In last week’s post, Rabbi Rachel Gartner invited the community into a deeper consideration of the meaning of summer. Rabbi Rachel ended with a list of open-ended questions. The final question in the group stood out to me: “What insights into the ‘why’ of your work and of your life does summer uniquely offer up to you?” I pondered this question during this week’s SCS Summer Open House for prospective students.
Throughout the calendar year, SCS opens the doors of its beautiful downtown campus to prospective students. The event is structured to encourage spontaneous conversation between those inquiring about the Georgetown experience and the dedicated SCS faculty and staff who are on hand to answer questions. Hospitably organized around delicious food and drink, the open house showcases how the SCS community lives out the Spirit of Georgetown and embraces the values of Jesuit education. In higher education, we often talk about the “lifecycle” of student experience – from the very first inquiry online through to study and program completion to becoming a committed alum. The open house offers a unique glimpse into how prospective students experience Georgetown culture at the earliest stages of their journey.
Rabbi Rachel’s final question was on my mind while I walked around the open house. I delighted in what I noticed: staff and faculty enthusiastically making the case to interested visitors about what makes a Georgetown SCS education stand apart in the field of professional and continuing education. I observed prospective students entering the building unsure of what to expect and leaving the campus with a stack of program handouts and their lunch hungers satisfied. All in all, it was an energetic event throughout and the sounds of spirited conversation and interaction confirmed the event’s success.
I am reflective about how this summer open house helped these guests get in touch with the “why” of their interest in continuing their journey at Georgetown. Earlier in the year, Mission in Motion highlighted the theme of the SCS biennial marketing campaign: Be Continued. SCS has made an intentional decision to market around this question of how the journey of continuing education at Georgetown satisfies a deeper “why” of professional life. This blog tells some of the story about how SCS is committed to forming discerning and generous lifelong learners who want to continue their learning journeys consistent with the University’s mission. During the open house, I considered how each visitor to the campus and potential future SCS student reflected on their open house experience as part of their continuing story of meaning and purpose in work. I imagined these prospective students gaining some valuable insights into the “why” of their interest in Georgetown during their time in the 640 Massachusetts Avenue campus.