Counter-Cultural Newman Guide Colleges Recommended in 2019-20 Edition

We’re thrilled to release the 2019-20 edition of The Newman Guide!

The colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are committed to uniting faith and reason and strive to be faithfully Catholic.

The Newman Guide colleges reject the moral laxity that is typical of campus life, and instead help prepare students for this life and the one to come!

At NewmanGuide.org, you’ll find in-depth profiles on each recommended college, including:

• Nearly 100 updated questions from the Newman Society answered by each college;
• Photos, videos, and social media links;
• The ability to sort colleges by major and activities offered;
• And so much more!

A hard copy edition of The Newman Guide is not currently available, but high school students can learn more about Newman Guide colleges by signing up for our Recruit Me program. Recruit Me allows students to be recruited by Newman Guide colleges, find tips on navigating the college search, and compete in the Newman Society’s $5,000 Essay Scholarship Contest.

Throughout the year, we have been asked about the nature of The Newman Guide, and so we want to provide some clarifications.

Colleges are not members of The Cardinal Newman Society; there are no member fees, and the Newman Society does not represent any college. The colleges recommended in The Newman Guide are selected entirely at the discretion of the Newman Society following careful review of each college’s activities and policies. We do recommend and promote certain colleges as models of strong Catholic identity, primarily to assist Catholic families who are navigating the college search, but also to highlight exemplary models of strong Catholic identity.

All of the institutions recommended in the Guide are unique, each with its own special charism, approach to education, and campus culture. Not every Newman Guide college may be right for each student’s unique needs, but there are probably several that offer what a particular student needs and is looking for. To understand why a student should consider a faithful Catholic college, we encourage families to read the winning essay of this year’s Essay Scholarship Contest, which makes a convincing case to choose a “college that boldly embraces its Catholic character.”

In many ways it’s an exciting time for the future of faithful Catholic education!

In recent weeks, there have been several new presidents named at Newman Guide colleges. These include Fr. David Pivonka, TOR, at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Dr. Thomas Hibbs at the University of Dallas, Dr. Ryan Williams at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, and Timothy Collins, Ed.D., at Walsh University in Canton, Ohio. The search for a new president is currently underway at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla. Please pray for these leaders! They play a crucial role in ensuring faithful Catholic education.

The Newman Guide colleges provide hope and light in our culture. Yet, the reality is that every Catholic college today faces a strong pull from the culture to compromise Catholic identity and secularize.

You may notice that two colleges that were formerly recommended in The Newman Guide, DeSales University in Center Valley, Penn., and Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., are not included this year. We take seriously our role in recommending Catholic colleges to families and have done extensive work this year in dialoguing with the presidents, faculty, students, and families affiliated with these universities, in addition to monitoring their activities and policies. After careful review, we have decided not to recommend these universities to Catholic families for the 2019-20 edition of The Newman Guide. Our recommendation does not hinge on single issues, but rather a comprehensive review of the institutions.

We hope that The Newman Guide will be a great resource for you, your family, and friends!