GU Eyes Secondary US Campus

The university is actively considering launching a study abroad campus in the United States, according to Interim Dean of the School of Continuing Studies Walter Rankin.

Though Georgetown owns and operates studyabroad centers for its own students in Florence, Italy, and Alanya, Turkey, the university does not currently have any such sites in the United States.

“We are most interested in establishing a presence in cities where students have already expressed great interest, where we believe we can offer internships aligned with our educational mission and where we have a strong alumni base,” Rankin said.

He added that such programs would aim to help participating students find jobs and internships.

The establishment of specialized secondary campuses is part of a growing trend among American colleges. Last winter, Cornell University won a competition to construct a new science and engineering campus on New York City’s Roosevelt Island. A bit closer to home, New York University officially opened a new campus near McPherson Square on Sept. 24. The program will have 15 students in its inaugural class but is expected grow to over 100 students in coming years.

NYU students have expressed enthusiasm about the new D.C. campus.

“There is no better option to study politics [than] in the most politically important city in America,” Mary Heiser, a freshman at NYU, said.

Though Georgetown runs a Semester in Washington program for non-Georgetown students that serves a similar purpose to NYU’s program, university officials are not concerned about the competition.

“I don’t think it will have too much of an impact,” James Parenti, senior associate dean and chief administrative officer of the School of Continuing Studies, said. “Our program is really quite unique because these students who are coming to Georgetown are full-time students here and live on campus. We try to provide ... the full array of experiences that any other Georgetown student may come in contact with.”