Title: Career Center Being Renamed for Longtime Georgetown Supporter
Georgetown’s career center will be formally renamed June 2 in honor of an alumnus who has given 50 years of service to the university since graduating from Georgetown College in 1962.
The place where students and young alumni go to seek jobs will soon be called the Charles M. Cawley Career Education Center.
Cawley is the parent of two Georgetown alumni, was a member and leader of the Georgetown Chimes a capella group, a former member of the board of directors and board of regents and a generous supporter of scholarships.
Honoring Contributions
“Over the last half century, Charlie has made deep and enduring contributions to our Georgetown community, especially in his work and his vision to create stronger connections among our students, our recent graduates and our alumni already established in their fields,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia.
“We are truly grateful for all that Charlie has done for Georgetown over the years through his service …,” DeGioia adds, “and it is a privilege to dedicate the Charles M. Cawley Career Education Center to honor his contributions and our commitment to our university community.”
A Vital Role
As chair and CEO of MBNA America Bank, Cawley, retired since 2003, oversaw corporate philanthropy that gave Georgetown the Royden B. Davis, S.J., Performing Arts Center and the MBNA Career Education Center.
The parent of C. Michael Cawley (C’86) and Maureen Cawley Rhodes (C’88) with his wife Julie, the elder Cawley encouraged Georgetown students and alumni to connect for beneficial career opportunities and professional relationships. Over the decades, nearly 100 Georgetown graduates have gone to work for MBNA.
“This center, and the opportunities it has created for our community, reflects the very best of what Charlie brings to Georgetown,” DeGioia said, “and it will continue to play a vital role in enabling our students to successfully transition to life beyond the Hilltop.”
Champion of Students
When MBNA gave the funds to create the career center in 1994, it also funded the adjacent Sellinger Lounge, a place for students to gather, study and connect with one another. The lounge is named for Cawley’s mentor, Rev. Joseph Sellinger, S.J., former dean of Georgetown College.
As a trustee of the Baker Scholars Program, Cawley has been instrumental in building the Georgetown College mentoring program for students that continues today.
He has also supported several scholarships and a professorship, privately or through the Cawley Family Foundation.
Fiftieth Reunion
Georgetown honored Cawley with its John Carroll Award in 1998 and the Wall Street Alliance Award in 2002 for his service to the university.
When Bank of America acquired MBNA in 2006, it returned the naming rights of the center to Georgetown.
The university will hold a dedication ceremony for the renaming of the center on June 2 in honor of Cawley’s 50th class reunion.
The center is housed within the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center.