Tag: Jesuit Values

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“I Didn’t Want to Let More Time Pass” – Emergency & Disaster Management Alumna Reflects on Her Values-Based Commitment to Protecting Vulnerable People

This week’s Mission in Motion is an interview with Aideé Stephanie Jiménez Ávila, an alumna of the Executive Master of Professional Studies in Emergency & Disaster Management. Currently serving as the Resilience Policy Coordinator in the Government of Mexico City, Stephanie reflects on her inspiring journey to Georgetown’s program that required her to overcome a personal health challenge by seeking out the care and support of others. She offers thoughtful insights about the need for human-centered decision-making in disaster prevention and response and shares about the importance of trust in building healthy, resilient teams. 

  1. Tell us a little bit about your inspiring story and what led you to the Executive Master of Professional Studies in Emergency & Disaster Management? 

In a way, I believe it was destined. I had worked in international cooperation, and my experience was that several social programs would be disrupted when disaster strikes, though previous and emerging needs increased. This led me to have an interest in finding a multi-sectoral program with a managerial vision that targets this lack of coherence in local development.

Initially, I found spaces for certain careers or programs that focused on first-response activities. That’s how I found the program, signed up for the newsletter, and saw the bulletin listing the trips they took to share the experiences of practitioners. It seemed unique to me. Later, I took on another position and postponed the plan of pursuing a master’s degree. With the occurrence of the 2017 earthquake in Mexico, I was working for the United Nations system, and as I learned that disasters were on the rise, I didn’t want to let more time pass without being able to guide governments.

However, I wouldn’t have known that months later I would stop walking due to spinal injuries, causing that dream and interest to be left behind once again. I was fortunate to find a surgeon who, even though I couldn’t walk, said, “You need to go fulfill a dream, what would you like to do?” At first, I thought he was crazy, but he changed my treatment and physical therapy. During those days, a newsletter from the Program arrived, and I applied. A few months later, I was in the Program, which allowed me to continue my treatment, learn, and be in a practical, multicultural program with a humane and quality staff, faculty, and my cohort.

I never imagined that I would be fulfilling a dream while learning to walk and be independent again. My personality before this condition would have never considered it.

  1. You have also received some important awards for your leadership. Can you share more about this recognition and what it means to you? 

Of course! Recently, in September 2023, the Women of the Future organization awarded me as a Rising Star in ESG. This is a global initiative and I’m very happy to be one of the 50 women whose work is not only endorsed by allies who nominated me for the projects I’ve driven in Mexico throughout the years, but it was also evaluated by leading experts from various sectors and regions globally. 

Knowing that issues like partnerships for accountability in disaster prevention and empowerment of young women, like me, in mid-level careers in disaster risk reduction, is not only critical but also inspiring for further Initiatives. With the Program, I now have a network of allies with whom I can learn, raise visibility, and express concerns. That guidance and support are invaluable and desirable for any professional.

  1. Of the 10 core values of the Spirit of Georgetown, what value do you think most expresses how you are putting into professional practice what you learned at the School of Continuing Studies?  

Undoubtedly, “cura personalis.” I usually have clear boundaries between my professional and personal life, but when collaborating and leading teams their environments also influence their performance. If we can take five minutes to engage, offer our support, or exchange ideas, then we can find further opportunities to be better humans and professionals.

Currently, I am looking through several ways to give back the care and support I received at home, from the faculty and my cohort in the Program in daily life, so that my teams and professional networks know that we are in a trusting environment with support and looking out for their well-being and growth.

  1. What advice would you share with other students, especially those students whose journeys to Georgetown involve similar challenges to the ones that you overcame? 

I know that having a network of care and support is a significant privilege, but there’s an entire community of professionals who are interested in building a sense of community and teamwork during and after the program. In SCS, I recognize what “we got your back” really means.

My advice would be: First, TRUST in yourself. In SCS, there’s a whole community during and after the program that is interested in supporting your potential. Second, make every moment an opportunity to propose projects and ideas. In my case, I believe I’ve been very fortunate that even while learning to live with a chronic condition, I received job offers during the program from people who were aware of some of my limitations. This is invaluable and a practice I now seek to adopt in my initiatives. Third, share and create new ways to contribute to society; the networks in SCS will undoubtedly help you continue to grow.

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In Times of Global Crises, Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice Realizes Value of “People for Others”

Georgetown is a large enterprise and relies on a constellation of mission-driven units to animate the mission and values of the University. So much of this animation rests on the Office of Mission and Ministry and Campus Ministry, who provide critically important spiritual care to the community in ways that further meaning, belonging, and purpose. These offices are understandably associated with the Spirit of Georgetown and a team of chaplains and ministry staff carry much of the work of mission integration across the campuses. But there are other key partners that realize Georgetown’s Jesuit mission and values and do so in explicit ways that invite deeper engagement with the larger meaning and purpose of Jesuit education.

This week’s post shines a light on the mission-committed work of Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service (CSJ). CSJ not only helps the Georgetown community respond to humanitarian disasters around the world but also offers an array of programs, like Hypothermia Outreach Team, to realize the Georgetown value of being People for Others.

One of these key partners is Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service (CSJ). The organization’s mission clearly expresses its mission-serving purpose: “In order to advance justice and the common good, CSJ promotes and integrates community-based research, teaching and service by collaborating with diverse partners and communities.” The statement registers as a distinctive element of Jesuit education, which has been clear about the social justice implications of teaching and learning in this tradition. 

Current Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa, for example, through a global discernment process, has made this commitment a pillar of the four Universal Apostolic Preferences, an orienting set of principles that should guide all Jesuit works across the world. One of these four, “Walking with the Excluded,” invites each Jesuit institution to “walk with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice.” The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) makes this commitment to justice one of their seven guiding characteristics of all Jesuit schools. AJCU Characteristic 3, “The Pursuit of Faith, Justice & Reconciliation,” challenges Jesuit institutions to actively “respond to the most morally urgent issues of our times in ways that reflect the deepest sources of the Jesuit, Catholic tradition; anchor healing in truth; and recognize the fulfillment of justice as the forging of right relationships.” At Georgetown, the CSJ is centrally involved in realizing these global and national Jesuit priorities. 

The start of the fall semester has coincided with several global crises. These disasters have included wildfires in Maui, earthquakes in Morocco, and floods in Libya. In each of these instances, the University community has received a broadcast email with resources for support and information about how to respond to these situations of profound human need. You can review CSJ’s dedicated responses to each crisis here. Every notification includes opportunities to support disaster relief by tapping CSJ’s network of Catholic, Jesuit, and mission-based partners that are serving in affected regions. At moments of global challenge and disaster, it is a consolation that CSJ is in a position to help members of the Georgetown community respond to human suffering in a timely way. 

Responses to humanitarian disasters is only one part of the CSJ’s portfolio of programs and resources. SCS students, faculty, and staff should consider all of the opportunities made available for greater engagement. Of particular importance in the Downtown Campus is the work of CSJ’s Homelessness Outreach Meals Education (HOME) program. This is a comprehensive effort to promote human dignity and respect for people experiencing homelessness through outreach, education, and direct service. In the coming months, there will be more information about how the SCS community can become more involved in HOME efforts in the Downtown. 

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SCS Hosts Event Focused on Young Professionals: How Can We Live Faithfully in Our Personal, Professional, and Political Lives?

The post this week is a reflection on a recent panel event hosted at SCS by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public life about the public contribution of faith. You can watch a recording.

One of the many blessings of the SCS campus is that University offices and initiatives on the Hilltop like to host events in the 640 Massachusetts Avenue space. Proximate to Capitol Hill and centrally located in the Downtown, the SCS building is situated in the heart of this capital city.

One consistent University partner organizing dynamic panel conversations at SCS on wide-ranging topics is the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and particularly its Salt and Light Gatherings for young professionals. This week, a Salt and Light Gathering brought together an interesting mix of young leaders, ranging from a former political journalist on a new journey of self-discovery, an active duty U.S. Army major, a Congressional staff member, and a recent Georgetown graduate working in journalism.

The question that animated the hour-long conversation and community-building reception that followed was: What do the resources of faith offer individuals in their professional and political lives at a time of increasing polarization and loneliness?

The beauty of this convening was that the conversation did not pretend to have an easy answer to this difficult question. Each commentator expressed a humility about not having the answers but drew insights from their reflections on life experience and observations of the world. A theme of the discussion (you can watch a recording) was an affirmation of discernment, a core practice of Ignatian spirituality, which can be cultivated through regular prayer, meditation, and other self-awareness exercises.

The panel also challenged social and cultural assumptions about what it means to have “faith” and to be a “person of faith.” One of the panelists described faith in a way that I had not heard before: “Faith is showing up for others in their suffering.” I found this to be a far more effective and imaginative definition than most explanations found in expert writings or in textbooks. 

But why does such an event matter to the lives of the members of our SCS community?

First, I think it is helpful to raise awareness about how SCS leverages its space and strategic location in D.C. to make connections with mission-oriented programs based on the Hilltop. Second, I believe that the SCS mission of contributing to the building of a “civic-minded, well-informed, and globally aware society” comes alive when spaces are intentionally created to reflectively consider a diversity of viewpoints and life experiences.

The question of how personal and communal structures of faith should influence participation in the public square is a pressing question that unfortunately receives too little attention in the media and the wider culture. Georgetown, given its spiritual tradition and its commitments to religious pluralism, dialogue, and the common good, is uniquely positioned to host critical conversations like this.

I hope you check out the recording and ponder a bit more about what “faith” means to you and what it has to positively offer our current political reality.

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URP Celebrates 10 Years: A Reflection on Mission Commitment in Urban Planning Education @ Georgetown

This week’s post celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the Master’s in Urban & Regional Planning program at SCS and emphasizes how the program forms students to pursue the work of mission and values in their careers. 

Former Jesuit Superior General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., provided one of the most universally employed metrics to define what “success” looks like in Jesuit education when he said in 2000 that: 

“The real measure of our Jesuit universities lies in who our students become. For 450 years, Jesuit education has sought to educate ‘the whole person’ intellectually and professionally, psychologically, morally, and spiritually. But in the emerging global reality, with its great possibilities and deep contradictions, the whole person … cannot be whole without an educated awareness of society and culture with which to contribute socially, generously, in the real world. Tomorrow’s whole person must have, in brief, a well-educated solidarity.” 

These words of Kolvenbach reverberated in my mind as I participated in last week’s 10-year anniversary of the Master’s in Urban & Regional Planning (URP) program.  

Over the span of four hours, a series of students, alumni, faculty, and special guests reflected on the most pressing issues facing the professional practice of urban planning today and how Georgetown prepares them to meet these challenges. The vibrant and spirited reflections in the auditorium kept attendees, which included program supporters from the University and the broader community, engaged and curious about what the Georgetown master’s program has to offer cities and their residents around the world. The formal convening later transitioned into a celebration in the SCS atrium where Rabbi Rachel Gartner, SCS Senior Advisor for Spiritual Care, and Dr. Kelly Otter, Dean of SCS, toasted the URP program and its visionary faculty director, Uwe Brandes. 

The 10-year anniversary celebration featured a reception with toasts by Rabbi Rachel Gartner, SCS Dean Kelly Otter, and URP Faculty Director Uwe Brandes. 

As a faculty member in the URP program and the mission integrator for SCS, I reflected on how the entire event manifested the profound ways that this program at SCS is organized to advance the University’s mission and values. If the measure of our Jesuit universities, according to Kolvenbach, is who our students become, then it is quite evident that URP is meeting this standard. I observed both current students and alumni of the program articulating one after another how their time at Georgetown shaped deeper personal and professional commitments to mission. Students and alumni are advancing social equity, community building, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and other core values-based practice areas in a wide variety of ways. They are working at every scale of government and across the private and nonprofit sectors. But more important than a particular work area or site of work, I noticed that all of these program representatives manifested a passion for making cities and the world more just and more whole. 

In this way, I could more easily understand how urban planning can help realize the vision for the environmentally sustainable and socially just world envisioned in Pope Francis’ 2013 global encyclical, Laudato Si. In that document, Pope Francis names a special responsibility that urban planning has to realize an “integral ecology” that honors the gifts of God’s creation: 

“More precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: people’s quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance. Here too, we see how important it is that urban planning always take into consideration the views of those who will live in these areas. There is also a need to protect those common areas, visual landmarks and urban landscapes which increase our sense of belonging, of rootedness, of ‘feeling at home’ within a city which includes us and brings us together.” 

This is not easy work and there is little delusion that urban planners alone can solve the great challenges facing the planet. But it helps now and again to step back, celebrate a milestone like a 10-year anniversary, and then step back into the urgent and necessary work a little more refreshed and perhaps more grateful about the role that programs at SCS, like URP, play in advancing the common good. Cheers, URP! 

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Care of the Person + Care of the Work = Care of the Mission

Georgetown Staff Appreciation Day took place this week and gives us an opportunity to explore two key terms in Jesuit mission: cura personalis (care of the person) and cura apostolica (care of the work). 

This week featured an annual highlight in the life of the institution: Georgetown Staff Appreciation Day. Converted to an indoor celebration because of the heat wave, the multi-hour event included lots of food, games, raffles, and even massages. Coming together as members of the staff community, arriving from a diversity of offices and campuses across Georgetown, is a welcome opportunity to enjoy each other’s company and reflect on the purpose of our shared commitment. 

This may come as a surprise, but I believe that this yearly event provides a rich platform to explore core concepts of Jesuit mission. In particular, the gathering of staff for the purposes of honoring their individual and collective contribution to the University brings out two Jesuit ideas that are fundamental to Georgetown’s mission and values. These are: Cura Personalis (care of the person) and Cura Apostolica (care of the work). You can read Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa’s much more detailed account of these terms in this universal letter issued to Jesuits across the world a few years ago. In short, care of the person in a Jesuit context is to always pay individualized attention to the needs, desires, strengths, and weaknesses of the individual when discerning how best to realize their potential. This commitment is realized at the University not only in the teacher-student relationship but also in the relationship amongst staff and between staff and faculty. 

Where Cura Personalis is about the person, Cura Apostolica is about the work. In a Jesuit institution, this means that the individuals responsible for the work or the shared project need to pay attention to ensuring the flourishing of the organization as a whole. To care for the work is to discern choices on the basis of what ultimately serves the needs of the collective enterprise. Often, these two commitments are in alignment, but there are occasionally times of tension between the two. In some instances, commitment to the ultimate purpose of the work might result in less care of the person (and vice versa). According to Fr. Sosa, this tension is sometimes unavoidable but can be navigated in a way that ultimately serves shared mission:

“However, Ignatius’ experience shows that care, deeply rooted in his spiritual experience and his mystical journey, offers the true dimension of the unity cura apostolica-cura personalis, dimensions of one single cura, that is, care for mission. The single cura has as its focus persons, communities and works, which are the service of mission. It is mission, therefore, that must be the fundamental criterion that unites cura apostolica and cura personalis. Our mission includes and implies inseparably our way of living and relating to each other, of caring for people and communities. This care for our way of living and relating is also a mission in itself.”

The unity of these two communities – personal and collective – is possible through discernment about mission. This point affirms the need at Georgetown and other Jesuit institutions to share about the mission of Jesuit education and what this five centuries’ heritage and tradition mean for today. I hope that one of the takeaways of this reflection is to find time and space to more deeply reflect on how you are in relationship to the mission of Georgetown. How are you attentive to the needs of individuals in your work? How are you advancing the work overall? How are you relying on the resources of the mission to find unity when these two conflict? 

Staff Appreciation Day helps focus our attention on the various ways that day-in and day-out the members of the Georgetown staff community realize the University mission by caring for people and the work to which they have been entrusted. 

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2023 Mass of the Holy Spirit Invokes the Struggle for Truth and Justice, Blesses the Academic Year

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In this year’s Mass of the Holy Spirit, Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., challenged the university community to meet the demands of truth, justice, and reconciliation in light of the attacks on higher education in Nicaragua and here at home.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a hallowed tradition for Jesuit universities around the world. Since the Jesuits began operating schools five centuries ago, every academic year in a Jesuit institution of learning begins with this Mass. The Catholic liturgy for this occasion implores the Holy Spirit to bless and accompany the university community of students, faculty, and staff as they go about their work in the coming academic year. This year’s Mass followed this same pattern and featured the same timeless rituals and observances of prior years. These practices include concluding remarks by President John J. DeGioia, a faculty procession, attendance by the religiously diverse chaplains and staff of the Office of Campus Ministry, and a packed Gaston Hall filled to the rafters. 

But in some ways, this year’s Mass of the Holy Spirit felt different because the stakes for higher education seem greater. Fr. Matt Carnes, S.J., Associate Professor in the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service, gave a homily that challenged the status quo and invited the community to renew their commitment to leading lives of service and justice in a world threatened by violence and division. Knowing Fr. Carnes, who has supported the SCS community-based learning course “Jesuit Values in Professional Practice,” I was not surprised by his prophetic and timely words (you can read the full copy of his homily here). Steeped as he is in the Latin American experience and the ongoing quest for liberation and peace among powerless residents of these countries, Fr. Carnes turned our attention to the tragic situation in Nicaragua. An oppressive regime in that country, in pursuit of its totalitarian aims, is suppressing dissent and seeking to silence all who question and challenge its power. The Jesuit university there, Universidad Centroamerican de Managua, was recently shut down by the authoritarian regime, who confiscated the property, seized the university’s assets, and dismissed faculty and staff. Police then threw out the Jesuits who lived nearby. 

This shameful event, offered Fr. Carnes, should open our eyes at Georgetown to the reality that Jesuit education is not a riskless endeavor. In fact, being true to the deepest purpose of Jesuit education means risking the comforts of safety and security in pursuit of the transcendent aims of truth, justice, and peace. Linking the Gospel passage for the Mass with our situation today, Fr. Carnes invited all of us into the difficult work of healing and repairing a broken world: “And he sends them out – to be agents of truth and of reconciliation. To see clearly the sin that exists in the world – in unjust structures and social relations, in oppressive regimes and in the grinding inequities that keep individuals and groups down – and to seek to free humanity from its own worst actions.” We can cower from this task of truth and justice or we can be set on fire for the mission of healing divisions and making sure that all are included. Fr. Carnes reminded us that the attacks on higher education are not far away from home – the “many battles over education and inquiry – over truth and justice” are also happening in this country. 

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The Mass of the Holy Spirit took place this week in a crowded Gaston Hall and featured remarks by Georgetown President DeGioia. 

The message of the homily by Fr. Carnes reinforces all of the values in the Spirit of Georgetown, especially a “Faith that Does Justice.” To be about the work of peace and justice, reconciliation and truth, is to be ready, willing, and able to sacrifice on behalf of the greater good. This is a welcome perspective at the beginning of a new academic year. Perhaps we can return to this view whenever we find ourselves stuck in the coming months and in need of a reframing about why we’re here at Georgetown and how we all have a part to play in the continuing struggle for justice. 

You can learn more about the situation in Nicaragua and how the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities is responding by checking out: “AJCU Statement on the University of Central America in Nicaragua.” 

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The Feast Day of St. Ignatius: An Opportunity on July 31 to Reflect on the Saint’s Enduring Meaning for Professional Education

This week’s Mission in Motion is a reflection on what St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, whose feast day is July 31, means for professional and continuing education.

On Monday, July 31, Georgetown will honor the feast day of its patron saint, St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, with a mass and a reception to follow in Dahlgren Quad on the Hilltop. You can find more event details at this University site.

Over the years, Mission in Motion has narrated the significance of the story of St. Ignatius in many ways, including coverage of the Ignatian Year, a more than year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of the saint’s transformative conversion after suffering from cannonball-induced wounds. The unique events and testimonials to the meaning of Ignatius’ life presented a welcome point of departure for greater reflection across Georgetown about the relevance of the Jesuit founder in our present age. 

At SCS, the life and example of St. Ignatius uniquely address the life experience, hopes, and dreams of our student population. There are four elements of Ignatius’ biography that I would like to call attention to in light of the characteristics of adult learners engaged in professional and continuing education. 

First, St. Ignatius was himself an adult learner. After his conversion to a deeply purpose-driven life anchored in prayer and love of God and others, Ignatius decided that realizing his earthly mission and that of the Jesuit order required educational credentials. This insight speaks to the motivations that bring so many early-, mid-, and late-career students into programs at SCS. Acquiring the skills and knowledge recognized by professional bodies and academic communities makes it possible to accomplish great deeds in the world. Ignatius was humble in this recognition of the need for formal study, electing in his adult years to return to school with much younger students. The Jesuits themselves inherited this commitment to adult education, innovating the Church’s style of preaching and teaching by hosting sacred lectures (like the ones that Georgetown still sponsors) intended for adults with busy lives. 

Second, St. Ignatius was a military-connected student. To put an even finer point on this, Ignatius was actually a wounded warrior, having suffered the physical and emotional wounds of combat. SCS is ever proud to be a welcoming community for veterans and counts many military-connected students amongst its students, faculty, and staff. According to the 2021-2022 SCS Dean’s Report, 250 degree-seeking students are military students. More than coursework, these students have access to a comprehensive set of resources provided by Georgetown’s Military and Veterans’ Resource Center. It is fair to say that Ignatius understood the challenges of military life and many of the insights that he brought into his leadership and administration of the Jesuits reflect these lessons. 

Third, St. Ignatius used technological innovation as part of his leadership strategy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SCS utilized a motif from early Jesuit history, “A Community in Dispersion,” to describe the possibility of using technology to maintain the unity of a globally dispersed community. There is analogy in the use of online education to foster common bonds despite the physical distance of students and the way that St. Ignatius pioneered the hand-written letter, a technology of his time period, as a way of keeping Jesuits unified throughout the world. SCS has made great strides in recent years in the development of high-quality online education programs. With the help of creative instructional designers, subject matter experts, and a coordinated strategy to incorporate the Spirit of Georgetown into online courses, SCS online programs are renewing a 500-year-old tradition in ways that address contemporary education needs. 

And finally, St. Ignatius proved that busy adults can still lead contemplative lives. In this way, Ignatius was an exemplar for Contemplation in Action, a cherished value at SCS because of the reality that so many of our students are juggling competing personal and professional obligations in pursuit of their Georgetown educations. The style of spirituality that St. Ignatius encouraged has made it possible to simultaneously reflect on the meaning of daily experience (through tools like the examen of consciousness) and generously and vigorously act in the world in the service of the common good. In so many ways, I recognize the spirit of the Ignatian biography when I observe committed, ambitious, and dedicated students descending on SCS classrooms at the end of a long workday. These same students also find time to contemplate, attending retreats and committing to other spiritual practices. 

St. Ignatius is a universally beloved figure in Jesuit education. And while all parts of this global enterprise can make claim to St. Ignatius and his unique contributions, there is a special way that this man resonates with the adult learners who comprise Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. Happy feast day! 

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Why Does the Core Ethics Course in the SCS Master of Professional Studies Matter?

This week’s post reflects on the recent environmental crisis by affirming the required MPS course in professional Ethics. The University recently announced that its downtown residential building at 55 H St. NW achieved a major sustainability milestone. 

This was a week that made me especially grateful that all SCS Master of Professional Studies (MPS) programs have a required course in Ethics. This common feature of the MPS degree programs is a distinguishing characteristic of the commitment at SCS to integrating Georgetown’s Jesuit and Catholic mission and values within the curriculum. While each program designs its own course that reflects the unique discourses and practices of that particular professional discipline, all the offerings in Ethics challenge students to consider the personal formation of professional ethics in light of the University’s mission to form graduates who are “lifelong learners” and “responsible and active participants in civic life” who “live generously in service to others.”

My own gratitude for this feature of academic life at SCS is related to this week’s current events. The distressing smoke billowing throughout much of the United States, including Washington, D.C., due to accelerating forest fires in Canada should awaken our collective conscience to the need for significant changes in human behavior toward the environment. Mission in Motion has previously called attention to the Spirit of Georgetown value, “Care for Our Common Home,” and the mission-critical work of environmental sustainability and climate adaptation during an unusually warm week earlier in the year. The increasing recognition that status quo policies and actions are not satisfactory to address the global crisis of a warming planet makes it all the more important that professional students reflect on the ethical and moral imperative of cooling down a warming planet. 

You might still be asking: How does this week’s disruptive weather event relate to the MPS course in Ethics? My reflection on this question consists of three points. 

First, the Ethics course invites students to move beyond a rules-based or legalistic framework approach to what is ethically necessary in professional life. While knowing professional codes of conduct and policies that govern particular communities of practice is important, simple compliance with prescribed requirements is not enough to address threats to the common good. I teach the core ethics course in MPS Urban & Regional Planning and students meaningfully engage with the American Institute of Certified Planners Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. But the discussions, the assignments, and the applications move well beyond the text of the professional code to a deeper consideration of how ethical skills and habits depend on more than following external rules. Ethics is more than how we behave at work and includes the ways that we form personal values that guide our actions in the world. 

Second, the MPS course in ethics invites students to challenge their preconceptions and existing worldviews by adopting the perspectives of others. As a Jesuit institution, Georgetown invites students to consider the ethical significance of a wide range of topics from the view of marginalized persons and communities. Considering the ethical implications of real-world events like this week’s spike in air pollution from the viewpoint of the most socially, economically, and politically disempowered is a primary orientation of Jesuit education, which is emphasized in the religious order’s Universal Apostolic Preferences that include “Walking with the Excluded” and “Caring for Our Common Home.” Fr. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., in his recent book “Jesuit Higher Education in a Secular Age” captures the “solidarity” commitment in Jesuit schools and argues that students need to develop an awareness of others that leads to personalized commitments to realizing social change. 

Third, the class in ethics reveals that all professional disciplines have a common stake in universal challenges. This invites greater interdisciplinarity and cross-silo thinking about how the various professional communities can assist one another in addressing global problems. Students can leave the class appreciating their common interests with related and allied disciplines. For instance, Georgetown recently announced that its newly built downtown residential building at 55 H St. NW achieved LEED Platinum from the U.S. Green Building Council. Achieving the highest possible LEED certification reflects the University’s priority of environmental sustainability in its strategy and operations. This achievement also reflects a very real-world example of how professionals from various disciplines had to come together in order to make this project a reality. The journey toward a more just and healthy climate future will require that students trained in the knowledge and skills of particular professional industries actively seek out collaborations with others. 

Forming professional students in ethical thinking and practice is one of the many ways that SCS lives out the Spirit of Georgetown and contributes to a healthier and more just world.

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2023 Spirit of Georgetown Winner Reflects on Friendship, Professional Journeys, and Shaping the Next Generation

Each year, Georgetown SCS honors outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni at the annual Tropaia Awards in Gaston Hall. This is a treasured occasion to publicly celebrate the ways that SCS community members bring the Spirit of Georgetown, the Jesuit mission and values that animate this entire learning community, to life in their study and work. The SCS Spirit of Georgetown award is selected by a committee of faculty and staff through a rigorous process of reviewing peer nominations. 

This year’s winner is Courtney Eury, a 2018 graduate of the Master of Professional Studies in Project Management. Courtney exemplifies the core values at the heart of the Spirit of Georgetown in her ongoing commitment to the service of others. She has transformed profound personal grief into service for the common good. She founded the Craven Apiary Foundation, which supports young women in their pursuit of advanced education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.). The foundation offers resume and scholarship essay review along with interview preparation and a scholarship fund for students seeking to pursue further study in S.T.E.A.M. fields.

This week’s post is an interview with Courtney Eury, a 2018 SCS graduate who has committed her life to the service of others, inspired by her Georgetown education and her transformative response to personal loss.  
  1. Tell us a bit about your story. What led you to Georgetown SCS and where is your journey heading a few years after your graduation? 

Since 2008, I have worked in government and technology, living in D.C., California, and North Carolina. When transitioning from government to corporate America, I knew that I wanted to pursue an advanced degree. After extensive research, Georgetown SCS became my top choice, as I have always aligned closely with the values at Georgetown and the education that it provides. Since graduating, I have continued to work in technology, currently at Splunk as a Customer Success Manager, as well as recently founded The Craven Apiary Foundation in January 2023 to honor my late sister. The Foundation’s mission is to provide scholarships and support to young women pursuing advanced studies in S.T.E.A.M. This year, we have been able to provide six local women with scholarships for their 2023–2024 academic year. My time at Georgetown provided me with the tools to succeed, enabling me to help others pursue their own dreams.

  1. What does the Spirit of Georgetown mean to you? 

Opportunity, inclusiveness, and connection are the top three words that come to mind when I think of what the Spirit of Georgetown means to me. Opportunity to challenge myself professionally and academically, learning from those around me. Inclusiveness to allow for me to be my truest self, share ideas and see other perspectives. Connection to others, even after our time at Georgetown, building a network of individuals that support and encourage me through my professional journey. Both during and after my time at Georgetown, I have been able to connect with faculty and other graduates, offering growth and friendship that would not have been possible otherwise. These individuals have inspired me to provide others with the same, therefore allowing me to give back to my community and network. 

  1. As you reflect back on your time at SCS, what advice or inspiration would you like to share with the soon-to-be graduates? 

There are two pieces of advice that a mentor/colleague has shared with me over the years that have helped guide me through difficult situations or decisions. 

  • “Create your pull, not a push.”

When you meet others, whether personally or professionally, be authentic, make an impact, and create connections. Don’t try to push or force yourself into a situation, a job, etc. If you try too hard to make it happen, it most likely isn’t meant for you.

  • “If you ask permission to be great, you will remain mediocre.” 

Be authentically you. Don’t allow others to tell you how bright you should shine or what your true potential is. Only you know that. If you wait for validation from outside sources or worry about what others may be perceiving you as, you may miss out on some of your greatest opportunities. 

  1. Anything else to share?  

I am so humbled to be selected for this award and all that it represents. I look forward to many years of sharing the Spirit of Georgetown with others, providing a safe space for people to be their most authentic selves, as well as creating opportunity whenever possible. I urge others to live a life of kindness and compassion, allowing those around them to be their most authentic selves.

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Military Veteran and Author Leads Profound Conversation at Georgetown About Faith and Culture

The School of Continuing Studies is proud to serve a student body so connected to the military. The most recent SCS Dean’s Report details this military population, with 250 military-connected students enrolled across SCS programs in the 2021-2022 Academic Year. Georgetown’s commitment to this group is comprehensive with an array of programs and services intended to help veteran students and their families. And Georgetown is also a university, grounded as it is in its Catholic-Jesuit faith heritage, that welcomes and invites conversations about the most significant moral issues facing our world. In this spirit, Georgetown welcomed to campus last week Phil Klay, an award-winning author and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. As part of the Faith and Culture series organized by the president’s office, Klay presented on his recent works, including his much acclaimed most recent novel Missionaries. 

This week’s Mission in Motion shines a light on a recent conversation at Georgetown with military veteran and noted Catholic author Phil Klay. SCS has a considerable population of military-connected students and this recent conversation illuminates their ongoing journey.  

One of the goals of this Mission in Motion blog is to connect the SCS community with events and resources occurring throughout the university. The intimate conversation with Phil Klay in Riggs Library, moderated by Paul Elie, senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the director of the American Pilgrimage Project, is an excellent example of how Georgetown engages in critically important moral and ethical conversations in a way that community members across the university can appreciate. I would like to amplify this conversation and encourage you to take a look because I think the 60 minutes of discussion illuminate some of the biggest questions about the moral dimensions of how the United States engages in war in the 21st Century. 

Klay’s writing is motivated by his faith as a Catholic, a journey that has led him to embrace this tradition, leave this tradition, and ultimately return to it. But the meaningfulness of Klay’s insights about what it means to engage in war transcend any particular faith tradition. He is writing about the fundamentally human questions that continue to accompany military action in this time and age. What Klay represents so well in this conversation is the perspective of the person engaged in a war that he or she did not choose but must attend to out of their obligation. What are the lasting impacts of this engagement? How can military and military-connected persons make sense of their experience of war? What does faith have to say about any of this? 

There are no simple or easy answers to any of these questions. But the conversation with Phil Klay demonstrates well that the healthiest and most spiritually mature responses to these conundrums should be openly discussed and considered. I hope that we can all take from this discussion the enormous costs of war, the moral challenges that such war poses for its participants, and the relevance of this conversation for all of us as a university community.