Beneath the swirl of controversy surrounding the January change in leadership at the St. Ignatius Institute, new director Paul V. Murphy has forged ahead with the mandate to build cooperation among institute and university resources while maintaining SII’s distinct mission and curriculum.

The 25-year-old St. Ignatius Institute, with 150 students currently enrolled, is a unique Great Books program rooted in the Catholic tradition. Courses are taught by College of Arts and Sciences faculty through seminars with accompanying lecture courses, organized in historical sequence, in literature, philosophy, and theology. The SII curriculum may account for a student’s entire General Education Curriculum requirement.

Since being appointed in January, Murphy has expanded study abroad opportunities for students, hired faculty outstanding in their areas, co-sponsored an art exhibit in the Thacher Gallery, and invited prominent religious leaders to campus for a fall speakers series.

“The curriculum and the organization of the institute will remain largely intact—my major curricular focus will be on maintaining the highest academic standards,” he said. “The most significant change will be in its relationship to the rest of the university. That relationship will be closer and more cooperative than in the past.”

When USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J., appointed Murphy director, replacing John Galten and assistant director John Hamlon, five faculty resigned from teaching in SII, saying they could not support an institute “whose nature will be dramatically different from the vision of its founders.” Each of the faculty continue to teach at USF in their respective departments. Even with the departure of the five professors, all courses for fall 2001 have been assigned to other College of Arts and Sciences faculty outstanding in their disciplines.

Fr. Privett said he made the move in order to provide the requisite academic leadership for a program such as SII, to promote synergies between SII and other university programs such as Catholic studies, and to create efficiencies by consolidating university and SII resources. In particular, Privett replaced Galten, who has a master’s in theology, for his lack of a doctorate in an appropriate academic discipline. In previous years, the university’s accrediting organization had taken issue with the university’s allowing a staff member to run an academic program, he said.

“I appointed Professor Paul Murphy, a four-year member of the SII faculty, to lead the institute,” Fr. Privett said. “He is a well-respected academic leader who is dedicated to Pope John Paul II’s mission to integrate Catholic teachings into academic life.”

Institute co-founder Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., has disagreed with Fr. Privett’s decision. “I do not believe that under the current administration the institute can possibly remain consistent with what it has been,” he said.

Through a spokesman, Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, superior general of the Society of Jesus, told The Catholic News Service (see related item) that USF's decision would not alter SII's unique character and that there was no indication that the Vatican would interfere with the matter.

Murphy, an assistant professor of history, has taken a number of steps he says will enhance student learning and personal development by multiplying opportunities and resources. He is working with the university’s study abroad office to expand SII travel options to include the new USF program at Peter Pazmany University in Budapest, Sofia University in Tokyo, and Universidad Ibero-americana in Mexico City. The institute is also looking into reviving its program in Innsbruck, Austria.

As part of the initiative to form partnerships across campus, SII is sponsoring with the department of fine and performing arts Miserere et Guerre: the Complete Series of Etchings by Georges Rouault through April 22 in the Thacher Gallery. In the fall, SII, the president’s office, and the Catholic Studies certificate program will initiate a speakers series to address issues of significance to USF and the broader Catholic community. The first guest speaker will be San Francisco Archbishop William Levada. Other invitees for the fall include The New York Times religion writer Peter Steinfels and William Stoeger, S.J., astrophysicist at the Vatican Astronomical Observatory.

Spiritual and social activities, an integral part of the SII experience, will continue with retreats and Mass offered by University Ministry, the Jesuit Community, and two other priests who have celebrated the Eucharist for SII students in the past.

In addition to improving the institute’s relationship with the broader university, Murphy said he is also being “attentive to the needs of students, taking care of academic advising and financial needs, and ensuring classes for next year.”

“We have an excellent faculty and classes to choose from,” he said. “USF has grown in recent years as an outstanding center of learning and research. There are many exceptionally gifted faculty here that are eager to work with SII students. I believe the new tone will enhance the learning opportunities for the SII students.”