From the President's Desk

Columns by John Garvey published in Inside CUA, the online newspaper of The Catholic University of America

May 2012: President John Garvey writes about notable April events and provides a roundup of some significant events that occurred during this academic year.

April 2012: President John Garvey writes about the Cardinal Service Commitment, a sustainability pledge he signed, upcoming events, and more.

March 2012: President John Garvey writes about a recent mandate by the Department of Health and Human Services that affects Catholic University and reports on his upcoming travels in March.

February 2012: President John Garvey writes about a multi-media event to celebrate the University's 125th anniversary, the University Master Plan, the Solar Decathlon, and more.

December 2011: Updates on the Strategic Plan, the Master Plan, Hartke Week, South Campus, and the Cardinal Service Commitment. 

November 2011: President Garvey reflects on Alumni and Reunions Weekend, the installation of the new rector for Theological College, and this month dedicated to remembrance and thanks.

October 2011: An update on earthquake damage and a report on the Board of Trustees retreat in Rome.

August-September 2011: Undergraduate  education and undergraduate student life will be the focus of John Garvey's attention in his second year as president.

May 2011: President Garvey reflects on his first year as president and writes about short and long-term plans for the University.

April 2011: John Garvey reflects on the virtue of fortitude and its role in CUA althetics.

March 2011: The President reports on the strategic planning process and the master plan kickoff. He also reflects on the passing of Rev. Kurt Pritzl, O.P., dean of the School of Philosophy.

February 2011: Reflections on his inauguration, information about inaugural year programs, and a shout-out to the athletic department.

December 2010: Honoring outstanding faculty, cheering on the CUA men's basketball team, and a trip to Rome to witness two CUA graduates become cardinals are among the events highlighted in the President's monthly column.

November 2010: John Garvey reports on a successful Homecoming and Reunions Weekend, the attention of five U.S. Supreme Court justices, and expanding CUA's outreach to Hispanic communities.

October 2010: Reflections on the vibrancy of the Catholic faith on campus, outstanding student leadership, homecoming and CUA's first nighttime football game under the new lights at Cardinal Stadium.

September 2010: In his first column for Inside CUA, President  Garvey writes about the largest freshman class in CUA history, the Mass of the Holy Spirit, South Campus development and more.

President's Forum

Columns written by John Garvey for CUA Magazine.
 

Alumni, We Hear You
Fall 2011
President Garvey reviews the results of a comprehensive survey of Catholic University alumni.

Back in the Classroom
Spring 2011
President Garvey is teaching an undergraduate course in Constitutional Law. He says it helps him stay connected to students and to the heart of academia.

Filling an Empty Nest
Fall 2010
Catholic University's students help John and Jeanne Garvey through a parental transition.

Articles by John Garvey

Essays and articles published outside of The Catholic University of America.

Religious Liberty?
Feb. 19, 2012, Chicago Tribune
University President John Garvey wrote a Feb. 19 op-ed about religious liberty.

Don't Trample Religious Freedom
Dec. 7, 2011, The Baltimore Sun
Commentary on the recent statement on religious liberty issued by Maryland's Catholic bishops.

Catholic University's Same-sex Dorms Foster Friendship, Respect
Dec. 1, 2011, The Washington Post
John Garvey responds to criticism of his decision to reinstate same-sex residence halls at Catholic University.

HHS’s Birth-control Rules Intrude on Catholic Values
Sept. 30, 2011, The Washington Post
President John Garvey criticizes new federal rules that require Catholic institutions to provide health insurance coverage for birth control.
 

Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection
Aug. 1, 2011, America
The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act would prevent any new health care mandates from infringing upon the rights of conscience that Americans currently enjoy.

Why We're Going Back to Single-Sex Dorms
June 13, 2011, The Wall Street Journal
Here is one simple step colleges can take to reduce both binge drinking and hooking up: Go back to single-sex residences.
 

The Idea of a Catholic University
November 2010, First Things
What distinguishes a Catholic university from others is a focus on uniting intellect and virtue, where the pursuit of truth is in harmony with loving and serving God.

Interviews and Other Articles

Garvey Testifies before House Committee
Feb. 16, 2012
President Garvey testified at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding the Department of Health and Human Services mandate requiring religious institutions to cover contraceptive services.

Still Seeking Answers to Life's Deepest Questions
Aug. 25, 2011
Ilsussudiario.net

On the Record with John Garvey
Aug. 17, 2011
National Catholic Register

A Year Later, CUA Chief Garvey Settles In
June 9, 2011
The Washington Times

Archive of Garvey's writings prior to 2010

Speeches by John Garvey

Transcripts of addresses given by Catholic University's 15th president.

125th Anniversary Founders Day Speech
April 10, 2012
President Garvey congratulated the University community on exceeding the goal of 125,000 hours of service to mark the school’s 125th anniversary.

Remarks at 9/11 Mass of Remembrance
Sept. 11, 2011
On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, CUA students gathered for Mass in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. President Garvey delivered a reflection after Communion.

Remarks on 9/11 Day of Service
Sept. 10, 2011
After the president spoke about the meaning of service in remembrance of 9/11, he spent the day working with students at one of the service sites. 

Remarks at the Mass of the Holy Spirit
Sept. 1, 2011
President Garvey challenged the CUA community to perform 125,000 hours of service in honor of the University's 125th anniversary.

Address at CUA's 122nd Annual Commencement
May 14, 2011
President Garvey's first commencement speech at Catholic University focused on the virtue of mercy.

Inaugural Address – "Intellect and Virtue: The Idea of a Catholic University"
Jan. 25, 2011
At his inauguration as the 15th President of The Catholic University of America, John Garvey proposed that “the cultivation of virtue prepares the ground for the work of the intellect.”

Post-Communion Remarks for the Mass of the Holy Spirit
Sept. 2, 2010
In his first address to the entire CUA community, Garvey offered reflections on the role of faith in the life of the university.

Catholic News Service Columns

Fasting Builds Spiritual Muscle
March 16, 2012
Voluntary sacrifices prepare us to bear, with a Christian spirit and without whining, the deprivations we will inevitably suffer in life.

Is Anybody Out There?
Jan. 30, 2012
As Catholics, we believe that God created the whole universe, visible and invisible. If there is other life out there, it would only add to God’s greatness, to our own insignificance, and to his love for us despite our insignificance.

Where Have All the Heroes Gone?
Jan. 02, 2012
Reflecting on the example of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, Garvey writes, "Boys and girls need heroes. It would be great if they picked saints, but there is no harm in admiring athletes, too, if those athletes live virtuous lives."

Muslim Students at The Catholic University of America
Nov. 28, 2011
Contrary to ideas expressed in a lawsuit against CUA by a self-appointed advocate for Muslim students, when it comes to issues of religious liberty, all faiths are on the same side.

'The Better Angels of Our Nature'
Oct. 24, 2011
It is right to punish criminals to redress the harm that they have caused. But the better understanding of the Gospel is that we should stop short of killing.

'A Fallen World'
Oct. 3, 2011
Jesus told us that we will always have the poor with us. But he also said that, when the Son of Man returns in glory to welcome the just into heaven, he will focus on their personal attempts to do what is right: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me."

'Preventive Services'
Aug. 29, 2011
Is pregnancy a disease? Should Catholics, purchasing insurance for themselves or their employees be forced against their consciences to subsidize its prevention? These questions lie at the heart of new regulations just issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Why We Need Catholic Teachers
Aug. 1, 2011
Many people in academia have questioned the value of a requirement to recruit and appoint Catholics as professors. It is an important question, given Americans’ aversion to hiring quotas and the apparent irrelevance of religion in certain areas of study.

Is the Pope Catholic? Just Ask the National Labor Relations Board
July 4, 2011
Which schools are Catholic and which are not? And who decides? Even the church’s modern-day efforts to assert itself as the arbiter – beginning with the 1990 apostolic constitution “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” – have proven somewhat controversial.

Killing bin Laden
May 30, 2011
On the night that we learned of Osama bin Laden’s death, I was tempted to rejoice. If I had been downtown, I might have at least considered joining the flash mob that showed up a few miles from our campus at the White House to celebrate the death of the world’s most famous and feared Islamic terrorist.

The School of Virtue
May 2, 2011
Our culture has a tendency to idealize youth and downplay the importance of age and experience. As a result, young people may not realize, until they are much older, the value that their parents added to their own character and understanding.

The Doctor's Freedom of Conscience
March 28, 2011
One mark of a free society is that its government does not criminalize virtue or compel formal cooperation in evil.

Newman on Intellect and Virtue
March 7, 2011, CNS
When Pope Benedict XVI beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman in September, he did so to draw our eye to his example and teachings -- particularly to the vision he had for Catholic intellectual life in the modern world.

Appointing Bishops, from Henry IV to Hu Jintao
Jan. 31, 2011, CNS
Most people know that the College of Cardinals elects the pope. But most do not know the origins of the college in a heated 11th-century dispute over the powers of church and state.

The Habit and the Veil
Dec. 27, 2010
France's recently enacted ban on women wearing veils in public would never survive a challenge in American courts.

Going Postal
Nov. 29, 2010, CNS
Prolonged exposure to gratuitous violence, even the virtual violence of video games, is likely to have a bad effect on children’s formation.

Religious Liberty and American Muslims
Sept. 27, 2010, CNS
As Catholics in the public square, our integrity and our hope to be credible moral voices require us to stand up for the religious freedom of all Americans – including the Muslims at ground zero.