A cornerstone of Assumption’s Catholic liberal education is imparting upon students and alumni the tools and opportunities for lifelong learning. The University’s Core Texts & Enduring Questions (CTEQ) program – a unique and intellectually rich interdisciplinary Great Books experience – launched an Alumni Symposium in which Assumption alumni and undergraduate CTEQ students collaborate and explore perennial questions.
“The seeds of a liberal education need to be cultivated over the course of a lifetime,” said Marc Guerra, Ph.D., ’90, G’94, director of the CTEQ program. “Bringing students and alumni together to discuss enduring human questions and themes is not only a natural fit for the CTEQ program; it also reflects Assumption’s commitment to cultivating an appreciation of lifelong learning in its students.”
The CTEQ program held its first Alumni Symposium in spring 2020 and two additional symposia during the 2020–21 academic year. Each participant invited to the Alumni Symposium receives a copy of the chosen book to read independently and then discuss with the group during 75-minute sessions throughout the day of the event.
“The aim of the CTEQ Alumni Symposium is two- fold,” said Prof. Guerra. “We want to institutionalize a concrete venue at Assumption where students can continue to pursue the timeless goals of a Catholic liberal arts education, even after they graduate. And second, to show current CTEQ students that they really can place a Catholic liberal education at the center of their time at Assumption and still become a doctor or lawyer or businessperson.”
Paul C. Verderese ’72, G’74, who believes an education shouldn’t conclude at commencement, hopes more faculty consider undertaking programs similar to the CTEQ Symposium. “Professor Guerra’s design of the program accom- plishes many important elements. Among them, he brings together several generations of alumni to study a particular topic or writer,” said Verderese, adding that the group dynamic encourages participants to diligently prepare for the event. “Participants challenge each other to think through the topics more deeply as differing viewpoints are examined during the discussions. The event provides a holiday from the workaday world, allowing for the continued cultivation of the vocation to be a lifelong learner.”
The CTEQ program – established with a donation from Donald AP’60, AU’64, HD’10 and Michele D’Amour HD’10 and supported by subsequent gifts from alumni and friends of the program – provides students the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with fellow students and faculty and to attend national lectures, participate in intercollegiate student research and essay contests, and travel throughout the U.S. and Europe on CTEQ- sponsored trips.
