In 1990, Thomas F. O'Meara, O.P., addressed the need for Catholic university faculties of adequate number and quality as well as the problem of educating Roman Catholics in schools largely separate from the numerous Catholic areas and traditions.
The Rev. Matthew Lamb argues that if the education of theologians is the foundation of Catholic education, hiring trends in Catholic universities suggest an ongoing "Protestantization" of religious education at Catholic colleges and universities.
Since theological study has moved from the seminary to the university, departments of theology must find creative ways to develop intellectual scholarship within lives of prayer and service.
The development of historical theology highlights a risk in interdisciplinary theology: If it loses the spirit of theology, it takes on the shape of another discipline.