Academics and university interests are closely watching the Ave Maria
University, proposed to be built on the farmlands near Immokalee, Florida.
Thomas Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, is largely funding the new
school as his private educational empire to emphasise his ultra-conservative
views. But, some are worried. Dr. John Hittinger, former academic dean at
St. Mary's College in Michigan wrote "Mr. Monaghan seems oblivious to Church
doctrine on social justice in his treatment of faculty and staff as 'at will
' employees. He also spurns centuries-old academic customs and protocols,
especially those pertaining to faculty status and governance." St. Marys
College in Michigan was bought and sold by Monaghan last year. And now on
the blocks seems to be Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Michael Rose wrote in Cruxnews.com about Monaghan's plans to dump the
Michigan college leaving some students and graduate wondering what their Ave
Maria College degrees will be worth.
"Ave Maria College, founded in 1998, was once the flagship of Tom Monaghan's
educational empire. When he decided to lead his Ave Maria Foundation down to
Florida's Big Cyprus Swamp in hopes of building a Catholic Xanadu, less than
half of the faculty and staff volunteered to follow the emperor and his
money.
...in two different issues of the college's magazine Annunciation (Winter
2003 and Spring 2003), former President Michael J. Healy clearly and
strongly re-affirmed Monaghan's promise to parents and students that the
incoming class of 2003 would be able to graduate from Ave Maria College in
Michigan. Furthermore, during a November 19, 2002 board of trustees meeting,
it was reported that "the Ave Maria Foundation is committed to fund Ave
Maria College [Michigan] a minimum of $25 million if necessary to cover
operating deficits over a four-year period, beginning fiscal year July 1,
2002."
But no. Rather than simply committing to help the college transition to
self-sufficiency, thereby allowing Ave Maria's original educational mission
to continue, Monaghan and his Ave Maria Foundation now appear to want to
dismantle the healthy Michigan campus along with the faculty, staff, and
students who are less than excited to see if his Florida experiment will
last longer than his St. Mary's project.
If Ave Maria Michigan disappears into the structure of another university,
Monaghan might in fact save a big chunk of the promised $25 million.
Moreover, according to several faculty members, plans were laid to cart off
most of the library books and computers from the Michigan college while the
students are home for the summer, working to earn money for next semester's
tuition. "'Everything' is destined for Florida," Father Fessio confirmed.
Monaghan and his cronies seem to have no real conception that a Catholic
college is a vast cooperative enterprise between numerous donors (big and
little), as well as staff, faculty, students, parents, and bishops. It even
includes cooperating with those families who moved into the area to be near
a center of Catholic life and culture, as well as with other neighbors who
just plain wish the place well.
Tom Monaghan seems instead to regard Ave Maria as a banana republic, of
which he is the sole monarch. This is not the attitude of subsidiarity with
which a major Catholic educational enterprise should be launched and
conducted. As John Hittinger noted last year, "the quest for renewal of
Catholic higher education has taken some wrong turns under the Ave Maria
auspices."
Sunday, May 30, 2004
In The Service
Air Force Airman Jonathon R. Chirila has graduated from basic military
training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the six
weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization,
and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches,
and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training
exercises, and special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who
complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the
Community College of the Air Force. Chirila is the son of Wanda Chirila of
Evans Road, LaBelle. He is a 2003 graduate of Temple Christian School, Fort
Myers.
training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the six
weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization,
and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches,
and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training
exercises, and special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who
complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the
Community College of the Air Force. Chirila is the son of Wanda Chirila of
Evans Road, LaBelle. He is a 2003 graduate of Temple Christian School, Fort
Myers.
Saturday, May 29, 2004
It was LaBelle Municipal Airport's second annual Freedom Day celebration. Featured this year were over 500 motorcyclists who paraded from downtown LaBelle to the airport where thousands of aviation fans looked over dozens of classic, antique and military aircraft and enjoyed flybys of famous classic aircraft.
Okeechobee's 1925 Toll Road
GCJ4B3 Conners Highway by team:CHETT: "Mr. Conners was a big man in the history of Okeechobee
W.J. 'Fingy' Conners started out his career as a cabin boy on a great lakes steamer at age 13. When he got a litle older he became a stevedore and by hard work..and some politics..soon became boss of all the stevedores on the great lakes, and made a fortune.
In the early 1900s he came to Florida and fell in with the high society folks on Palm Beach. In 1917 he invested $40,000 in 4000 acres of sawgrass land to farm and this was just the start of his land speculation. within a few years he owned all the land between Canal Point and Okeechobee, and then, by golly, he bought the whole townsite of Okeechbee too.
Well, Conners owned all these thosands and thousands of acres, but there was almost no way to get to any of it. He decided that he would build himself a highway to his town and charge a toll for those who used it. He petitioned the government and got permission to build a toll road from 20 mile bend in Palm Beach county to the lakeshore curve south of Okeechobee. This 52 mile road was started on Oct. 16, 1924 and an incredible eight months later it was finished! On July 24, 1925 2000 cars lined up and made the drive from Palm Beach, paying the $1.25 toll, and came to the grand opening of Conners Highway. The road was soon bringing in over a thosand dollars a day in tolls and people were coming to Okeechobee and buying Mr. Conner' property left and right, and he soon became a multi-millionaire.
Conners built a large house on the lakeshore curve right near the toll booth. The cache is located directly across the road from the site of the house."
W.J. 'Fingy' Conners started out his career as a cabin boy on a great lakes steamer at age 13. When he got a litle older he became a stevedore and by hard work..and some politics..soon became boss of all the stevedores on the great lakes, and made a fortune.
In the early 1900s he came to Florida and fell in with the high society folks on Palm Beach. In 1917 he invested $40,000 in 4000 acres of sawgrass land to farm and this was just the start of his land speculation. within a few years he owned all the land between Canal Point and Okeechobee, and then, by golly, he bought the whole townsite of Okeechbee too.
Well, Conners owned all these thosands and thousands of acres, but there was almost no way to get to any of it. He decided that he would build himself a highway to his town and charge a toll for those who used it. He petitioned the government and got permission to build a toll road from 20 mile bend in Palm Beach county to the lakeshore curve south of Okeechobee. This 52 mile road was started on Oct. 16, 1924 and an incredible eight months later it was finished! On July 24, 1925 2000 cars lined up and made the drive from Palm Beach, paying the $1.25 toll, and came to the grand opening of Conners Highway. The road was soon bringing in over a thosand dollars a day in tolls and people were coming to Okeechobee and buying Mr. Conner' property left and right, and he soon became a multi-millionaire.
Conners built a large house on the lakeshore curve right near the toll booth. The cache is located directly across the road from the site of the house."
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