Catholic University of America Chooses New President: John H. Garvey
New Catholic University president attended Notre Dame in 1970 and law school at Harvard in 1974
Garvey, a 61-year-old father of five who has served as dean of the Boston College Law School since 1999, will replace Fr. David M. O'Connell, who was recently appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey.
On Tuesday, Catholic University of America announced that Boston College law school dean, John H. Garvey, will be its new president.
PrintWASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - On Tuesday, Catholic University of America announced that Boston College law school dean, John H. Garvey, will be its new president.
Garvey, a 61-year-old father of five who has served as dean of the Boston College Law School since 1999, will replace Fr. David M. O'Connell, who was recently appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey.
According to his Boston College biography, the new Catholic University president attended Notre Dame in 1970 and law school at Harvard in 1974. He later served as assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General during Ronald Reagan's administration and taught at various schools before coming to Boston College in 1999. At the age of 34, Garvey was elected to the American Law Institute.
Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, who chairs the university's board of trustees and led the search for the new president, told the Washington Post on Tuesday that he fully expects Garvey to continue the work of reclaiming the Catholic identity of the university, despite the general surprise over the school choosing a layman as leader.
"The board would have seen a lot of advantages to having a priest be the president, but in the end the board asked the search committee to put forward the best candidates," Archbishop Vigneron explained.
The Detroit archbishop then praised the newly elected president for his legal expertise and experience.
"I'm very grateful that he's an accomplished scholar, and I think he brings from his legal scholarship a lot of wisdom about the church's place in contemporary society," the prelate noted.
"He's a very thoughtful man, very measured. He tries to bring light and insight to matters about which there's a lot of argument."
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This couldn't be more disappointing. The Catholic identity is withering in our Univeristy system and this is another big blow. There is little refuge for young adults. It's not suprising we continue to see this demographic fade from the faith. Our Universities/schools fail to challenge and engage them with truth. John Garvey...one more, amidst the multitude of lefty idealouges saturating our campuses.
What the!? Comment #1 raises some good questions indeed.
Another sad moment in American Catholic higher education history. I can't wait to see Garvey award Obama an honorary degree.
This is a very unfortunate choice and will halt and reverse the good work Father O'Connell has done to re-orientate CUA towards a faithfully authentic Catholic identity. Mr Garvey has defended and honored pro-abortion politicians like Ed Markey, Mario Cuomo and has donated to pro abort John Kerry's presidential campaign.
Given that his record and his philosophy are easy to find, how can the bishops justify his selection, and worse since Vatican approval is required, how could his essays and opinions questioning Church authority go unnoticed?