The COVID-19 global pandemic has thrown society’s inequities into stark relief. Many families are facing ever-greater financial strain, hampering their ability to pay for college—and making Georgetown’s foundational commitment to access, affordability, and student success in higher education all the more important.
With that in mind, this month we begin 90 Days with Georgetown, a summer-long initiative focused on laying the foundation for the Georgetown community’s success in the 2020-21 academic year. Providing additional financial aid and support for Georgetown students is one of two crucial priorities we are asking our extraordinary community to support in these 90 days leading up to the fall.
The second priority—COVID-19 response efforts to secure Georgetown’s health, safety, and educational mission—is another critical opportunity to directly and immediately strengthen our extraordinary community.
Supporting Georgetown students
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Georgetown has been guided by its commitment to the health and safety of our community. The university pivoted to a virtual learning environment with a particular concern for students’ needs and well-being.
Georgetown has made sure that students who require support receive it. The university has secured safe travel home for students, arranged shipping and storage solutions for belongings left on campus, provided internet broadband access to students with limited connectivity, and offered continued on-campus housing and other critical services for students who could not return to their permanent addresses. In addition, the university refunded prorated room and board costs to all students, including those who receive financial aid, to ensure continued food and housing security for the semester.
Looking toward the fall—and recognizing the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—we know we must provide additional scholarships and support to clear a path to a Georgetown education for new undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical students, while ensuring current students’ continued enrollment.
We also recognize the importance of crisis response funds for students facing unexpected expenses and urgent financial hardship. Donor gifts provide essential support as we work to provide assistance to any student who requires it, ensure their well-being, and keep our community whole.
Securing Georgetown’s health, safety, and educational mission
Georgetown is committed to investing in the health and safety of our community. The university has swiftly and diligently met the pandemic’s rapidly evolving operational challenges. The effort has required unprecedented resources, and the fall will bring even more previously unforeseen needs.
The generosity of our donors will be vital in supporting Georgetown’s COVID-19 resilience and response, including essential public health infrastructure (e.g., community PPE, testing protocols, contact tracing), virtual learning tools and flexible pedagogy design, and medical research on COVID-19.
We also recognize COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black communities across America, as discussed in a new report from Christopher J. King, Ph.D., FACHE, chair of the Department of Health Systems Administration at Georgetown’s School of Nursing & Health Studies. Advancing this and similar health disparities work is an important part of Georgetown’s response to the global pandemic.
Join us for 90 Days with Georgetown
Georgetown’s extraordinary community has shown great resilience in meeting unimaginable challenges, drawing on our deep commitment to educational access, pedagogical innovation, and public health. Now, we will deliver an extraordinary response, laying the foundation for success in the coming academic year.
We invite you to learn more about 90 Days with Georgetown and encourage you to sign up to receive weekly updates.