Center for Catholic Studies

Mission and Activities

The mission of the Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studies is to provide to the College and to the outside community a clear understanding of Catholic intellectual, academic, and social thought, as it relates to scholarship, social policy formulations, and the mission of higher education. The existence of the Center exemplifies the commitment of Nassau Community College to the principle of “multiculturalism,” i.e., the attempt to be as inclusive as possible in incorporating serious bodies of knowledge and worldviews for purposes of debate and discussion and the movement toward the creation of the “Good Society.” The Center’s activities are understood to be seen as enriching the intellectual and moral discourse taking place within the campus and outside community. Over the first eight and a half years of its existence (2000-9),  the educational activities of the Center for Catholic Studies have involved, among other miscellaneous endeavors, the following:

• Conferences (ranging from one to three days in length)
• Lectures
• Debates
• Seminars
• “Club hour" talks
• The Catholic Alternative radio show on the NCC station, WHPC, 90.3 FM
• Non-credit courses offered by the Office of Lifelong Learning
• The awarding of student scholarships to graduating NCC students who intend to pursue course work in Catholic studies at a recognized four year institution of higher education
• Publications:  The Center’s most notable achievement here was the important role it played in the publication of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy, Two Volumes,  2007, Scarecrow Press of Lanham, Maryland.  The Center will continue to be actively involved in the production of Volume Three, Supplement One, with a completion date projected by summer 2011.

The above educational activities are documented in the series of Center Update Newsletters starting from the academic year 2000-1 to the present.  They have been subsidized heavily through tax deductible contributions made through the generous donations of philanthropic organizations and individual citizens.  Over its first eight and one half-years of existence, $80,000 has been donated to the Center.  As of  the spring 2009, the Center will proceed with the development of various credit-bearing courses in the contemporary and burgeoning field of Catholic Studies.

For more information about the Center contact:
Director- Dr. Joseph Varacalli
516.572.7454
Joseph.Varacalli@ncc.edu