CUI Bono, pronounced “kwee boe know,” is a club that develops well-rounded and educated students through meaningful discussions and relationships with professors.

CUI Bono in Latin translates to the question, “Who stands to benefit?” Dr. Daniel Deen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, who is the faculty advisor for the club, said, “The goal of CUI Bono is to provide a forum where students and professors can come together to build relationships centered on the great questions of the liberal arts.” CUI Bono is a forum where professors become students as they explore questions and topics of interest deeply. Deen said, “There is an element of iron sharpening iron as ideas are made public and debated, questioned, and refined in real-time.”

Dr. CJ Armstrong, Professor of History and a founding member of CUI Bono, said that CUI Bono gives students the opportunity to get more out of their four years of education. This could be by, with the help of professors, “exploring what is good, beautiful and true.” Armstrong said that students have likened CUI Bono to an “academic community” where students are able to find friends in other students and professors. Armstrong said that is exactly what he hopes students get out of CUI Bono, “a friend.”

Communication Studies Professor David Schulz is an “advocate for and participant with the CUI Bono cast and crew.” He said, “Students get what they put into their CUI Bono engagement.” This includes “fellowship with faculty outside the traditional classroom, engagement with fascinating speakers, free food and free retreats.”

CUI Bono has some great things planned for this year with the theme of truth in mind. Deen said, “We kicked the year off with a wonderful conversation with last year’s CUI Bono Professor of the Year, Carolyn Shiery. She presented an intriguing set of notes and personal experiences

regarding the importance of truth as it plays out in the business world.” CUI Bono hosts monthly lectures from professors where students can join and gain a better understanding of the topic at hand. 

Deen also added that there will be a “retreat at Cedar Lake Camp in Big Bear for the weekend of Oct. 7 though 9.” Deen said, “This is always a big hit with students as they get to spend a whole weekend in the mountains with faculty members discussing various topics of interest.”

Deen hopes that in joining CUI Bono, students “gain a sense of how the life of the mind intersects with ‘real’ life.” He said, “The goal is to cultivate intellectual humility, courage and curiosity in both faculty and students; but, not as a purely intellectual endeavor, rather as character traits that help with our public and private life as we struggle with the question of ‘who stands to benefit.’”

If you are interested in participating in thought-provoking conversation and being a part of an academic community, join CUI Bono. If you have any questions about the club, contact Dr. Daniel Deen, at daniel.deen@cui.edu. Also, make sure to check out their podcast which you can find here https://www.cui.edu/studentlife/student-leadership/clubs-and-organizations/cui-bono/podcast

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