Morey, Melanie M.

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Morey, Melanie M.

PERSONAL:

Education: Smith College, B.A., 1971; Boston College, M.Ed., 1977; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M., 1992, Ed.D., 1995. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Catholic Education Institute, 925 Hutchinson River Pkwy., Bronx, NY 10465.

CAREER:

Writer, educator. Palm Beach Academy, Palm Beach, FL, member of faculty and dean of women, 1971-73; White Mountain School, Littleton, NH, member of faculty and dean of women, 1973-76; Boston University, Boston, MA, administrative director of residence life, 1977-79; Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Newton, MA, 1979-1981; Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton Lower Falls, MA, Residency Training Program in Medicine, medical education coordinator, 1981-87; Western New England College, Springfield, MA, MBA Program, adjunct faculty member, 1983; St. Ignatius Parish, Chestnut Hill, MA, director of religious education 1983-84; The Channel Program, Seattle, WA, educational methodology and field supervision, director of education program, 1988-1990, director of development, 1990-91; Seattle University, Seattle, WA, Graduate School of Education, adjunct faculty member, 1989; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, Seattle, soundings program for ministerial discernment, faculty member, 1990; Regis College, Weston, MA, Field Experience Internship: Revision of College By-Laws, assistant to the president, 1993; Leadership and Legacy Associates, Inc., Belmont, MA, founder and senior associate, 1995-2003; Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, Department of Theological Studies, visiting research scholar and guest respondent, 1996; Villanova University, Villanova, PA, Education Department, member of adjunct faculty, 1998-2000; Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, special assistant for external relations and strategic planning, 1998-99, Summer Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education, presenter, 2001—; NarrowGate Consulting (division of the Catholic Education Institute), Bronx, NY, senior director for research and consulting, 2003—. Council for Independent College, Washington, DC, Summer Seminar for Presidents and Potential Presidents on the Intersection of Personal Vocation and the Office of the Presidency, facilitator, 2005—; Integrating the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, cofounder and codirector, 2006—; Caritas St. Mary's Center for Women and Children, Dorchester, MA, member of board of trustees, 2004—. Serves as a consultant and a presenter for leadership conferences and other university functions.

WRITINGS:

(With John J. Piderit) Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2006.

(With John J. Piderit) Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Lanham, MD), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Melanie M. Morey is a writer and educator with strong ties to the Catholic Church and the Catholic education process. She earned her undergraduate degree at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, then went on to continue her education at Boston College, where she earned a master's degree in education, and ultimately the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, earning a second master's and a doctorate. She has taught at a number of schools and institutions of higher learning, as well as serving in an administrative capacity. Since 2003, she has served as senior director for research and consulting with NarrowGate Consulting, a division of the Catholic Education Institute in Bronx, NY. In addition, she has worked with various summer programs, such as the Council for Independent Colleges' Summer Seminar for Presidents and Potential Presidents on the Intersection of Personal Vocation and the Office of the Presidency, based in Washington, DC, and Integrating the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, which she cofounded, and for which she acts as codirector.

In addition to performing her various educational duties, Morey has written two books with John J. Piderit, Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis published in 2006 by the Oxford University Press, and Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future, which Roman & Littlefield Publishers released in 2008. In Catholic Higher Education, Morey and Piderit address the perceived changes in the Catholic system of higher education, and how these changes have been dictated by changes in the Catholic religion itself, the training of religious leaders who go on to teach at Catholic institutions of learning, and the choice of lay staff who are hired to provide a Catholic education at the university level. The authors argue that for a Catholic education to remain a viable option for students, it must essentially be a brand that is readily identifiable and consistent to draw students and faculty alike. However, changes in Catholic doctrine since the 1960s have led to a crisis in the Catholic educational system, making it appear as an unstable and inconsistent source for religious education. Anthony J. Pogorelc, in a review for the Catholic Book Review, concluded that "this book makes a significant contribution to the discussion of Catholic higher education and should be read by administrators, church leaders, theologians, other faculty, and board members." Leslie Woodcock Tentler, reviewing for Commonweal, noted: "On this point Morey and Piderit are absolutely right. Catholic college presidents can't save their institutions alone. They need support from both faculty and students; in many cases, they—like the rest of us—need to learn more about the Catholic intellectual tradition their colleges ostensibly serve."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Commonweal, September 22, 2006, Leslie Woodcock Tentler, "Identity Crisis," p. 29.

First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, November, 2007, John McDermott, review of Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis, p. 62.