Professor William E. May, Ph.D.

Arlington, VA – Theology scholar, author and professor, William E. May, Ph.D., will address the 15 candidates for graduation from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS) on May 19, 2011.

The graduation will be held at 2:00 pm in the Crypt Chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

Professor May will be the commencement speaker at the event, which will be the Institute’s 10th graduation.  He will also receive an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from IPS.

Professor May is a former IPS visiting faculty member, and currently is a Senior Research Fellow of the Culture of Life Foundation and emeritus Michael J. McGivney Professor of Moral Theology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

In addition, he is the author and co-author of many books, among them Catholic Sexual Ethics; Humanae Vitae: A Defense; An Introduction to Moral Theology; Marriage: The Rock on Which the Family is Built; and Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life.  He is also the author of more than 200 articles in such journals as The Thomist, Anthropotes, Scripta Theologica, Annales Teologici, and Linacre Quarterly.

"We´re honored and proud to have our former visiting faculty member address our graduates at this year´s commencement,” said IPS President Fr. Charles Sikorsky LC.  “Dr. May is a tireless defender of the dignity of the human person in all of its stages, a prominent voice speaking for the most vulnerable among us."

The graduating students are candidates for a Master of Clinical Psychology Degree (M.S.), and will be joined by two candidates for a Doctor of Clinical Psychology Degree (Psy.D.) who will participate in the ceremony but will not receive their degrees until August 2011.

In addition, the recipient of the Student Services Leadership Award will be announced during commencement.  This award is voted on by the faculty, students and staff to recognize a student who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of leadership and service to their peers and the IPS community.

For more information about the May 19th IPS commencement activities, please contact Student Services Coordinator Nancy Flynn at or 703.416.1441 ext. 127.