+ Alumni: Even from a strictly business and economic vantage point, Tom Monaghan is a fool if he thinks that he can sustain start-up educational enterprises by adopting policies and behaviors that alienate alumni. As of today, the petition to reinstate the recently-booted Law School faculty has over 270 signatures! That is, a majority of alumni from Ave Maria School of Law are in open opposition to the governance of Tom Monaghan and his dean, Bernard Dobranski. This is stunning. Keep in mind that these graduates are now lawyers... professionals who risk retribution for putting their name to such public opposition. Tom Monaghan's utter disregard for Ave Maria's own graduates -- the very outcome that he claims as Ave Maria's mission -- demonstrably proves how disconnected the perceived and actual "mission" is for him and his administrators.

+ Diocese of Venice on AMU's catholicity: AveWatch recently reported on an announcement by the Diocese of Venice that Ave Maria University "is not a Catholic university". Such statements should not be interpreted lightly. Realize that a diocese is rather reluctant to make such a public corrective statement without first approaching privately.

+ Diocese of Venice on AMU's "church": After three years, the Diocese still does not recognize the AMU oratory as a Catholic "church"; as such, the oratory cannot house basic sacraments like baptism without special permission. Even though Ave Maria residents will technically belong to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Immokalee - and will subsequently need their pastoral services for sacraments - don't count on Ave Maria tithes going to Immokalee. According to the Ave Maria Grammar and Preparatory School's "Family Handbook 2007-2008", children whose families "regularly attend and contribute to the Oratory Church in Ave Maria" are given precedence for admission to AMGP over children whose families "are registered in a Catholic parish who personally and financially contribute to their parish". In other words, Immokalee parishioners might foot the bill for Ave Maria's sacramental services while the children of those same parishioners receive lower priority at Ave Maria grammar school. Ave Maria may end-up being a town and university of "unregistered" Catholics bilking the Diocese for freebie sacramental services beyond Holy Communion and Penance.

+ Catholic media: As recent as Saturday, Greg Erlandson commented again on Ave Maria in the media. This is significant because Erlandson is the President and Publisher of "Our Sunday Visitor" (OSV), one of the most popular Catholic publications in the country, considered by many to be "the American bishop's newspaper" (i.e. it was chosen by the US bishops to be the primary distributor of the Catechism in 2000). If top American bishops were interested in defending Tom Monaghan, it is difficult to believe that Erlandson could say things like "Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first introduce to Tom Monaghan" (April 8, 2007). Thanks to the heat and beatings taken by fiercely independent orthodox Catholic media like The Wanderer and New Oxford Review - small publishers who put stories about Monaghan's administrative practices on their front page years ago - today, larger "mainstream" publications like OSV can now do similar reporting without risk of retribution.

+ "Traditionalists": What should have been Tom Monaghan's strongest base has morphed into his strongest skeptics. Staunchly orthodox bloggers like Fr. Z, Angelqueen, and Fumare, have nailed Monaghan on everything from healing services to mass directives. In a Catholic blogosphere generally marked by fearful silence about Ave Maria just one year ago, even centrist people-pleasing bloggers like "popular Catholic writer and speaker" Mark P. Shea have declared Monaghan's behavior wacky.

+ Business Partner: Barron Collier Company has been effective at yanking Tom Monaghan's chain when too much of his Catholic marketing talk starts hurting business. The Collier's recently distanced themselves in no uncertain terms from their partner Monaghan over University-triggered conflicts that drove away the medical facility operator lined-up for the Town. Monaghan's ridiculous statements on TV and in print about his "lack of vision" for the Town (as opposed to the University) are further evidence of the Collier's muzzling. Expect more pushing away as AMU continues to blunder.

+ Board members: Monaghan changes Board members like people change socks. That might help preserve "desirable" unaccountability, but certainly not stability. The Law School alone recently lost five Board members [1,2,3], and was roundly criticized by a former Board member [1,2]. The credibility of existing Board members comes into question when the chair of AMU's Board of Regents can't even say with certainty whether her Board actually makes policy for the university, or is merely advisory to Monaghan's 4-person Board of Trustees. Such lack of proper oversight has caught the attention of various non-profit watchdog groups.

+ former Ave Maria employees: It is no coincidence that these people - the ones who sacrificed for what they thought was a common vision for Catholic higher education - are the most upset. Naples Daily News recently quoted a former professor as saying "[Ave Maria] was the most dysfunctional academic environment I have ever been a part of. I had done everything right up till coming to Ave Maria, and it completely derailed my career." AveWatch is filled with similar quotes and resignations. AMU has lost many individuals since January 2007 due to termination, non-renewed contracts, and resignations. One person affiliated with AMU recently submitted the following to AveWatch on this topic -
"People sacrificed homes and financial security to work in what they thought would be the vineyard of the Lord. Many of those who occupied these positions left hurt and disillusioned. There are many stories, but only a few themes. While many continue to hope and pray for the university, they also struggle daily with temptations of sinful anger and despair. They wonder if speaking up will help or harm what is still good at the university, and they question whether their motives to speak up are driven by responsible honesty or by a desire for revenge. They wrestle with their consciences, having no peace, while AMU counts on their humble, but conflicted silence."

Tags: liturgy