Beginnings

These past few days have offered many of us a sense that corners have been turned. Normally, this feeling hits immediately upon New Year’s Day, and returning to normal activities after a holiday break, and adjusting to writing a new number for the year. It seemed slower this year but more multifaceted.

We have reasons to expect near-term changes. The vaccines to counter the global pandemic appear effective; we’re all hoping that initial bugs in delivery systems will be fixed over the coming weeks. We’re all awaiting the studies to determine whether those vaccinated can asymptomatically transmit the virus, even those they themselves suffer no consequences. However, compared to three months ago, we can all imagine an end to the most severe stages of the pandemic in the US.

At Georgetown, we’re hoping that we can organize to assure that the community is vaccinated as soon as possible. We are all anxious to return to in-person work as soon as possible, but only if we can do so safely. Of course, our attention will soon turn to inequities in access to the vaccines, both in the US and globally. It benefits the mission of Georgetown that our faculty and students are already working these issues.

A second feeling of change is the widespread recognition that we must all do something new about the enduring legacy of US slavery. This was highlighted by repeated deaths of African-Americans and other persons of color in encounters with the law enforcement, the disproportionate suffering from COVID-19 in these communities, and the ravages of economic harm from the economic recession ignited by the pandemic. What is different now is that there seems to be more action and less talk.

At Georgetown, the school deans have led an effort to increase PhD fellowships and scholarships for traditionally underrepresented students, to increase the recruitment of faculty devoted to increasing diversity, to invent a new ombuds role for students, to create a new program to mentor and recruit underrepresented undergraduates to academic careers. We are actively building out the Racial Justice Institute at the University. Much remains to be done, however, to create an environment within Georgetown where all can feel they are important components of the community.

A third beginning is undoubtedly the change of federal executive branch leadership. For academics, the recent announcement of science advisors and the ascension of the science advisor to a cabinet level is notable. Academia is devoted to an ongoing search for the truth, ever-aware that today’s knowledge will be replaced with refined insights in the future. In fact, in every field of inquiry, the current “truth” is merely the foundation of new scholarship to refine and update that current truth. The prospect of a new devotion to evidence-based policymaking is a direct application of this way of life. We look forward to this change.

At Georgetown, large numbers of the community, faculty, students, and staff, contribute their energies to federal agencies in one way or another. Thus, this change permits Georgetown even greater contributions in the future.

A fourth feeling of beginning stems from the shock of the events of January 6 on Capitol Hill. Reflection since that day highlight those features of modern society that have created breaches among peoples. The need to seek understanding of those unlike us seems evermore obvious. Conflicting but fervently held beliefs based on narrow channels of information are present on almost all issues. How to work together is job one.

At Georgetown, we benefit from a 450-year tradition of Jesuits seeking out new populations and new environments that require deep skills in listening, empathy, and understanding. We thus have a foundation, especially when we return to in-person activities on campus, for each of us to do our part to learn about “the other.” Georgetown needs to be a citadel of working across conflicting viewpoints.

The various shocks we have collectively experienced seem all to teach us that these issues require all of us to be part of future solutions. We should all have hope that, if we each do our part on all the issues above, the world can be better than it now is. We have work to do.