All About Parents Council with John and Cathy Robben

Welcome to Cardinal Perspectives, a series featuring in-depth conversations with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the extended family and community of The Catholic University of America.

This episode of Cardinal Perspectives features John and Cathy Robben, co-chairs of the Catholic University Parents Council, and Mary Rivas, Assistant Director for Student Experience and Family Engagement.

Originally from New Jersey, John and Cathy Robben now call Cincinnati home and are proud parents of four Cardinals. Three of their children are graduates of Catholic University: Catherine, who earned a degree in Psychology and Brain Sciences in 2020; Joseph, who graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2022; and Nicholas, who earned a degree in Finance in 2025.

Their fourth child, Bridget, is a junior at the Conway School of Nursing and a member of the Women’s Rowing team. Joseph has also returned to campus and is pursuing a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering.

Cathy was a Montessori and Classical Catholic school educator, while John served on the board of directors for these schools. John recently completed a 38-year business career focused on information technology services. He currently serves as a Catholic University Cardinal Ambassador.

The Robbens chose Catholic University because of the integration of Catholic faith and values in each excellent academic program. John and Cathy truly embrace the mission, and we are proud to have them lead the Parents Council.

*This transcript is based on an audio recording and has been lightly edited for readability. It reflects the substance of the conversation but may not be a verbatim record.

Mary
My name is Mary Rivas and I am the assistant director of leadership annual giving for our student experience and family engagement team. And today I’m joined by our two co-chairs, John and Cathy Robben.

So tell us a little bit about yourself. You have three children who have graduated from here, one who has returned now to get their doctorate degree, and one last daughter who will graduate in 2027.

Cathy
I'm Cathy Robben, and we have four children. We have three that graduated and our daughter Bridget is still here as a junior in the nursing school. And then our son Joseph,  he's come back and he's studying biomedical engineering for his doctorate. So that's very exciting, and he's so blessed to have this opportunity, especially through The Catholic University of America. We're very excited about that.

John
If I can just add, we live in Cincinnati, Ohio right now, but we spent 17 years in New Jersey. Our kids pretty much grew up in New Jersey. So Catholic University was a three and a half hour drive. I still remember the spring day back in 2016 when I drove down here with Catherine on Odyssey Day, and the campus was beautiful and right next to the Basilica and everything. I think we both really admired the campus.

We're so happy that Catherine started. And she graduated in 2020 with a degree in psychology and brain sciences. Each of our kids followed on. We definitely let them look at lots of different schools and try to decide what they wanted to do. But Joseph graduated in 2022 with a biomedical engineering degree. And Nicholas in 2025 with a finance degree.

As Cathy said, Bridget's currently a junior in the nursing program and thankfully Joseph got the opportunity to come back and get his doctorate in biomedical engineering.

Mary
So a Robben has been here on campus since…

Cathy 
2016.

Mary
Are you guys going to come back and be students once all the kids have graduated?

Cathy
No, I don't think so.

John 
That would be nice.

Cathy
We're native to Cincinnati, but we moved to New Jersey in 2007 with John's work. He worked for Convergys in Cincinnati, and then they moved him to New Jersey to build up business with AT&T. We only expected to be in New Jersey for a few years but it turned out we were there for 17 years.

And like John said, we actually didn't know too much about The Catholic University of America living in Cincinnati. We are both Xavier University graduates.

When Catherine wanted to come and visit The Catholic University of America, we thought, “Oh, this is interesting.” And then when she came here and saw the campus and talked to the professors, she was like, “This is a really great place. I want to go to school here.”

And then when the other kids saw the University, they all were just like, “Yeah, this is a great place. I want to go to school here as well.” So they all followed in Catherine's footsteps. Each chose different majors as well, which is really neat. So we've seen a lot of different areas of the University by our kids having their own unique gifts that they can follow and pursue here.

Mary
And the graduation ceremonies. Each graduation has been in a different place on campus. You get a little bit more background in the photos with each student.

Cathy
That's right.

John
It's beautiful. I do have to say, Bridget did not want to go to school here. She did not want to go to the same school as all of her siblings did. We actually toured seven or eight different universities, talked to all the professors there and everything. And then she also toured here again and spoke with Dean Nolan in nursing school. And she came to her own conclusion that this was the best place for her as well.

It's nice, ever since Joseph joined in 2018, we've had two of our children here at a time. It's great for them to have someone they can rely on, a friend when they need anything. And even today, Bridget's here in nursing and Joseph's studying for his doctorate degree. It's been a nice environment for them.

Cathy
That was a nice bonus for Bridget. She was really surprised because she lost Nicholas in May 2025 he graduated. When Joseph found out this summer that he actually got a scholarship, Bridget was like, “All right, I got Joseph back with me!”

John
Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, they gave him a nice scholarship. We appreciate them here as well.

Mary
Wonderful. So tell me about how you guys first heard about our Parents Council. And what inspired you to become members and stay members?

John
So Catherine started in 2016, I’d heard of Parents Council. And a couple years into it when Joseph started, they actually had hosted a social event at Cardinal Weekend or something like that.

We decided to go up and talk to them and have a free drink and all that, but we found out that all the parents I talked to were very like-minded. They wanted to be involved in the university that their students were at. They wanted to make sure that it was promoting the Catholic values that we all appreciate integrating it into the education.

We found out a couple of the parents were parents of friends of our kids, so found a lot of commonality there. And also, the fact that Parents Council has direct access to the President, the vice presidents, and the professors of each of the schools. We got to know John Garvey personally. We now know President Kilpatrick personally. They are great people.

Each of the deans I mentioned: Dean Nolan [in the nursing school], Dean Abela in the business school, Dr. Brown, who is in the engineering school now. All great people who we've been able to develop relationships with.

Mary
What would you guys say to a parent who's on the fence about joining? Somebody who might be worried that joining the Parents Council would encroach on their students' independence now that they're in college? It's a little bit different than a high school board PTA when they're in elementary school. So what would you say to them?

Cathy
It's interesting because when you go to orientation for freshman year, they talk about the “helicopter parent” and it's not like that at all.

We can, in the background like John said, talk to different administrators and find out what's going on in the University, but without encroaching on our children's independence of being here.

It's really nice. We're in the background. And I just think it's just really wonderful that we're given the opportunity to be able to talk to different administrators and teachers and find out more about the University.

It only makes sense, for a parent, to want to be involved in their children's education to some extent, without being that “helicopter parent” over them. Just having a broader “standing back” position, if you know what I mean.

And it only makes sense for John and I to be involved in our children's education; because, from when they were very small, John was on the board of the Montessori school that our children went to. And then when we moved to New Jersey, I homeschooled for eight years. Then we moved to a smaller school and I taught at the school when my children were there. And John was on the board.

We've always been involved in our children's education. Even though we're not directly involved – like I said, it's nice to be in the background and know what's going on and help if we can, in any way, with our children's experience and everyone who comes through this University.

John
And I think our kids appreciate the fact that we're obviously not talking to their professors directly about their grades or anything like that. But we're involved in the direction of the University and supporting initiatives.

Our daughter Bridget's on the rowing team in the athletics department, so we're on the subcommittee for athletics where we get to speak directly to Kevin Robinson and find out about what the needs are in the athletic department. We get to hear about all the programs they've got going on, with their faith-based programs, campus ministry, psychological wellness programs, and things like that.

I think our kids appreciate the fact that we're involved, but not like micro-involved in their activities.

Mary
Would you say that the Parents Council has impacted their experience in particular here?

Cathy 
We would like to think so. Just by the fact that we support the University, we support them. Hopefully they feel more comfortable talking to us about their experience here. And we always want to know, for example, how things are at the cafeteria?

John
That's a common concern. It's been good lately though.

Cathy
Let us know! If you see something or something is not right, even in dorm life, talk about it or reach out to somebody. Don't be afraid to communicate. People want to know if something's going on.

Hopefully they feel more confident in having a voice, because the whole goal is we want Catholic University to be the best University that it can be for its student population, faculty, and staff.

John
I think they appreciate the fact that we're on Parents Council and we come back to campus for Parents Council events and for Cardinal Weekend, spring events, and things like that. And we're not sitting in the dorm room all day talking. We're out doing things and they come to the events, they meet other parents of friends of theirs and things like that. I think they appreciate the fact that we're involved.

Mary
What are the logistics of getting involved in Parents Council? Was the process fairly seamless for you? Have you seen it change over the last few years?

John
It is very seamless. Like I said, we attended a social event. I think at this point there are probably over 60 parents involved in Parents Council. We attended an event that had probably 20 of them hosting, serving drinks and talking to people. And they directly connected us to Kyra Lyons, who was the former administrator parents council. Now it's Mary Agnes Trainor.

So if you know any parent that's involved in Parents Council, they'd be happy to talk to you about it. I think they're all happy and would encourage it. We would be happy to talk to anybody if you get our phone number or email address.

Mary Agnes Trainor is the person who coordinates everything. So I think it is very easy to get involved with Parents Council.

Mary
Now, this is your first year as co-chairs, correct?

Cathy
That's correct.

Mary
What initiative are you most proud of that's come out of Parents Council?

Cathy
We help lead a family rosary. We're doing intercessory prayer for students, faculty, and staff here at the University. And it's really a wonderful way for us to connect with other parents in the Parents Council and have an intentional prayer time together. We also have one of the Dominican priests. Either Father Aquinas or Father Knapke

So they help lead the rosary, it's just a beautiful, meaningful way for us to get together and have intercessory prayer, like I said, for everyone involved in the University.

John
If I could say, the first one we held was in the fall, and we had it in the twilight behind the Basilica and there were probably 50 parents there along with the Dominicans and some staff members here. I felt like the Holy Spirit was there. We were all together and behind the Basilica praying the rosary for our intentions for the school, for our students, for the faculty. It really is a beautiful thing that Cathy helped initiate.

Then beyond that, we're forming several subcommittees in Parents Council. We're proud of this. As I mentioned, we have a subcommittee for the athletics department. Parents who have children in athletics, we meet as a committee – we just met last night. Kevin Robinson, the athletic director, spoke to us. We had an hour-long presentation about what they're doing in the athletics department, accomplishments, and then a question and answer session. That was very transparent.

There's also another parent in Parents Council who is going to head up the psychological wellness program to help the students with their mental happiness, to make sure they're balanced in their life and continue to succeed.

Then also there's a parent who's heading up a subcommittee to promote the Rome School of Performing Arts’ activities.

We'll continue to add committees to the Parents Council based on what parents' interests are. So I think those are the things that we're most proud of that've been started with Parents Council.

Mary
I think that kind of answers what's on the horizon for us in Parents Council. Is there anything else that you guys would like to share? Anything upcoming?

I know there's a meeting tomorrow morning and we're going to hear a lot about the AI Institute here at Catholic University. But anything else that you'd like to share? Anything coming for the springtime that you know of?

John
I'm glad you mentioned the Parents Council meeting. We’ll have several of the professors, Dr. Yost, Taylor Black. It's just an example of the access we have to professors and faculty here presenting what's going on in the University.

We want to continue to grow the membership in Parents Council. I can honestly say that I feel like the relationships we've developed with the administration, the professors, and especially other parents here is special. It's more than the small investment you make to become part of the Parents Council. So I want to encourage more growth in that. And then also, identifying other subcommittees that could benefit parents and their students at the University.

Mary
Parents are an important part of the community. A lot of times we hear about alumni and the students and we forget parents are part of this, too. Your children are here or have come through here.

John
And that's the most important thing in our life. Our children.

Cathy
And we believe in the education that our children have gotten here. It's like a legacy, as well. We're always wanting to make the place better than when you started. We feel like this in our lives, and then we also want that to be instilled in our children, also.

So wherever you go, you want to make your environment a better place.

We're constantly growing and evolving and becoming better. It's such a beautiful thing that God has given us here at The Catholic University of America, trying to get us all to heaven. Hopefully this whole University experience will bring us all together and get us to heaven.

That's another thing I've always said that this is a little haven here in Washington, D.C. In the midst of this big city with all its issues, this is a safe place, a safe haven, a beautiful place.  We're just so happy that our children are here. And Catherine got us started.

John
I'm glad you brought that up because Catholic University is very unique. They truly integrate our Catholic faith and Christian values in every academic program. It's not just they teach theology in one area and you do everything else. There's Catholic businessmen and Catholic engineers and values-based Christian nurses that make Catholic University very special among all the universities, I believe.

Mary
As you reflect on your time and time as parents of Catholic University students, what is something you could go back and tell yourself in 2016, as you guys are starting that journey with Catherine here? What would you tell yourselves about either what to expect or any reassurance you would give yourself to the next decade of being here?

John
I know we're head of the Parents Council and I don't want to sound salesy or anything, but I wish we would've joined right away in 2016. I think we waited until 2018 or 2019. Just to really get to know the other parents and the faculty and everything. It's been really special and beneficial.

And then also just to enjoy each year of the involvement. It's amazing how quickly our children grow up. It's like you drop them off freshman year, and then it just seems like a blink of an eye and they're graduating.

So enjoy each step of it, and each time you see them, and each time they come home. Just really appreciate the moments and the special place here.

Mary
Cathy, anything you want to add?

Cathy
No, I think that's good, John. I think he summed it up well.

There's always a lot of things going on in your life. But it's really nice to have a purposeful time to get together with other parents. It's really nice to have scheduled meetings to come together and focus on what's going on at The Catholic University of America.

I really like that aspect of being part of the Parents Council because of the purposefulness of the group and the time that we're together.  And being able to come to Washington, D.C., seeing our children, and then having a good productive meeting with other parents and people here on the staff and faculty.

Mary
Is there anything else that you guys want to add? Anything else you want to share?

John
Like I said, enjoy every minute of it. I always love coming on campus here and seeing the beautiful view. This beautiful building, the Conway School of Nursing, and our son was in the Busch School, the Basilica over there… every time I come on campus, I enjoy the environment and the people that we see.

I would encourage other people to take the time to do that as well. If you're on campus, you get so much more out of it just with the relationships of meeting with people and being able to spend time with your student here and things like that. So I would encourage that as well.  Especially with the people that are local! I'm jealous that they could just drive to campus here. Please do that.

Mary
It's a community. And it's a community that we've built for good reasons. You always need a sense of community and especially now after the community of high school and middle school and grade school. It is different. This is exactly what we're building here.

John
And it is beautiful. Each of our kids came not knowing many people. Each one of them built a nice community of friends and colleagues that they’ll know for a lifetime.

Mary
I just want to give a heartfelt thanks to John and Cathy Robben who joined me today for this lovely conversation.