University Launches 1789 Scholarship Imperative to support scholarship, and GSP in particular!

GSP is about to be dramatically expanded thanks to our supporters who have helped make scholarship a university priority! Please click here to learn more.

GSP Grad is the Student Speaker at Graduation's Convocation Ceremony!

Shemeko Nanlee “Amy” Hang (C'09), [a] student speaker, paid tribute to her parents, who fled Laos following the Vietnam War and came to America without money and the ability to speak English. Her parents prodded their children into education, public service and civic engagement, she said. Hang acknowledged that her class faces tough challenges with the economy still slumping, but said she is optimistic for the future and what her classmates can do. “Our education here at Georgetown has given us both literally and figuratively the tools and vocabulary to change the world,” Hang said. “And it's a world in deep need of change.”
--Georgetown University's Office of Communications

Please click here to view the video (scroll to 12:05 to view Amy's portion of the video).

GSP Students Video Clips!

Please click here to listen to GSP students talk about their experience as a Georgetown students and the importance of the Georgetown Scholarship Program.

GSP student makes headlines in the Christian Science Monitor

Carlos Hernandez (SFS '11, GSP '68), former Phoenix Youth Ambassador, makes headlines in the Christian Science Monitor by helping set up a Chengdu Earthquake Relief Fund to rush donations to Phoenix's Sister City.

Founder of the GSP Student Board makes headlines in Georgetown news

Amy Hang (COL '09, GSP '80), founder of the GSP Student Board, and a Truman Scholar, makes Georgetown headlines in the piece "Financial Aid Paves the Way."

GSP Welcomes Two New Students!

Karina Ramirez, a student in the NHS, and Omar Mena, a student in the MSB, are welcomed into GSP's growing community. From Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, Karina and Omar are supported by the classes of 1968 and 1983 respectively. The founder of the Cristo Rey Network of schools, Fr. John Foley, received his honorary degree from Georgetown this fall. The Network's mission is to "prepare young people with limited options for college" and insists that "all students have equal access to the educational opportunities they need to be successful in college." With 19 schools across the country, the Network grows exponentially each year. Currently there are five Cristo Rey graduates studying on Georgetown's campus, all of whom are receiving the GSP scholarship. To learn more about the extensive Cristo Rey Network and to see if there's a school in your area, please visit: http://www.cristoreynetwork.org.

The Hoya features GSP again

The Hoya featured GSP in their piece "GSP Leads Low-Income Student Recruiting".

AAP and GSP featured on HoyasOnline

The HoyasOnline featured AAP and GSP in their piece "With Help from Alumni, Admission Accomplished".

The Hoya features GSP

The Hoya features GSP in their March 28, 2007 article on "Bridging the Financial Gap".

Praise from Georgetown University President, Jack DeGioia

Georgetown University President, Jack DeGioia, had great things to say about the work being done by so many Georgetown Scholarship Program volunteers. Please check out his personal letter here.

GSP Class Chairs Discuss Future of the Program

On February 9th and 10th, approximately 65 faithful and concerned Georgetown alumni and parents came to Washington, D.C. to discuss the future of the Georgetown Scholarship Program. These GSP volunteers are committed to continuing Georgetown's twin policies of need-blind admissions and meeting full financial need for all qualified applicants to the University. Their enthusiasm is second-to-none - discussions were about fundraising methods, updates to the website (seen here!), and how to continue spreading the word about this great new program.

GSP Class Chairs play an important role by leading their classmates in giving and soliciting gifts to the Georgetown Scholarship Program. They are also called upon to attend planning meetings on a bi-annual basis and to host and attend small receptions throughout the nation. Speakers at these events have included, President Jack DeGioia, Provost James O'Donnell, and Deans Charles Deacon and Patricia McWade.

To become involved as a GSP Class Chair, please contact Allyson Pyeritz at alp37@georgetown.edu or (202)687-6916.

A Word from the Georgetown University Dean of Student Financial Services, Patricia McWade

As Paul Goodrich (Chairman of the GSP Executive Committee) and I were discussing the many exciting things happening in the financial aid office at Georgetown, he asked if I would be willing to write a column for the GSP Newsletter sharing information about the financial aid office and the programs we administer.

As we all know, financial aid administration is complicated, often made more so by myriad federal laws and regulations. Students and their parents are required to complete lengthy aid applications each year. The process produces anxiety and stress. Although we do all we can to help students and their parents complete these dreaded forms, there remains a certain mystery about the administration of financial aid.

This mystery even extends to our alumni and GSP members as they try to understand how financial aid works at Georgetown. Paul's idea to have a financial aid column is a good one and as often as possible I will report on some aspect of financial aid that I hope will be helpful to you and will demystify the process of this complicated business called financial aid. In the future, I plan to discuss what I know about how federal aid may change now that the Democrats control Congress.

In this first installment I thought it important to explain how the GSP has made a difference to our students and to the folks who work in the aid office. Now that we have GSP funds available to replace loans for 128 of our students, the aid office staff has a slightly easier job explaining our aid packages to parents and students. We can now tell newly admitted GSP recipients and their families about how Georgetown provides an aid package that allows the student to borrow less than those without the GSP offer must borrow. It gives us great pleasure to explain that GSP recipients will graduate with $6,000 of indebtedness instead of the $18,000 they otherwise would have accumulated.

It makes our jobs that much easier because Georgetown has this new program that allows our offers to be more competitive and to win students who otherwise might have enrolled elsewhere. The GSP awards and the 50 John Carroll Scholarships are what we call our incentive awards, that is, they provide $3,000 more in scholarship and less in loan and work. We look forward to the day when all of our 2,500-3,000 aid recipients will have this improved aid package and we believe that the GSP has the ability to reach that goal in the not so distant future.

GSP Goes Coast-to-Coast in 2006

GSP Volunteers and GSP Scholarship Students were busy traveling east and west across the nation for a number of receptions to raise awareness about the new and growing Georgetown Scholarship Program. Dean of Admissions, Charles A. Deacon, often gave moving speeches regarding the importance and timeliness of the GSP fundraising efforts as Georgetown Univeristy aims to keep pace with financial aid packages offered by peer institutions. You can learn about these events here.

What the Competition is Doing

Click here to see what our peer institutions are doing with their financial aid packages in an effort to attract a diverse student body. The Georgetown Scholarship Program presents prospective students with a competitive aid package, helping us recruit highly-qualified students that might not otherwise be able to afford to attend!