Reading Heft's The Future of Catholic Higher Education was an enlightening experience, especially his chapters on Jesus and Mary. He writes about the gospel's treatment of their lives and reflects on the ways their teachings influence discourse, both in classrooms and the literature on the Catholic tradition. These essays will inform faculty in secular universities about some of the ways contemporary arguments about social justice are consonant with faith,
an important aspect of teaching about diversity.
Fr. James L. Heft S.M. (Marianist) is Alton Brooks Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California and founder of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies. He served for nearly thirty years at the University of Dayton as the chair of Religious Studies Department, then Provost, and finally Chancellor and University Professor, before moving to Los Angeles to found the inter-faith and inter-religious research center.