The program has reached hundreds of students enrolled in courses from “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition” to “Catholic Themes in Literature” to “The Human Condition: Mind, Body, and Soul.” New courses to be added soon include “Great Catholic Films” and “The Catholic Church and Modern Science.” “I think that expanding religious studies is a good idea for a secular university given that so many young people are religious,” remarks Ellen Gruber, who majors in Political Science and Philosophy. “Also, Cincinnati has a strong Catholic heritage that ought to be studied.” Patience Phelan, a Psychology student, concurs: “I am not Catholic, but I would like to learn more about Catholicism and how it has shaped past and present society. Most could learn from the Church’s ideas and principles.” Marty Arlinghaus, founder of the UC Society of Saint Paul and now Director of Prison Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, agrees. “We in the UC Society of Saint Paul greatly appreciate the Program in Catholic Studies. Many Society members have had the privilege of attending courses in the curriculum since the Program’s inception. In addition to teaching us about Catholic beliefs and practices from an academic perspective, these courses have helped students hone their critical thinking, research, reading comprehension, and argumentation skills. Instruction has also called us to practice the intellectual virtues, such as self-discipline, studiousness, courage, and magnanimity. The Program has created a positive and dynamic Catholic presence on campus while immeasurably strengthening both our lives of faith and our career preparation. We owe a sincere debt of gratitude to the Program’s donors for so priceless an education.”

The donors’ vision also includes public outreach to share the academic study of Catholicism with members of the broader Cincinnati community. The centerpiece of this effort is the annual Conway Lecture in Catholic Studies. The series has hosted leading American scholars and public affairs officials addressing such timely and important topics as the Catholic response to evolutionary science, the Catholic Church and immigration, and the Catholic theology of the common good. These lectures have drawn over one thousand guests in an ongoing and expanding relationship.

A further dimension of the program’s outreach work involves the Conway Chair’s own local speaking and student mentorship engagements. These engagements have included over thirty public lectures, keynote and other invited addresses, parish presentations, young adult discussions, and student weekend workshops addressing such topics as Catholicism and postmodern theory, the history of Marian apparitions, and the Catholic theology of romantic love. “Ruth and Bob Conway believed that what they had been given was a gift from God that they should share with others,” comments the Conway Foundation. “To give beyond their lifetimes, they started a charitable foundation. Ruth’s fondness for her alma mater and their mutual commitment to the Catholic faith and religious dialogue led to their decision to fund the Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Endowed Chair in Catholic Studies at the University of Cincinnati. They never realized how transformative it would become.”