Georgetown University President John DeGioia announced Thursday that he’s stepping down amid health concerns. News4’s Aimee Cho reports.
Georgetown University President John DeGioia announced Thursday that he's stepping down amid health concerns.
DeGioia, who suffered a stroke in June, was the longest-serving president of the school, at 23 years.
He spent much of his life at Georgetown, from undergrad to a PHD, eventually rising through the administrative ranks to become president. He made it a point to shake every student’s hand at graduation.
Many students who spoke with News4 tell us he’ll be missed.
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"He definitely showed a lot of commitment to Georgetown, which is pretty inspirational as a current Hoya," student MJ Morales said. "But yeah, I’m sad, it’s definitely sad."
"He really emphasized charitable works and the notion of being a good person," student Will Cihra said. "Georgetown really emphasizes the whole person."
DeGioia put out a statement Thursday, saying: "Serving as the president of Georgetown has been the privilege of my lifetime. I look forward to continuing to advance and support Georgetown’s mission and the university community that means so much to all of us. I remain deeply proud of the work we have done together to strengthen the Georgetown community, our nation and our world."
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"I think everyone at Georgetown really loves DeGioia, so very sad news," student Amelia Lightfoot said. "Everyone’s just wishing him a good recovery."
"Georgetown was the first institution to open an LGBTQ resource center, the first Catholic institution in the country to do so, and that was under DeGoia’s purview. I think DeGoia has been an institution of Georgetown," student Ulises Olea Tapia said.
DeGioia says he will stay on as a member of the faculty at Georgetown.
The school says provost Robert Groves will serve as interim president while the board of directors conducts a search for the next leader.
