{"document_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Policy_Research_and_Catholic_Studies"}
The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies (IPR) is an interdisciplinary institute and center of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

History
The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies has its roots in the Boys Town Center for the Study of Youth Development. In 1972, Boys Town had been found to be sitting on funds of nearly $300 million while serving only 200 residents in its Catholic-run home for wayward boys in Omaha, Nebraska. In response to the scandal, the Boys Town board of trustees agreed to widen the organization's mission to include research on youth development. From 1974 to 1982, Boys Town funding supported graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research stipends, support staff, a new building (now Aquinas Hall) and tremendous growth in the National Catholic School of Social Service, the School of Theology and Religious Studies, and the departments of Anthropology, Human Development, and Sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences.

In 1982, the Boys Town board ended its contract with the university, leaving the Center in need of funding and a new vision. It expanded its focus to include human development across the entire life span, as well as research on social movements, and changed its name to The Life Cycle Institute. A number of tough years followed which saw researchers and professors forced to leave for better opportunities, although directors Che Fu Lee, Hans Furth, and James Youniss worked to develop LCI into a center known for its empirical research on community, youth, and political demographics. Eventually, LCI emerged as The Catholic University of America's original internal think tank.
Renamed the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies in 2009, the think tank continues to bring rigorous academic research to bear on contemporary questions of interest to policy experts and faith communities.

Mission

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies now serves as an interdisciplinary policy research center that provides timely analysis of policy issues relevant to the life of the Church, the Catholic University of America, legislators, scholars, professionals, and concerned citizens, including the media. IPR also provides an interdisciplinary forum that welcomes and encourages participation and active collaboration among scholars, professionals, and experts from a variety of disciplines, institutions, and faith traditions.

The Institute's lectures, conferences, symposia, round-tables, and working groups provide research that supports print and electronic publications, multimedia, and other means to share research with the public, the Church, policymakers, media, and interested scholars.

Current Work of the Institute

The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies organizes, facilitates, and sponsors policy analysis, empirical research, and publications focused on both the public and private-sectors. It has organized hundreds of symposia, conferences, round-tables, debates, lectures, and publications designed to bring rigorous academic research to bear on contemporary questions that lie at the intersection of law, religion, and policy, including through close collaboration with lawmakers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the greater Washington, DC area.

The Institute is currently divided into working groups where each IPR Fellow, scholar, or associated professional agrees to collaborate with his or her colleagues to complete a policy research project and to disseminate its results to interested members of the community. Current working groups are focused on the areas:

Recent work at IPR has focused on current events and political discourse, including discussions on the early stages of the Biden administration and the situation in Haiti after the August 2021 earthquake.

The Keane Medallion
The Institute's highest honor, the Bishop John Joseph Keane Medallion, is awarded annually.

The medallion is named in honor of John Joseph Keane, the first rector of The Catholic University of America who was instrumental in locating the University in Washington, DC. The Medallion was crafted to honor individuals for lifetime service reflecting the vision of the Institute. The Latin inscription reads: Academia, Patria, Ecclesia.

Recent Keane Medallion Winners

Prominent IPR Fellows

Directors of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies