What does it profit a man
To gain the whole world,
And lose his soul.
It is very difficult for any student let alone a Catholic school student to listen daily to the best minds in the science world, and remain in the faith?
If you knew your child would become the best in his field, but lose his faith, would you really want that?
Or maybe faith just isn’t a positive for you.
Maybe for your kids it is, but for my kids - all five of whom are either in a Catholic college/university or have already graduated - it sure wasn't. We raised our children in a way that their faith isn't so fragile that it falls apart in its first exposure to a non-believer.
"If you knew your child would become the best in his field, but lose his faith, would you really want that?"
You must have very little faith in your ability as a parent.
Clearly, we see higher education differently. I see it as a place where students have an opportunity, even an obligation to interact with people who don't necessarily see the world in the same way they do. And, in doing so, they explore their own understanding of their faith, their personal and political philosophies and of humanity itself. That process makes them better students, better people and frankly better Catholics.
You see higher education as something else, although I'm not sure what that is, and I'm not even sure you've given it a moments thought.
A Catholic college/university is NOT an indoctrination center. It's an center for exploration. THAT is the Catholic tradition. It's very difficult to explore and fully understand the world, when you're only learning from people who think EXACTLY like you do.