Faculty Honored at Spring Luncheon

President shakes hands with Virgil P. Nemoianu
University President shakes hands with Virgil P. Nemoianu, who was honored earlier this week for his Achievement in Research.

Three faculty members at The Catholic University of America were honored for their achievements in research and the creative arts May 5 during the Spring Faculty Luncheon held in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. Also honored were 10 retiring faculty members from the schools of arts and sciences, nursing, philosophy, and social service. 

Rev. Mark Morozowich, interim provost, spoke at the luncheon, thanking all faculty members for their service and sharing highlights of the honorees’ academic careers. University President John Garvey also delivered remarks. 

Diane Bunce, who was recently appointed vice provost for teaching and learning, spoke briefly about the University’s newly established Teaching and Learning Center, which will connect faculty across disciplines in order to strengthen teaching at all levels. 

“I’d like to see the University take on the center as a way to reinvigorate itself,” Bunce said. “Everybody here has a talent when it comes to teaching. We would like to find those talents, publicize them, build on them, and then turn that talent into service for those who may need help at the moment.” 

The professors who received awards were Virgil P. Nemoianu, Leo C. Nestor, and John Kenneth White. Their accomplishments are described below. 

Achievement in Research

Virgil P. Nemoianu,
 William J. Byron Distinguished Professor of Literature and professor of philosophy 
Nemoianu is the author of 16 books and more than 500 articles. He has received numerous fellowships and many awards, including the Vatican Library Medal (1998) and Romania’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of commander (2010). Nemoianu's chief fields of research are European Romanticism, the intellectual history of the 19th and 20th centuries, and aesthetic theory. His work has been translated into several languages, including German, Hungarian, Spanish, and Georgian.

Honorees John Kenneth White and Leo Nestor are seen with President Garvey and Father Mark Morozowich, interim provost.

John Kenneth White, professor of politics 
White has been on the University faculty for 25 years in the Department of Politics. He has written six books in the field of American government and politics, co-authored two works, and co-edited eight additional volumes, including two very recent books with Professor Sandra Hanson from CUA’s sociology department. White also has published more than 30 book chapters and several refereed journal articles in highly regarded peer reviewed academic journals, including Polity,Perspectives in Political Science, the British Journal of American Studies, and Public Opinion. White’s work covers a broad spectrum of American politics — from the influence of the Cold War on American politics and elections, to the transformative politics of the Reagan presidency, to the values divide of the 21st century. 

Scholarly Achievement in the Creative Arts

Leo C. Nestor, Justine Bayard Ward Professor of Music and director of choral studies and the Institute of Sacred Music 
Nestor is a member of the conducting faculty and cooperating member of the composition faculty. He conducts the CUA Chamber Choir and University Singers, teaches undergraduate conducting, and guides the formation of graduate students in choral music and musica sacra. An expert in Catholic sacred music, Nestor is a prolific composer whose settings of traditional Latin texts have been performed in many countries. He is also an internationally respected choral conductor and pedagogue in sacred music. 

Retiring faculty who were honored at the luncheon include: 
School of Arts and Sciences
Leonard DeFiore, Department of Education
Barbara Howard, Department of Biology
Hanna Marks, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
J. Michael Mullins, Department of Biology
Irene Slagle, Department of Chemistry
Rev. Paul Sullins, Department of Sociology

National Catholic School of Social Service
Susanne Bennett
Sister Ann Patrick Conrad

School of Nursing
Mary Paterson
School of Philosophy
Richard Hassing 

Click here to read more about retiring professors.