Alumni, Families and Friends Celebrate Expanded

Reunion Weekend 2009

From across the country and across campuses, Hoya alumni returned to Georgetown for Reunion Weekend 2009 in record numbers. Approximately 3,700 graduates from the Main Campus, MBA, IEMBA and School of Dentistry came together to reconnect with each other and get unique perspectives on current campus and world issues from Georgetown faculty – reliving their Georgetown past as they glimpsed at Georgetown’s future.

 

The generosity of Georgetown alumni was once again on display. This year's reunion classes combined to raise a total of more than $57.5 million. The Class of 1974 was awarded the Blue-Gray Cup for raising the largest class gift (more than $11 million) during the five years since their last reunion. The Class of 1959 swept the remaining honors as it earned the President's Cup for the highest percentage of donors in a reunion year (33 percent) and the Reunion Cup for the largest percentage of classmates in attendance (24 percent).

 

Once again, the good times weren’t limited to alumni alone, as an expanded roster of activities was assembled for families this year, including a reading of superhero short stories, an interactive music show and a pool and pizza party.

 

Taking part in his 40th reunion was Georgetown University Alumni Association President Paul Besozzi (F’69, L’72). He says the record turnout for the weekend - with its additional programming and venues - was particularly gratifying, and indicates that the event is meeting a growing demand. “I think it demonstrates that Reunion Weekend is an increasingly desirable way for the alumni community, including their families, to experience a reconnection with the Georgetown of their student years, as well as with the university of today,” he says. “Both the university staff and class volunteers are to be congratulated for this success.”

 

Notable alums in attendance this year included the university president, John J. DeGioia, as he joined fellow Hoyas from the Class of 1979. Also back on the Hilltop was Jennifer Sullivan Sanford (B’84), the current first lady of South Carolina, as well as Parag Khanna (F’99, G’05), an author and former fellow at Brookings Institution. They were each involved in the numerous panels and discussions. 

 

Former alumni association president Phil Inglima (C’84, L’88) was also on hand for the celebration, and says that the timeless feel of being back on campus is due in part to the strength of the bond between classmates.

 

“Coming back to Georgetown, it always feels like nothing's changed,” Inglima says. “We pick up right where we left off with friends, even the ones we haven't seen in 10 or 25 years. But after 25 years, it's also great to discover how rich and parallel our lives have been since leaving Georgetown, and how connected we all remain. And that is a reflection of just how much Georgetown shaped us, and the trajectories of our lives.”

 

A keystone event of the weekend was the President’s Event on Saturday, in which DeGioia followed up his state of the university address with a conversation with former U.S. senator Chuck Hagel, now a distinguished professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Hagel noted that service to others, a key aspect of the Georgetown experience, is a sea change on par with the economic restructuring America is currently experiencing.

 

“I think we are experiencing in our country today an awakening of public service,” Hagel said. “This reorientation in our psychology and in our social fabric is happening as greatly as in our markets.”

 

Another major highlight of the weekend was an open house at the new McDonough School of Business Building, which allowed those attending to get an up-close look at the most recent addition to the Georgetown skyline.