From its new location on I Street, the Legionaries of Christ, a pontifical congregation of priests which operates 11 universities worldwide and a graduate school in the United States, is now enrolling its first students in Masters of Liberal Arts and Masters of Arts in Education programs.

The university’s founders are also in the process of acquiring 450 acres of land at Mather Field from Sacramento County, where they plan to develop a residential campus that would eventually serve 5,000 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students.

“The University of Sacramento will be emblematic of the way we do education,” said Legionaries of Christ Father Robert Presutti, university president. “We strive for educational excellence and are committed to learning that enables students to make use of talents for the good of others.”

Father Presutti said the new university will focus on formation of the laity and be welcoming to students, faculty and staff of other religions.

“It is Catholic inspired but open in nature,” said Father Presutti, who resides at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Sacramento. “It is a university called to serve the human family.”

Barry Sugarman, vice provost and dean of students, said the Legionaries began laying the groundwork to build their first university in the United States in 1997.

“Our mandate was to build a great American residential university far different from any European universities we had built,” he said.

In the following months, the Legionaries conducted an extensive market study of demographics, real estate values and other business indicators to determine where the university would be located.

“Sacramento was always high on the list,” Sugarman said. “One of the things that brought us here is that Sacramento is the only state capital and one of the largest cities that doesn’t have a private college or university.”

In April 2001 a meeting was arranged with Bishop William K. Weigand to seek approval for the University of Sacramento project. Father Anthony Bannon, national director of the Legionaries of Christ, received both formal approval and Bishop Weigand’s whole-hearted support.

In a Nov. 8, 2002 press release Bishop Weigand said that a Catholic university was “wonderful news for everyone in the greater Sacramento area, but especially for the more than 500,000 Catholics who live within the diocese.”

The University of Sacramento’s current site on I Street features two classrooms, a seminar conference room, student congregating room, chapel and special collections research library.

A distinguished faculty and academic staff has been assembled including many out-of-state professors who are being flown in during the first year to teach an anticipated 30 to 40 graduate students.

The Master of Arts in Education program was developed in consultation with Catholic leaders and parishioners in the diocese. In an Oct. 1 letter of support, Bishop Weigand describes the Arts in Education program as “an excellent means for the Catholics of the Diocese of Sacramento to combine a comprehensive study of the faith with academic preparation and professional skills needed to engage in the new evangelization.”

The curriculum includes the study of theology, Scripture, educational methods, catechetics and research.

Deacon Ray Helgeson of Holy Spirit Parish in Sacramento, who formerly served as director of adult faith formation for the diocese, helped to develop the Arts in Education program. He said the program was designed for people who want to be very serious about sharing their faith at the diocesan or parish level or in the workplace.

“It’s directed toward those adults who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of the faith and those called to some type of teaching ministry in the church,” Deacon Helgeson said.

The Master of Liberal Arts program is designed for students who may have missed out on humanities courses such as music, art, literature and philosophy during their undergraduate years.

The liberal arts program is the brainchild of Thomas Slakey, a member of the University of Sacramento faculty and a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Sacramento.

He said it is a course of study and discussion that provides students with the opportunity “to read the best things ever written, to think about fundamental questions related to political life, moral life, and the way we ought to live.”

Slakey is the former dean of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M. and former provost of St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

The long-range multi-phase plan for building the University of Sacramento involves developing nearly 5 million square feet of university, commercial and residential space in the southeast corner of the former Mather Air Force base property.

The first phase includes five academic buildings, a multipurpose building, two residence halls, administrative building and sports facilities which will be built on 300 acres and is expected to be completed by September 2008.

The remaining 150 acres are designated for commercial development to include residential, hotel, conference and technology facilities.

“We’ve completed the process of choosing our development partner and will now have to go to the (Sacramento) county,” Sugarman said. “We’re confident that we’re in good faith with both sides and that both really want to do the deal.”

Funding for the project thus far has been primarily generated from outside the Sacramento area involving more than 6,000 contributors throughout the country.

University of Sacramento administrators received the highest level endorsement for their project when they were invited to travel to Rome for a papal blessing of the university’s foundation stone the last week of November during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the ordination of Legionaries of Christ founder, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado.

Sugarman said complete build-out of the project may take 20 to 25 years.

For more information about the University of Sacramento, call (916) 443-4760 or visit the Web site: www.universityofsacramento.org.

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