Volume 1, Issue 1
The Crozier
The Cathol i c University o f America
Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Buatti
2
Odyssey of The Odyssey 2
Two Generation of Honors Students
2
Notes from Across the Pond
3
Defiant Requiem at the Kennedy Center
3
Living and Learning Com-munity
3
Letter from the Director 4
Inside this issue:
Fall 2010
Our Honors alumni gath-
ered to celebrate 25 years
of the Honors Program
over Homecoming week-
end. The Friday night re-
ception featured a roundta-
ble discussion on Catholic
education in the 21st cen-
tury. CUA’s new presi-
dent, John Garvey, kicked
off the discussion with a
short talk on his views on
Catholic Higher Education.
Six alumni led the panel,
speaking on their educa-
tional and professional
experiences.The panelist
included Anthony Buatti
(‘08), Fr. Kyle Ingels (‘99),
Sarah Litke (’06), Dr.
Brian Flanagan (‘99), Molly
Bryson, Esq. (‘93), and
Nicole Firment (’07). Each
panelist spoke on the ef-
fects that Catholic educa-
tion has had on their per-
sonal lives and careers.
The Honors Program was
founded by Dr. Ingrid
Merkel with a grant from
the National Endowment
from the Humanities in
1985. Dr. Merkel collabo-
rated with other CUA fac-
ulty in applying for the
grant and designing a
unique series of courses for
high achieving students.
Dr . Antonas Suziede l is , Honors Director Dr. Peter Shoemaker, CUA Presi -
dent John Garvey and former Honors Director Dr. Ingrid Merkel
The Honors Program Celebrates 25 Years!
Honors Program
Numbers:
• 118 Freshmen
• 370 Students in the Honors
Program
• 15 Honors courses offered
this semester
• 13 Honors courses offered in
the Spring
• 1595 Alumni of the Honors
Program
dria and Beyond.” This lecture was
continuing on a common theme for
the class of 2014. Because the in-
coming freshman
class was required
to read The Odyssey
this summer as part
of the First Year
Experience, the
Honors program
took the opportu-
nity to invite a
scholar to provide the students with
a historical perspective on the epic.
Dr. Ferarrio told how the story of
The Odyssey developed over time and
even had students interpreting Lin-
ear B. The event was a roaring suc-
cess with standing room only.
A sound recording of this lecture is
available on our website at
http://honors.cua.edu/about/honorsne
ws.cfm
Wednesday, Oct. 27, the University
Honors Program sponsored a lecture
in the Regan Hall classroom. Dr.
Sarah Ferarrio of
the Greek and Latin
department pre-
sented “The Odyssey
of The Odyssey:
From Bronze Age
Palaces to the Great
Library of Alexan-
I graduated from CUA in 2008 with
a BA in History, minors in Philoso-
phy and TRS, and as a University
Honors Scholar. I found that the
critical thinking skills that I ac-
quired through the UHP were the
perfect fit with tackling educational
inequity, one of
our nation’s
most pressing
civil rights
issues.
Immediately
after graduat-
ing, I joined
Teach For
America
(TFA)’s 2008
Corps and left for Phoenix, AZ,
where I spent two years teaching 3rd
Grade at TG Barr Elementary
School. TFA is one of the many ser-
vice opportunities offered through
AmeriCorps funding and I found it
to be the exact challenge I needed.
It was such an
incredible feel-
ing to be part of
a national
movement that
currently has
8,400 teachers
(most recent
college gradu-
ates) teaching
in 39 of our
country’s most
underprivileged and under-
resourced communities.
In two years I was able to make
significant gains in my students’
education (they learned 1.5 years
worth of material for every year I
taught them) and build incredible
relationships with the teachers,
administrators, and community
members in Phoenix. As a direct
result of the training that TFA gave
me, the relationships I built, and
the efforts that we made, I was
awarded the “Beginning Teacher of
the Year” Award for the Roosevelt
School District in the 2008-2009
school year.
Timothy is now the Director of
Drama and Debate at Dowling
Catholic High School in West Des
Moines, Iowa. During his time at
CUA, Timothy completed the tracks
in Humanities, Philosophy, and So-
cial Science. He fondly remembers
the first Honors Convocation, which
took place on the back patio of the
This year the Honors program cele-
brates another milestone. For the
first time, the child of an Honors
alumni is entering the CUA Honors
program. With our incoming fresh-
men came Bridget Sheaff (‘14),
daughter of Timothy Sheaff (‘89).
Timothy was the Honor Program’s
first University Scholar.
President’s residence at Nugent
Hall. Bridget is following in her
father’s footsteps by majoring in
Drama.
Sheaff celebrated this progression,
saying, “At no point during my time
at Brookland did I imagine this
turn of events.”
The Odyssey of The Odyssey: The Honors Fall Lecture
Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Buatti (‘08)
Two Generations of Honors Students
PAGE 2 THE CROZIER VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
The incoming Freshman class
was required to read The
Odyssey this summer
Each semester, a number of stu-
dents from the University Honors
Program are selected to study
abroad at the University of Oxford.
This fall, five juniors from the Hon-
ors Program took advantage of this
magnificent opportunity.
Students can study either during
the Michelmas Term (fall semester)
or the Hilary Term (spring semes-
ter), and have the option of taking
a seminar on C.S. Lewis, Shake-
speare, or British Politics, along
with two tutorials. Tutorials are
one-on-one with the professor
(called a tutor) and the student.
The program of study for Oxford is
particularly challenging as students
are required to
produce a pa-
per for each of
their classes
every week.
Yet, the chal-
lenge is part of
the appeal for
our students.
The majority of
their research
is done in the
Bodleian, one
of the world’s most prominent and
beautiful libraries.
In their leisure time, students can
join Oxford University student
groups and sports teams, as well as
attend High
Table, the offi-
cial college
dinners, and
attend formal
college balls.
This semester
our students
have gone
boating on the
Thames,
watched the
Wickerman
burn on Guy Fawkes Day and
attended debates and a ball at the
Oxford Union.
The Honors program is thrilled to
be sending seven students to Oxford
this upcoming spring semester.
Dr. Taryn Okuma and Dr. Daniel-
Gibbons, the faculty-in-residence,
host an afternoon tea for students
in their Regan apartment. The stu-
dents enjoy this opportunity to un-
wind and to bond with the faculty
and their 3 year old son, Simon. On
Sept. 26, the Honors Community
sponsored a trip to the Shakespeare
The Honors Living and Learning
community in Regan Hall has been
very busy this semester. The Hon-
ors program admitted 118 incoming
freshmen into the program this
year, and the majority of these in-
coming students participate in the
Living and Learning Community in
Regan Hall. Every other Friday,
Theater Company’s production of
All’s Well That Ends Well. The Hon-
ors Council invited Dr. Thérèse-Anne
Druart of Philosophy and Fr. Frank
Matera of the School of Theology and
Religious Studies to the two Sympo-
sia dinners so far this fall. Dr. Shoe-
maker also came to Regan for the
annual Pizza with the Director.
Defiant Requiem at the John F. Kennedy Center
Notes from Across the Pond: The Honors Program in Oxford
The Honors Living and Learning Community
geous Jewish prisoners in the There-
sienstadt concentration camp during
World War II who performed the
Verdi Requiem while experiencing
the depths of hu-
man degradation.
With only a smug-
gled score in hand,
the famous Mass
was performed 16
times, including
once before Adolph
Eichmann and a
Red Cross delegation. The perform-
ances came to symbolize resistance
and answering the worst of mankind
with the best” (Kennedy Center Play-
bill Oct. 2010).
Performing Honors students :
Eleanor Brasfield (’12), Monica Is-
rael (’12), Lillian Blotkamp (’11),
Montana Brown (’09), Page Felix
(’09), Rachel McNellis (’11), Beth
Rothschild (’09), and John Danley
(’12).
On Wednesday, Oct. 6, students and
alumni of the University Honors Pro-
gram performed with the Catholic
University Chorus and the City
Choir of Washington
at the John F. Ken-
nedy Center with Dr.
Leo Nestor Conduct-
ing. The choir per-
formed Defiant Req-
uiem: Verdi at
Terezín which “tells
the story of coura-
PAGE 3 THE CROZIER VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
“With only a smuggled score in
hand, the famous mass was
performed 16 times “
Honors graduates, we would love to hear from
you!
Please update us on recent events or accomplish-
ments that we could feature in upcoming
newsletters. If you would like to share photos or
memories from college, we would love those too!
Otherwise, we would appreciate if you could sim-
ply update your contact information with us in a
short email.
Please direct email to:
Or visit us at
http://Honors.cua.edu
Thank you!
University Honors Program
620 Michigan Ave, NE
112a McMahon Hall
Washington, DC 20064
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF
AMERICA
Dear Friends,
This is an exciting time for the University Honor Program. This fall, we welcomed a
bumper crop of 118 incoming freshman. I have met most of them and spoken with their
instructors, and it safe to say that they are a talented and diverse group. We expect great
things from them during their time at CUA, and beyond.
As you may be aware, there have been a number of recent changes in the UHP office in
McMahon Hall. In May 2010, I took over the directorship from the able hands of Dr. Mi-
chael Mack, who is now Dean of Undergraduate Studies. While this is new role
for me, I have been involved in the Honors Program since I arrived at CUA in
2000 in various capacities, including teaching in the Humanities Sequence ("The
Age of Discovery") and leading freshmen spring break trips to Paris. I have been joined by a new administrative assis-
tant, Abigail Shelton, and a new graduate fellow, Lisa Campbell. (Lisa is herself a veteran of the UHP, having gradu-
ated in 2009 with a degree in history.) Amy Bricker-Luskin, also, has joined the staff part-time as Coordinator for
Distinguished Grants and Fellowships.
Despite all of these changes, the core mission of the UHP remains the same: introducing students to the Catholic in-
tellectual tradition, personally mentoring and supporting them, and creating a challenging environment in which they
can thrive. As we move forward, I will be keeping you updated on our progress and asking for your help.
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Peter Shoemaker
Letter from the Director
Phone: 202-301-5220
Fax: 202-319-5199
E-mail: [email protected]
Honors Staff
Peter Shoemaker, PhD
Director
Abigail Shelton
Assistant to the Director
Lisa Campbell
Graduate Fellow
Amy Bricker-Luskin
Coordinator for Distinguished
Grants and Fellowships
Dr. Peter Shoemaker, Program Director
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