Georgetown University celebrated 70 newly promoted faculty members at its fall faculty convocation Oct. 28.

The event recognized professors and associate professors from the main campus, Georgetown University Medical Center and Georgetown University Law Center who received either tenure or promotion this fall. It also featured Georgetown’s annual “Aims of Education” address, given by Teresa A. Sullivan, president emerita of the University of Virginia.

Provost Robert M. Groves, who opened the event by offering congratulations on behalf of University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95), said Georgetown faculty are the core of the university and crucial to its mission.

“Faculty are truly the beating heart of the university’s advancement of human knowledge and the formation of our students,” Groves said at the event. “One of the great pleasures of being a provost is seeing the diverse and important work that you’ve done over the years through your scholarship, your teaching and your service.” 

Sullivan, the University of Virginia’s first female president, said that some of her most fulfilling work was exploring academia beyond her specialization, encouraging faculty to explore both within and outside their areas of expertise.

“I encourage you also to spend a little time daydreaming about the longer term,” Sullivan said at the event. “The rhythm of our academic life is one of narrowing and expansion. One advantage of your promotion is the security that now you can peer beyond your disciplinary boundaries to consider bigger projects, perhaps more interdisciplinary problems.”

“I do not suggest giving up your specialty, but I do suggest that you could fruitfully study the adjacencies of your work and perhaps try new areas,” Sullivan added.

During her address, Sullivan also reflected on the mixed emotions that can arise for promoted faculty, saying they should celebrate themselves and recognize the contributions of family and colleagues in their scholarly journeys.

“Paradoxically, promotions can be a two-edged sword,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes the aftermath of a great achievement feels like a letdown. So if you are feeling ambivalent, at least deep down, that’s not surprising, and you should allow yourself to feel the conflict of emotions.”

“I hope you will let the emotions of pride, satisfaction and joy predominate. Your promotion reflects years of demanding work, the esteem of your colleagues and, no doubt, the gratitude of your students and patients,” Sullivan added. 

Jesse Meiller, who attended the convocation after her promotion to teaching professor at the Earth Commons, an institute that focuses on the environment and sustainability, said she is excited to share her work with students in her new role, including through the Earth Commons’ new undergraduate degree program in sustainability. 

“I had two other careers before entering academia and Georgetown allows me to bring those skills and knowledge to share with students,” Meiller told The Hoya. “Specifically in the new B.S. degree that I am co-directing, I am able to integrate experiential learning into the courses in meaningful ways. This provides students with opportunities to work with and learn from experts in a number of fields, mine included.”

Calvin Newport, an honoree who was promoted to professor in the computer science department, said that his success as a professor has come from blending his research goals with teaching undergraduates. 

“It’s a combination of introducing new knowledge in the world through research and writing with helping to train students to meet the challenges ahead,” Newport told The Hoya. “These two goals support each other. Research adds energy to pedagogy, and pedagogy adds motivation for research.”

“Some of the most interesting conversations I’ve had during my academic career have come out of informal interactions with students during office hours or after class,” Newport added.

Meiller said that educating students at the postsecondary level offers unique opportunities to make an impact, especially in her field of environmental science.

“So many of my students have already started to effect change for the environment,” Meiller said. “I have hope for the environment and the world around us and for the future, and I feel that I can make the biggest difference by teaching.”

“College students are at a point in their lives when they’re ready and willing to take on the world,” Meiller added. “The education that we provide at Georgetown helps to prepare them with knowledge and skills to do just that.”