Today, we are living in a world where artificial intelligence, political discord, and a mental health crisis have made our society broadly imbalanced, adrift, and unwell. It is refreshing, though, to realize that there are places rooted in mission, like Bellarmine, that serve as an antidote to those sources of societal sickness. Catholic colleges and universities are distinctive in the landscape of higher education in that they require not just the pursuit of knowledge or skills, but also the search for truth. Through the experiences we cultivate and deliver inside and outside of the classroom, Bellarmine empowers students to not just acquire knowledge but to explore questions related to purpose, calling, and meaning In Veritatis Amore — In the Love of Truth.
This kind of education is more needed than ever, and as Pope Leo XIV stated in his 2026 Encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, “School is the place where new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life and to recognize the dignity of every person.” [143]
At Bellarmine University, the dedication to the search for truth is embedded throughout all that we do. Students, through our commitment to the liberal arts, explore purpose, vocation, ethics, and meaning as they relate to timeless ultimate questions, including those of our own day and age. Faculty, through our promise to uphold academic freedom, are given the autonomy to disseminate knowledge, manage challenging conversations, and foster understanding in service to truth and the common good. Our staff and leadership are also formed in this dedication to the pursuit of truth, especially with respect to the vocational and spiritual formation of our students.
To help the Bellarmine community keep mission at the center of our work, I was asked by the university administration to create a series of documents that we would use to guide us and communicate how we live into our institutional history, Catholic identity, and mission. Last year, I performed an institutional self-study to inform this work, gathering insights from dozens of staff and faculty across campus. At first, I thought this process would be cut and dry: I would detail what we do and how we do it, pull together a document, and move on to other tasks. What ended up happening, though, transformed me.
I gained a deep understanding of our history and the wisdom imparted by our four sources of inspiration — St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Angela Merici, St. Francis of Assisi, and Thomas Merton. I studied how Bellarmine fit into the broader landscape of Catholic higher education and came to appreciate the long legacy of Catholic colleges and universities that make higher education affordable and accessible, especially for underserved populations and those with high financial need.
Our mission is our north star as we navigate rapid societal and technological changes and prepare for a new university president in 2027. Even as we adapt our educational programs to meet the current moment in the workforce, we know that it is more important than ever to help our students discern, in the words of Thomas Merton, their “true self” and to pursue their callings in a complex and complicated world. As Merton wrote in Love and Living (1979), “The purpose of education is to show a person how to define himself [or herself] authentically and spontaneously in relation to his world — not to impose a prefabricated definition of the world.”
It is at the very core of our mission to form and educate our students in mind, body, and spirit, to live out this call to be their most authentic, true selves. We then send them forth to extend our mission to the world: to live rewarding, meaningful lives, lead with purpose and integrity, and serve others to improve the human condition.
Dr. Kate Bulinski is a Professor of Geosciences in the Department of Environmental Studies, where she has served on the faculty since 2008. She is currently serving as Bellarmine’s Fellow for Catholic Identity as a part of her work with the President’s Advisory Board for Mission.