Title:A Global Perspective

An anonymous donor has given a multi-part gift to support Georgetown’s veteran, Puerto Rican, and business students. In total, it will provide $1 million in scholarships to remove financial barriers for underserved students with great potential.

“There are a tremendous number of talented, smart, and well-rounded people at Georgetown,” says the anonymous donor. “I want to make sure people from as many backgrounds as possible are able to experience everything the university has to offer.”

A $250,000 gift establishes the Hoyas for Heroes fund, which gives preference to active military or veterans. “It’s important to honor those who have sacrificed for our country,” says the donor.

An additional $250,000 goes to a scholarship fund with a preference for students from Puerto Rico. The devastation that Hurricane Maria wreaked on the island broke the donor’s heart. “I want to make sure I do everything I can to help Puerto Rican students,” they said. “With a top-tier education from Georgetown, they can return and fix the island’s issues.”

Students in the McDonough School of Business benefit from two funds: $200,000 to establish Global Business Experience Endowed Fund for Undergraduates and $300,000 to support the Undergraduate Global Business Experience Current Use Fund.

The Global Business Experience program brings students to a foreign country to offer consultation services to a business and immerse themselves in the business owner’s historic, economic, and cultural context. Previously, a total of 75 students had the opportunity to travel to three international cities: Barcelona, Spain; Lille, France; or Mendoza, Argentina. Thanks to the donor, the program now supports 25 additional students, and a fourth location in Delhi, India. The first section of students traveled there in spring 2019 to workshop challenges faced by their client, Fabindia.

“There’s no substitute for being in-country, looking at the extant realities right in front of your face rather than reading about it in a book,” says Patricia Grant, senior associate dean for the undergraduate program at McDonough. “These gifts are an incredible catalyst for considering complex issues like the importance of clean water and its connection to educational attainment. We see the Global Business Experience program as the perfect way to not only bring business education to life but also to show students how business can be used as a force for the common good.”

Grant hopes to expand the program from 100 to 200 students and curate additional global business programs. “McDonough’s ability to offer experiences without affordability or accessibility issues is greatly enhanced by having the support of key donors,” she says.

The anonymous donor feels privileged to have traveled extensively and wishes to pay that opportunity forward. “The world we live in today requires our next business leaders to be able to quickly understand and adapt to a wide variety of cultures,” shares the donor. “These funds will help students gain a global perspective.”