Dear Parents:

The end of the fall semester is an exciting time at Georgetown. Students are preparing for final exams, putting the final touches on term papers, and celebrating the season with their friends. Many sophomores are considering study abroad options, while others are deciding on their major. Our seniors are beginning to explore career options and applying to graduate programs and service opportunities. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are off to a great start, and the excitement is high among their fans. Student performing arts groups have delivered an inspiring round of late-semester concerts and plays. It is a time of great energy and possibilities.

In the midst of this, we continue striving to provide our students with the best possible support, services, and programs to create an enriching Georgetown experience. A Jesuit institution, Georgetown is grounded in a 450-year-old educational tradition inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola. As a consequence of this long tradition, we treasure a number of values that inspirit our University and the student life on the Hilltop. One of the core values that guides our work with students and makes Georgetown a truly unique educational community is the philosophy of Cura Personalis (Educating the Whole Person).

In the spirit of Cura Personalis, we believe in the development of the spiritual, intellectual, artistic, social, and physical aspects of every student. Cura Personalis is a value that calls for our individualized attention to the needs of each student, distinct respect for his or her unique circumstances and concerns, and an appropriate appreciation for his or her particular gifts and insights. Applied broadly, this value shapes the relationship between educators and students as well as professional relationships among all those who work at the University. Cura Personalis is central to the identity of the University, and each generation of students, faculty and staff is invited to engage it in ways that sustain our Jesuit character.

The 2007 fall issues of our parents newsletter shares with you some of the unique ways in which the value of Cura Personalis impacts our work and the life of your students at Georgetown. I hope that you will enjoy reading the newsletter and wish you all the best for the upcoming holiday season.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Olson
Vice President for Student Affairs
and Dean of Students


In this Issue:

The Engelhard Project: Connecting the Safety Net to the Heart of the Academic Environment
A math class may be an unusual place to learn that blood alcohol concentrations are dependent on body weight, gender, quantity, and time period of alcohol consumed. But thanks to a...

Cura Personalis in Action: Flavia Menezes
Living in one place for more than four years has been a strange but happy adjustment for senior Flavia Menezes (COL ‘08). Her trip to the Hilltop has certainly been interest...

Caring for the Whole Person through Career Counseling
Cura Personalis is not just an abstract concept. It is a genuine approach to student development that completes the Georgetown mission. The Career Education Center shares this...

Charlene Brown-McKenzie: Spirit of Georgetown Changing Lives of Students Beyond the Healy Gates
Sometimes great staff members and great benefactors come together to make remarkable difference at Georgetown. That is clearly the case of Charlene Brown-McKenzie (C ’95) and...

Practicalities: Newly Remodeled SNAP (Student Neighborhood Assistance Program)
The Student Neighborhood Assistance Program (SNAP) began in 2000 as a way to respond to our neighbors’ complaints regarding student behavior in the neighborhood. The neighbor...

Practicalities: Health Insurance and Travel Assistance When Students Travel Abroad
As students prepare to study abroad in the spring, both parents and students feel excitement about the students’ adventure of exploring a new culture and angst about ...


We welcome your comments about the newsletter -- please send an email to studentaffairsinfo@georgetown.edu.

More information for parents and families can be found on the Parents and Families website.