Student Formation and Wellbeing
Under President DeGioia’s leadership, Georgetown developed a network of resources and initiatives that support students’ personal and professional formation, mental health, and wellbeing. These “communities of care” aim to provide our young adults with a robust framework to navigate challenges at this critical moment in their lives, deepen their leadership experience, and discern their most authentic selves and the unique contributions they seek to make in our world.
Calcagnini Contemplative Center
Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, the Calcagnini Contemplative Center (CCC) hosts various retreats and pilgrimages for our University community, including ESCAPE—a first-year and transfer student program that centers overnight reflection, fellowship, and community development in the Ignatian tradition. The CCC was opened in 2013 through the generosity of Arthur (C’54, P’84, P’85, P’93) and Nancy Calcagnini (P’84, P’85, P’93).
Coming together on the mountaintop
Support for our Military-Connected Students
Georgetown’s veteran and military-connected community models a strength of character and depth of leadership that is deeply resonant with our Catholic and Jesuit commitment to service and the common good. The Military and Veterans’ Resource Center works to support our more than 1,300 military-connected students as they pursue their next call to service at Georgetown and beyond.
Military and Veterans at Georgetown
Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community
President DeGioia launched the LGBTQ Initiative in 2007 and, in 2008, Georgetown established the first LGBTQ Resource Center at any Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher education. The Center is an important element of the University’s work to foster an inclusive and welcoming campus community, and it houses a number of significant advocacy and educational efforts, including our annual Lavender Graduation Celebration.
The LGBTQ Resource CenterAs an educator, I know that you are here to develop your minds and your hearts, your talents, your character — your full selves.
John J. DeGioia, Open Meeting on LGBTQ Student Resources, 2007
Every Hoya Cares
Georgetown’s mission is grounded in a culture of wellbeing. Every Hoya Cares, first launched in 2021, is a public health campaign that works to provide an accessible and easily navigable overview of the University’s broad range of support services for students, faculty, and staff, and to encourage community members both to seek care and to care for one another.
The Engelhard Project
Launched in 2005, Georgetown’s Engelhard Project for Connecting Life and Learning seeks to integrate conversations around student wellbeing and mental health awareness into academic settings by providing resources to faculty as they design curricula and guide classroom discussions.
Fostering Student Success and Community Wellbeing
Georgetown’s community-based approach to wellbeing seeks to foster student success and a robust culture of care and belonging. To nurture this effort, President DeGioia supported several convenings with the LearningWell Coalition and The Steve Fund; charged a working group, Cura Georgetown, to deepen the networks of care across the University; and facilitated Georgetown’s partnership with the Wellbeing Project.
Advancing the Well-Being of ChangemakersIt is important for each one of us to take time to care for ourselves and to care for one another. This is an invitation—to all of us—to seek support and to support one another.
John J. DeGioia
Cooper Athletics Leadership Program
Established in 2015 as part of a $50 million gift from Peter and Sue Cooper (P’02, P’02, P’06, P’07, P’10, P’10), the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program deepens the leadership capabilities of Georgetown students engaged in intercollegiate athletics through a robust and interdisciplinary academic curriculum.
Cooper Athletics Leadership Program
Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference
In 2016, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture launched Sport at the Service of Humanity (SSH), an initiative that engages the intersections of sports and faith to help inspire young athletes, strengthen communities, and deepen global engagement in advancing the common good. Georgetown hosted SSH’s fourth annual conference in 2019.
About the SSH Conference