Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies (IPR) is an interdisciplinary institute and center of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies
MottoIn Service to Church, Nation, and World
Established1974
DirectorDavid P. Long
Formerly calledBoys Town Center for the Study of Youth Development (1974-1982); Life Cycle Institute (1982-2009)
Location
McMahon Hall, The Catholic University of America
,
Washington
,
DC
,
USA
Websitehttps://ipr.catholic.edu

History
Aquinas Hall was the original home of the Life Cycle Institute. It now houses the School of Philosophy as well as The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives.

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies has its roots in the Boys Town Center for the Study of Youth Development.[1] In 1972, Boys Town had been found to be sitting on funds of nearly $300 million while serving only 200 residents in its Catholic-run home for wayward boys in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] In response to the scandal, the Boys Town board of trustees agreed to widen the organization's mission to include research on youth development. From 1974 to 1982, Boys Town funding supported graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research stipends, support staff, a new building (now Aquinas Hall) and tremendous growth in the National Catholic School of Social Service, the School of Theology and Religious Studies, and the departments of Anthropology, Human Development, and Sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences.

In 1982, the Boys Town board ended its contract with the university, leaving the Center in need of funding and a new vision. It expanded its focus to include human development across the entire life span, as well as research on social movements, and changed its name to The Life Cycle Institute. A number of tough years followed which saw researchers and professors forced to leave for better opportunities, although directors Che Fu Lee, Hans Furth, and James Youniss worked to develop LCI into a center known for its empirical research on community, youth, and political demographics. Eventually, LCI emerged as The Catholic University of America's original internal think tank.

McMahon Hall is the current home of the institute. The second-oldest building on campus and built in 1895, McMahon Hall also houses the central academic offices and the dean's office of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Renamed the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies in 2009, the think tank continues to bring rigorous academic research to bear on contemporary questions of interest to policy experts and faith communities.[3]

Mission

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies now serves as an interdisciplinary policy research center that provides timely analysis of policy issues relevant to the life of the Church, the Catholic University of America, legislators, scholars, professionals, and concerned citizens, including the media. IPR also provides an interdisciplinary forum that welcomes and encourages participation and active collaboration among scholars, professionals, and experts from a variety of disciplines, institutions, and faith traditions.

The Institute's lectures, conferences, symposia, round-tables, and working groups provide research that supports print and electronic publications, multimedia, and other means to share research with the public, the Church, policymakers, media, and interested scholars.[4]

Current Work of the Institute

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies organizes, facilitates, and sponsors policy analysis, empirical research, and publications focused on both the public and private-sectors. It has organized hundreds of symposia, conferences, round-tables, debates, lectures, and publications designed to bring rigorous academic research to bear on contemporary questions that lie at the intersection of law, religion, and policy, including through close collaboration with lawmakers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the greater Washington, DC area.[5][6][7][8]

The Institute is currently divided into working groups where each IPR Fellow, scholar, or associated professional agrees to collaborate with his or her colleagues to complete a policy research project and to disseminate its results to interested members of the community. Current working groups are focused on the areas:

  • Human Rights as they relate to the work of Eastern Christian communities, the problems of genocide, human trafficking, the challenges to privacy, the place of religion in the public square, and restorative justice.
  • Professional Ethics, specifically as it relates to the Catholic Church in crisis.
  • Foreign Affairs, including national security and intelligence, permanent neutrality and its role in international peace, security, and justice, and the current challenges of disinformation and asymmetrical warfare.[9]
  • Integral Human Development and issues surrounding community renewal, fetal alcohol syndrome, and mental health policies at the local, state, national, and international levels.

The Keane Medallion
The Keane Medallion as presented in 2016

The Institute's highest honor, the Bishop John Joseph Keane Medallion, is awarded annually.

The medallion is named in honor of John Joseph Keane, the first rector of The Catholic University of America who was instrumental in locating the University in Washington, DC. The Medallion was crafted to honor individuals for lifetime service reflecting the vision of the Institute. The Latin inscription reads: Academia, Patria, Ecclesia.

Recent Keane Medallion Winners

Prominent IPR Fellows
  • Chen Guangcheng, Chinese civil rights activist
  • William D'Antonio, sociologist and educator
  • Ahmad Iravani, Iranian philosopher, scholar and clergyman
  • George McLean, founding president of The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy and general editor of its 300 volume publication series, "Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change"
  • Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, American Catholic priest, author, educator, licensed psychologist and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests
  • John Zogby, American public opinion pollster, author, public speaker, and founder of the Zogby International Poll

Directors of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies
  • James O'Connor, Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences (1974–1982)
  • Che Fu Lee, Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences (1982–1988)[11]
  • Hans Furth, Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences (1988)
  • James Youniss, Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences (1988–2000)[12]
  • Dean Hoge, Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences (2000–2004)
  • John K. White, Department of Politics, School of Arts and Sciences (2004–2005)[13]
  • Stephen F. Schneck, Department of Politics, School of Arts and Sciences (2005–2015)[14]
  • Maria Mazzenga, Education Archivist, American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives (2015–2016)[15]
  • Robert Destro, The Columbus School of Law (2016–2019)
  • David P. Long,[16] Assistant Provost,[17] Office of the Provost (2019–present)

References
  1. "Boys Town Center for the Study of Youth Development". OCLS WorldCat Identities. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. Kneeland, Douglas. "Boys Town Has an Embarrassment of Riches". The New York Times Digital Repository. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbCT1m3qi3k
  4. C-SPAN.org. "Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. White, Christopher. "A decade of championing Church teaching on economics, immigration, and poverty". Crux. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. O'Brien, Edwin. "Nuclear disarmament will take 'courage'". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  7. Guangcheng, Chen. "Warning: Chinese authoritarianism is hazardous to your health". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 Feb 2020.
  8. The Witherspoon Institute. "Chen Guancheng writes in the Washington Post about role of authoritarianism in the coronavirus outbreak". The Witherspoon Institute. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. Gehring, John. "Catholics Stand against Alt-Right Wrongs". Commonweal. Commonweal Magazine. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  10. This award has been rescinded by the Institute and the University in 2018, when the University also rescinded the honorary degree given to McCarrick in 2006. In its statement, The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America announced they had voted unanimously to withdraw the honorary degree awarded to Theodore McCarrick after allegations that he sexually abused a minor while he was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York were deemed “credible and substantiated”.
  11. Che Fu Lee
  12. James Youniss
  13. John K. White
  14. Sadowski, Dennis. "Retiring CUA prof plans to continue engaging in public policy debates". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. Maria Mazzenga
  16. David P. Long
  17. Assistant Provost

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