|
The good news is that spring has arrived! The recent snows have melted and flowers
are popping up all around. You might
be interested to know that the President’s Day snowstorm cost the university
$120,000 in unanticipated, and therefore unbudgeted, expenses, not to mention
the hours and hours of effort by our staff in facilities maintenance and
operations! These folks have been
labeled “snow heroes” — many of them staying overnight on campus to get the
parking lots and access roads cleared.
The staff in public safety, housing and residential services, and
Sodexho dining services did yeoman’s service in keeping everyone on campus
safe, well fed and sheltered. I know that I speak for everyone in thanking
personnel from all of these areas for their dedication and hard work. I hope
you’ll all read the accompanying article in this issue of Inside about
how staff helped us to survive the great storm of 2003.
Of course, the biggest news on campus these days is the
Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.
What a tremendous facility and a great boost to campus life — as I
have said frequently, “a living room” for the university community. As might be expected with any new home,
there are about 3,000 items on a “punch list” — a “touch up” list for the
building contractors — that need to be addressed as well as some aesthetic
additions. It was my hope that we
would open the center before this year’s graduation so that our seniors and
other graduating students could have the chance to enjoy “the Pryz” before
heading off into the world! Many
wonderful events are being planned for the new building, including
performances by our music school of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS at the inaugural
President’s Concert on April 5-6. The
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will be honored at the concert
on Saturday, April 5. For other
details of the week’s activities, please refer to http://pryzbyla.cua.edu/ and
http://www.cua.edu. I want to express a public word of thanks to so many
people who have been involved in preparations leading to the opening of the
Pryzbyla Center: ·
First and foremost, to its principal benefactor,
the late Edward J. Pryzbyla, Class of 1925. God be good to him. Without his encouragement and generosity,
this dream could never have been realized.
Although Eddie has passed away, his memory will live on for
generations to come in the center that lovingly bears his name. ·
To Ralph Beaudoin, Craig Parker and their staffs
for helping to secure D.C. revenue bonds that enabled CUA to meet
construction costs for the Pryz, the two Millennium residence halls, the library
renovations under the direction of Adele Chwalek and a number of other campus
projects. ·
To the District of Columbia for making those
revenue bonds available, enabling us to implement our plans. ·
To former CUA trustee Toni Bischoff and alumna
Molly Bryson for keeping the dream of a university center alive and before
our minds over these many years. ·
To the trustees themselves for approving the
project. ·
To the planning committee chaired by Margaret
Higgins and staffed by members representing the entire university community. ·
To Susan Pervi, Bill Jonas and the past and present
staffs of the Division of Student Life. ·
To Carl Petchik and his staff for all the work
involved (and ahead of them!). ·
And to the entire university community for its
patience during construction. There are so many other people who’ve played a role in
this project but whose names are not listed here. They also deserve our
enduring gratitude for contributions made to this wonderful university
accomplishment. Thank you one and
all. There is other interesting and important news to
report. On Thursday afternoon, March
20, the university community saluted its members who have retired or are
about to retire from university service — after collectively contributing 600
years of such service! Despite the
rain, many members of the CUA faculty, administration and staff turned out in
the law school atrium to pay tribute to their colleagues. Touching messages were shared by
supervisors and the retirees themselves, reflecting their experiences at the
university. This is a great occasion
— the second year of a new tradition — that is worth putting on your
calendars! I invite you to read the
article about our retirees in this issue of Inside. Undergraduate enrollment projections for the fall indicate
that we can anticipate a freshmen class of approximately 700 students. That number falls about 60 students short
of our FY04 budget projection. The
staffs of our enrollment management operation, both admissions/recruitment
and financial aid, have been working virtually around the clock to attract
and recruit an excellent class, and I am so grateful for their efforts and
the involvement of so many faculty and staff in this critically important
venture. The lower numbers mean that
we will have to adjust the anticipated university budget. These are difficult economic times and the
high cost of education as well as fierce competition in the market are having
an impact on us. There is some
anecdotal concern about the adverse effect of the threat of terrorism in
Washington, but CUA and other local universities have no real evidence to
support that suggestion. In fact, our
graduate applications are up across the board. While this is good news for many reasons, the institution’s
budget is predicated upon estimates of the number of entering freshmen. This underscores the importance of keeping
the university’s profile high, providing an education that is second to none,
marketing strategically, creating a good campus environment and
strengthening/promoting our distinct niche as the nation’s Catholic
university. CUA received a $1 million gift from the Bureau of Catholic
Indian Missions to support the recruitment of qualified Native American
undergraduate students. Our thanks to
the Bureau’s board headed by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and the Bureau’s
director, CUA trustee emeritus Monsignor Paul Lenz, for their efforts to
secure this gift for the university.
It will become available for the recruitment cycle for the 2004-2005
academic year. Some faculty members have inquired about the conferral of Benemerenti
medals, last distributed in February 1995.
I have been informed that there has been some change in the practice
of the Holy See regarding the number of papal honors that can be conferred at
a given time. Cardinal McCarrick and
I have been working on this together.
The wonderful practice of honoring our faculty members who have given
25 years of continuous service to CUA is something that should be continued
and celebrated. I will let you know
when I learn of the disposition of these honors. As you know, one of our students contracted meningitis in
late March and is currently recovering, albeit slowly, in a Washington, D.C.,
hospital. The hospital staff have
been extraordinarily kind and supportive of the student and his parents. No other incidents of the disease have
been reported. I am grateful to the
staffs of our health center, to the Division of Student Life and to Campus
Ministry for their quick, careful and care-filled response. The School of Architecture and Planning is currently under
accreditation review by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The site visit is scheduled for March 31 –
April 2. I wish the outstanding
faculty, administration, staff and students of the school every success. All of us at CUA are so proud of you and
your accomplishments. Our hearts continue to be heavy about the ongoing war in
Iraq. Please continue to pray for
peace and in that prayer beg the God of Peace to keep our women and men in
military service in his loving and protective embrace. Thank
you for your daily efforts to strengthen and support The Catholic University
of America. God bless you all and God
bless America! |
