With the Obama administration will come many changes, not the least of which may be the personnel inhabiting the White House and other executive-appointed positions. And with that change, there may come a change in faculty on the Hilltop.As many already know, a number of Georgetown professors have been involved with the Obama campaign as advisers or supporters. These practitioners and academics will possibly be among the many called to fill the openings of a new government. The intellect, passion and knowledge that characterize many great professors are the same qualities that make them likely candidates for public service. In fact, the Georgetown Law Center has, perhaps temporarily, lost Visiting Professor John Podesta (LAW ’76), who will be serving as the transition coordinator for President-elect Barack Obama.If professors do choose to serve in the Obama administration, the transition for Georgetown may be hard, but it also represents an opportunity to expand the diversity of the faculty. Regardless of any negative feelings toward the Bush administration, it has employed numerous smart, talented people who, properly vetted, could be a welcome addition to the community of scholars on campus. A hearty debate is necessary for academia as a whole and, specifically, for the quality of instruction at Georgetown University, and we should welcome qualified former public servants in the same way we have Madeleine Albright and George Tenet (SFS ’76).John C. Yoo’s addition to the faculty of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, sparked controversy given Yoo’s writings providing legal justification of torture to fight Al Qaeda. In the end, however, the importance for a diverse faculty with differing views outweighed the criticism of Yoo’s morals. While we’re not advocating that Georgetown immediately someone with Yoo’s dubious history, there is a strong case to be made in favor of hiring the talented, intelligent individuals that will find themselves available when Bush leaves office.Georgetown should actively reach out to these individuals by highlighting the world class students and faculty and touting the other benefits of this school. There has never been a better time to be in Washington, D.C., and we should make a point of finding new faces for the Hilltop.Like all changes, this one will be a mixed bag for Georgetown, but by keeping an open mind, we can capitalize on this opportunity.”