WASHINGTON — Georgetown University has appointed Eduardo M. Peñalver, the president of Seattle University and a former dean of Cornell Law School, as its 49th president, the university announced Wednesday.
“I’m deeply honored to have the privilege of serving as Georgetown’s next president,” Peñalver said. “I would like to thank the Presidential Search Committee and Georgetown’s board of directors for entrusting this role to me at such a pivotal time for Georgetown and for higher education.”
Thomas A. Reynolds, chair of the board, praised him as “an exceptional leader steeped in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition … with a bold vision for Georgetown’s future.”
Peñalver is currently president of Seattle University, where he became the institution’s first lay leader. He previously served as dean of Cornell Law School and taught at some of the country’s leading law schools.
His academic training includes a bachelor’s degree from Cornell, a J.D. from Yale, and graduate work in philosophy and theology at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Raised in a Catholic family in Puyallup, Washington, he is the son of a Cuban-immigrant physician and a mother whose family were Swiss dairy farmers.
In describing his move to Georgetown, he called it a “full-circle moment” — noting that he and his wife began their careers in Washington, and that he earned his pilot’s license in the region. Looking ahead, he pledged to focus on key priorities: the expansion of the Capitol Campus; creation of new interdisciplinary programs; renewed attention to access and affordability; and galvanizing the university’s resources toward social challenges. “This is an exciting moment in Georgetown’s history,” he said. “I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Georgetown to deepen the university’s impact on our country and on our world.”
Board Chair Thomas A. Reynolds described Peñalver as “an exceptional leader steeped in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition … with a bold vision for Georgetown’s future.” According to Georgetown, the presidential search process involved 11 listening sessions with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as feedback submitted via online channels. The committee, co-led by Kevin Warren and Jeanne Ruesch, sought a leader who could navigate the evolving landscape of higher education while honoring Georgetown’s heritage.
Peñalver’s tenure will begin amid national debates over higher education’s role, institutional affordability, and academic priorities. Observers of Georgetown will likely watch closely how his leadership balances scholarly ambition, Jesuit values, and institutional stability in the coming years.
