Professor and Students Build Resources for Georgetown Veterans
March 31, 2010
When professor of Spanish Barbara Mujica welcomed her son back from serving in Iraq, she was incredibly relieved that he had returned safely. In gratitude, she wanted to assist veterans and military personnel any way she could. In 2003, she began serving as a “platoon mother” with Adopt-a-Platoon. However, she felt like she wanted to do more.
“In view of the immense blessing of having my son back, sending cookies and toothpaste to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan seemed painfully insufficient,” she explained.
While looking for more ways to support those who have served, Mujica realized that there was much that could be done at Georgetown to help student veterans gain better access to resources. Thus, she has taken on the role of faculty advisor to the Georgetown University Student Veterans Association (GUSVA), and is working with the organization and university administration to provide more information, resources, and opportunities for veterans to study at Georgetown. 
“I would like to see Georgetown become the new gold standard in university support for student veterans,” said Maj. Erik Brine, GUSVA president. Brine, a part-time Master’s student at Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute, served for 11 years in the Active Duty Air Force as a Special Airlift and Strategic Airlift Pilot. “If we can consolidate and coordinate the enthusiasm and dedication I’ve seen so far from students, faculty and administrators, Georgetown will seem like a very different place for veterans in just a matter of months.”
University leaders and administrators have thrown their support behind the GUSVA initiative, which seeks to provide support and information to current and potential students who have served in the military. They have already seen some success, with a new veterans web page.
Brine hopes that this initiative will help Georgetown climb to the top of the list for academically talented veterans who want to use GI Bill benefits to further their education. “Attending Georgetown University is not only a tremendous academic experience, but a profound life experience as well,” he noted. “The access that you have at Georgetown to professors who are experts in their fields, students with amazing backgrounds, current policy makers, renowned guest speakers and dedicated administrators is unmatched. GUSVA is working diligently to make Georgetown more accessible to [student veterans].”
While more support and resources are on the way, the Georgetown community continues to support veterans and those pursuing service in the military. “The general attitude at Georgetown towards the military is one of respect and friendship from the students to the administration,” said 2 Lt. Daniel Rendleman, who works on staff for the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Georgetown. Rendleman graduated from the College in 2009 with a degree in history and is currently serving in the military. He, too, hopes veterans will continue to apply to study at Georgetown for the same reasons he did. “I chose Georgetown because of its academic rigor. I received a better education here than I could have anywhere else.”
Veterans at Georgetown plan to give back to the university community in ways large and small. This year, for example, they plan to replace the University’s U.S. flag and then present the old flag to the person who has assisted Georgetown veterans the most over the previous year. This new, annual ceremony takes place on Thursday, April 22 on the Copley lawn.
—Gabrielle Matthews
Photo: President Jack DeGioia greets Gen. David Petraeus when he visited Georgetown in January, 2010. Courtesy Veteran Resources page.
