Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Dr. Elizabeth Andretta

Dr. Elizabeth Andretta  

Dr. Elizabeth Andretta

Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs

Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

What was your nickname growing up?

Betty. I was named after my mother’s twin sister.

How long have you been at Georgetown?

Let’s just say the Jesuits kidnapped me when I was a young child.

What was the best memory of your college days at Barnard?

Being smarter than the Columbia men. Aside from that, we would have fire drills in the middle of the night and when you’d come out, the pep band would be playing. Another fun part was that most classes were taught outside – it was the ’60s after all.

As a cultural anthropologist, how would you characterize the culture at Georgetown in three words?

What culture? Just kidding. Exciting, stimulating and engaged – those are important to me.

Who was your favorite speaker to campus over your years at Georgetown?

Desmond Tutu, the archbishop in South Africa. He was the most inspiring and charismatic speaker that I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

What advice would you give to “Map of the Modern World” students?

Don’t be misled by the general contour of the continent and start listing the countries in South America. And memorize every obscure island in the South Pacific.

Georgetown has been named one of the largest privately-run bureaucracies in Washington, D.C. What should this mean for the university?

Time for a subway stop.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

For it to end! Actually, we’ve re-arranged how we do advising for freshmen and I think we’ve provided a better safety net and a more consistent way of advising. I’m excited to be a part of that. We’ve split up the class and we’ll stick with them until they declare a major.

If you wrote a novel about your time in the Dean’s Office here, what would you call it?

Hmm. How about Are You Sure the Dean’s Office Said That? Students always come to us and say this vague, “Someone in the Dean’s Office said that.” Who?

Why should students be afraid of you as an associate dean?

We are here because we like students – we like to help and communicate with students. Our whole purpose is to be both a clearinghouse of information and a support network. No one should be afraid – except for my own sons who have mercifully graduated. We all want students to come in, and if it’s bad, I’ll find out eventually anyway.

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