President's Blog

Prelude to Pomp and Circumstance

mcguirep — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:58:43 +0000

Are you ready? Looks like the Red Class of 2008 (above) is already rockin'!

Seniors, to get pumped, just put on those mortarboards and click on this link for a little "Pomp and Circumstance" while you practice accepting your diploma… 27097_graduation-pomp-and-circumstance.mp3

Commencement Day is Sunday, May 18, and already the excitement is building on the Marble Corridor. Commencement is the best day of the year at Trinity, and we are eager to welcome all of our graduates, families, friends, alums and guests to campus!

We have so many student achievements to celebrate this year, and in the next few days I'll be recapping more achievements on this blog. If you have done something notable and worthy of publication, please sent me a note (president@trinitydc.edu) and a photo is even better, along with a brief paragraph.

Congratulations to Rihem Badwe who will be attending the Albany College of Pharmacy in the Doctoral Program!

Congratulations to Ashleigh Wesche who gets her wings this week in a ceremony commissioning her as an Air Force Second Lieutenant!

Congratulations to Yanna Sideris who will be earning her Master's Degree at Argosy University!

Congratulations to Charlynn Burgess who will be earning her Master's in Biochemistry at Hood College!

These are just a few of our many talented graduates — watch this space for news of many more achievements!

Send YOUR news to me at president@trinitydc.edu

Congratulations to the Red Class of 2008!

$124….and counting…..

mcguirep — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:16:25 +0000

$124. That's the price of a barrel of oil today.

In 2004 we gasped when the price of oil hit $50 a barrel, then considered to be a great psychological barrier. In summer 2007 we coped with $3-a-gallon gasoline as (more…)

Triumphant Democracy

mcguirep — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:28:07 +0000

Many people — pundits, politicians, people who like to prophesize — have declared that the protracted Democratic primary season is a potential disaster. Calls for Hillary Clinton to quit the race bounce around the blogosphere as pollsters eagerly quiz Barack Obama's supporters about whether they will stick with the party if Hillary wins the nomination. (more…)

The (Red) Shoes of the Fisherman

mcguirep — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:46:35 +0000

It's been two weeks already since Pope Benedict's visit, so some postgame analysis now seems in order. Starting with the red shoes. Did you see them? I got a close look during his meeting with the college presidents, see above. Fab. A far cry from the "shoes of the fisherman" circa 33 A.D. when Peter became the first Pope. Peter was probably more Teva than Prada.

Much was made of the papal couture on display during this visit. Benedict seemed to win over many fans from among the skeptics simply by stepping out in those red shoes, natty white coat and sumptuous vestments. In a Church where (more…)

Wright. Wrong? Right?

mcguirep — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:07:46 +0000

Only history will be able to tell us if Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an important figure in the 2008 presidential election or a footnote to a very strange primary season. What we know right now is that he has managed to darken the once-golden air around Barack Obama with the most painful shrapnel of accusations and denunciations over race and patriotism and divergent views of the world. Were Pastor Wright some bigoted, stereotypical right-wing white radio commentator, we'd probably chalk it up to the zaniness of our media age. But Pastor Wright is a voice from the Black church, a powerful center of African American life. He speaks for himself, not for the group, and yet his words have impact beyond his individual point of view. (more…)

Stepping To Success

mcguirep — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:51:32 +0000

What can cause several thousand Washington area residents to spend the better part of a sunny Saturday afternoon indoors for an event that often brings them to their feet cheering and stomping and having a rip-roaring good time? No, it doesn't involve the Redskins, the Terps, the Hoyas or anything remotely related to NASCAR.

Answer: Girl Scout Step Show! At the Trinity Center! (more…)

Leadership Across Generations

mcguirep — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:27:54 +0000

Alumnae leadership is a Trinity hallmark across all generations of Trinity Women. At this week's Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society induction for Political Science majors, Paula Lettice, Class of 1971, continued the grand tradition of extending our "Old Girls' Network" to the latest generation of Trinity leaders. While we all know the famous Trinity alumna who sits in the Speaker's chair on Capitol Hill these days (Nancy Pelosi, Class of 1962), Paula Lettice is also a great example of the many Trinity leaders who work on the Hill to ensure that the "People's House" is run effectively. As the chief financial officer for the Architect of the Capitol, Paula has considerable responsibility for the operations of all major buildings under Congressional control, as well as the construction of the new visitors' center. In addition to her duties at the Capitol, Paula has also exercised her Trinity leadership skills on behalf of her alma mater, serving now as a Trinity Trustee. (more…)

Trinity's Fearless Founders

mcguirep — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:35:21 +0000

What would Julia think?

I found myself contemplating that question on the eve of Trinity's Founders Day as I sat in the Washington studios of Al Jazeera, the Arabic world television network, offering commentary on the Pope's visit to the United States. Al Jazeera Washington Bureau Chief Abderrahim Foukara smiled at me while speaking rapidly in Arabic. I smiled back, hoping that my eyes were not betraying my anxious effort to understand the English of the translator chattering through a wire in my right ear. "Why did the Pope come to the United States during the presidential election?" "What did George Bush hope to get out of his appearance with the Pope?" "Will this visit help or hurt Vatican-Muslim relations?"

What would Julia think? (more…)

Warsaw @ 65: Passover Remembrance

mcguirep — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:27:42 +0000

As a fitting end to this past week's intense focus on religion and faith in modern life, I joined a wonderful group of friends for Seder on the first night of Passover on Saturday. This group of Jewish and Christian friends — in our secular lives we are lawyers and academics and nonprofit leaders and colleagues in many professions — has gathered for many years in the lovely home of our hosts, and together we pray and reflect and discuss and enjoy the ritual meal guided by the ancient words and instructions in the Haggadah. Few rituals remind me so profoundly of the deeply entwined roots of Judaism and Christianity; few prayer books so accurately reflect the timeless themes of faith and humanity as the ancient psalms and tales of flight in the first Passover remind us of the terrors we face even today, and our common yearning for charity and hope. The need for faith to illuminate our convictions, the imperative to work for justice and peace, are powerful themes that link all of us across many faith traditions and generations. (more…)

Apostolate of Hope

mcguirep — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:52:45 +0000

Pope Benedict surprised and delighted a lot of people today. After his Mass at Nationals Stadium, he met privately with several victims of clergy sex abuse, a move that surprised many but a gesture consistent with a theme of repentance and reconciliation he tackled head-on at the start of this visit.

To the delight of Catholic educators, his address to us at Catholic University struck exactly the right notes of encouragement and affirmative challenge. Calling the work of Catholic schools "an outstanding apostolate of hope" and praising the work of great women in the history of Catholic education like Katharine Drexel and Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pope Benedict immediately established rapport with his audience of Catholic school superintendents, diocesan religious educators and university presidents. As a former university professor himself, a fact he noted wryly, he approached his remarks with a collegial tone that resonated well with the collegiate leaders in the room. (more…)