive.
Common feedback includes, “I wish the Institute existed when I was in school.”
For example, October’s theme was business startups. It was led by Visiting Fellow for Business Dave Durand. Scholars were tasked with creating a $100 million business with a $10,000 seed investment and pitching their ideas to the University in a Shark Tank-style competition judged by Tom Monaghan, two CEOs, and our president, Mark Middendorf. Despite having just one month to learn and prepare, every group accomplished the challenge, with Katia Healy’s team winning the $10,000 prize.
I’d proudly match our scholars against students from any school, including my grad-school alma mater, Columbia. Perhaps they’ll take me up on the challenge? We’d gladly fly to Manhattan, or they can visit us in January when the climate is amazing down here in beautiful southwest Florida.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
