Category: Messages to the Community

Title: Message on the Fall Semester to Seniors

Office of the Provost

Dear Members of the Georgetown University Senior Class of 2021,

We know how deeply the current pandemic has disrupted your plans for senior year at Georgetown. We commend you for your dedication as you have navigated this challenging moment in world history.

We want you to know that the faculty and staff of Georgetown share the disappointment of not being able to be with you in the way they have in past years. They understand the special nature of the senior year as a milestone and marker of an important academic achievement. We all want to be back together as soon as possible.

However, as a university, we take seriously the responsibility we have to protect the health and safety of our community. For this reason, we must limit the number of individuals on campus at this time. We know that not returning as a full graduating class for the fall is a significant disappointment. We hope that the public health situation will change and we will be able to invite more students to campus, yet we must plan for current conditions. If the conditions of the pandemic permit, we will look at the possibility of moving to a next stage—welcoming additional students back to campus residence halls, beginning with members of our senior class.

To minimize the disruption to your education, we have been actively planning to provide you the same learning opportunities as prior years, albeit in a new form. Over the summer, faculty have been innovating and adapting new ways of teaching virtually. They have been redesigning courses with you in mind, attempting to enrich your class experiences.

In addition, the Student Affairs staff has created innovative ways for clubs and student groups to retain connections as a community. New approaches to group meetings and events have been launched, and will continue to develop as we begin the semester. Knowing your creativity, we are hopeful that your co-curricular life at Georgetown will continue.

In short, we have attempted to meet the challenges of this year with energy and dedication, formed from a spirit of support for our students.

In this challenging time, we must rely on our Jesuit values as we care for one another, especially the most vulnerable in our community, and trust that this moment will bring out our best selves.

Your school dean will be in touch about upcoming webinars and town hall meetings where you can learn more about details of the planning for fall, and you will have the opportunity to ask further questions.

Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and energy in working with us at this important moment, to ensure the best possible experience we will have as a community during these challenging and unprecedented times.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Groves
Provost

Todd Olson
Vice President for Student Affairs