After falling short within Catholic circles, Ave Maria appears desperate to claim moral authority over something or someone.  Beware pro-lifers.  The focus is turning to you.  Click below for more…

*****

The original primary target of Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria lifestyle brand was the conservative orthodox Catholic crowd.  But they were a stiff-necked people who made it clear early that defending the rich Tradition of the Church was more important than defending a rich man’s “active adult living” brand.  Plenty of articles in The Wanderer and New Oxford Review testified to this, as did former AMU Provost Fr. Joseph Fessio (Naples Daily News excerpt; full text):

One issue that illustrated this divide was whether Ave Maria chapels should have altar rails to facilitate kneeling, as opposed to standing, during communion.  They’re not a norm in United States churches, and according to Fessio, [AMU President] Healy said having them would hurt the school’s ability to attract a wider group of students which he called “the broad Catholic middle.”

Fessio countered that many other common orthodox occurrences at the school, such as much of the community stopping every day for noon prayer and students’ high daily Mass attendance, could be just as off-putting as altar rails.  “If a student is going to be somehow repelled by pious practices of that nature, not kneeling at communion is not going to stop them,” Fessio said. “In fact, I imagine that most students who are the broad Catholic middle would not be in the chapel at 7 in the morning or 8 in the morning.”

Healy declined to speak about Fessio after he was read the priest’s comments.

So, the main marketing focus of the University and Law School moved on to “the broad Catholic middle”.  That group, however, gave Ave Maria declining academic standards (1, 2), tokers, and bikini pinups without the benefit of boosting institutional distinction, home sales, or stagnant enrollment quantity and quality.  See also the latest Fumare report: Unconfirmed – AMSL Flunks the Bar Exam in Michigan.

Before 2003 when Dr. John Hittinger bravely pierced the veil on Ave Maria’s management practices, it was unimaginable that mainstream or conservative Catholics would be openly critical of Tom Monaghan.  Many hoped to access his money for their Catholic pet project.  But five years later, the public relations landscape for Monaghan changed so dramatically that the President and Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor openly wrote about the reckless “holy entreneurship” of Monaghan:

“Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first introduce to Tom Monaghan.”

Maybe the Protestant pro-lifers missed that news.  Maybe pro-lifers don’t care, hopelessly naive or opportunistic, desperate to hitch their cart to anyone with the promise of influence.  Regardless, Ave Maria appears to be shifting the primary focus of its courtship to abortion opponents.

Ave Maria is trying hard to harness pro-lifer discontent over Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama.  AMU’s May commencement speaker made local headlines for ripping Notre Dame from behind the Ave Maria podium.  Ave Maria Law added the classy styling of its Chaplain, Fr. Michael Orsi, who calls himself “The Voice of Ave Maria.”  Excerpt from his radio show:

Ave Maria also did a large fund raising campaign claiming that…

“this [Notre Dame] scandal has inspired some to make Ave Maria University their ‘new’ alma mater”

The ambulance chasing was not well received in Catholic higher education.  Excerpt, Naples Daily News (full text):

But Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities which represents 214 Catholic higher education institutions worldwide, called Ave Maria’s response to Notre Dame “disappointing” and “rather crude.”

In a national Catholic publication, Dr. Yanikoski went on to say that he “took a dim view” of AMU’s development strategy (full text):

“Ave Maria is stooping to an unfortunate level to try to raise $25 contributions on the back of another institution’s controversy..”

See also here.

Imagine a promising Catholic school such as St. Thomas Law soliciting donation letters that say…

“this Ave Maria lawsuit scandal has inspired some to make St. Thomas their ‘new’ alma mater.”

Think of a reputable established Catholic institution like Thomas Aquinas College writing…

“this Ave Maria ethical and financial problem has inspired some to make TAC their ‘new’ alma mater.”

It would happen –  if finger pointing was the typical development strategy adopted by respectable Catholic institutions to recruit Catholic students.   But, as Monaghan’s employees have told AveWatch on several occasions, the Golden Rule for Ave Maria means “He who has the gold, rules”.

Another example of Ave Maria’s strategy to woo abortion opponents came earlier this month when AMU President Nick Healy did a painfully uninspiring video interview with Naples Daily News Editor Jeff Lytle.  Lead in:

Ave Maria University has a duty to speak up against abortion and would never invite pro-choice President Barack Obama as a keynote speaker.  So says AMU President Nick Healy in this week’s “One on One with Jeff Lytle” interview.

On the heels of that interview, Thursday’s Naples Daily News ran a editorial by Ave Maria School of Law Dean Eugene Milhizer trying to promote AMSL as a local bastion for pro-lifers who oppose the recently-opened Naples Planned Parenthood abortion service.  Excerpt:

It is a joy to report that over the past months, we have come to know many other outstanding groups committed to life. Last Saturday, we all joined together on the picket line for a live, remote broadcast of the law school’s weekly radio program, “The Advocate.”

Sorry.  It is simply weird to host a live radio show in front of a abortion clinic where people are, supposedly, praying earnestly for lives lost inside.  The tackiness is evident after considering AMSL Chaplain Fr. Michael Orsi’s shock jock radio persona and what appears to be his disdain for “moron” pro-lifers who think that actually helping a pregnant woman is a effective way to save babies.  Orsi radio excerpt:

Ave Maria is using Planned Parenthood, as it did Notre Dame, to promote itself.  When local abortion services started in mid-September, media hyped Ave Maria as a opposition driver who could help get “crowds that could reach into the hundreds and even thousands” (NDN, 9/12/09).

NBC2:

The FBI and the Justice Department will be at the clinic to keep the peace in what’s expected to be one of the largest protests in Collier County history.

Naples Daily News:

Swarms of abortion opponents are expected to converge early Monday to protest outside the clinic of Planned Parenthood of Collier County in anticipation of the debut of abortion services.

Even Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League was brought in.  So, how many did Ave Maria deliver for the September clinic opening (keeping in mind that the combined AMU/AMSL student body is about 1,000)?

For all participants from the community (not just Ave Maria) the total was 40-80 over nine hours, depending upon who you read.  Naples Daily News headline: “Police officers had an easy time at peaceful Planned Parenthood protest.” Despite the poor turnout, Ave Maria got its PR fix. One Ave Maria supporter and resident even authored an article about the protest for the “The New American” magazine and the John Birch Society news:

.. the opening of this latest [Planned Parenthood] facility produced more than ordinary controversy. And that may very well be attributed to the fact that Collier County is now home to an institution that was not around in 1996 — Ave Maria University.  AMU is the successor to Ave Maria College…

The article continued on for the next five paragraphs, talking about Tom Monaghan and Ave Maria.

Pro-lifers, take note.  You are useful as Ave Maria’s special PR beau – a coterie of kindred spirits – only as long as you fulfill the enterprise’s primary agenda, which is buying and donating to Monaghan’s south Florida brand – his university, his law school, his grammar school, his condominiums, his art projects, his retail space, his real estate, etc.  Monaghan’s rogue philanthropy is well documented; you ignore it at your own risk.  The depth of your commitment to being pro-life matters not.  Go ask pro-life stalwarts like Janet Smith, Edward Peters, Vic Melfa, Fr. Joseph Fessio, and Charles Rice if the depth of their commitment offered them any protection from being labeled “dissidents” and tossed under the bus.

Consider Rice, a co-founder of Ave Maria School of Law, who was booted from his position on the school’s Board and as a professor.   For all of his sacrifices for the School, he was treated shabbily, to the point of having 150 pounds of office belongings dumped into his yard, literally.  In deposition testimony, Tom Monaghan could not even acknowledge Rice, a grandfather of 27, as a “family man”.  Yet, the October 2009 issue of Instaurare reports that Rice will be honored at Christendom College’s 2010 commencement exercises for his work as “an author, educator, and defender of the unborn”.

“Defender of the unborn.” Are you paying attention Eric Scheidler? Fr. Pavone?

The lens through which Ave Maria sees itself and the real world is warped by how Tom Monaghan perceives each individual’s commitment — not to the Faith or pro-life causes — but to submissive loyalty for Monaghan’s Florida “active adult lifestyle brand” and “ministry” (see “BoysCherries Revisited: Monaghan was ‘Considering the Source’ in Child Pornography Incident“).

Pro-lifers should understand that many see Ave Maria as having lost its moral authority to speak credibly on matters of human dignity.  The manner in which Ave Maria has treated its own pro-life employees and students is the kind of hypocrisy that pro-abortion advocates would love to point at in discrediting the pro-life movement (see “Safranek Wins Settlement from Ave Maria and Monaghan“, “Ave Maria’s Pass for Pederast Priests“, “Lyons and Pucillo get Settlement“, “Woman Kneels Before Monaghan“, “Students and Alumni Rise for Safranek“, “Faculty Coerced“, “Ave Professor Gets Partial Restitution“, “Internal Memo Challenges Ave Maria Finances/Ethics“).

[UPDATE, 11/17/09 - Monaghan and Ave Maria University just named a new campus building after a billionaire who not only gave $1 million to the DNC for Barack Obama's convention, but also financially backed 50 NARAL-endorsed politicians in New York last year.  The New York Times quoted the AMU donor as saying "... I'm pro-choice."]

The pro-life movement is not served well by Ave Maria’s baggage.

Ave Maria likes to portray itself as having “lofty goals and high standards” (NDN, March 2007).  But is that true, in reality?  Is Ave Maria getting top students, faculty, and administrators… or is it a collection of any passive warm body that simply won’t oppose Tom Monaghan’s entrepreneurial vision of a south Florida company town?  The latter increasingly appears true (1 , 2, 3) as Ave Maria’s administration chases away more of its best and brightest every year.  One of many examples is the summer 2009 departure of Matthew Levering, PhD, former Director of AMU’s Graduate Program in Theology.

Ave Maria should spend some time determining if its words and deeds are consistent.  It might find difficulty in explaining the many contradictions and conflicting interests that characterize itself, not to mention oddities like why the wife of a AMU coach does child sex education seminars for the same Planned Parenthood clinic that Fr. Orsi broadcasts from:

Her dissertation: “Guilt and jealousy associated with sexual fantasies among heterosexual married individuals.”

Hypocrisy is the surest way to have a moral argument permanently rejected by an audience, which is why anyone who values pro-life or conservative Catholic principles should be wary of those from Ave Maria who want to be prominent leaders.  Such pretense has reached a crisis level among conservatives.  Take, for example, Michael Novak, the Apologist-in-Chief for all things Tom Monaghan:

Christopher Manion, The Wanderer, October 22, 2009:

“I recall how Michael Novak, a theologian and Notre Dame grad, once laughed at a college prof who was ranting about the power of corporate CEOs.  “You’ve got to be kidding,” he said (I paraphrase).  “A CEO can’t ruin your life, or your career.  But if a conservative junior in your class gets your liberal nose out of joint, you can give him a ‘D’ and ruin his chances to get into a top-notch law school – for good.”

A CEO can’t ruin your career?  Really? in 2009’s economy on Planet Earth? What galaxy is Novak operating in?  He did get it right on the damage possible via education.  Go talk to Ave Maria’s former faculty and students about the Monaghan-shaped tattoo of nuttiness that has been permanently affixed onto the forehead of their career and educational record… a mark that perpetually needs to be explained during job interviews and graduate school applications thanks largely to the shoddy, passive, and disconnected governance of Novak and others like him at Ave Maria.

Whether it is listening to “The Voice of Ave Maria” on the radio, or to Nick Healy give a speech (i.e. the Fall 2009 Opening Address), Ave Maria often defines itself by what it opposes.  That is very unhealthy for an academic institution.  Ave Maria leadership fails to recognize the beam in its eye thanks to the supreme belief that it has in itself and Tom Monaghan’s money.  As such, it fails to heed one of Chesteron’s warnings (Orthodoxy, Chapter 2):

“.. believing in himself is one of the commonest signs of a rotter. Actors who can’t act believe in themselves; and debtors who won’t pay. It would be much truer to say that a man will certainly fail, because he believes in himself. Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self-confidence is a weakness.”

In some respects, Ave Maria’s institutional behavior is akin to the self-centered dry drunk who ignores the pleading of once-trusted friends — friends who found her more virtuous as a soaked drunk.  It is better to be honest and lack certain virtues than to behave like a dry drunk and make everyone else in the family miserable.  Catholic orthodoxy would be in better shape today if Tom Monaghan stuck to believing in his ability to sell cheap pizza, if Bernie Dobranski stayed in the classroom at CUA, and if Nick Healy stayed in court to litigate maritime shipping lanes.

It looks like pro-lifers may have to find that out the hard way.

These days I can’t help thinking
Why O why did you have to quit drinking?

-Whoa! Man! Jesus! (swamp blues CD)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under Law School, University, commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.