John J. DeGioia

John DeGioia (CAS '79) is Georgetown's 48th and current president, serving in the position since 2001. DeGioia is the longest-tenured president in Georgetown history and the university's first lay president. He has overseen significant construction and fundraising efforts as President; as Dean of Student Affairs, he was prominently involved in controversies surrounding pro-choice student group GU Choice.

Early Georgetown career

DeGioia attended Georgetown from 1975-1979, graduating with a major in English. After his graduation, he stayed at Georgetown as a residence hall director1. Within three years, DeGioia was hired to serve as a special assistant to Fr. Timothy Healy, S.J., then the university's president2. Healy promoted DeGioia to Dean of Student Affairs in 19853.

As Dean of Student Affairs, DeGioia played a prominent role in controversies regarding the university's Catholic identity. In 1986, he cited Georgetown's Catholic identity and history when he denied Gay People of Georgetown University's request to host a dance on campus. DeGioia was deeply involved in controversies over pro-choice student group GU Choice (the predecessor of H*yas for Choice) in the early 1990s. On February 22, 1991, DeGioia decided to permit university funding for GU Choice4, which received $135 the next year, as long as the organization did not promote abortion5. His initial decision to fund GU Choice was highly controversial among alumni, with several ceasing donations to the university in response6. The university also faced a canon lawsuit and condemnation from Washington Archbishop James Cardinal Hickey7. Ultimately, DeGioia and university president Fr. Leo O'Donovan, S.J., revoked the group's funding and recognition little more than a year later, arguing that GU Choice had violated its agreement with Georgetown by advocating for abortion8.

The revocation, like the initial decision to permit funding for the group, was highly controversial and the circumstances surrounding it remain somewhat unclear. The canon lawsuit against Georgetown reached the Vatican and was decided against Georgetown in April 1992, shortly before DeGioia and O'Donovan revoked GU Choice's funding9. While O'Donovan denied that pressure from the Vatican influenced the decision, a timeline in The Hoya mentions reports that Jesuit leadership told O'Donovan to "terminate" GU Choice while he was visiting Rome10. A 2008 Georgetown Voice article recounts a similar narrative from Manuel Miranda (SFS '82), who initiated the canon suit, but Miranda stated that a member of Jesuit leadership had instead visited Georgetown to enforce the decision11. Students formed Hoyas for Choice, later H*yas for Choice, in response to the decision12. While HFC remains a prominent fixture on campus, it has not received university recognition and funding.

DeGioia continued to climb the ranks of Georgetown's administration following the GU Choice episode, as he took on a role as associate vice president and chief administrative officer in 1992 and senior vice president in 199513. 

DeGioia's stint as senior vice president included important changes to the university hospital. In March 1999, Georgetown began exclusive negotiations with MedStar Health about a potential partnership14. At the time, the university hospital was a significant financial liability, losing $120 million in only two years15. In February 2000, Georgetown announced the sale of its hospital and clinical network to MedStar16. Under the partnership's terms, the university kept the research and academic branches of the Medical Center17. Due to the hospital's negative impact on university finances, the sale to and partnership with MedStar was a crucial achievement.

President

On February 16, 2001, Georgetown's Board of Directors unanimously selected DeGioia as Georgetown's next president18. DeGioia's appointment as president was historic not only for Georgetown but also for American Jesuit universities: he became the first lay president of any Jesuit university in the US19. 

DeGioia's first years as president included the completion of Georgetown's Third Century Campaign, which was started under Fr. O'Donovan. The campaign raised $1 billion for the university by its completion in 200320. Another notable early act as president was DeGioia's firing of men's basketball coach Craig Esherick (CAS '78, L '82) in 200421, establishing Georgetown's intention to remain a national power in men's basketball. During a 2004 speech to faculty, DeGioia announced several major university initiatives: an institute for interfaith dialogue, undergraduate academic changes, and a public affairs program22. These plans culminated in the establishment of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and Georgetown's Institute of Politics and Public Service. 

In 2007, hate crimes against LGBTQ students led students to demand greater resources for LGBTQ students and changes to the university's bias reporting system23. At an open forum in October 2007, DeGioia committed to creating a resource center for LGBTQ students by fall 200824. The LGBTQ Resource Center, which opened in fall 2008, became the first center of its kind at a Catholic and Jesuit university in the US25. 

DeGioia has overseen significant growth in the university's endowment. The endowment, which is significantly smaller than those of peer academic institutions, was a consistent priority for DeGioia early in his presidency and he launched a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign to enhance it26. The university's endowment reached $1 billion for the first time in 200727; by 2011, it had grown over 50% since the beginning of DeGioia's tenure28. As of 2019, the endowment was approximately $1.8 billion29.

After the Trump administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2017, DeGioia initiated university efforts to push Congress to pass the DREAM Act, which would grant residency to undocumented individuals who came to the US as children. Georgetown provided free legal services for students with DACA status and conducted outreach to members of Congress30. DeGioia also coauthored an op-ed with several university presidents calling for Congress to pass the DREAM Act31. In 2019, DeGioia continued the university's lobbying efforts with a letter urging Congress to preserve DACA32.

Construction

DeGioia has overseen significant construction and renovation on campus throughout his presidency. The Hariri Building, Regents Hall, Arrupe Hall, the Thompson Athletic Center, and the new university hospital building were all planned and constructed during DeGioia's presidency. Additionally, the New South dining hall, known as "Deep South", was replaced by the Healey Family Student Center.

Georgetown has released two campus plans under DeGioia's leadership, first in 2010 and later in 2017. The most notable element of the 2010 campus plan was a commitment to house 90% of undergraduates on campus by 202533; this led to the construction of Arrupe Hall and New Henle to expand the university's housing capacity. The 2017 plan maintained this commitment while emphasizing renovations to existing housing complexes such as Village A and Village B34.

As president, DeGioia also oversaw the fall 2005 opening of Georgetown's SFS-Qatar campus outside of Doha, Qatar. The campus is located in Education City, a development featuring various educational and research facilities - including satellite campuses of other international universities35. The Qatar Foundation provided funding for the project and first proposed the idea in 2002; Georgetown announced the campus's opening in May 200536. Prof. James Reardon-Anderson served as GU-Q's first dean from 2005-200937.

COVID-19 pandemic

On March 11, 2020, DeGioia announced Georgetown's transition to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic38. In response to the academic challenges brought about by the pandemic, Georgetown instituted an optional pass/fail grading system that allowed students to take any number of classes on a pass/fail basis39. 

Over the summer, DeGioia initially announced plans to welcome approximately 2,000 undergraduates back to campus in the fall, including freshmen, students in need of housing, and some seniors. On-campus students would have a mix of in-person and virtual classes. However, citing "current pandemic and public health conditions", DeGioia announced in late July that classes for the fall would instead be fully virtual and that freshmen would not be able to live on campus. Classes remained virtual for the entirety of the 2020-21 school year.

While Georgetown students returned to campus for the fall 2021 semester to a mix of in-person and virtual classes, the university continued to grapple with the pandemic. The omicron COVID variant in the winter of 2021-22 led the university to hold classes virtually through January 31, though students could still return to campus40. 

While Georgetown consistently achieved positive net income in the decade prior to the pandemic, pandemic-related closures created significant financial challenges for the university. By August 2020, the university had projected losses of about $50 million and may have lost an additional $70 million during the school year41. In an effort to address these challenges, Georgetown suspended retirement contributions for a year and substantially cut capital expenditures, among other cost-saving measures42. 

• 1Sullivan, Tim. "DeGioia Named Next GU President." The Hoya. 16 February 2001.
• 2Sullivan, Tim. "DeGioia Named Next GU President." The Hoya. 16 February 2001.
• 3Sullivan, Tim. "DeGioia Named Next GU President." The Hoya. 16 February 2001.
• 4Bowen, Sarah. "Alumni to Halt Donations." The Hoya. 23 April 1991.
• 5Lundy, Amy. "University Revokes Funding For Controversial Student Club." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 6Bowen, Sarah. "Alumni to Halt Donations." The Hoya. 23 April 1991.
• 7Lundy, Amy. "University Revokes Funding For Controversial Student Club." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 8Lundy, Amy. "University Revokes Funding For Controversial Student Club." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 9Bash, Alan and Christopher J. Brown. "GU Choice: The Historical Record." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 10Bash, Alan and Christopher J. Brown. "GU Choice: The Historical Record." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 11Redden, Molly. "Controversial Catholics...and the third coming of The Georgetown Academy." The Georgetown Voice. 23 October 2008.
• 12Lundy, Amy. "University Revokes Funding For Controversial Student Club." The Hoya. 28 April 1992.
• 13Sullivan, Tim. "DeGioia Named Next GU President." The Hoya. 16 February 2001.
• 14Haggerty, Tim. "In Age of Managed Care, Med Centers Adapt to Survive." The Hoya. 28 May 1999.
• 15Haggerty, Tim. "In Age of Managed Care, Med Centers Adapt to Survive." The Hoya. 28 May 1999.
• 16Haggerty, Tim. "University, MedStar Agree to Hospital Sale." The Hoya. 25 February 2000.
• 17Haggerty, Tim. "University, MedStar Agree to Hospital Sale." The Hoya. 25 February 2000.
• 18Redden, Molly. "What's a Hoya? Jack DeGioia." The Georgetown Voice. 29 October 2009.
• 19Redden, Molly. "What's a Hoya? Jack DeGioia." The Georgetown Voice. 29 October 2009.
• 20Skeehan, Patrick. "DeGioia Outlines Fundraising Plan." The Hoya. 18 March 2005.
• 21Wood, Julie. "It's All Over for Esherick." The Hoya. 19 March 2004.
• 22Heberle, Robert. "DeGioia Announces Three New Initiatives." The Hoya. 12 November 2004.
• 23Mays, Kate. "DeGioia agrees to Pride demands." The Georgetown Voice. 25 October 2007.
• 24Mays, Kate. "DeGioia agrees to Pride demands." The Georgetown Voice. 25 October 2007.
• 25LGBTQ Resource Center, About Us. https://lgbtq.georgetown.edu/about-us/.
• 26Walsh, Dana. "DeGioia Outlines Vision to GU Faculty." The Hoya. 28 September 2007.
• 27Walsh, Dana. "DeGioia Outlines Vision to GU Faculty." The Hoya. 28 September 2007.
• 28Russo, Glenn. "10 Years In: Gauging DeGioia's Impact." The Hoya. 14 October 2011.
• 29Cuccia, Annemarie. "What we know about Georgetown's financial situation." The Georgetown Voice. 19 January 2021.
• 30Carrillo, Alfredo. "University Lobbies for Dream Act After DACA Repeal." The Hoya. 15 September 2017.
• 31Cabrera, Angel et al. "College presidents: Protect our students, pass the DREAM Act." The Hill. 16 October 2017.
• 32Kahn-Perry, Taylor and Ashley Zhao. "In Ongoing Show of Support for DACA, DeGioia Co-Signs Letter to Congress." The Hoya. 14 February 2019.
• 33Kaku, Upasana. "Zoning Commission Approves Campus Plan." The Hoya. 16 July 2012.
• 34Urtz, Hannah. "Campus Plan Receives Approval." The Hoya. 6 December 2016.
• 35Heberle, Robert. "SFS to Establish Qatar Campus." The Hoya. 20 May 2005.
• 36Heberle, Robert. "SFS to Establish Qatar Campus." The Hoya. 20 May 2005.
• 37Zheng, Adora. "Revered Professor, Founding Dean of GU-Qatar, Dies at 78." The Hoya. 1 December 2022.
• 38Hamilton, Caroline and Sarah Watson. "University announces online classes, citing coronavirus concerns." The Georgetown Voice. 11 March 2020.
• 39Burton, Zev. "In Favor of the Double A Policy." The Georgetown Voice. 31 March 2020.
• 40McLean, Caitlin. "Georgetown To Bring Students Back for Spring, Begin Classes Virtually." The Hoya. 1 January 2022.
• 41Cuccia, Annemarie. "What we know about Georgetown's financial situation." The Georgetown Voice. 19 January 2021.
• 42Cuccia, Annemarie. "What we know about Georgetown's financial situation." The Georgetown Voice. 19 January 2021.