Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, President
As a national research university, Catholic University is an anchor institution and major employment center for the District, with operating expenses of $222 million. Nearly 6,000 of our alumni call the District home and another 8,000 live in nearby Maryland and Virginia.
Our service to the community starts on campus, with our legal clinics, community garden, on-campus food pantry, and donation closets. But it doesn’t stop there. Students volunteer every day across our city, working with individuals who are unhoused, immigrants, youth, imprisoned, alone, or living with disabilities. They protect the environment and give their time to dozens of legal, healthcare, education, and community organizations.
The Metropolitan School of Professional Studies is an important part of our commitment to our local community. Located right on Metro — and online — MSPS is responding to workforce development and adult learner needs, offering certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degree programs that are flexible and provide the expertise District residents need to take that next step forward in their careers and lives.
As needs change, we are ready to adapt. This includes partnerships with the city, most recently in areas such as childcare worker training and the DC Futures Program. The Metropolitan School is one of just three higher ed institutions to partner on DC Futures, with 120 students enrolled in 2023.
When Catholic University developed the award-winning Monroe Street Market adjacent to Metro in 2014, not only did District residents gain an exciting urban live-work-eat destination, but Monroe Street sparked the redevelopment of the larger Brookland neighborhood.
New on-campus construction, renovation, and the installation of the city’s largest ground solar array are the latest capital investments. Add to that dozens of national and international conferences and prospective family tours that draw visitors, and Catholic University is part of the city’s success.
In FY 2022, Catholic University had $26.53 million of externally-funded research, and $11.67 million of internally-funded research. The University partners with federal agencies to push the limits of knowledge and develop technology that will further the common good.
There is a reason Catholic University has been ranked the 10th most sustainable campus in the country, and one of just 12 institutions worldwide to receive the first Zero Energy Design Designation from the U.S. Department of Energy. It’s because we know we have a responsibility to care for creation and to ensure a healthy world for future generations.