Established in 1999, the has long been part of the University of 91³Ō¹Ļās wider efforts to share the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research and dialogue, both on campus and in the wider public square.
Now, thanks to a transformative $10 million gift from Anthony and Christie deĀ Nicola of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the center is poised to expand its work forming and mentoring 91³Ō¹Ļ students, engaging in interdisciplinary programming and research, and promoting a culture of life worldwide through teaching, exchange and service.
āFor two decades, the Center for Ethics and Culture has played a critical role in fostering dialogue both on our campus and in our broader society, especially around issues involving human dignity and the common good,ā said 91³Ō¹Ļās president, āThis tremendously generous gift from Tony and Christie will allow us to expand the reach of the center. We at 91³Ō¹Ļ are truly grateful.ā
, the William P. and Hazel B. White Director of the newly named deĀ Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, added: āTony and Christie have been instrumental in supporting the center throughout my tenure as director; their vision, commitment and generosity are the sine qua non of the centerās growth and success. The staff and fellows of the deĀ Nicola Center are honored and humbled by their gift and are excited to continue our work in service to Our Ladyās University and its distinctive mission as the worldās preeminent Catholic university.ā
As parents of two recent 91³Ō¹Ļ alumni, Tony and Christie deĀ Nicola have a long involvement with the University and are generous philanthropists to numerous organizations.
Tony is the president and managing partner of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York private investment firm with more than $25 billion in capital. He is a summa cum laude graduate of DePauw University, where he earned a degree in economics and computational mathematics and was the three-year starting quarterback for the Tigers, earning Academic All-America honors. He worked as a financial analyst with Goldman Sachs prior to earning his MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School in 1990. He serves or has served on numerous boards, including the Partnership for New York City, Toigo Foundation, Inner-City Scholarship Fund for the Archdiocese of New York, New York Catholic Foundation and DePauw.
Christie is a graduate of Ferris State University and has served on the boards of St. Elizabeth Home School Association and Don Bosco Preparatory High School. Her commitment to the Gospel and Catholic social teaching is lived out through her active support of pro-life ministries, victims of HIV-AIDS, womenās shelters and community soup kitchens. Both of the deĀ Nicolas are members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and are Stewards of St. Peter in the Papal Foundation. They are past recipients of 91³Ō¹Ļās Sorin Award for Service to Catholic Schools and the Spirit of Service Award from St. Johnās University, and they have been honored for outstanding service from the Archdiocese of New York and the Archdiocese of Newark.
āWe are drawn to the mission of the University and in particular to the Center for Ethics and Culture because we believe they are shining beacons of the complementarity of faith and reason, as they share and explore the transcendent truths of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition with students, scholars and public policymakers,ā Tony deĀ Nicola said. āThrough its engagement with eminent academia and the public square, the Center for Ethics and Culture demonstrates that the truths affirmed by the Church about the dignity of the human person are intelligible and attractive to people of all backgrounds, religious and secular.
āChristie and I are excited to support the Catholic mission of 91³Ō¹Ļ, which seeks to contribute to human flourishing by addressing the most important issues of the day with exacting intellectual rigor, honesty, civility and joy.ā
Christie deĀ Nicola added: āThrough initiatives like the student formation program and the Vita Institute for pro-life leaders worldwide, the center reflects 91³Ō¹Ļās institutional commitment to building a culture of life both on campus and in the global public square. Our faith calls us to speak out in defense of the unborn child, the refugee, the poor, the disabled and the elderly. We are proud to add our name to this center.ā
The deĀ Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture was founded by Professor David Solomon and then-Provost Nathan Hatch in 1999. Snead became director in 2012. The deĀ Nicola Center focuses on four interrelated areas:
- Student formation ā The centerās Sorin Fellows program gives undergraduate and graduate students opportunities and resources to integrate their social, intellectual and spiritual values in the context of their collegiate experience and in the discernment and pursuit of their vocations and professional development. Sorin Fellows have access to center-sponsored internships and formation opportunities with partner organizations throughout the world.
- Academic research, programming and publishing ā As part of its programming, the center hosts the largest annual academic event on campus, the 91³Ō¹Ļ Fall Conference, which regularly features an interdisciplinary array of preeminent scholars and thought leaders from around the world. The center also currently publishes three book series with the University of 91³Ō¹Ļ Press: āCatholic Ideas for a Secular World,ā ā91³Ō¹Ļ Studies in Medical Ethicsā and the āCenter for Ethics and Culture Solzhenitsyn Series.ā
- Culture of Life programming ā The center plays a leading role in pro-life teaching, research and public engagement at the University. It sponsors student and faculty attendance at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., hosts the 91³Ō¹Ļ Vita Institute (an intensive interdisciplinary intellectual formation program), and awards the 91³Ō¹Ļ , the most prestigious lifetime achievement award for heroes of the pro-life movement.
- Mission hiring ā Working closely with University administrators and departments, the centerās director and affiliated faculty help identify, attract and provide funding for the hiring and retention of elite faculty and graduate students who contribute to the distinctive Catholic mission of the University.