CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
The College’s 11 Centers of Excellence represent its deep commitment to research, intellectual curiosity, academic rigor and the teacher-scholar model in disciplines across the liberal arts and sciences. Several of the Centers also serve as a resource for students, offering opportunities including internship programs, student affinity groups and funding for experiential learning.
Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest
The Lepage Center offers resources that bring historical thinking to bear on current events in a 24/7 news cycle. It creates space for historically-minded conversations on the latest headlines; offers workshops with renowned historians and writers; and helps history students apply coursework to real-world issues.
Center for Arab and Islamic Studies
Dynamics in the Arab and Islamic region have significant impacts on international politics and economics. That was the case in 1983 when the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies was founded, and it remains true today. The Center prepares students to be global citizens with the specialized knowledge necessary for comprehending the geostrategic, socioeconomic, religious and intellectual dimensions of the region.
Center of Excellence in Enterprise Technology
The Center of Excellence in Enterprise Technology is dedicated to distinction in the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge and solutions to contemporary software challenges. Home to the CAVE—an immersive, virtual reality facility—the Center promotes interactive learning across the University and through external academic and industry partnerships.
Center for Inclusive Education
The Center for Inclusive Education provides financial and social support to undergraduate and graduate students from under-resourced backgrounds, allowing them to participate fully in learning that takes place outside the classroom—including immersion programs, study abroad, faculty-mentored research, unpaid internships and academic or professional conferences.
Center for Irish Studies
The Center for Irish Studies offers innovative courses in seven disciplines—preparing students to become global citizens who can apply their understanding of contemporary Ireland and its history to challenges facing industry, government and the arts. The Center has partnerships with organizations locally and globally—including the Irish American Business Chamber and Network, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco.
Center for Peace and Justice
Rooted in passion for a moral and just world, the Center for Peace and Justice Education helps students apply Catholic social teaching to the complex problems of our time. The Center sponsors University-wide programming—including the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom School and Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week—and produces the biannual Journal for Peace and Justice Studies.
Center for Political Theology
Villanova University’s Center for Political Theology advances discussions of religion and politics that engage deeply with the Christian tradition and speak broadly to pressing issues of the day. The Center brings Christian theologians into dialogue with humanities scholars and social scientists to explore the intersection of religion and politics, while also helping students understand and participate in those conversations.
Center for Statistics and Data Science Education
Statistics—the art and science of learning from data—and data science—the ability to engage with big data in various forms to extract actionable insights—are two of the fastest growing academic fields. The Center for Statistics and Data Science Education supports practitioners and educators in teaching the next generation to engage with data of increasing volume, variety and velocity.
Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship
The Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship (CBEST) seeks to promote research in biodiversity and ecosystem science with a focus on understanding ongoing changes in ecosystems, their component organisms, and the benefits they provide to society.
The Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good
The Matthew J. Ryan Center promotes inquiry into the principles and processes of free government to advance understanding of statesmen' and citizens' responsibilities in constitutional democratic societies. It sponsors public lectures and major conferences and collaborates with other institutions, organizations and centers to address issues of civic responsibility.
The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society
The Waterhouse Family Institute emphasizes the vital role communication has in promoting a more just world. The Institute sponsors events connecting scholars and professionals and supports projects and activities that challenge students to take responsibility for their local and global communities—such as the Social Justice Documentary program and the Rome internship program.