Dear Hoyas,
Welcome home. I know you have heard this before and trust you will always know that we are more than a place of education. Georgetown is our home.
This home is not perfect. We are most certainly a place where the food won’t replace home cooking, the homework assignments may not be turned in on time, and there may even be traffic on your way to the Capitol for an internship. Your Hoya home welcomes your imperfection and cherishes the journey that awaits during your years at Georgetown.
I invite you to think of a few things that are central to our sense of belonging at Georgetown:
We care for one another. Our Jesuit values speak to our purpose as an institution. Above all things, we cherish the gift that we are to each other and the world you will serve as a Hoya. Make time for the community that surrounds you. I recommend:
- We literally have a 4,418-seat multi-purpose stadium. On campus. In DC. There is a seat for you.
- GWOW is probably one of the coolest acronyms I’ve encountered.
- Selfish plug: hang out with me in VP Advisory. All are welcome. There is food.
Be curious. Scholars are not defined by knowing all the answers, they are defined by their willingness to question ideas and each other. As Hoyas, you are expected, asked, to imagine the possibility of what can be discovered when we take the time to question, engage, and inform our understanding of each other and our world. As a University community we are committed to the free exchange of ideas, as embodied in Georgetown’s Speech and Expression Policy.
My own thoughts and opinions have expanded after experiencing the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, the inter religious experience that occurs throughout Georgetown, the empowerment and community found in our restorative circles, and the transformation that occurs during our immersion trips.
Conflict matters; but only when nurtured by care and curiosity. The Provost has recently launched the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative. I’m thrilled to be teaching an Ignatian Seminar with Rev. Greg Schenden, S.J. this fall on conflict and transformation. In a year that has seen countless elections across the world, GU Politics always proves to keep us engaged.
Now, more than ever, we strive to be people for others in a complex world. These principles are more than chants yelled at rallies, they are central to our identity as Hoyas.
At Georgetown, we seek to go deeper. We seek to critically engage and understand how dignity, justice, curiosity, and care define the depth of how to live in community with each other. Conflict and tension are inherent in that process, shaming and disrespect are not. That dignity and care is fundamental in why we all come to Georgetown as Hoyas.
Use your time as Hoyas to explore what care, conflict, and curiosity mean to all of us. You can learn more about University happenings, campus announcements and ways you can connect with each other in our biweekly newsletter Bulldog Bulletin for undergraduate students and weekly Grad Gazette for graduate students, or sign up for other newsletters here. The opportunities for community are endless.
Welcome home.
Eleanor JB Daugherty, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs