In its February meeting, Georgetown’s board of directors received updates on the university’s Called to Be campaign, renovations at the Medical Center and a report reflecting on the university’s Catholic, Jesuit mission. The board was also briefed on the record year the Georgetown community has had in securing prestigious fellowships and also approved two name changes to departments in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Called to Be Campaign Milestone
During the meeting, board members received news that the university’s capital campaign has raised $2 billion out of its $3 billion goal in less than one year since the campaign launched.
The campaign, Called to Be: The Campaign for Georgetown, raises funds to expand the university’s impact for the common good centered around four key commitments: ensuring the student community thrives; shaping the future of teaching, research and learning; advancing the health and security of people and the planet; and building a stronger, more ethical society.
College of Arts & Sciences Departmental Updates
The board approved two name changes in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Effective immediately, the Department of African American Studies will be renamed the Department of Black Studies. The change follows a substantial curriculum revision in 2020 that expanded the department’s research to go beyond the African American experience. The department’s revised name is meant to better reflect the direction of the field of study as well as the breadth of faculty research in the department, while also aligning with the field’s interdisciplinary nature and mission to address racism and xenophobia.
“As knowledge progresses so do our terminology and vocabulary,” said Rosario Ceballo, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “I’m confident that this new name accurately reflects the field’s global and inclusive expansion to countries outside the U.S. as well as a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods and approaches in their field.”
Additionally, the board approved a resolution to change the name of the degree offered by the Department of French and Francophone Studies. Currently offered as a major and minor in French, the department will rename its academic offerings to a major and minor in French and Francophone studies. The name change will more accurately reflect the field’s global nature that extends beyond France and into countries in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia.
New Medical Center Program and Renovation
Following a highly competitive recruitment process, the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) has hired four new faculty members as part of a new strategic approach for strengthening health sciences at GUMC while complementing existing research areas. The new researchers are unified around a theme of interdisciplinary/interdepartmental collaboration titled “Integrative Approaches to Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan.”
The new faculty members will start at Georgetown between February and July 2024 and will work in four departments: Pharmacology and Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Neurology and Neuroscience. To accommodate the new scientists on the GUMC campus, the board approved a plan to renovate and modernize offices and labs with an expected completion later this year.
A Record Year for Fellowships at Georgetown
At the board meeting, Lauren Tuckley, director of the Center for Research and Fellowships, gave a presentation on the university’s record-breaking year in placing students and alumni in competitive, prestigious fellowships.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, Georgetown produced three Rhodes Scholars: Thomas Batterman (C’22), Charlie Wang (SFS’22) and Asma Shakeel (SFS’24). The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most competitive international scholarship that selects promising young people from around the world who demonstrate integrity, leadership, character, intellect and a commitment to service to study at the University of Oxford.
This year, five Hoyas were also named Marshall Scholars, joining the ranks of Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University as the only institutions that have produced five or more Marshall Scholars in the same year. The Marshall Scholarship handpicks outstanding American scholars to pursue graduate studies at any university in the United Kingdom.
And just this week, Georgetown was named the top producer for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the second year in a row, producing more Fulbrights than any other college or university in the U.S. The 40 Fulbrights awarded to Hoyas for the 2023-2024 academic year add to the over 500 Georgetown community members who have secured the Fulbright.
“We are incredibly proud of the record year our students and alumni have had in securing these prestigious fellowships and are looking forward to seeing all that they accomplish in their studies abroad and beyond,” Tuckley said.
Reflecting on Georgetown’s Catholic, Jesuit Mission
During the board’s meeting, Rev. Stephen Sundborg, S.J., gave the board a readout of Georgetown’s participation in the Mission Priority Examen (MPE).
Organized by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, MPE gives Jesuit colleges and universities a process to conduct a self-study and peer review process to reflect on their institutions’ Catholic, Jesuit missions and goals.
This past fall, university leaders participated in 24 listening sessions in the MPE process led by Jeanne Lord, senior advisor to the president and Sundborg, special assistant to the president, in close collaboration with Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry.
“The Mission Priority Examen allows us as a Georgetown community to reflect on how we stay true to our core values and mission,” Sundborg said. “We are excited to continue and deepen our work to more fully live out Georgetown’s Catholic, Jesuit mission.”
Rev. James Martin, S.J., on the Synod
The board also heard from Rev. James Martin, S.J., one of the current members of the board, on his experience serving as a member of the Synod on Synodality.
Last summer, Pope Francis appointed Martin to serve as one of the more than 350 members of the Synod. As part of the Synod, Martin spent four weeks during the fall in meetings and conversations at the Vatican.
Pope Francis convened the three-year Synod in 2021 as a way to promote listening and dialogue among members of the Catholic Church, focusing on the themes of “Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
