A History of Georgetown University - 9781589016880

In over two centuries, our university has become something that John Carroll and our other early leaders could never have imagined. Sometimes, when I see the Gilbert Stuart portrait of John Carroll that hangs on the wall in my office, I wonder what he would think of his little "Academy." I suspect he would marvel at how far we have come, how much we have accomplished, and how much we have contributed to the educational and social landscape of our city and our nation. I also think he would remind us of the continuing responsibility we have to fulfill our promise and potential and to strive to become the University we are called to be."---From the Foreword by John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University.

The discovery and imparting of knowledge are the essential undertakings of any university. Such purposes determined John Carroll, SJ's modest and surprisingly ecumenical proposal to establish an academy on the banks of the Potomac for the education of the young in the early republic. What began earnestly in 1789 still continues today: the idea of Georgetown University as a Catholic university situated squarely in the American experience.

Beautifully designed with full-color illustrations and photographs, A History of Georgetown University tells the remarkable story of the administrators, boards, faculty, students, and programs that have made Georgetown a leading institution of higher education. With a keen eye for detail, historian Robert Emmett Curran---a member of the Georgetown community for over three decades---explores the broader perspective of Georgetown's sense of identity and its place in American culture.

Volume One traces Georgetown's evolution during its first century, from its beginnings as an academy within the American Catholic community of the Revolutionary War era through its flowering as a college before the Civil War to its postbellum achievements as a university.

Each of the three volumes of A History of Georgetown University features numerous illustrations, photographs, and appendices that include student demographics, enrollments, and lists of board members.