The Borromean Lecture Series
1961 St. Charles alumnus Robert C. Dilenschneider, CEO of The Dilenschneider Group and one of the country’s leading public relations authorities, established The Borromean Lectures in 2001. The event annually attracts a figure of national renown to speak on the topic of morals and ethics in business and government. The series is named honor of the school’s patron saint, St. Charles Borromeo.
The inaugural presentation in the series was made by nationally known theologian, author, former U.S. ambassador, and Director of Social and Political Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Novak.
“Thinking back on my time at St. Charles, it occurred to me that the foundation for just about everything I needed to know was laid during those years,” Dilenschneider said. “At St. Charles, education was not narrowly focused to prepare students for a career or a trade. It offered a traditional liberal arts education, with an emphasis on reading, writing, mathematics, and the social and physical sciences.
“St. Charles taught us to assimilate information,” he continued. “St. Charles taught us to process and organize and understand information, and St. Charles taught us to express information publicly. Maybe most important, St. Charles taught, and still teaches, the difference between what is right and what is wrong. In the words of John Maynard Hutchins, the late great chancellor of the University of Chicago, St. Charles prepared us ‘to be ready for anything and everything’,” he asserted.
After graduating from St. Charles, Dilenschneider earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University School of Journalism. Dilenschneider’s career in public relations is peppered with hands-on experience in managing the information for some of the country’s largest news-making events. Establishing The Borromean Lectures was not only an expression of Dilenschneider’s gratitude to St. Charles but also one which he hopes will affirm St. Charles’ leadership position among educational institutions in Central Ohio.
Past Presenters
November 9, 2001: Michael Novak, a nationally known theologian and former U.S. Ambassador.
January 8, 2003: Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., an internationally-known author and lecturer.
October 28, 2003: Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Ph.D., D.D., Archbishop of Washington, D.C.
October 27, 2004: Joel I. Klein, Chancellor of New York City Schools
October 7, 2005: F. Russell Hittinger, Ph.D., Warren Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa.
March 2, 2007: Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations
February 28, 2008: Father John I. Jenkins, C.S.C, President of the University of Notre Dame
November 6, 2008: Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of The Knights of Columbus
October 13, 2009: Father Robert F. O’Toole, S.J.,President of the Gregorian University Foundation.
November 12, 2010: Father Jefrey von Arx, S.J., President of Fairfield University.
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