Aug. 26, 2010
In three afternoon sessions, approximately 1,000 incoming freshmen were welcomed to CUA.
John H. Garvey, president of the university, offered his first welcoming remarks at a Catholic University orientation. He was named president this summer.
Garvey and his wife Jeanne are the parents of 5 children. "I have sat where you are sitting five times," he said. "And we, like all parents, have experienced our fair share of worries."
Garvey discussed the meaning of "The Catholic University of America" and the history of the school.
The word "Catholic" he said, "is not a vestige of our founding. It is integral to who we are." An education at CUA is "not just about sharpening the mind," he said, "but also about the cultivation of virtue."
He encouraged students to "explore the different corners of the academic world as you will the corners of the city." The city itself is part of a student's education here, he said.
Orientation advisers Rachel Gazzerro, a senior French and politics major from Warwick, Md., and Andrew Laux, a junior architecture major from Newtown, Pa., welcomed the new students to their "new home away from home."
They offered advice such as "get involved" and "make it the best or make it the worst, it is your choice."
