The Catholic University of America

infobox University
name= The Catholic University of America


motto= "Deus Lux Mea Est"
mottoeng= God Is My Light
endowment= $193,272,216
president= The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M.
chancellor= Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl
established= 1887
type= Private
staff=
students= 5,510
undergrad= 2,587
postgrad= 2,923
telephone= 202-319-5000
affiliation= Roman Catholic
website= http://www.cua.edu
publictransit= Brookland-CUA on the Washington Metro|city= flagicon|USA Washington, D.C.
campus= Urban
colors= Academic = Gold & White color box|#FFD700 color box|#FFFFFF Athletic = Red & Black color box|#AD2624 color box|#000000
nickname= CUA
mascot= Cardinal
free_label = Athletics
free = 21 NCAA Division III varsity teams, Landmark Conference, except football (Old Dominion Athletic Conference)

The Catholic University of America (CUA), located in Northeast Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops. Established in 1887 as a graduate and research center following approval by Pope Leo XIII on Easter Sunday,cite web| url=http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/news/03DOCPryzDedicationRemarks.htm| title=Remarks at the Dedication of the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center| author=The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M.| accessdate=2008-10-09| date=2003-04-10 Easter fell on April 10 in 1887.] the university began offering undergraduate education in 1904.

CUA's programs emphasize the liberal arts, professional education, and personal development. Besides academics, the school always stays closely connected with the Catholic Church and Catholic organizations. The American Cardinals Dinner is put on by the residential U.S. Cardinals each year to raise scholarship funds for CUA. The university also has a long history of working with the Knights of Columbus, and the university's law school and the university's basilica have dedications to the involvement and support of the Knights of Columbus.

The university's campus lies within the Brookland neighborhood, known as "Little Rome", that contains 60 Catholic institutions, such as the academic institutions of Dominican House of Studies and Trinity Washington University.

The university has been visited twice by reigning Popes. Pope John Paul II visited on October 7, 1979. [Videos of his two addresses on campus can be seen [http://papalvisit.cua.edu/1979visit/1979remarks.cfm here] .] On November 12, 2007, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the campus on his visit to the United States in 2008. On April 17, 2008, the Pope came to campus after saying Mass in the Washington Nationals stadium and addressed representatives of Catholic education gathered in the Pryzbyla Center from throughout the country. [ [http://papalvisit.cua.edu/ Papal visit information] ] The Pope used the opportunity to revisit the topic of Catholic education and academic freedom, which the university had been involved with years earlier. [http://www.examiner.com/a-1347132~Pope__Catholic_colleges_should_be_in_line_with_church.html "Pope: Catholic colleges should be in line with church"] ]

University life

History

The proposal to create a national Catholic university in America reflected the rising size and influence of the nation’s Catholic population and also an ambitious vision of the Church’s role in American life during the 19th century.

In 1882 Bishop John Lancaster Spalding went to Rome to obtain Pope Leo XIII's support for the University and persuaded family friend Mary Gwendoline Caldwell to pledge $300,000 to establish it. On March 7, 1889, the Pope issued the encyclical " [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_07031889_magni-nobis_en.html Magni Nobis] ", granting the university its charter and establishing its mission as the instruction of Catholicism and human nature together at the graduate level. By developing new leaders and new knowledge, the University would strengthen and enrich Catholicism in the United States. [The founding, and Spalding's role, are covered in [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE1DE1E3EEF33A25756C1A9609C94649FD7CF A Catholic University; The Zeal of a Few Prelates Rewarded, N.Y. Times, June 15, 1885, at 5] . Spalding was quoted: "Let there be, then, an American Catholic University, where our young men, in the atmosphere of faith and purity, of high thinking and plain living, shall become more intimately conscious of the truth of their religion and of the genius of their country, where they shall learn the repose and dignity which belong to their ancient Catholic descent, and yet not lose the fire which glows in the blood of a new people...."]

Many of the founders of the CUA held a vision that included both a sense of the Church’s special role in United States and also a conviction that scientific and humanistic research, informed by the Faith, would only strengthen the Church. They sought to develop an institution like a national university that would promote the Faith in a context of religious freedom, spiritual pluralism, and intellectual rigor.

When the University first opened for classes in the fall of 1888, the curriculum consisted of lectures in mental and moral philosophy, English literature, the Sacred Scriptures, and the various branches of theology. At the end of the second term, lectures on canon law were added and the first students were graduated in 1889. In 1904, an undergraduate program was added and it quickly established a reputation for excellence. [The president of the first undergraduate class was Frank Kuntz, whose memoir of that period was published by the University press. Frank Kuntz, Undergraduate Days: 1904-1908 (CUA 1958). The University gives an annual award named for Kuntz. [http://universitycenter.cua.edu/leader/slrc.cfm] ] A survey conducted in 1912 by the federal Bureau of Education placed CUA among the best institutions in the nation at preparing undergraduates for graduate studies.

The presence of CUA attracted other Catholic institutions to the area—including colleges, religious orders, and national service organizations. Between 1900 and 1940 more than 50 international Catholic institutions rented or owned property in neighboring Brookland which gave the neighborhood the nickname 'Little Rome.' The period after World War II saw the rise of Catholic visibility in America, and particular prominence for CUA. During the first post-war years, Catholic University experienced a dynamic expansion in enrollment thanks to the G.I. Bill.

Today there are over 6,000 students on campus from all 50 states and around the world. The University boasts a world class faculty and, in recent years, has welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan, former Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and actor-politician Ben Stein to speak.

tudent life

There are over 100 registered student clubs and organizations at CUA for a wide variety of interests including athletics, academics, social, Greek life, service, political and religious. The office of University Center, Student Programs and Events maintains an up to date [http://universitycenter.cua.edu/students/studentorgs/listoforgs.cfm directory] of student organizations.

Although the Catholic University states that it does not have any Greek life on campus, it in fact has two social Greek organizations and one service Greek organization. Catholic University Greek Life includes Alpha Delta Gamma the National Catholic Social Fraternity–Kappa chapter, Kappa Tau Gamma the local Christian Social-Service Sorority, and Alpha Phi Omega the National Service Fraternity–Zeta Mu chapter which is co-ed.

Until May 2007, Catholic University had a student government that included the [http://usg.cua.edu/ Undergraduate Student Government] with its legislative, academic, judicial, and treasury branches and the [http://gsa.cua.edu/ Graduate Student Association] . During the spring semester of the 2006-2007 academic year, the University Center for Student Programming and Events (UCSPE), which oversees Undergraduate Student Government, declared that the student-run government was too inefficient to continue. With the assistance of many students, a committee was formed to think of new ideas for student government. For the 2007-2008 academic year there will be a transitional student government. This government includes a president, treasurers, and class governments and several other positions/departments. Meanwhile, during the academic year the separate committee will help create a permanent student body government for the 2008-2009 academic year. The Director of University Center, Student Programs and Events, William Jonas, stated that he did not think the future of student representation at the University should be called a government. For the 2007-2008 academic year student government took the name Cardinal Student Association.

The graduate student government is a separate entity and was not affected by the changes during the 2006-2007 academic year. Annual events include week-long Homecoming celebrations, the Mr. CUA competition, and a number of dances including the Beaux Arts Ball, the Mistletoe Ball, and the Athletes Ball. In addition to the radio station WCUA, other campus media outlets include CUA-TV, the campus television station, The Tower, the campus' main weekly newspaper, and "CRUX", a literary magazine.

While the university welcomes students of all faiths, 84% of undergraduates and 59% of graduate students self-identify as Catholic. Campus ministry has two groups of student ministers: the resident ministers who live in residence halls and minister primarily to upperclassmen and the house members, whose focus of ministry is freshmen.

The Friday Night Planning Committee works with the house members to plan activities for Friday nights that are alcohol free. Campus ministry also coordinates university liturgies, plans and runs retreats, provides faith formation including R.C.I.A., and operates the online Prayernet.

There are numerous plays and concerts put on by students and professional artists. The DuFour Athletic Center has hosted The Alarm, The Fixx, Black 47, Gavin DeGraw, Brandi Carlile, The Hooters, They Might Be Giants, Howie Day, and The Ataris. Comedy acts include Ben Stein and Big Al Goodwin.

The university's [http://programboard.cua.edu/ Program Board] , which puts on many of the concerts on campus as well as the annual Mistletoe Ball, provides other activities for the entire CUA community to enjoy. Previous events include ski trips, advanced screenings of movies, Noise In The Pryz, and the ever-popular, Movies on the Mall.

Several off-campus bars and establishments are well-known and loved by alumni and students alike. Johnny K's (formerly known as Kitty O'Shea's, now renamed "The Library," but students still refer to it as "K's"), Colonel Brooks Tavern, Ellis Island, and the new Cardinal's Nest are the four main bars in the neighboring Brookland area.

The campus in recent years has experienced an increase in crime. Dozens of cars are stolen from its lots each year, and students have had to deal with numerous assaults at the local Brookland Metro station, as reported by the campus newspaper, "The Tower". [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2006/03/10/News/On.Campus.Assault.Robbery.Carjacking.Reported.Last.Week-1684115.shtml On Campus Assault. Robbery, Carjacking Reported Last Week - News ] ]

Athletics

The Cardinals were originally known as the Red and Black, after the colors they wore, and came to be known as the Cardinals (often the Flying Cardinals, occasionally the Fighting Cardinals) in the mid-1920s. The first recorded football game was played against Mount Saint Mary's College on November 28, 1895 but records indicate earlier track and field events.

CUA sponsors 21 NCAA Division III sports teams. The school competes in football in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, in men's baseball, softball, women's volleyball and field hockey, and in men's and women's cross country, soccer, basketball, swimming, lacrosse, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field, in the Landmark Conference. Students also field club teams in sports including horseback riding, ice hockey, and rugby, and row on the club crew team.

CUA competed in Division I, where they won a national championship in boxing (1938), the baseball team advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament in 1977, and the football team appeared in two major bowl games (the 1936 Orange Bowl, which they won and the 1940 Sun Bowl, which they tied), until the academic year of 1981-82, when they decided to move to Division III.

Since then, the men's basketball team won the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship and was the only program in Division III to reach the Sweet Sixteen five consecutive seasons, from 1998-2002. They also reached the postseason in 1993 and 1996. The football team has made three consecutive trips to the Division III playoffs. The track & field team has produced three national champions, while the swimming program has two individual national titles as well. The volleyball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2001 and followed it up in 2002, while the field hockey team advanced to the 2001 ECAC Southern Region championship game. The men's swim team has won four Capitol Athletic Conference titles and three National Catholic Division III championships, while women's swimming has won a Catholic Division III title and softball has an ECAC Southern Region title.

Wally Pipp, A.B. 1914, played for the New York Yankees and lost his position as starting firstbaseman to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games. Ripley's Believe It or Not! once featured Edward Lynch, LL.B. 1924, for making 98 tackles in a single football game.

Campus

The CUA campus is in the residential community of Brookland in Northeast Washington, DC; its main entrance is 620 Michigan Ave., NE. The campus is bound by Michigan Avenue to the south, North Capitol Street to the west, Hawaii Avenue to the north, and John McCormick Road to the east. It is three miles north of the U.S. Capitol Building.

The tree-lined campus is 193 acres. Romanesque and modern design dominate among the university’s 55 major buildings. Between McMahon and Gibbons halls and alongside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception runs The Mall, a large strip of grass that is often the site of kickball games and sunbathers. Conte Circle is in the middle of Centennial Village, a cluster of eight residential houses.

The Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center was opened in the spring of 2003, bringing student dining services, the campus bookstore, student organization offices, an 800-person ballroom, a convenience store, and more student services under one roof. The Pryzbyla Center was also host of Pope Benedict XVI's speech to the U.S. Cardinals, U.S. Archbishops, and U.S. Catholic educators. The John K. Mullen Library completed a $6,000,000 renovation in 2004, significantly improving the lighting and aesthetics of the interior and allowing the classical architecture to better shine through.

The Columbus School of Law is on the main campus and is self-contained in its own building with mock courtrooms, a library, chapel, classrooms, and offices. On the Pryzbyla Center side of the building is the Law School Lawn, where the ultimate Frisbee team can often be found. Theological College, the United States's national seminary, is located across Michigan Avenue from the main campus and sits between the Dominican House of Studies, a seminary for the Order of Preachers, and offices for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Trinity Washington University is also near the university and is a quarter mile south along Michigan Avenue.

In April 2004, the University purchased 49 acres of land from the Armed Forces Retirement Home. The parcel is the largest plot of open space in the District and makes CUA the largest university in DC by land area. There are currently no plans for the parcel other than to secure the property for future growth.

In 2007 the University unveiled plans to expand the campus by adding three new dorms to the north side of campus. [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2007/02/09/News/campus.Gothic.Dorm.Set.For.Spot.Near.Flather-2711250.shtml 'Campus Gothic' Dorm Set for Spot Near Flather - News ] ] Groundbreaking for the first building, Opus Hall, was held in March 2007. Construction began in the summer of 2007 [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2007/03/16/News/Construction.Begins.For.Opus.Hall-2778566.shtml Construction Begins for Opus Hall - News ] ] and is set to be finished before the 2008-2009 school year. Opus Hall will house 420 upper-class students and will be seven stories tall, making it the largest dorm on campus. The three new dorms, when completed, are set to replace the two still functioning dorms on the south side of campus, Conaty and Spellman.

The Campus is served by the Brookland-CUA station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Union Station, Capitol Hill, and the Smithsonian museums are only a few minutes' ride away. Near campus is the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, the Franciscan Monastery, and the offices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A [http://tour.cua.edu/map_overhead.cfm map] is available to locate the buildings on campus. Also see the List of buildings at The Catholic University of America.

Academics

Catholic University has 11 schools and the Metropolitan College in addition to 21 research centers and facilities. The 11 schools offer Doctor of Philosophy degrees (or appropriate professional degrees) in 41 programs and Master's Degrees in 90 programs. Undergraduate degrees are awarded in 83 programs by six schools: architecture and planning, arts and sciences, engineering, music, nursing and philosophy.

Undergraduates combine a liberal arts curriculum in arts and sciences with courses in their major fields of study. Metropolitan College provides programs for adults who wish to earn baccalaureate degrees or participate in continuing education and certificate programs.

Catholic University is the only U.S. university with an ecclesiastical faculty of Canon law and is one of the few U.S. universities with ecclesiastical faculties of philosophy and sacred theology. Theological College, the university seminary, has prepared men for the priesthood in many dioceses of the United States.

Over 98% of professors have doctoral or terminal degrees and 74% teach undergraduates. Of the full time faculty, 59% are Catholic. [http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/experts/ Faculty experts] regularly appear in the [http://inside.cua.edu/news.cfm news media] .

Also see the List of Schools and Academic Programs at The Catholic University of America.

Research centers and facilities

Over time, the university became the home to many national Catholic scholarly associations, including the Catholic Biblical Association of America, publisher of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and (for many years) the American Catholic Philosophical Association.

It also is the home to many research institutes, including:

*Center for Advanced Training in Cell and Molecular Biology
*Center for Advancement of Catholic Education
*Center for American Catholic Studies
*Center for Catalan Studies
*Center for Irish Studies
*Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies
*Center for Pastoral Studies
*Center for the Study of Culture and Values
*Center for the Study of Early Christianity
*Center for the Study of Energy and Environmental Stewardship
*Center for Ward Method Studies
*Homecare and Telerehabilitation Technology Center
*Institute for Biomolecular Studies
*Institute for Christian Oriental Research
*Institute for Communications Law Studies
*Institute for Sacred Music
*Institute for Social Justice
*Institute of Musical Arts
*Latin American Center for Graduate Studies in Music
*Life Cycle Institute
*Vitreous State Laboratory

Academic freedom

The University has made a general statement of policy that the academic freedom of its faculty and students will be respected. [http://policies.cua.edu/faculty/faculty%20I/governing%20docs/freedom.cfm Statement on Academic Freedom] ] It considers academic freedom a "fundamental condition for research and dissemination of information." The policy sets forth its respect for the right and responsibility of its faculty and students to (i) conduct research, (ii) publish their findings, and (iii) discuss ideas according to the principles, sources and methods of their academic disciplines. The University further "sanctions" the investigation of "unexplored phenomena, advancement of knowledge, and critical examination of ideas, old and new" and "accepts the responsibility of protecting both teacher and student from being forced to deny truth that has been discovered or to assert claims that have not been established in the discipline."

However, the University specifically provides that "theologians" in the University are "expected to give assent to the teachings of the magisterium in keeping with the various degrees of assent that are called for by authoritative teaching." It should be noted that the Catholic University of America does not offer general studies in theology. Instead it offers doctorates in historical theology and systematic theology, the latter of which “undertakes the task of a comprehensive and synthetic understanding of the Christian faith as mediated through the Scriptures and the Catholic Tradition and as interpreted by the conciliar and papal magisterium [ [http://religiousstudies.cua.edu/graduate/STRS_Systematic_Theology.cfm CUA School of Theology and Religious Studies ] ] In addition it offers ecclesiastical degrees (i.e., licensees to teach Catholic Theology) in Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology, Moral Theology/Ethics, and Historical and Systematic Theology [ [http://religiousstudies.cua.edu/academic.cfm CUA School of Theology and Religious Studies ] ] In order to teach theology at The Catholic University of America, one must be licensed to teach Catholic Theology by the Vatican.

AAUP censure

In 1986, the Vatican declared that Charles E. Curran could no longer teach theology at Catholic University of America schools, because "clashes with church authorities finally culminated in a decision by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, that Curran was neither suitable nor eligible to be a professor of Catholic theology.". [ [http://press.georgetown.edu/detail.html?id=1589010876 Loyal Dissent Memoir of a Catholic Theologian] ]

In 1989, he filed suit against Catholic University and it was determined that the University had the right to fire him for teaching views in contradiction to the school's religion. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1177244.html Curran Loses Suit Against Catholic U.; Theology Professor's Dismissal Upheld] ] However, this was not the first time Curran was removed from his position. [ [http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,941559,00.html An Urge to Retire] Time Magazine July 21, 1967]

In 1990, the American Association of University Professors defended Curran and first censured the Catholic University of America due to its failure to adhere to the AAUP's Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure, and that it found that "unsatisfactory conditions of academic freedom and tenure have been found to prevail" at the Catholic University of America. As of today, the Catholic University remains on the list of censured institutions. The two conditions for having the censure removed are inviting Curran, whose license to teach Catholic Theology had been suspended by the Vatican, back to campus and changing the University's "Statement on Academic Freedom." [http://inside.cua.edu//president.cfm] ] Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, University president, refuses to do either stating, "Every American university has a right to govern itself according to its own identity, mission, standards and procedures."

However, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools stood against the American Association of University Professors, and declared "the right of an institution to pursue its established educational purpose," supports the "governing board" decisions on upholding "the interests of the founders, the supporting religious group, the supporting governmental agency, or other supporting party." [ [http://www.ewtn.com/library/ACADEMIC/CATHACAD.HTM Michael J. Mazza ] ]

peaker policy

The University as a policy does not allow outside guests to speak on campus to any audience if they have previously expressed an opinion on abortion rights (as well as other issues) that conflicts with the Catholic Church's official position. In 2004, CUA came under fire for forbidding Stanley Tucci from presenting in a seminar about Italian cinema (after he was already scheduled to do so), because he had lent past support for Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/694407201.html?dids=694407201:694407201&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&fmac=&date=Sep+17%2C+2004&author=Amy+Argetsinger&desc=Catholic+U.+Bars+Actor-Activist+at+Forum Washington Post, September 17, 2004] ]

In a letter to the campus that next month, CUA President David O'Connell wrote:

I consider any pro-choice advocacy — whether deliberate or accidental, whether presented under the guise of academic freedom or right to free speech — as incompatible with that fidelity and not worthy of The Catholic University of America. [ [http://inside.cua.edu/041008/president.cfm InsideCUA Online ] ]

The next year, in 2005, the school was criticized for initially rejecting an application for a student chapter of the NAACP; one of the reasons officials cited in its rejection was the national organization's pro-choice stance. [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2005/04/22/News/Year-In.Review.Times.Marked.By.Controversy.And.Frustration-936838.shtml The Tower, April 22, 2005] ] In 2006 the CUA administration barred a student-run on-campus performance of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. The Editorial Board of the student newspaper "The Tower," in supporting the decision to ban the production, stated that "as much as we love variety, diversity and open-mindedness, this University is not the best place for that to flourish." [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2006/02/03/Forum/University.Stance.Not.A.Shock-1598989.shtml The Tower, February 3, 2006] ]

In the news

Catholic University is frequently mentioned in newspapers, local and national television news channels, and Internet-based news organizations. The university and its faculty are most often in the news regarding Catholic and social justice issues.

Members of the Catholic University administration and other school officials were frequently interviewed by news organizations after the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005Fact|date=October 2007. Three years later, media organizations flocked to the university for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI; the pope held speeches and meetings at the university's Pryzbyla Center, as well as neighboring National Shrine and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. The university's transportation and electronic infrastructure, as well as the accessibility of renowned faculty, made it a media hub during his days visiting Washington, DC. Besides the president of the university, dozens of CUA faculty, staff and students were interviewed by local, national, and international news organizations.

CUA is frequently mentioned by D.C. news organizations regarding public safety. The school is located in the historic Brookland neighborhood, a relatively crime-prone area.Fact|date=July 2007 CUA has tended to be somewhat insulated from crime. A sharp upswing of student muggings and on-campus carjackings during the 2005-2006 year was the catalyst of a security overhaul that resulted in a campus-wide network of security camera and increased Department of Public Safety presence in all locations and at all hours. On-campus crime has since dropped significantly.

In early 2007, Antonella Barba, a junior architecture major at Catholic University, made it to the top 13 on the sixth season of the popular FOX show, American Idol. [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2007/02/16/News/Barba.Will.Continue.On.In.American.Idols.final.24-2730808.shtml Barba Will Continue On in American Idol's 'Final 24' - News ] ] Controversy arose when pictures were shown of her posing with a wet T-shirt on in the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. [ [http://media.www.cuatower.com/media/storage/paper225/news/2007/03/09/News/Barba.Eliminated.From.Idol.After.Photo.Controversy-2771801.shtml Barba Eliminated From Idol After Photo Controversy - News ] ] Other nude pictures of her appeared on the Internet soon afterward. Although frequently criticized by the judges, she was able to make it so far in the show thanks to the Vote for the Worst campaign. She was voted off of the show before she made it to the top 12 contestants.

In 2006, the school received some press attention after pictures of the women's lacrosse team were posted to the Internet, "allegedly showing a male stripper at an off-campus freshman initiation party." [ [http://www.nbc4.com/news/9237806/detail.html Catholic U Investigates Alleged Women's Lacrosse Hazing - News Story - WRC | Washington ] ] The story was eventually picked up by ESPN; the university suspended the team, and the players issued an apology to the school and the student body in a letter published in the student newspaper.

In 2007, the university hosted the Opus Prize, a program established by the The Opus Group to reward humanitarian activities. The three finalists were:
*Father John Adams (of SOME ("So Others Might Eat"), which serves the poor and homeless in Washington, D.C.);
*Brother Stan Goetschalckx, F.C. (founder and director of AHADI International Institute in Tanzania, which educates refugees from Congo, Rwanda and Burundi); and
*Vincentian priest Rev. Norberto Carcellar C.M., (of the Homeless People's Federation Philippines, which helped squatters in Payatas, Quezon City, Philippines living on garbage dump).Br. Goetschalckx was awarded the Opus Prize [ [http://www.opusprize.org/winners/winners.cfm 2007 Opus Prize Winners.] ] in November 2007. [See [http://opusprize.cua.edu/ CUA's web page covering Opus Prize-related events.] ]

Notable faculty

* Maria Sophia Aguirre, Professor of Economics, Presidential appointee to the State Department's Advisory Commission on Foreign Diplomacy.
* Margaret Martin Barry, Columbus School of Law, Fulbright Scholar
* Sharon Christman (School of music, voice chair), former Metropolitan Opera star
* Clyde Cowan, co-discoverer of the neutrino
* Dean Murry Sidlin, (School of Music, Dean), Director of the Institute of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival.
* Monsignor Brian Ferme, dean and professor in the School of Canon Law, has served as a consultor for Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2000. He also serves as a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and a referendarius of the Apostolic Signatura.
* Katharine L. Jensen, professor of History, Fulbright Scholar
* Oleg Kalugin, former KGB spy
* Sister Rose McDermott, S.S.J., associate professor of canon law, has served as a consultor for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
* Rev. Paul McPartlan, Carl J. Peter Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism, in 2004 was appointed to the International Theological Commission, which advises the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
* Nelson Minnich, School of Theology and Religious Studies, a member of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences
* Very Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., university president, consultor to the Congregation for Catholic Education
* Monsignor Robert Trisco, professor emeritus of theology and religious studies, a member of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences.
* Daniel Saalfeld, English lecturer, Fulbright Scholar
* Monsignor John Wippel, foremost English-speaking scholar on the thought of Thomas Aquinas.
* Theo Holm (1854-1932), botanist [ [http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1220834 Tucker, A.O., Poston, M.E. & Iltis, H.H. (1989) History of the LCU Herbarium, 1895-1986. Taxon 38 (2): 196-203.] ]
* Carl Amery, German writer [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/carl-amery-502619.html Carl Amery - Obituaries] The Independent, accessed: 6 August 2008]

Notable alumni

There are many notable alumni of The Catholic University of America, particularly in the arts, in the Church and in public service. Graduates include numerous cardinals, bishops, priests and nuns. CUA's Current total of Alumni has grown to 83,000 and growing.

Members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, ambassadors, governors, state legislators, mayors, and judges have also attended CUA. Additionally, many notable actors, playwrights, and columnists are alumni in addition to film, theatrical and television producers. Others include CEOs, scholars and university presidents.

University rectors and president

# Bishop John J. Keane (1887–1896)
# Bishop Thomas J. Conaty (1896–1903)
# Bishop Denis J. O'Connell (1903–1909)
# Bishop Thomas J. Shahan (1909–1927)
# Bishop James Hugh Ryan (1928–1935)
# Bishop Joseph M. Corrigan (1936–1942)
# Bishop Patrick J. McCormick (1943–1953)
# Bishop Bryan J. McEntegart (1953–1957)
# Bishop William J. McDonald (1957–1967, last Rector)
# Clarence C. Walton, Ph.D. (1969–1978, first President)
# Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D. (1978–1982)
# Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. (1982–1992)
# Brother Patrick Ellis, F.S.C. (1992–1998)
# Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., J.C.D. (1998–present)

Board of Trustees

CUA was founded by the nation's bishops, and they continue to have a strong presence on the Board of Trustees to this day. Of the 51 trustees (a figure which includes O’Connell) 24 of them are bishops and eight are cardinals. In addition, there are one nun and two priests.

References

External links

* [http://www.cua.edu/ Official website]

* cite web
url = gnis3|531457
title = Catholic University of America
work = Geographic Names Information System
publisher = USGS
accessdate = 2008-05-07