Sharing Our University Mission

On September 27, Dominican University held its 2nd annual Caritas Veritas Symposium. This year's theme, "From Motto to Mission," explored how truth (veritas) and love (caritas) lead to action for “the creation of a more just and humane world.” (Dominican’s motto is Caritas et Veritas and our mission is to prepare students to seek truth, to give compassionate service and to participate in the creation of a more just and humane world.) Presentations included formal papers, panels, round-table discussions, and creative dance, and involved faculty, staff, students, alumnae/i and trustees. Our library offered to publish the proceedings in our new open access repository, Constellation. Last year, select proceedings were published in print and distributed mostly to the immediate Dominican community. This, year we wanted to share the proceedings with the world. After all, sharing our research and service projects with the world is itself an act of caritas that allows others to freely pursue the truth and to use that information to make the world more just. We’re sharing, for example, a theater professor’s work to end the death penalty in Illinois, a theology class’s trip to Native American reservations to teach children about climate change, and a Dominican Sister’s research into service learning and service work in the early years of the University. This unique collection of projects will now be preserved, accessible to the Dominican community and to anyone outside the University. We’re publishing the papers, slides and other materials as they are sent to us by the authors. Find them here.