Arriving amid attacks on higher education and restrictions on international student enrollment and federal funding, Georgetown University’s new president, Eduardo Peñalver, will begin his position at a unique time in our school’s history.
Announced Oct. 15, Peñalver will become the 49th university president on July 1, 2026. Given these concerns in higher education, we wish him luck as he navigates these trying times.
Peñalver inherits the tall task of following in the footsteps of President Emeritus John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95), who previously served as the university’s longest-tenured president.
Under DeGioia’s leadership, the university pursued many progressive reforms, including meaningful strides toward diversity and inclusion. In 2015, DeGioia asked the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation, a group created to research the university’s historical connections to slavery, for recommendations on reconciling Georgetown’s history with slavery and the slave trade.
The Editorial Board urges the next president to honor DeGioia’s legacy by continuing his work for progressive causes through promoting affordability and equitable access in admissions, combating racism and pursuing visibility on campus. We also implore Peñalver to take a step forward in leadership by listening to and integrating student voices in the university’s affairs.
Peñalver must, unlike some previous administrations, adequately address the student body’s voice — whether it emerges from student organizations, Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) or referendums.
This academic year, students have voiced both support for and opposition to a number of university priorities and initiatives, including a referendum calling for divestment from companies with connections to Israel and protests against the planned subcontracting of Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) workers. The Editorial Board has made clear what we want to see from the administration regarding these issues: any policies enacted should both adhere to the university’s Jesuit values of people for others and reflect genuine engagement with student input.
After weeks of student activism, a university advisory committee voted Oct. 23 to advise university administration against implementing a plan to remove GUTS drivers from direct university benefits. Peñalver now has the opportunity to demonstrate that Georgetown’s leadership values student voices. We ask that Peñalver avoid dismissing students’ concerns and rather pay close attention to our demands.
Though student referendums are important, they are non-binding, and Georgetown is under no formal obligation to implement the demands. This was evident last year when students voted in favor of a referendum calling for divestment from companies associated with Israel, and Interim University President Robert M. Groves immediately declined to implement the requests.
Just last week, students passed two new referendums: the Securing the Arts in Georgetown’s Expansion (STAGE) Act, which encourages Georgetown to publicly acknowledge its academic and financial commitment to the arts, and the Restore Student Life Act, which calls for reform in the conduct process for noise violations and later weekend quiet hours. Whether the administration chooses to heed these results will be a test of its commitment to honoring students’ voices.
Darius Wagner (CAS ’27), president-elect of the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), said he is optimistic about the opportunity for him and vice-president-elect Nazgol Missaghi (CAS ’28) to work with the incoming administration.
“We are eager to hear that the president is wanting to engage with the student body and we are prepared to facilitate this,” Wagner and Missaghi wrote to The Hoya.
Before coming to Georgetown, Peñalver was the president of Seattle University, where he faced criticism from the student body and faculty for dismissing their concerns at a town hall about the university’s future. We hope his leadership at Georgetown does not foment the same response.
Steven Hong, a sophomore at Seattle University, reflected on Peñalver’s tenure as the university’s president, saying Peñalver sometimes felt distant from students.
“I think he did a good job at addressing concerns,” Hong wrote to The Hoya. “There were no major issues that came up that I thought he wasn’t addressing. Although he didn’t really seem to be trying to communicate with students one on one and relying on his staff to do so.”
Beyond honoring student referendums, the Editorial Board wishes to see transparency from Peñalver, especially regarding admissions and changes to campus.
Under DeGioia’s leadership, Georgetown allegedly maintained a list of around 80 applicants each year whose names were marked with “Please Admit.” This created distrust and uncertainty among the student body toward the admissions process.
Students deserve a clearer picture of how the admissions process works and confidence that it is both fair and honest.
As for the campus itself, the potential redevelopment of Village A risks the sanctity of our beloved rooftop spaces. Moving forward, any renovation of Village A must include student voice and preserve rooftop access. The university should include students on both theFeasibility and the Design Committees going forwards.
Under Peñalver’s leadership, Georgetown should also be more inclusive of student needs concerning reproductive health.
In 2013, Peñalver wrote an article defending the Affordable Care Act and its guarantee of contraceptive coverage, arguing that religious objections from employers did not justify denying coverage.
If this is what Peñalver believes, the new administration should grant full official recognition and funding support to H*yas for Choice so that it can operate alongside other student-led groups, instead of forcing the group to the margins.
Furthermore, the university should review its health services policy so that contraceptive care, including hormonal birth control and emergency contraception, is made accessible on campus for those who need it. Currently, the Student Health Center cannot prescribe birth control or hormonal medicine solely for the purpose of contraception. This should be a tenet of basic student care, protecting the health and safety of every member of our Georgetown community.
The final thing the Editorial Board asks of our new president is that he fight to protect our international student population from harsh Trump-era policies.
In light of the Trump administration revoking or terminating the statuses of many international community members, we hope Peñalver will proactively safeguard these students’ ability to study, work and participate fully in campus life so that Georgetown remains a safe home for all members of its community.
Anna Gale (SFS ’28), GUSA’s director of external affairs, said opposition to Trump is necessary to defend student freedoms on campus.
“Under the Trump administration, we’ve seen policies that directly affect the lives of our students,” Gale told The Hoya. “As our president, it is Peñalver’s responsibility to protect the students on campus whom the Trump administration is hurting.”
Peñalver has a strong track record of offering opportunities for student engagement, which his community forums and strategic planning initiatives at Seattle University clearly demonstrate. He has also publicly defended diversity and inclusion in higher education, framing them as core Jesuit values.
Georgetown students deserve a president who will honor the principles of accountability and transparency, which are essential to ensuring that student voices truly shape our community.
The Hoya’s Editorial Board is composed of six students and is chaired by the senior opinion editors. Editorials reflect only the beliefs of a majority of the board and are not representative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.
