Ave Maria University > News & Events

A Night on Broadway, April 13th

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Presented by the students of Ave Maria University, featuring selections from Wicked, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, etc.

Scholarship Fund Established in Memory of AMU Graduate

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Jon Scharfenberger just wanted to help people, his mother said at a gathering in Ave Maria. Now, a scholarship fund being established in the name of the young man who died in a car accident last fall may help many others attend the university where he was such an active part of the campus life for four years.

AMU Professor to teach two Biology classes in Nicaragua this summer

Thursday, April 12, 2012

AMU Professor, Thomas Smith, will teach two Biology classes (Natural History Field Studies and Environmental Science) in Nicaragua this summer from May 6 – June 7. Both classes will fulfill the natural sciences core curriculum requirement for AMU students.

Professor Michael Waldstein video featured on St Peter’s List blog-site

Thursday, April 12, 2012

In excerpts from a classroom lecture, Dr. Waldstein comments on the importance of the Papal document Humanae Vitae in our understanding of the Theology of the Body.

Ave Maria is Growing

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Arthrex announces official ground-breaking for new $25 million light medical device manufacturing facility.

AMU Women's Basketball Player Emily Huber Bikes for Multiple Sclerosis

Friday, April 06, 2012

Emily Huber of the Ave Maria University women's basketball team will bike from Bar Harbor, Maine to Seattle, Washington this summer as a cyclist in the "Bike the U.S. for MS" 2012 tour.

HHS Mandate Article in The Weekly Standard Quotes Jim Towey

Monday, March 19, 2012

On February 11, as the debate over the Obama administration’s rule forcing religious institutions to provide insurance for contraceptive and aborti-facient drugs to their employees was reaching fever pitch, a prominent American said:

Combined Choirs Sing to Benefit Local Agricultural Workers

Monday, March 19, 2012

The combined voices of over 120 singers, accompanied by a full professional orchestra and world-class pianist, John Robilette, will perform a Back to Beethoven: An Epic Journey program of 19th century masterworks in Naples and Fort Myers March 24-25.

AMU Student Shares Pro-Life Perspective at UN Women’s Conference

Friday, March 16, 2012

AMU junior Isabel Avila offered one of the few pro-life perspectives last week at the UN's 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Dr. Burke Publishes Report on Cost of Bureaucratic Delay

Friday, March 16, 2012

AMU Assistant Professor of Economics, Dr. Joseph Burke, estimates the impact of one week of government-caused delay in the creation of a start-up business in Florida.

Jim Towey in Washington Post article on Bishops' Fight Against Mandate

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Top U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday formally made their fight against a White House mandate for reproductive services the church’s top priority, saying “this struggle for religious freedom” demands their immediate attention.

(Video clips) Jim Towey Takes the HHS Mandate Fight to Washington, DC

Friday, March 09, 2012

Jim Towey is in Washington, DC to make the case in person for Ave Maria University's principled stand against the HHS contraception/sterilization mandate. After taping a radio interview yesterday afternoon with AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman, he appeared on EWTN's The World Over, Live with Raymond Arroyo. Earlier this morning he was interviewed live on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, and ahead on today's schedule are interviews by FOX News Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry, World Magazine's Washington Bureau chief Lee Pitts, and Fox News contributor Judd Berger.

Ave Maria University Statement on Lawsuit Against HHS

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

"It is a sad day when an American citizen or organization has no choice but to sue its
own government in order to exercise

Two AMU Students Win National Competition

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Two students from Ave Maria's BUSN 304 Marketing class (Roman Samuels and Mary Ladewski) earned a 10-week internship in Chicago as a

"Why Now is a Good Time for a Christian and Catholic Approach to Psychology."

Monday, February 20, 2012

This Friday at noon at the AMU Student Union, Dr. Paul Vitz, Professor and Senior Scholar at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences,

Washington Post quotes Jim Towey’s response to White House compromise

Friday, February 10, 2012

“I still don’t think President Obama gets it,” Towey added. “This is a fig-leaf of a political compromise that’s trying to have it both ways, to mollify women’s groups and so-called centrist Catholics. But I think fundamentally this is not the end of this debate, it’s just the beginning.”

White House defends contraception rules as criticisms mount

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Jim Towey said Tuesday that Ave Maria University would fight the provision using "all lawful means at our disposal."

Ave Maria University to Fight HHS Mandate

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Former White House Faith-Based Director Jim Towey Decries Attack on Religious Liberty.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush to Keynote at Ave Maria Commencement

Monday, January 23, 2012

Jim Towey, president of Ave Maria University, announced today that Florida’s 43rd Governor, Jeb Bush, will address the Ave Maria University graduating class of 2012.

College Goal Sunday at AMU

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Free expert advice from counselors providing information about Federal Financial aid for college students.

AMU Women's Basketball #21 in National Poll Released Today

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The AMU women's basketball team has moved from #23 to #21 in the latest NAIA national poll released this afternoon.

The Lady Gyrenes improved to 21-4 overall and 8-1 in The Sun Conference following a pair of wins over Warner University and Webber International University last week. They share to top spot in the conference with St. Thomas University who is ranked #16 in the national poll. AMU will host STU (18-5 overall) in the final game of the regular season on February 18th. In their last meeting, STU won an overtime battle 80-71.

The #21 ranking is the highest for any sports team in AMU athletics' history for a NAIA national poll. The AMU women are also listed #1 in the USCAA national poll having won the national championship last season.

Lady Gyrenes ranked No. 25 in NAIA Poll

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Top Six Go Unchanged in NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll

Marion, Sokolowski, and the Possibility of Natural Theology

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Catholic theology has traditionally recognized the possibility of knowing God by rational reflection on his created effects. This is what has come to be known as “natural theology.” The First Vatican Council (1869-1870) famously affirms the ability of human beings to know God through reason without the aid of supernatural revelation. But there are many – both Catholic and Protestant – who have questioned the possibility of natural theology or certain of its aspects for various reasons. In this paper I consider the challenges to natural theology posed by the work of the contemporary French philosopher and theologian Jean-Luc Marion and the contemporary American philosopher and theologian Robert Sokolowski. I try to show the weaknesses in their positions, which seem to deny – Marion rather categorically and Sokolowski with some qualifications – the natural human capacity to know God.

Chicago Fire Return to Ave Maria Friday

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Major League Soccer Chicago Fire will be back in Ave Maria beginning Friday, Jan. 20, for two weeks to start their spring training for the 2012 season.

As was the case last year, when the Fire trained for the first time in Ave Maria, the team will have open practices daily and will play an exhibition game at North Park in Ave Maria. The exhibition game against FGCU Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m, is one of two exhibition matches on the Fire's schedule for their time in Southwest Florida. The other game, against the MLS D.C. United, is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. at FGCU. Left, last year's exhibition game at North Park against FGCU drew more than 1,000 people.

Practices will normally be open to the public. The Ave Herald will post the daily practice schedule as it is available. They also have a number of sessions scheduled with their local affiliate, the Chicago Fire Juniors.

The Fire will have a busy spring, traveling to New Orleans, Ventura, CA and Charleston, SC before opening their season March 17 in Montreal.

The official spring schedule released by The Chicago Fire:

January 20-February 3: First Team trains in Ave Maria, Fla.

GAMES:

Sunday, January 29 - Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United - 1:00 p.m. CT - Florida Gulf Coast University

Wednesday, February 1 - Chicago Fire vs. Florida Gulf Coast University - 6:00 p.m. CT - Ave Maria University

February 3-5: First Team trains in New Orleans, La.

GAMES:
Saturday, February 4 - Chicago Fire vs. Real C.D. Espana (HON) - 5:00 p.m. CT - Tad Gormley Stadium

February 5: First Team returns to Chicago

February 8-18: First Team trains in Ventura, Calif.

GAMES: TBD
February 18: First Team returns to Chicago

February 21-March 5: First Team trains in Charleston, S.C. as part of 2012 Carolina Challenge Cup

GAMES:

Saturday, February 25 - Chicago Fire vs. DC United - 4:00 p.m. CT - Blackbaud Stadium

Wednesday, February 29 - Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew - 4:00 p.m. CT - Blackbaud Stadium

Saturday, March 3 - Chicago Fire vs. Charleston Battery (USL) - 6:15 p.m. CT - Blackbaud Stadium

March 5: First Team returns to Chicago

Reorganization Concluded

Friday, January 06, 2012

Mr. Jim Towey, president of Ave Maria University, today announced a reorganization of the athletics and conferences program areas of the University. These changes conclude a nearly year-long review by the new president in his effort to streamline operations and move Ave Maria toward self-sufficiency. Towey announced the following personnel appointments and changes:

· Mr. Brian Scanlan, current athletic director of the University, is now an Associate Vice President and will assist Chief Financial Officer Eugene Munin and Comptroller Tony Beata in business operations, with an emphasis on the conferences and events activities of the University.

· Mr. Kevin Joyce, current Assistant to the President, is now Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. Joyce was an assistant football coach from 2001-2004 at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, and also coached at Marist High School before coming to Ave Maria in 2010 to work in the development office. Joyce played football and wrestled at John Carroll University where he earned his B.A. degree in Political Science.

· Mr. Barry Fagan is stepping down as Head Football Coach and is leaving the University.

· Mr. Forrest Wallace, current Director of Media Relations and Events, is now Director of Public Relations and will work with Mr. Dennis Grace, Vice-President for Enrollment and Marketing, in the marketing of the University, as well as handle media relations.

“The University is grateful for Coach Fagan’s service in getting our football program up and running and we wish him well as he continues his coaching career,” said Towey. “Ave Maria University is committed to having a successful, competitive intercollegiate athletics program. Wins and losses of course matter, but of greater importance is that our student athletes graduate with a first-class education. Kevin Joyce is the right man to move us in that direction.”

Mr. Joyce will assume his new responsibilities immediately and begin assembling next year’s team. “I appreciate the confidence that President Towey has in me and I can’t wait to meet with our football team and get to know all of our student athletes,” Joyce commented. “I know our coaches and they are a fantastic group and I look forward to working with them.”

Mr. Scanlan also is eager to take on his new responsibilities. “I’ve loved my work in athletics and I’m proud of what we accomplished in such a short time. I am an entrepreneur by nature and love business and so the challenge of attracting more conferences and events at Ave Maria is very attractive to me,” Scanlan said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to help the University where I am needed the most,” he added.

President Towey was announced as Ave Maria University’s new President on February 10, 2011, succeeding Chancellor and Founder Thomas S. Monaghan and President Nicholas Healy, and began his tenure on March 17, 2011. Since his appointment there has been a major transition in senior leadership underway at the University that included the appointment of new vice-presidents for academic affairs, institutional advancement, and enrollment, as well as a new chief financial officer and also head of information services. In May the University streamlined all areas of the University and cut the 2010-11 operating budget by $3.6 million, and reduced the number of full-time coaches in athletics from 15 to 5. Last fall Ave Maria had its largest entering class ever, and last month the University nearly doubled the number of majors and minors to be offered in August.

“Ave Maria University continues to grow and move toward self-sufficiency and I am thrilled that we have had such a smooth transition of authority,” said Towey. “It is a tribute to the great men and women who have worked at – and are working at - Ave Maria.”

Next week classes resume on the campus that has an enrollment of 750 undergraduates and 113 graduate students.

Guest column by Pres. Towey: Expenses to be the key in the year ahead

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

In a recent speech, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged colleges and universities to "think more creatively — and with much greater urgency — about how to contain the spiraling costs of college and reduce the burden of student debt on our nation's students."

Keeping academic standards high and the costs to students low will be the defining challenge in higher education in 2012.

If Duncan wants to see a model to accomplish these dual objectives, he should check out Ave Maria University.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, this year the average cost of tuition and fees at private colleges in America is $28,500, and yet Ave Maria charges just a little more than $20,000.

Because our mission urges us to keep the cost of attending college within the reach of as many families as possible, more than half of this cost at Ave Maria is covered by scholarships, thanks to the generosity of our founder, Tom Monaghan, and our many donors.

This means that the average student on our campus is paying less than $10,000 in tuition and fees annually. Students from Florida are paying even less because of state-supported scholarships (Bright Future and Florida Resident Access Grant). In fact, Florida residents attending Ave Maria have an out-of-pocket tuition cost comparable to the sticker price of the state's huge public universities.

That is good news for parents and their high school seniors who want a quality education without incurring a mountain of debt. With many private, liberal arts colleges now charging well over $40,000 per year in tuition, and with scholarship aid restricted to the privileged few (star students or athletes, for example), it is no wonder that there is widespread resentment in America over rising college costs.

So how does Ave Maria University keep its academic standards high and its costs low?

First, we attracted a first-class faculty without the trappings of tenure. Our professors hold degrees from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell and other prestigious institutions and could teach, research and get tenure anywhere. They chose Ave Maria because we value their scholarship and seek to provide the right environment for it.

Second, we have streamlined administration and kept the student-to-employee ratio high. Too many colleges and universities have bloated bureaucracies.

Third, we do not go overboard on athletics. A third of our students compete in 17 sports, guided by just a handful of full-time coaches. That model works for students and is affordable.

Last month the higher-education consulting group Hardwick Day released results from a survey conducted with 2,700 college graduates. The group asked the graduates how satisfied they were with their undergraduate experiences. Which colleges fared best? Private liberal arts colleges like Ave Maria. This is because students who learn how to think critically and write competently turn into graduates who can excel in the world.

That is good news, but it will be short-lived if their alma maters continue to price themselves out of reach.

NRO Editor-at-large interviewed

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"The gals at Ave Maria in Florida are just spectacular...", says Kathryn Jean Lopez, keynote speaker at the genuine.feminine conference on campus last March.

Start-Ups Drive Florida Job Creation, Report by AMU Professor Finds

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Assistant Professor of Economics, Dr. Joseph Burke, recently had an article published on Start-Up Companies as Florida’s Top Job Creators

AMU Professor remembers his weekend with Russian dissident

Monday, December 12, 2011

Joseph Pearce

didn’t expect much when he wrote to Alexander Solzhenitsyn in 1998...

A Presidential Reunion

Monday, November 28, 2011

AMU President H. J. Towey Visits with President Bush in Texas

November 18, 2011 – Ave Maria University President H. James Towey poses for a picture with his friend and former employer, United States President George W. Bush, moments before the former President addressed a faith-based gathering in Dallas, Texas. America’s 43^rd president and Towey visited at the Bush’s Dallas home and later traveled together to the speech – although, as President Towey observed, “his motorcade is smaller and it stops at red lights.” President Towey was grateful for the opportunity to share with the President all of the good news coming from Ave Maria. “It was great to be with President Bush and it was just like old times, except that now he is a little more laid back and there isn’t the constant pressure. He looked great and was getting ready to go on a family trip to Africa, and his speech to the folks supporting a local pregnancy center that helps moms choose life, was fascinating, and at times, hilarious. He definitely is comfortable in his role away from the spotlight.” At their meeting, President Bush told Towey that he would meet with a group of Ave Maria University supporters when he comes to Naples on February 3, 2012.

Thomas S. Monaghan Honored for Catholic Leadership

Monday, December 05, 2011

Catholic Leadership Institute and over 600 individuals from around the country gathered to honor Sr. Pauline McShain, SHCJ, Thomas Monaghan, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM, Cap. and Terry Polakovic on Friday, November 11 at the 2011 Awards for Outstanding Catholic Leadership in Philadelphia, PA.

Immokalee Parish benefits from SGA Breakfast with St. Nick!

Monday, December 05, 2011

Families enjoyed the annual Ave Maria University Breakfast with St. Nick Sunday morning, sponsored by the AMU student government and the Knights of Columbus.

Marine Corp Ball Celebrated with Cake and Gyrene Burgers

Monday, November 21, 2011

Chancellor Monaghan honored at the Annual Marine Corp Birthday Ball. Gyrene Burgers served for the first time. Gyrene Burger is a venture created by Chancellor Tom Monaghan to benefit scholarships for students of AMU.

2011 Awards for Outstanding Catholic Leadership

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

"Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) will present the 2011 Awards for Outstanding Catholic Leadership to four national Catholic leaders at a reception and dinner to be held Friday, November 11 at the Drexelbrook, in Philadelphia, PA."

CLICK HERE to read article!!!

Ave Maria to offer 13 new programs

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Ave Maria University plans to nearly double its program offerings next year in an effort to attract more students and continue expansion of the still-young school.

Naples Daily NewsMakers with Jeff Lytle interviews Jim Towey

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

President Jim Towey discusses formal Catholic recognition for AMU and the future role of Tom Monaghan

CLICK HERE to view interview!!!

Annual Aquinas Lecture a Success

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fr. John Baptist Ku, O.P., of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., delivered the annual Aquinas Lecture on Friday, October 28 in the Paul M. Henkels Academic Building. The Aquinas Lecture is sponsored by the Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal of Ave Maria University. An overflow crowd of students and faculty attended the lecture, which was entitled "God the Father in the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas."

Rabbi David G. Dalin speaks about his most recent book, The Myth of Hitler’s Pope

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

"Rabbi Dalin will focus on the efforts of Pope Pius XII to save the Jews in Europe during the Holocaust."

CLICK HERE to read article!!!

Jon Scharfenberger remembered in the National Review Online

Monday, October 24, 2011

“As I stood waiting for the train back to Manhattan, I got word that Jon Scharfenberger, coordinator of Pregnant on Campus and campus-support coordinator for Students for Life of America, had died from injuries suffered in a car accident. He was born in 1989.”

This past week, I went to the wake of a woman who was born in 1925. As her son, Ed Mechmann, a New York lawyer who is active in the pro-life movement, wrote to friends, “Her family was with her at the end. It was a peaceful, holy death, of a good Christian woman.” On such occasions, at the passing of someone who lived a good and long life, you wish you could have present during her last days to ask questions — to download the wisdom of 86 years. But she leaves us her legacy in the dedication of her family, who cared for her in her final years, and who work tirelessly for church and community.

s I stood waiting for the train back to Manhattan, I got word that Jon Scharfenberger, coordinator of Pregnant on Campus and campus-support coordinator for Students for Life of America, had died from injuries suffered in a car accident. He was born in 1989.

I still can hear Kristan Hawkins, executive director at Students for Life: “You’ve got to meet Jon, K-Lo. He’s awesome.” And when Kristan says “awesome,” she actually means the word seriously: self-sacrificial, a leader, tenacious in the cause of saving lives and helping others lead good ones.

I never did manage to meet Jon, although I had connected a person or two to him during his short tenure at Students for Life.

Jon’s job was to be a conduit for support and healing, and he was part of a generation of builders. As one missionary (that’s the official title) with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students at New York University put it to me recently, “We’re like the Early Church.” Shining a light, being beacons. Building. Educating. Not only walking the walk, but walking with their brothers and sisters — walking with people who may be lost without solid examples of successful marriages that make them feel capable of the same.

Shunned and feeling totally alone when an unexpected pregnancy brings with it only the lie of the rhetoric of choice, young women — abandoned by boyfriend or husband, abandoned by family and friends — often see only one option. For these women, in pain and confusion, Jon and so many like him in this life-filled generation are offering good news, support, and their own witness.

“One of the first nights after we had moved in,” Charles Atkinson tells me, “we stayed up late into the night discussing what the nature of the good life is.” Charles was Jon’s roommate last year at Ave Maria University in Florida. “This was the first of many conversations I had with Jon about finding happiness, what real success consists of, and following the will of God. Jon was dogged when it came to finding the right path and following it. He had a healthy discontent with the state of things both in his own life and in the culture around him, which led him to always search for more.”

Explaining the position Jon would take with Students for Life of America — a non-lucrative and exhausting one, requiring hours of travel most weeks — Charles tells me that Jon wanted to “change the culture.” His job was dedicated to achieving a world without abortion, one campus at a time.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 46 percent of abortions are performed on women in college. During his short tenure at SFLA, Jon helped establish a pro-life group at Florida International University that had already kept one mother and child from joining that statistic.

In addition to the Pregnant on Campus Initiative Jon was spearheading, SFLA and Feminists for Life have been working together to create a Pregnancy Resource Guide that will cover campuses nationwide. The aim is that no young woman will ever find herself alone on campus with no alternative but abortion. Child care, money — you name the obstacle, these groups seek to help in one way or another.

Jon’s death came as the result of injuries sustained when his car was hit by another during a working weekend earlier this month. His colleague Kortney Blythe Gordon and her unborn child, Sophy, died that night.

I met Kortney this summer, during a training weekend for SFLA Wilberforce fellows, named for the British parliamentarian and abolitionist leader. “Fellows” are college students who make a commitment and are given leadership training, mentors, and resources to be campus pro-life leaders.

Mrs. Mechmann, living to age 86, saw a great deal — including years of cultural tumult. Jon and Kortney are two faces of a generation that I keep encountering throughout the country. They are occupying fully human lives, not forgetting their brothers and sisters, and not letting injustice go unaddressed. Jon and Kortney did not believe what young people of the Woodstock generation did, about radical individualism and wars of the sexes and entitlement. They, and those who survive them, want to live lives of responsibility, gratitude, and service — lives more rooted than endlessly searching. Many of them want God. They at least want to know there is truth.

Jon didn’t embark on this “abortion abolition” business alone though — Charles is insistent on pointing that out. This gets to the heart of what motivated him and Kortney and others of this generation I’m talking about, and it is also what makes it possible for their family and friends to go on. “When Jon got up out of bed in the morning,” Charles tells me, he prayed. “Even if his body was barely awake, his spirit was pushing forward, drawing strength from his Lord.” The day ended in prayer, as well.

Charles remembers Jon with the words from John 10:10, in which Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” “He always wanted more,” Charles tells me. “And wherever he went he carried a particular joy in his characteristic half smile, half smirk.”

The long and the short of it is this: Jon’s, Kortney’s, and Mrs. Mechmann’s were three rich lives. We don’t know the day or the hour, but we don’t have to. As we get caught up in the headlines and all our daily challenges, these three lives can be an inspiration to a rededication, to living each coming moment to its fullest, with joy in service to one another.

AMU Alum - Matthew Grady Ordained to Transitional Diaconate

Monday, October 24, 2011

Diocese of Venice Seminarian Matthew Grady took a major step toward his dream of becoming a priest when he was ordained to the transitional diaconate during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Oct. 6.

CLICK HERE to read more!!!

Governor Scott Visits Ave Maria University

Friday, October 14, 2011

Governor Rick Scott visited AMU today and met with President Towey and discussed his agenda for higher education and the University’s record enrollment and growth. Governor Scott toured the campus and met with students, including Student Government President Alex Pince, and other members of the Ave Maria community. In addition, he visited Professor Joseph Burke’s Econometrics class and visited briefly with his students. Earlier in the day the Governor toured the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy, the K-12 school adjacent to the campus, and spoke with students there. On the visit, President Towey said, “It was great having the Governor on our campus and wonderful to see how interested he is in Ave Maria University and our students. I told him how important it was for the state to support private institutions like Ave Maria and I think today is the beginning of a wonderful dialogue with the Governor on the pressing issues in higher education in our state.”

View Photos

Guest Lecture on Elizabeth Anscombe's Moral Philosophy

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The philosophy of the late Elizabeth Anscombe, professor of philosophy at Cambridge University, literary executor of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and widely admired defender of the Church's teaching on contraception, was the subject of a lecture on Friday, Oct 15th, by Dr. Jose Maria Torralba, a professor of philosophy at the University of Navarre in Spain and currently a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago.

Speaking on, "Anscombe's Moral Philosophy: Human Action, Moral Ought, and Practical Truth," Torralba explained some of the main themes in Anscombe's moral philosophy, including Anscombe's concern to reject consequentialism through a defense of the principle of double effect and a careful examination of the notion of "intention". Torralba also explained how Anscombe made use of an account of what she called "brute facts" to criticize Hume's "is/ought" distinction.

The morning following the lecture, Dr. Torralba met with students at the Bean for continued discussions. Students included the participants in Dr. Pakaluk's "Advanced Readings" seminar, who had just been studying a paper by Anscombe for that class.

Dr. Jose Maria Torralba explains a fine point in Anscombe's moral philosophy at the Bean, while Andrew Davis, Leslie Nagel, Maureen Bielinski, and Will Hughes listen on.

Ave Maria Officially Recognized as a “Catholic University”

Friday, October 07, 2011

AVE MARIA – Today, Most Reverend Frank J. Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in
Florida, made perhaps the most significant announcement in the history of Ave Maria
University. During the investiture ceremony for new Ave Maria University President H. James
Towey, Bishop Dewane announced that he grants recognition of Ave Maria University as a
Catholic University.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ave Maria University Officially Recognized as a 'Catholic University'

The recognition of Ave Maria University as a Catholic University recognizes their commitment to continue to be guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church and faithfulness to the Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae. (Catholic Online)

CLICK HERE to read more!!!!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Ave Maria Receives Official Recognition as a Catholic University

During the investiture ceremony for new Ave Maria University president H. James Towey, Bishop Dewane announced that he grants recognition of Ave Maria University as a Catholic university. (National Catholic Register)

CLICK HERE to read more!!!

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Photos

Monday, October 10, 2011

Ave Maria inaugurates second president; officially recognized as Catholic university. (Naples News)

CLICK HERE to view photos!!!!

Lecture for the Inauguration by Dr. Michael Waldstein

Friday, September 16, 2011

JOHN PAUL II AND MOTHER TERESA
Exemplary Father and Mother Figures for Ave Maria University
Lecture for the Inauguration of Jim Towey
as President of Ave Maria University, October 7, 2011
by Michael Maria Waldstein
Max Seckler Professor of Theology, Ave Maria University

CLICK HERE to read more!!!

Ave Maria University Celebrated the Inauguration of H. James Towey

Monday, October 10, 2011

Ave Maria University officially declared a Catholic university at Inauguration of New President, H. James Towey

CLICK HERE to view Press Release!!!

Dr. Michael Waldstein Presents Archbishop J. Michael Miller Lecture

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Ave Maria University’s Max Seckler Professor of Theology presents the Annual Archbishop J. Michael Miller Lecture at St. Thomas University in Houston on September 29.

Why we can't forget Sandy Koufax

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bio: David G. Dalin, a rabbi and a professor at Ave Maria University in Florida, is the coauthor (with Jonathan D. Sarna) of Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CBS News)

Biographer Joseph Pearce Discusses Critic of Communism

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The professor of literature and writer-in-residence at Ave Maria University was recently interviewed following the reissue of his biography, "Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile" (Ignatius Press).

-Biographer Joseph Pearce Discusses Critic of Communism (Zenit.com) (Zenit.com)

Ed H. Moore: Program helps Fla. veterans get college education

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Our armed forces make incredible sacrifices for our nation and it is important our lawmakers and education community continue to create avenues that will promote access to learning opportunities for them. (News-Press.com)

The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida is a statewide association of 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities and a significant amount of our member institutions participate in YRP, including Ave Maria University in Collier County and Hodges University in Lee County.

Dr. Louis Traina appointed New VP of Institutional Advancement

Friday, September 16, 2011

AVE MARIA, Fla. – (September 16, 2011) – H. James Towey, president of Ave Maria University announced today that Dr. Louis Traina has been appointed as the new Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

“He has experience in leading comprehensive campaigns and will be a key architect as Ave Maria University shapes our next advancement campaign. He is highly regarded in the Naples community and because he is a long-time resident of Southwest Florida, he will be able to hit the ground running,” Towey said. Dr. Traina is stepping down at Hodges University from his posts as Vice President, Department of University Advancement, and Executive Director, Hodges University Foundation, where he has served since 1998 and where he established a development office and led the effort that raised tens of millions of dollars.

“I am looking forward to building on the great mission and vision that is evident in Ave Maria University. This was a tough decision from the beginning but my family gave me strong support in taking this step. Looking back, I am grateful for the support of President McMahan and the confidence that he had in me,” commented Traina. He indicated that he is very impressed by the challenge of the vision and mission of AMU.

Traina will begin his tenure at AMU next month on October 7, 2011 the same day as the Inauguration of President H. James Towey as the second president of Ave Maria University. Traina is married and has two children.

About Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University (AMU) was founded in 2003 to provide a liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition. To this end, the university was founded on the principles of the apostolic document Ex Corde Ecclesiae. AMU is dedicated to the advancement of human culture, the promotion of dialogue between faith and reason, the formation of men and women in the intellectual and moral virtues of the Catholic faith, and the development of professional and pre-professional programs in response to local and societal needs. The university features a broad range of undergraduate courses and programs ranging from the humanities to business administration. AMU also offers graduate degrees in Theology at the master’s and doctoral levels. AMU has a total enrollment of more than 1,200 students (Florida campus, San Marcos, Nicaragua and the Institute for Pastoral Theology program) and has attracted students from 46 states and more than 31foreign countries. Ave Maria University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges and Schools of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the American Academy of Liberal Education.

2012 Best Colleges Rankings

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

2012 Best Colleges Rankings Include New Schools (U.S. News and World Report)

This year, 147 schools have been added or were eligible to be part of the rankings for the first time.

Ave Maria University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, Tier 2.

Student essays reap rewards

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Student essays reap rewards (News-Press.com)

Mary Ruth Traver of Ave Maria in Collier County, a 2011 graduate of Rhodora J. Donahue Academy in the community near Immokalee, is one of the winners.

Ave Maria football

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ave Maria football to make history (News-Press.com)

Saturday's college game will be first in SW Florida

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Editorial: Ave Maria University ... Gyrenes line up to debut college football in Collier (Naples News)

Men's soccer

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Men's soccer: Ave Maria doubles up Johnson & Wales (Naples News)

The Ave Maria University men's soccer team defeated Johnson & Wales, 4-2, on Sunday at home.

AMU Football

Thursday, August 25, 2011

College football: Ave Maria takes field for first time in loss to Faulkner (Naples News)

College football: Ave Maria begins quest of first season (Naples News)

Wiregrass Ranch grad Prince commits to Ave Maria (Tampabay.com)

President Towey’s Inauguration

Thursday, September 08, 2011

On October 7, 2011 H. James Towey will be inaugurated as the second president of Ave Maria University.

The Inaugural Liturgy will take place in the Ave Maria Oratory in Ave Maria, Florida at 10:00 AM.

The Investiture ceremony will begin at approximately 11:30 AM. H. James Towey's appointment as the new president of AMU was announced by the AMU Board of Trustees in February 2011.

His experience as president of St. Vincent College, Director of Faith-based and Community Initiatives for President George W. Bush, founder of the not-for-profit Aging with Dignity and attorney for Mother Teresa of Calcutta made him a superior choice for the post. The inauguration will maintain the reverence and modest environment typical of President Towey. The homilist for the Inaugural Liturgy will be Archbishop Wenski of Miami.

Dr. Pakaluk’s new book

Thursday, August 25, 2011

New Book, "Accounting Ethics... and the Near Collapse of the World's Financial System," Provides Deep and Timely Insight into Business Ethics and the Financial Crisis (Bezinga)

Michael Pakaluk, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy and currently is the Chairman of the philosophy department at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida.

Pearce Article

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Vision of E.F. Schumacher (National Catholic Register)

Church social doctrine played a major role in the development of Small Is Beautiful. The Register takes a look at the work and the author 100 years after his birth.

Missionary Alumni

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Griswold finds missionary work in campus program (The Catholic Miscellany)

Griswold, a member of St. Francis by the Sea Church and recent graduate of Ave Maria University, will work as a missionary at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Gifts of Priests

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Charisma, conservatism gifts of newest priests (savannahnow.com)

Student Jim Torney

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Braintree's Jim Torney puts on the gloves (wickedlocal.com)

The former Braintree High School basketball standout is three classes away from obtaining his bachelor's degree from Ave Maria College, just outside of Naples, Fla.

College Goal Sunday at AMU

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Free expert advice from counselors providing information about Federal Financial aid for college students.

News Archives

New Archive

A Night on Broadway, April 13th

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Scholarship Fund Established in Memory of AMU Graduate

Thursday, April 12, 2012

AMU Professor to teach two Biology classes in Nicaragua this summer

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Professor Michael Waldstein video featured on St Peter’s List blog-site

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Ave Maria is Growing

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

AMU Women's Basketball Player Emily Huber Bikes for Multiple Sclerosis

Friday, April 06, 2012

HHS Mandate Article in The Weekly Standard Quotes Jim Towey

Monday, March 19, 2012

Combined Choirs Sing to Benefit Local Agricultural Workers

Monday, March 19, 2012

AMU Student Shares Pro-Life Perspective at UN Women’s Conference

Friday, March 16, 2012

Dr. Burke Publishes Report on Cost of Bureaucratic Delay

Friday, March 16, 2012

Jim Towey in Washington Post article on Bishops' Fight Against Mandate

Thursday, March 15, 2012

(Video clips) Jim Towey Takes the HHS Mandate Fight to Washington, DC

Friday, March 09, 2012

Ave Maria University Statement on Lawsuit Against HHS

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Two AMU Students Win National Competition

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

"Why Now is a Good Time for a Christian and Catholic Approach to Psychology."

Monday, February 20, 2012

Washington Post quotes Jim Towey’s response to White House compromise

Friday, February 10, 2012

White House defends contraception rules as criticisms mount

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Ave Maria University to Fight HHS Mandate

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Former Gov. Jeb Bush to Keynote at Ave Maria Commencement

Monday, January 23, 2012

College Goal Sunday at AMU

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

AMU Women's Basketball #21 in National Poll Released Today

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Lady Gyrenes ranked No. 25 in NAIA Poll

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Marion, Sokolowski, and the Possibility of Natural Theology

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Chicago Fire Return to Ave Maria Friday

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Reorganization Concluded

Friday, January 06, 2012

Guest column by Pres. Towey: Expenses to be the key in the year ahead

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

NRO Editor-at-large interviewed

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Start-Ups Drive Florida Job Creation, Report by AMU Professor Finds

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

AMU Professor remembers his weekend with Russian dissident

Monday, December 12, 2011

A Presidential Reunion

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thomas S. Monaghan Honored for Catholic Leadership

Monday, December 05, 2011

Immokalee Parish benefits from SGA Breakfast with St. Nick!

Monday, December 05, 2011

Marine Corp Ball Celebrated with Cake and Gyrene Burgers

Monday, November 21, 2011

2011 Awards for Outstanding Catholic Leadership

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Ave Maria to offer 13 new programs

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Naples Daily NewsMakers with Jeff Lytle interviews Jim Towey

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Annual Aquinas Lecture a Success

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Rabbi David G. Dalin speaks about his most recent book, The Myth of Hitler’s Pope

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Jon Scharfenberger remembered in the National Review Online

Monday, October 24, 2011