Delivered by President Peter Kilpatrick in Baltimore, Nov. 11, 2025
I. Introduction: Remembering Who We Are
Archbishop Broglio, Archbishop Lori, Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Consultors, Observers: good afternoon, and thank you for this opportunity to share an update on The Catholic University of America. It has been two years since I stood before this body, and it is an honor to be with you again.
Let me begin by remembering who we are as The Catholic University of America. We are the Bishops’ University. We are your University.
When Pope Leo XIII and the bishops of the United States established The Catholic University of America in 1887, they charged us with a dual mission: to “provide the Church with worthy ministers and give to the Republic her best citizens.”
That mission permeates every aspect of our institution. We are the only pontifically-chartered R1 research university in the United States, the only university founded by the American bishops, and the only U.S. university to have welcomed three Popes to our campus. (Hopefully, we will welcome a fourth in the near future!) All active Cardinal archbishops in the United States, and eight other bishops, serve on our Board of Trustees. Over 100 bishops and retired bishops are alumni, and six alumni currently have their causes for canonization underway.
Catholic University has unique assets that no other American university can claim: our ecclesiastical schools in Theology, Philosophy, and Canon Law; our location in the nation’s capital, surrounded by dozens of religious houses of study and ecclesial institutes; and our deep roots in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
We pair these strengths with the scholarly rigor of a top research institution. Earlier this year, we achieved Carnegie R1 research classification, joining the top 5% of all U.S. research universities, and one of only seven Catholic institutions to hold this distinction.
With this recognition comes an even greater responsibility to engage the contemporary world with the Church’s 2,000-year intellectual and moral tradition. For us, academic excellence and fidelity to the Church are not competing goals. They are the foundation of true intellectual and societal leadership. Our scholars assist the Church and society in discerning ethical responses to advances in artificial intelligence, healthcare, biomedical science, and the social sciences, with the shared goal of advancing the common good.
Standing in the tradition of the great pontifical universities, we foster a search for truth guided by faith and reason, welcoming students of all backgrounds and traditions to a community where vigorous, thoughtful discourse and innovative research can flourish.
II. A Chapter of Pruning
This last year, the University addressed a long-standing $30 million structural deficit to secure long-term financial stability in the increasingly competitive marketplace of higher education. With the full support of our Board of Trustees, we implemented a comprehensive budget realignment, reorganizing schools and programs, right-sizing faculty and staff, and reducing operating expenses by 10%.
The process was painful but necessary work, carried out with the clear resolve to safeguard our Catholic identity and mission. We leaned into increased efficiency and leveraged growth through innovation. Our Board of Trustees, motivated by belief in the University, led with a $33 million investment of their own, bridging critical gaps as we transitioned toward a new and strengthened reality.
Through this period of pruning, the University has entered a new season of growth.
III. Bearing New Fruit for the Church Through Academic Excellence
This fall, we welcomed one of our largest undergraduate classes in a decade, bringing our enrollment to over 5,500, up 13% higher from three years ago. Growth is strongest in our most dynamic academic areas.
Our Conway School of Nursing, now ranked 28th nationally, grew its freshman cohort by 50%, and launched an accelerated program to meet the urgent need for healthcare providers.
Our Columbus School of Law, ranked 71st and rising rapidly, grew its entering class by 50%, and continues to provide a distinctly Catholic legal formation, through centers dedicated to religious freedom, the human person, constitutionalism, and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Our Busch School of Business earned the highly coveted AACSB accreditation, placing it in the top 6% of business schools worldwide, and welcomed the inaugural class of its new MBA program.
And our College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing unveiled new undergraduate and master’s degrees in artificial intelligence, and established an institute for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, led by Taylor Black of Microsoft, exploring innovation through the lens of human dignity.
Last month, I presented the University community with a framework to chart our path forward, identifying several strategic pillars: nurture institutional identity and culture; academic excellence through innovative research shaped by Catholic intellectual tradition; a unique student experience with premiere outcomes for graduates; forging strategic partnerships; and forming the next generation of leaders for the Church and the nation.
Through prudent stewardship, we are emerging stronger, more focused, and more faithful to our mission.
IV. Formation of Leaders for the Church
At the heart of that mission are our Ecclesiastical Schools of philosophy, theology, and canon law, disciplines essential to our institutional identity. Many of you are graduates of these programs. Seminarians, clergy, and religious from around the world, study in these pontifical faculties.
Five percent of our undergraduates major in philosophy–five times the national average– and half of them are seminarians. The Basselin Scholars Program has formed over 670 priests and several bishops, and we have launched a $3 million campaign to expand it.
All of our undergraduate students take philosophy and theology as part of their curriculum, and we have woven virtue formation across our entire curriculum, so every student encounters both the intellectual and moral foundations of our faith.
We seek to restore our campus as a “Little Rome”- a place where future Church leaders come to receive comprehensive formation for ecclesial service.
Following our last meeting, you requested Catholic University increase online formation for priests and laity. In response, our School of Theology and Religious Studies launched a hybrid Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) offering greater flexibility and an accelerated path to completion.
We also introduced an online Master of Arts in Evangelization and Culture through a partnership with the Word on Fire Institute, in collaboration with alumnus Bishop Robert Barron. In its first year, more than 70 lay and ordained ministers enrolled.
The Fulton J. Sheen Excellence in Preaching Initiative, supported by the Lilly Endowment, continues to strengthen the preaching of clergy and laity across the country.
Beyond our Ecclesiastical Schools, initiatives serving the Church grow across the whole of the University.
Our Busch School of Business continues its online Master of Science in Ecclesial Administration and Management, in which half the students are priests. We are particularly proud of Bishop Larry Sullivan of Chicago, who is our first bishop to graduate from the program.
Last month we released the AI and the Church primer, an online resource to help you, our bishops, navigate the pastoral and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, and their impact on human flourishing.
We are a Laudato Si’ University integrating ecological responsibility and human dignity in sustainability programs.
Our Rome School of Performing Arts has reimagined a graduate degree in sacred music to meet the Church’s need for well-formed liturgical ministers.
In partnership with the Templeton Foundation, we have undertaken a global study on how beauty leads the non-churched, spiritual but not religious, toward the transcendent and ultimately to God.
Outside of the classroom, The Catholic Project’s National Study of Catholic Priests sparked conversations on priestly well-being and trust, offering insights for the U.S. Church. Our follow up survey was just released.
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Transformation of Catholic Education now provides Lumen Accreditation to 517 Catholic schools and early learning programs in 20 dioceses and is delivering formation for teachers, principals, and school boards in 13 dioceses this year.
All these efforts flow from our founding charge– to provide the Church with worthy ministers.
V. Strength through Partnership
As members of the Mystical Body, we cannot do this alone. Our partners within the Church fortify our efforts and extend our reach. The Knights of Columbus have been long and faithful friends to our institution, supporting our Columbus School of Law and the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family.
We seek to multiply partnerships with other Catholic organizations and colleges that are mission-aligned in their full-throated service to the Church, and will have some exciting public announcements regarding the same in the near future.
VI. Thank You
Thank you for your generous support of the University, throughout our history, in the present, and as we look toward the future.
Many of your dioceses sponsor scholarships that enable students to attend Catholic University, and we are deeply grateful. Please continue to encourage your best and brightest—students, seminarians, lay ministers, and clergy—to consider the University. We remain committed to affordability through seminarian scholarships and student aid, including the Parish Scholarship, which provides $4,000 per year to any applicant belonging to a Catholic parish. We continue to work to provide more scholarships and to discount tuition, with the aim of keeping education accessible to all.
Two years ago, I invited you to visit campus. Many of you have, and your presence has enriched our community. If you have not come recently, please do. Our Offices of Diocesan Engagement will gladly arrange a Mass and meal with students and seminarians from your diocese. We would love to host you, inviting you to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, or speak to our students. Your pastoral presence on campus reminds our community that we truly are the Bishops’ university.
Thank you also for your support through the National Collection for Catholic University. The 2024 National Collection exceeded $5 million, funds that sustain programs serving students, seminarians, diocesean lay leaders, and clergy, at the local and national level. We remain committed to stewarding your generosity faithfully and effectively.
VII. Conclusion
I am convinced that The Catholic University of America has a vital contribution to make to our nation, our Church, and our world.
We are not just another Catholic university; we are The Catholic University of America—standing in the intellectual and formative heart of American Catholicism, where ancient wisdom meets contemporary challenges.
We cannot fulfill this mission without a close relationship with you, our bishops, from whom our University was born and for whom we serve.
Please reach out to me, Chancellor Cardinal McElroy, or Dennis Strach (Director of the Office of Diocesan Engagement) to connect with the University. The University is at your service. In collaboration with you, we will fulfill our shared mission.
I look forward to celebrating with you at our reception tomorrow afternoon in the Waterview Ballroom. Thank you.
