Who We Are and What We Stand For

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community:

I know that the rapidly evolving external environment is unsettling to many in the community. Some of us have received directives to stop our research activities; some of our students have had job offerings rescinded; some have read repeated external communications that question the value of their work.

At times of change and possible disruption, it is useful to refocus our attention on the enduring mission that guides Georgetown:

Georgetown University Mission Statement

“Georgetown University is a Catholic and Jesuit, student-centered research university. Established in 1789 in the spirit of the new republic, the university was founded on the principle that serious and sustained discourse among people of different faiths, cultures, and beliefs promotes intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding. We embody this principle in the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, our commitment to justice and the common good, our intellectual openness, and our international character. An academic community dedicated to creating and communicating knowledge, Georgetown provides excellent undergraduate, graduate, and professional education in the Jesuit tradition for the glory of God and the well-being of humankind. Georgetown educates women and men to be reflective lifelong learners, to be responsible and active participants in civic life, and to live generously in service to others.”

This mission has served us well over the decades. From that mission are derived commitments to practices that we conduct each day as a community.

• We actively participate in the civic life of the nation, given our founding in 1789 in the spirit of the new republic.
• We support freedom of speech, given our commitment to sustained discourse among people.
• We seek a community reflecting the full range of human experiences, given our devotion to the engagement of people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs.
• We sustain a community valuing differences, given our mission to understand different faiths, cultures, and beliefs.
• We seek opportunities to serve others, given our commitment to justice and the common good.
• We promote scholarship freely based on inquiring minds, given our devotion to creating new knowledge.
• We engage globally, given our mission of intellectual openness with an international character.
• We foster respect for human dignity and seek the welfare of all, animated by the Jesuit value of working for the glory of God and the well-being of humankind. 

We do not conduct these activities alongside our mission; they are the essence of our mission. They will continue.

Be assured that we are actively tracking all developments as they occur, assessing whether they affect our mission’s work, quickly partnering with those community members affected, and supporting them as they navigate change.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Interim President