The recent devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area have highlighted a tragic reality that the world will continue to face devastating weather events in the coming years. Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice has directed our community to focus its relief efforts and assistance by supporting Jesuit university colleague Loyola Marymount University during this challenging time. This is a good example of how Georgetown exists in a mutually supportive global network of Jesuit Higher Education.
The wildfires demonstrate the fragility of a warming planet and our duty to protect and preserve it. This commitment is at the core of “Care for Our Common Home,” the 10th value in The Spirit of Georgetown. Pope Francis has written passionately about the moral and spiritual crisis of environmental degradation, particularly in his landmark document Laudato Si’. The pope’s attention to this issue and the urgency of responding to the environmental crisis is shared by leaders across religious traditions.
The School of Continuing Studies has answered the call to address the crisis of ongoing environmental disasters and their impact on human populations by recently launching a new program, the Executive Master’s in Humanitarian Crisis & Emergency Management. This 12-month program, which features residencies around the world and engagement with leading national and global emergency management organizations, prepares students to address the world’s greatest challenges as a result of climate change, political forces, or economic hardship. The program’s hands-on learning approach reinforces that human solutions are needed to address human problems. A recent SCS e-story, “Emergency Managers Facing ‘Continuous Response’ to Chronic Disasters,” gives even more detail about the real-world human impact of these programs.
In announcing the program, SCS Dean Kelly Otter emphasized how Georgetown’s mission to be “People for Others” comes through in the program’s design. Professionals educated in this Executive Master’s will end up helping communities around the globe, according to Otter: “Our Students will emerge as leaders who can drive positive change in humanitarian crisis management, equipped with both practical skills and a global perspective.” Such a values-based orientation is consistent with the School’s intentional efforts to integrate Georgetown’s Jesuit values into new program design.
At a time of immense sadness and suffering over the loss of life in California, it can be difficult to locate evidence for hope. The emergence of the Executive Master’s in Humanitarian Crisis & Emergency Management, and Georgetown’s commitment to addressing the environmental and humanitarian crisis posed by climate change, is one reason for hope. Consistent with the university’s mission, academic programs like this help Georgetown realize its aspiration to educate 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.”