Georgetown Preparatory School celebrated 100 Years at Garrett Park this evening and announced the launch of its capital campaign, For the Greater Glory: Georgetown Prep's Legacy Campaign. Below is a message from Rev. James R. Van Dyke, S.J., Georgetown Prep's president, to the School Community from November 9.
One hundred years ago, Andrew Saul, a thirteen-year-old student from North Carolina, entered the Main Building (now Boland Hall) as the "New Prep's" first student. Since 1919, thousands of Georgetown Prep students have walked these same halls. They have learned similar lessons, prayed together in the Chapel, and become men for and with others. This evening at a celebration of 100 Years at Garrett Park, two of our very best, Christopher Singleton '20 and Charlie Liang '21, spoke movingly about their Georgetown Prep experiences - how they got here, lessons learned here, and how Prep has changed, and in some cases, saved their lives. They are here because of you.
These two exceptional students are like countless other Georgetown Prep men. They played on the same fields, shared meals in the same South Room, and, yes, had to take Mr. Barry's English class. This evening, we celebrate all of the great men and women who make Prep possible day in and day out. Whether you are a member of the Class of 1947 or the Class of 2023, Georgetown Prep is part of you, and as our passionate and dedicated alumni will tell you, it will remain part of you.
Georgetown Prep's reputation for excellence is founded on two pillars: our Ignatian values and the academic experience the School offers. Those pillars have been constant since 1789. They are part of what makes Prep unique and special. However, forces at work in our world threaten both. Our world does not necessarily see the value in Jesuit secondary education; the spirituality and service programs, in concert with the work we do to help our young men understand more deeply the material we offer in the classroom and out, need the investment of time, talent, and treasure.
Tonight, together with the Board of Trustees, we formally launched For the Greater Glory: Georgetown Prep's Legacy Campaign. This Campaign is bold in its aspirations, but certainly worthy of the causes. Our goal is to raise $60 Million over the next five years. As we launch this Campaign, we have already secured $40 Million in gifts and pledges.
First, we need to make Georgetown Prep accessible and affordable to future generations. Like many secondary schools, our rising tuition costs place some members and potential members of our Community at a disadvantage. Today, our tuition only covers two-thirds of the Prep experience. Our goal is to dramatically increase the endowment to make sure we are able to afford our financial aid and scholarship opportunities to ensure we do our part to bend the cost curve of secondary education.
The second objective of this Campaign will be enhancing our residential facilities. Georgetown Prep is the only Jesuit boarding school in the United States and, really, the only truly international Jesuit boarding school in the world. Over the past few years, we have developed strong programs to support the residential community, but the two dormitories on campus are advanced in age. Boland Hall turned 100 years old last year and Gunlocke Hall will be 50 years old next year. Neither building is adequate to the needs of our residential students and the faculty and staff who supervise and mentor them. We are building a new campus center and residence to house our entire residential program, both students and residential staff adequately, and which will also benefit our entire student population with new and needed facilities.
I invite you to visit our newly-launched Campaign website to learn more about the Campaign's strategic priorities, view our wonderful campaign videos, and read about the Campaign's progress.
The Georgetown Prep Community's investment in this Campaign will allow us not merely to continue the great educational and formation programs you or your son experienced as a young man; it will help us to continue the great legacy of forming men for and with others, men who will make a difference in a world that badly needs people who care, people who, in the words Ignatius wrote to his best friend Francis Xavier as he sent him on the Society of Jesus's first mission, will "set the world on fire."
Thank you, and God bless.
Rev. James R. Van Dyke, S.J.
President