I recently obtained a copy of the very popular guide to universities published by MacLean’s Magazine from our local library. Over the years, I have examined the reputation and rankings of the universities that I have attended. The University of Waterloo is in third place this year. That position has varied over the years from first to third overall in Canada. Lately, the University of Toronto hasn’t been very cooperative with the magazine; thus their reputation seems to be limited to the “medical” category. Yes, I did graduate from both educational institutions. Waterloo taught history to me, while Toronto taught me theology. When you put those two fields together you become very aware of the changes in education in Canada over the years.
Firstly, it should be noted that most Canadian universities have Christian denominational roots. Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo was originally Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. McMaster University had Baptist connections. The University of Western Ontario was started by the Anglicans. The University of Windsor was a Roman Catholic facility known as Assumption College. The list goes on. As I read the 2010 edition of the university guide, I found the loss of these religious roots most enlightening. In fact, some religious universities were so absorbed by the now larger secular schools that they were hardly mentioned. In my case, I attended Victoria University in Toronto.  It is an independent part of the University of Toronto that issues its own degrees. The present university guide would easily have it confused with the University of Victoria in British Columbia! It was historically a Methodist university that was built in the 1840’s in Cobourg Ontario. In 1892 it was moved to Toronto, and it is now located at Queen’s Park near the provincial Parliament buildings. Somehow it does not show up in the guide. Moreover, it is nowhere near the Pacific Ocean. I guess that one can lose not only one’s heritage, but also one’s direction in the modern world.
Perhaps, it has now become obvious that, theological degrees are just not the big drawing card for modern students. Advertisements presently focus on technology, science, medicine, and business areas of study, in order to attract new students. It is truly ironic that these historical institutions of higher learning that prided themselves in connecting “faith” and “reason” together have now delegated these roots as somehow “irrelevant” or “unreasonable”. Yes, at times I feel like a dinosaur, though not yet extinct. It’s more like the original purpose of “Jurassic Park”-amusing. I never studied theology to find out how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, but it has served me well to better understand human behaviour and to be sympathetic to our failures. However, the study of the ancient prophets allows me to point out that today’s educational foci might appear to be just as obscure in a hundred and fifty years, as theology would seem to be today. I hope that whatever the type of degrees these universities will be awarding in the future, that they will at least have a compulsory course in “Compassion 101”. It seems “reasonable” to me that we could always use a little more caring in the world. Indeed, if it is a choice between the latest techno-gadget and loving-kindness, I’ll pick the latter every time.