In a strongly worded email to community members Feb. 24, Interim President Robert M. Groves affirmed Georgetown University’s commitment to diversity, public service and freedom of speech amid government policy changes which he described as unsettling.
“We support freedom of speech, given our commitment to sustained discourse among people,” Groves wrote in the email, sent with the subject line “Who We Are and What We Stand For.” “We sustain a community valuing differences, given our mission to understand different faiths, cultures, and beliefs.”
“We do not conduct these activities alongside our mission; they are the essence of our mission,” Groves added. “They will continue.”
Groves said many community members have been impacted by political changes including a federal hiring freeze, which led the government to rescind job offers to many Georgetown students, and attempts to eliminate government funding to many scientific research programs and organizations.
“I know that the rapidly evolving external environment is unsettling to many in the community,” Groves wrote. “At times of change and possible disruption, it is useful to refocus our attention on the enduring mission that guides Georgetown.”
Groves said Georgetown’s mission commits the university to continuing to promote freedom of scholarship, engage globally and seek a diverse community.
“We seek a community reflecting the full range of human experiences, given our devotion to the engagement of people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs,” Groves wrote. “We foster respect for human dignity and seek the welfare of all, animated by the Jesuit value of working for the glory of God and the well-being of humankind.”
In a Feb. 14 letter, the U.S. Department of Education ordered all educational institutions to either terminate diversity programs or risk losing access to federal funding, raising concerns about the letter’s possible effects on Georgetown. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson issued a ruling Feb. 21 that largely halted the orders from taking effect.
Groves said the university will support those individuals affected most by ongoing policy changes.
“Be assured that we are actively tracking all developments as they occur, assessing whether they affect our mission’s work, quickly partnering with those community members affected, and supporting them as they navigate change,” Groves wrote.