On June 4, The Catholic University of America announced that the new campus dining commons, currently under construction and scheduled to open in fall 2022, will be named Garvey Hall in honor of outgoing University President John Garvey and his wife, Jeanne Garvey.
The name was unveiled during the University’s second annual 1887 Society Weekend, at a dinner honoring the Garveys and their many contributions to Catholic University’s success over the past 12 years. Garvey will step down as president on June 30.
Naming the new dining commons for the Garveys was recommended by an anonymous donor who generously gave $8 million toward the construction of the new building. One-third of the new building’s cost is being funded through private gifts.
“President and Mrs. Garvey have done so much for our University during their 12 years here, and we’re so grateful to our anonymous donor for honoring their wonderful legacy through this naming gift,” said Scott Rembold, vice president for University Advancement. “We’re also working to finalize several other naming gifts within Garvey Hall.”
Naming the new dining commons for the Garveys was recommended by an anonymous donor who generously gave $8 million toward the construction of the new building.
Garvey Hall is the first campus-wide hub to be constructed since the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center opened in 2003 (a dorm, Opus Hall, was constructed in 2009). Student dining space is currently concentrated in the Pryzbyla Center, along with event and meeting rooms, student services, and student organizations, but the building is not large enough to accommodate the current dining needs of the growing campus population.
The nearly 35,000-square-foot Garvey Hall, located between the Pryzbyla Center and student dorms, will accommodate 490 diners in four dining areas. Through the work of Manhattan Construction Group and Perkins-Eastman Architects, it is being built in the Collegiate Gothic style, which will match many other buildings on campus and the new nursing and sciences building that is also currently under construction.
Two outdoor dining areas overlook the University Lawn to the south and a third, with a stone fireplace, faces north. An exterior stairwell through the middle of the building will connect residence halls to the north with the Pryzbyla Center and academic buildings to the south.
The main 238-seat dining room in the new building will be named in honor of former University President Father William Byron, thanks to the generosity of Victor Smith, J.D. 1996, chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees; his father, Trustee Emeritus Van Smith; and his sister, Susan Smith Newell, J.D. 1993, M.A. 1994, a member of the Columbus School of Law’s Alumni Council and former member of its Board of Visitors. Together, their family has committed $1.2 million in support of the dining commons.
Father Byron was the University’s president from 1982 through 1992, during the time Van Smith served as a University trustee. The Smith family chose to honor him because they wanted to celebrate Father Byron’s important role in the long history of Catholic University.
“Father Byron presided over the University during a time of great change and growth. He is beloved by generations of alumni, and our family thought it was important to commemorate this space in his honor so future generations of students and alumni can appreciate the impact he made at Catholic University,” Victor Smith said.
The main 238-seat dining room in the new building will be named in honor of former University President Fr. William Byron, thanks to the generosity of the Smith family.
The three other dining rooms will seat 30, 91, and 131 people, allowing for large and small group dining options.
Garvey Hall will also house a new space for the Center for Academic and Career Success (CACS) on the lower level. That suite of rooms will be named in honor of Jeanne Garvey. The Center is currently located on two separate floors in McMahon Hall.
CACS, which provides guidance, resources, and support for students and alumni to achieve academic and career goals, will be more visible and accessible in its new location. The Center will gain private offices for advising and coaching, meeting rooms for virtual programming, and access to an open space for group live, virtual, and hybrid programming. In 2021–22, nearly 10,000 students participated in appointments and programs through the CACS.
The new CACS location will be named for Jeanne Garvey at the request of Tim Scheve, B.A. 1980, donor and trustee emeritus, in recognition of the positive impact Mrs. Garvey has had on Catholic University students and of her own accomplishments. She holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University and has held many positions in higher education institutions, including the University of Kentucky, Indiana University, and Boston College, where she was the director of career services for the M.B.A. program.
The new Center for Academic and Career Success location will be named for Jeanne Garvey at the request of Tim Scheve, B.A. 1980, donor and trustee emeritus, in recognition of the positive impact Mrs. Garvey has had on Catholic University students and of her own accomplishments.
During John Garvey’s time as president, from 2010 to 2022, Catholic University’s student retention increased from 79 percent to 88 percent. University assets grew to more than $900 million, and research grants grew to $112 million in the past year. The campus was transformed through the new Monroe Street Market, a campus-wide energy replacement program, building renovations, and new construction, and the University opened two new schools, eight new centers and institutes, and two new program locations, in Alexandria, Va., and Tucson, Ariz. Garvey has led the most successful era of fundraising in University history, raising more than $500 million in gifts and grants.
After making such an impact on Catholic University and its students over the past 12 years, it is fitting that the Garveys will continue to have a significant presence on campus through the naming of Garvey Hall.
“Jeanne and I are honored to have this new dining commons named for us,” President Garvey said. “We are grateful for the attention. But even more than that, we are grateful that our students will soon have a beautiful place where they can eat their meals together, and an academic and career space proportioned to the size of their ambitions.”
Published on: Thursday, June 23, 2022
Campaign Theme: Student Success
Tags: Dining Commons, Garvey Hall
