Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture

Karen E. Eifler, Ph.D., co-director

Rev. Charles B. Gordon, C.S.C., Ph.d., co-director

Jamie A. Powell, program manager

The University of Portland Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture was dedicated in 2005 as a gift from the Garaventa family of Concord, California.

The Garaventa Center explores and deploys the fruits of faith, reason and imagination that constitute the Catholic intellectual tradition to illuminate and enliven something that is implicit but often unregarded: the working of grace in human communities. The Garaventa Center fosters an ongoing conversation that is morally, ethically, and spiritually grounded, through a variety of programs including lectures, symposiums, art exhibits, and conferences. As Catholic, the Garaventa Center's commitment is informed by the values that stem from the recognition that all life is a gift from a loving Creator, that all human beings have intrinsic dignity, and that the goods of the earth and the goods of human ingenuity have been given by God for the sake of all God’s creatures. As Holy Cross, this commitment is to excellence in teaching in an environment that fosters the development of the whole person— the heart and the mind— to contribute to a just and lasting social order. The Garaventa Center is especially committed to challenging the students at the University of Portland and the broader Catholic community to draw on the wisdom and living tradition of the Church to integrate faith and reason into every facet of their lives.

The University of Portland Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture is located in Room 330 in Franz Hall and can be contacted at (503) 943-7702 or powell@up.edu.