The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) is grieving for the anticipated loss of another once firmly Catholic institution of higher education as the Board of Regents at New Mexico Highlands University recently approved plans to take control of the financially burdened College of Santa Fe (CSF).

“Catholic institutions that wish to remain competitive in a declining economy must offer students a genuine Catholic identity—something unique and valuable,” said CNS President Patrick Reilly. “Let this be a wake-up call to every Catholic college and university interested only in religious branding.”

During his apostolic visit to the United States last April, Pope Benedict XVI reminded Catholic college presidents that Catholic identity demands and inspires “that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith.”

The College of Santa Fe was established in 1859 by the Lasallian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order founded by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. Lasallian schools, including the College of Santa Fe, commonly use a five-point star called the “Signum Fidei” to denote Catholic, Lasallian tradition. The first point of the star represents “faith in a God who wants all to be saved now and in the hereafter.”

In recent decades, the College of Santa Fe has considerably moved away from a distinctive Catholic identity, even as it declined financially.

The Board of Regents’ agreed upon arrangement outlines the plans to purchase and redistribute some of College of Santa Fe’s land, refinance its $35-million debt, and collaborate with a nearby community college to ensure the curricula will not overlap. Highlands plans to incorporate Santa Fe’s emphasis on arts education into its primary majors: business and social work.

The New Mexico State Legislature and the Higher Learning Commission, an accreditation agency, must both first approve of the merger. Some lawmakers are worried that the state may not be able to pay for another college.