Aug. 21, 2013
New students are set to arrive at The Catholic University of America for Orientation 2013 on Thursday, Aug. 22. The move-in date for returning students is Saturday, Aug. 24.
Solar Decathlon On Tuesday, Aug. 27 , members of Team Capitol DC will unveil their one-of-a-kind energy-efficient Harvest Home, which has been constructed on campus next to Father O'Connell Hall over the past year. Media are invited to tour the house and talk to students between 10 and 11 a.m.
On Wednesday, Aug. 28 , CUA students, faculty, staff, and project sponsors are invited to a send-off party at 2 p.m. A house blessing will be given at 3 p.m. by Rev. Jude DeAngelo, O.F.M. Conv., University chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, followed by open tours for students and faculty until 5:30 p.m. Afterward, the house will be disassembled and shipped to Irvine, Calif., for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.
Team Capitol DC - which includes students from Catholic, George Washington, and American universities - is one of 20 teams from around the world participating in the Solar Decathlon. The competition takes place at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine Oct. 3 through 13.
Harvest Home will educate the public about opportunities presented by clean-energy products, and it gives student participants unique training in a built project, preparing them to enter our nation's workforce.
Following the competition, Harvest House will be donated to Wounded Warrior Homes, a nonprofit organization that helps returning combat veterans to recuperate. It will serve as a transitional home for soldiers returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mass of the Holy Spirit The Catholic University of America community will gather to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29 , at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Great Upper Church.
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and chancellor of the University, will serve as the main celebrant and homilist. University President John Garvey will address the congregation following Communion.
The Mass - which draws heavy attendance by students, faculty, and staff and fills the Great Upper Church of the Basilica - marks the official start of the academic year at Catholic University and other Catholic educational institutions, a practice that goes back to the universities of medieval Europe. It will be televised live for the fourth consecutive year by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). Classes will be cancelled between 12:10 and 2:10 p.m. for students, faculty, and staff to attend the Mass.
New Programs The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers a bachelor of arts in Italian Studies. This interdisciplinary program ranges from introductory surveys of Italian literature and film through period and genre offerings to seminars treating individual major authors and cultural topics. The program's interdisciplinary focus reflects the department's interest in pursuing the study of language, literature, film, and culture from a comprehensive perspective.
The School of Business and Economics offers three new master's programs this academic year, one in partnership with the Columbus School of Law.
• The Master of Arts in Integral Economic Development Policy program - the first of its kind nationally and internationally - offers students the opportunity to learn an integral economic approach for both policy design and impact evaluation. Students may follow a two-year, full-time course sequence or they may choose a part-time option.
• A Master of Science in Accounting allows students who have completed an undergraduate degree in accounting or an equivalent bachelor's degree the opportunity to complete the 150 credit hours needed to be eligible for the CPA exam and license. The M.S.A. is designed to be completed in one year (two semesters) of full-time study by students. The M.S.A. degree may also be completed on a part-time basis.
• In the joint Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Business Analysis program, students will take their first year of law and then continue with the M.S.B.A. - a one-year master's in business degree for non-business majors. Students will complete their degree with three semesters of law.
MEDIA: To arrange interviews or to attend events referenced above, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy Hines in the Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600.
TV crews seeking B-roll footage of new students on campus can get video by attending CUA's new student Orientation, to be held Thursday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 25.
CUA admissions, housing, student life, and Orientation staff are available to comment for back-to-school stories. To arrange interviews or other coverage, call Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy Hines at 202-319-5600.