Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a major research university in the United States. It is located in Georgetown, a neighborhood of Washington, DC. It is both the oldest Roman Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States, having been founded on January 23, 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. It is a member institution of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

History

The founding date is the subject of some controversy, as construction on the buildings began in 1788, the first student was admitted in 1791, and classes commenced in early 1792. The official date of 23 January 1789 is when the Jesuit order acquired the title to the land that became the core of the campus. Interestingly, the Jesuit religious order was under prohibition or suppression during the period of Georgetown's founding, and was restored only in the early 19th century.

Related Topics:
1788 - 1791 - 1792 - 23 January - 1789 - Religious order - 19th century

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Georgetown College suffered from continual financial difficulties during its early years, but was bolstered when it received a federal charter in 1815. The Medical School was founded in 1850, and the Law Department (now Law Center) in 1870. The school nearly collapsed during the U.S. Civil War, as most of the students left to fight for both sides. After the war, students chose to commemorate the actions of their predecessors by adopting blue and gray as the official school colors. The school did not begin to recover until the presidency of Reverend Patrick Healy, S.J. (1868-1878), the first African-American to head an American university. Healy is credited with reforming the undergraduate curriculum and the Medical and Law programs, as well as creating the Alumni Association.

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1815 - 1850 - Law Department - 1870 - U.S. Civil War - Blue - Gray - Patrick Healy, S.J. - 1868 - 1878

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In addition to the liberal arts division, now known as the Georgetown College, Georgetown University has eight other divisions. The undergraduate School of Nursing was founded in 1903 and was combined with a graduate nursing program to form the School of Nursing and Health Studies. The School of Foreign Service (SFS) was founded in 1919 by Father Walsh in response to the need for institutions to train American youth for leadership in foreign commerce and diplomacy. The School of Languages and Linguistics (now the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics within Georgetown College) was organized in 1949. The School of Business Administration was created out of the SFS in 1955. It was renamed for Robert E. McDonough in 1999 and is now the McDonough School of Business offering both undergraduate and MBA degrees. The graduate programs are the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Law Center, the School of Medicine, the School of Continuing Studies, and the Center for Professional Development.

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1903 - School of Foreign Service - 1919 - 1949 - 1955 - 1999 - McDonough School of Business - MBA

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In December 2003, Georgetown completed its Third Century Campaign, joining only a handful of universities worldwide to raise at least $1 billion for financial aid, academic chair endowment, and new capital projects.

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During the Fall 2004 semester, Georgetown announced the appointment of former-CIA director George Tenet to the University teaching staff. Tenet joined other distinguished Georgetown faculty including former National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, former Ambassador at Large Robert L. Gallucci, and former Prime Minister of Spain Jose Maria Aznar.

Related Topics:
George Tenet - Anthony Lake - Madeleine Albright - Jeane Kirkpatrick - Robert L. Gallucci - Jose Maria Aznar

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