September 13, 2018
President Garvey and faculty members take a group picture at the fall faculty luncheon
Five faculty members were honored with awards recognizing their service to the community and academic life of the University. The awards were distributed by University President John Garvey, with Provost Andrew Abela, at The Catholic University of America’s fall faculty luncheon on Sept. 6.

Honorees included Melissa Grady of the National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS); Greg Doolan of the School of Philosophy; Nalini Jairath of the School of Nursing; Matthias Vorwerk of the School of Philosophy, and Thérèse-Anne Druart of the School of Philosophy.

Grady, an associate professor, has been a member of the NCSSS faculty since 2011, and has worked as a private practice clinician in the D.C. area since 2012. She was honored for her service as the inaugural chair of the University Research Day committee, a title she has held since 2016.

Doolan, an associate professor, earned both his M.A. and his Ph.D. from Catholic University and has served on the philosophy faculty since 2005. His areas of expertise include metaphysics, medieval philosophy, and St. Thomas Aquinas. He was honored for his work as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Renewal during the 2017-18 academic year. As part of the committee, Doolan was responsible for examining the Academic Renewal plans and collecting feedback from the University community.

Jairath has been an associate professor in the School of Nursing since 2004, and was the dean of the school from 2004 to 2010. Vorwerk has been a professor in the School of Philosophy since 2003 and has been the associate dean of the school since 2011. Together, Jairath and Vorwerk were honored for their service as co-chairs of the General Education Curriculum Committee, which worked to develop the mission-focused Core Curriculum that was put into effect with the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year.

Druart, professor of philosophy and former director of the Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies, was honored for her years of service as Faculty Marshall, a title she has held since 2003. With plans to retire this year, Druart will carry the ceremonial mace for the last time during the 2019 Commencement Ceremony.

“There are many things that have changed over the past decade and more,” Abela said. “One thing has not changed, for many years — for 15 years in fact — but is about to. Through rain or shine, heat or cold (usually heat), every faculty procession has been led by our indomitable University Marshall, Dr. Thérèse-Anne Druart.”