There is a keenly effective gatekeeping function that makes the progress of scholars and researchers who are also deeply Catholic, very difficult. All that need be done to eliminate a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow is for a mentor to remove his foot from the gas pedal of that student's career: the mentor need not even apply brakes, although that too can be done effectively with a few damaging phone calls. Young scholars are checked for their credentials regarding topics of socialism, abortion, homosexuality, feminism, stem cells, deconstruction, etc. If not passing the test, they are eliminated. The faculties and fellow students effectively shun such a student. Scholarship is a communal activity--even more a fiefdom of small specialized communities with funding and reviewing powers. Being ostracized quickly kills a career of such a would-be scholar who is Catholic just as depriving a plant of water will cause it to wither. Consider the careers of many of those few stellar academics and intellectuals who do happen to now be Catholic. Many of them were atheists, Marxists, liberals and bitter non-Catholics before a conversion event. This gave them cover while their careers took off. Well, thank God for their conversions--any conversions, but this is not a reliable means of populating Catholic universities and colleges with an army of Catholic professors. Part of the problem is that conservatives and faithful Catholics in America have a mild disdain for the academy unless it is slathered rather heavily with layers of football icing. And it is nice when the young ones finally graduate from business, engineering, law or medical school, but certainly not impractical disciplines like paleontology, literary criticism, and cosmology. In harboring this attitude, Catholics have ceded their rightful and historical preeminence in education and the sciences, especially. Slowly realizing, since the 1960s, that there were problems in academia, the disdain of conservatives for all things that smacked esoteric and "egg-headed" intensified even further. Again, more ground was yielded. What Catholics failed to realize was that these legitimate, but popularly viewed as "esoteric" disciplines, were the stuff of what professors do. Those professors educate the children of Catholics and Catholics created a void in higher education that was happily filled by those hostile to the faith. Unfortunately Catholics have steadily descended into a state of cultural immune deficiency. Confusion created by decades of effete pacifism from the pulpit and episcopacy has disabled the ability of the laity and young clerics to stand their ground on important principles. Too many are reduced to conditions of being simpering apologizers. First, Catholic institutions need to cut their ties to Federal monies. Hillsdale College has accomplished this effectively at that scale of institution. We need to do so as well. This will have initial costs, it is true, with respect to research funding, but this can cure itself as society is detoxified of the all-pervasive Federal interference. This is a long-term, painful project, to be certain. Second, Catholic institutions and societies need to employ the power of the internet to recruit Catholic intellectuals to events, conferences, philosophical societies, lecture clubs, and institutes. Just as the internet has proven an extremely useful means for Catholic singles to meet, communicate and span isolation and distances, so too must we explore new means of fashioning Catholic intellectuals into an effective community--even force. See now, I would bet that word "force" made many readers uncomfortable. Well, let me help you understand something from the inside of academia: the leftists and Catholic-haters have no problem thinking in terms of force and conquest despite their rhetoric of "peace." Peace is for you to practice while they relegate you to oblivion. By our learning to organize in the present environment of technology, young intellectuals and scholars can then be molded into new or revamped Catholic colleges and universities. Third, Catholics of means need to patronize the work of young and older scholars. These individuals are intellectual soldiers, often braving fierce winds alone. Help such scholars with book costs, relocation costs, and other needs--especially friendship and encouragement. These scholars are not generally motivated by selfishness and "the America Dream." Giving to them is not giving to your competitor. These scholars play a type of priestly role in society and deserve your material support. If they start taking trips to Las Vegas, then you can pull the plug on their party. Catholics give enormous amounts to causes which they believe are worthwhile because the institutional church has identified them as such. My experience with such charities is that they are often worthless for the promotion and defense of the Catholic faith and the preserving of our institutions. Worse, many such even "Catholic" charities ultimately undermine the faith and the social fabric with misguided agendas. Fourth, commit oneself to the higher things of the intellect and faith. Perhaps we could do with a little less of the football fantasies and start to honor, encourage, and respect scholars instead of football players. (I was an rather decent baseball player, by the way, so do not think that I am unaware of the value of athletics.) Fifth, Jewish culture, at least historically, was much more respectful of the intellectual life. It was much more acceptable for a daughter to marry a professor or teacher. It is not clear to me that this has, or is now, true for Catholic culture to the degree that it deserves. I will let the sociologists and historians debate whether Catholic culture suffers from a brutishness or boorishness. Still, regardless of the merits of that particular hypothesis, I do not think that it can be argued that parents could not do a better job in readjusting their hopes and expectations for daughters and sons in marriage to encourage careers in academia. That is correct, if not called to celibacy, the careers of young scholars are much aided by marriage and raising families. Sixth, if you are a scholar or intellectual, mentor young people. There are five young engineers that I mentor at work with readings, books, articles, taking them to Mass, exposing them to cutting edge scientific research--and talking, talking talking. Give then The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges, O.P. Oh, by the way, read it yourself. I can mentor in this particular way because I am a scientist and a Catholic and this is the place that the Lord placed me. You can do the same in your environments with your intellectual talents. Especially encourage young men to participate and excel in the scholarly life. The masculine spirit is so under attack in society. And do not assume that if a young man is interested in the scholarly life that you must insist on him becoming a priest. Certainly encourage genuine exploration of possible vocations, but if that is not the case, encourage these young people to marrying well and raise sizable families. Yes, we certainly need many more priests...faithful, masculine priests. And where do good, smart, intellectual priests come from? Many will come from parents that are well-educated (I know, there are many wonderful exceptions to this pattern). Remember, Cardinal Newman pressed for a highly educated laity. Seventh, pray. Pray for scholars and intellectuals. Pray that the Church finds more of them.