Saturday, July 4, 2009

Data Center Move: Tech Services Periodically Off-Line


If you have been unable to receive new emails or access Blackboard, you are not alone. With the current move of data centers at Georgetown, many of the tech services will be periodically off-line until the move is complete. For more a more detailed explanation for why the data center move is taking place and how it is affecting Georgetown's Tech Services, here is a link to the story: "Data Center Move to Affect Technology Services". Below is a small excerpt from the article listing the times for which different tech services will be off-line.

The migration schedule is:

• July 2, 7 p.m. - July 6, 8 a.m.: Blackboard, MyAccess, Banner, GUCalendar, GUShare, EFS (Phoenix) will be unavailable. GUMail, including all mail forwarding, will be unavailable from July 2 at 10 p.m. through July 5 at 8 a.m.

• July 17, 7 p.m, - July 20, 8 a.m.: Sharestream, Web sites and departmental servers hosted by UIS will be unavailable. The Georgetown home page and special alternate pages with links to sites such as the alumni, Law Center, athletics and business school pages will remain available.

• July 31, 7 p.m. - Aug. 3, 8 a.m.: Access+ systems, Genesys, SIS+, other Mainframe applications, PeopleSoft Admissions and Financials and all hosted Structured Query Language (SQL) databases will be unavailable. Web sites hosted through KeySite and Explore will not be available, but the Georgetown home page and all other Web sites will remain accessible. Any activities that rely on information from the university mainframe, such as creation of NetIDs and GUMail accounts, will not occur until Monday night.

Happy July 4th!

Hoya Insider wants to wish everyone a very happy 4th of July! If you're in Washington D.C. this summer, check out the amazing fireworks display on the National Mall. I have tried to find the exact time the fireworks show will begin, but there doesn't appear to be much consensus amongst sources, other than it will start at "dark". I would recommend arriving at the National Mall no later than 7:30 pm, which should give you enough time to find a good patch of grass and get comfortable before the show. But if fireworks aren't you're thing, there are a lot of other events taking place around the District I would highly encourage you to look into.

Washington, DC Calender

About.Com: Washington, DC


Friday, July 3, 2009

Georgetown Basketball: Big East Matchups


Georgetown Basketball Big East Matchups were released in an article yesterday on GUHoyas.com. It appears every Big East team will be in for another "grind-it-out" season, and Georgetown will be no exception. The road schedule should prove to be more difficult than the home schedule. If the team takes care of business at home, and captures a couple victories on the road against some of the league's better teams, Coach JTIII and the guys could very well be in store for another NCAA Tournament bid. The start of the season is only a little over four months away, so we'll have to wait and see!

Home: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse, Villanova

Away: DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia

Georgetown in the News


Here are a few links to some recently published articles...

WSJ:
Efforts to Overhaul Health Care Take Familiar Path
(Professor Judith Feder)

Bloomberg:
Wal-Mart Backs Plan for Employers to Offer Insurance
(Professor Judith Feder)

Public Radio International:
U.S. Troop Withdrawal and Stability in Iraq
(Professor Gary Solis)

The New New Internet:
Georgetown Cyber Expert Interview: Obama Good Start/Research Needed
(Professor Marjory Blumenthal)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Interested in Law School?


Any Hoyas considering the prospect of attending law school should register for and attend the LSAC Law School Forum in Washington, DC this weekend. The forum is being hosted at the Marriott Wardman Park on Saturday, June 27th from 10am – 5pm. As LSAC (Law School Admission Council) stated in an email sent out last week, the forum provides…

  • personal interaction with admission representatives from over 175 law schools
  • prelaw advice from professional advisors
  • complete financial aid information from law school pros
  • an insider's view of the LSAT from the actual developers of the test
  • access to advice from successful applicants and recent law graduates

I personally attended the event last year, and found it to be a great venue for gathering information about different law schools, as well as, the admissions process. For more information, visit http://www.lsac.org/lawschoolforums/.

So if you were ever inspired by Atticus Finch, impressed with Johnnie Cochran, or in awe of Jerry Maguire, stop by the LSAC Law School Forum on Saturday.



Hoya Insider Building Steam!


So it appears the massive “flyering” campaign around Georgetown’s campus two nights ago proved pretty successful! The blog recorded a fairly substantial number of hits from Georgetown students, and I want to thank all of the visitors who took the time to check out the blog. In fact, over the past five days the blog has recorded 294 visits from 175 visitors located in 86 different cities (including Madrid, Florence, Puerto Madero, Berlin, and Seoul). If you’re wondering how I was able to collect all of this data, it was done using a free program called Google Analytics, which I would recommend to anyone starting a website or blog.

I would also like to thank Vox Populi for posting a somewhat positive, somewhat critical feature story on Hoya Insider this afternoon. Not only did the post discuss the flyers placed around campus, but it provided me a forum to discuss some of the goals for Hoya Insider. One of the criticisms raised by Vox Populi concerned the relatively limited number of posts currently on the blog. Without a doubt, this is a very valid point. Given that Hoya Insider is very young and still developing, we are working towards providing new stories and insight on a more consistent and daily basis. However, I would ask that readers of Hoya Insider remain patient, and we will try to provide a new post as often as we can.

Once again, thanks to all of those who visited the blog, and we look forward to providing you with new stories and updates over the coming weeks!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Jack the Bulldog: Background



Jack the Bulldog is one of Georgetown's most recognizable characters. Yet despite his massive popularity, few know how Jack became the university's mascot. So here's some background info on Jack's rise to stardom and comfortable lifestyle on campus...

"Though the nickname for its sports teams (and students in general) is "the Hoyas," Georgetown University adopted the English bulldog as its mascot in 1962. A group of students had lobbied for the move, arguing that Georgetown athletes were, like bulldogs, "tenacious." A student committee purchased a two-yr old bulldog which they had hoped to name "Hoya." However, the dog stubbornly refused (as bulldogs do) to respond to anything but his given name, "Jack." The dog won, and students began to call him "Jack" -- beginning a tradition that continues today.

Over time, the tradition of a permanent, on-campus mascot was replaced by a student in a bulldog suit. However, seniors in the class of 1999 began a "Bring Jack Back" campaign and succeeded in welcoming a new Jack to campus in March of 1999. Unfortunately, this Jack (now "the elder") had to retire in 2003 when his caretaker, Hoya alum Scott Pilarz S.J., became president of the University of Scranton.

Our present Jack was born on May 3, 2003. He arrived at Georgetown on July 19th of that same year. While not related to his immediate predecessor, Jack is from the same line as "Rocky," GU's mascot during Patrick Ewing's time on the hilltop.

One of the most recognized figures on campus, Jack the Bulldog spends his time celebrating life on the Hilltop and cheering for Hoya sports. When not occupied with his mascot duties, Jack passes his days resting in the lobby of the Jesuit Residence and the evenings at his apartment in New South (which he shares with Fr. Steck, S.J., Associate Professor in the Department of Theology)."
Sources

Friday, June 19, 2009

Notable Georgetown Alumni


Georgetown has always attracted a lot of intelligent students and talented athletes. So as you might expect, the university has a really long list of notable alumni, which includes a slew of politicians, lawyers, scientists, and business leaders. Some of the most famous Hoyas include former President Bill Clinton, as well as, basketball players Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson. But there are also many Georgetown graduates who, while not as famous, hold some pretty impressive positions. So here is a list of accomplished alumni who you either may not know went to Georgetown or have never heard of. I was pretty surprised at some, so I'm sure you will be too...
  1. Pat Buchanan (C 1961) - advisor to Presidents Nixon/Ford/Reagan, political commentator for MSNBC; a regular on The McLaughlin Group


  2. George Tenet (SFS 1976) - Director, Central Intelligence Agency (1997-2004)


  3. General James L. Jones (SFS 1966) - National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama


  4. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (SCE 1954) - First Lady of the United States (1961-1963)


  5. Edward Bennett Williams (L 1944) - trial lawyer; attorney for the Washington Post and Georgetown University; owned the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Orioles


  6. Michael Powell (L 1993) - Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (2001-2005), son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell


  7. Michael S. Steele (L 1991) - Chairman, Republican National Committee


  8. Joseph R. Baczko (SFS 1967) - president and CEO, Blockbuster Entertainment (1991-1993); founder and president, Toys R' Us-International (1983-1990)


  9. Vincent C. Burke Jr. (SFS 1943, L 1950) - chairman and CEO, Riggs National Bank (1973-1982): called the "bank of presidents," Riggs customers included Abraham Lincoln and 21 other first families - PNC bought Riggs in 2005


  10. Mary Callahan Erdoes (C 1989) - CEO, JPMorgan Private Bank (2004-Present)


  11. John Laytham (SFS 1966) - president and CEO, Clyde's Restaurant Group


  12. Ted Leonsis (C 1977) - president and CEO, AOL Interactive Properties; majority owner, Washington Capitals hockey team


  13. Philip Marineau (C 1968) - president, Quaker Oats Company; CEO, Pepsi North America; president and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co.


  14. George J. Mitchell (L 1961) - chairman, Walt Disney Company (2004-2006)


  15. Michael A. Todman (B 1979) - president, Whirlpool North America (2007-Present)


  16. Lance L. Weaver (B 1976) - chairman, board of directors, MasterCard International


  17. Sara Albert (C 2005) - America's Next Top Model contestant


  18. Amerie (C 2000) - R&B singer (famous song: 1 Thing)


  19. William Peter Blatty (C 1950) - author of The Exorcist


  20. John Guare (C 1960, H 1991) - author and playwright: The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation; five Tony Awards


  21. Jack Hofsiss (C 1971) - director of theater, film and television; Tony Award for directing The Elephant Man


  22. Malcolm Lee (C 1992) - director, The Best Man and Undercover Brother


  23. Mitchell Hurwitz (C 1985) - TV writer, creator of Arrested Development


  24. John Mulaney (C 2004) - stand-up comedian, regularly featured on VH1's Best Week Ever


  25. Jonathan Nolan (C 1999) - author of Memento, co-writer of screenplay for The Dark Knight


  26. Norah O'Donnell (C 1996, G 2003) - MSNBC chief Washington correspondent; contributor to NBC's Today


  27. Shirley Povich (C 1928, L attended two years) - sports editor of the Washington Post for 41 years


  28. Maria Shriver (C 1977) - NBC-TV news commentator and wife of Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger


  29. Alex Stancioff (MBA 1995) - executive animation producer, Comedy Central's "Lil' Bush"


  30. Lisa Sylvester - CNN reporter


  31. Greta Van Susteren (L 1979, L1982) - Fox News anchor, On The Record


  32. Mark Abbott (SFS 1986) - president, Major League Soccer


  33. Bill Bidwill (B 1960) - owner, Arizona Cardinals


  34. Robert H. Castellini (C 1963) - CEO, Cincinnati Reds


  35. Frank McCourt, Jr. (C 1975) - owner and chairman, Los Angeles Dodgers


  36. Mark H. Murphy (L 1988) - president and CEO, Green Bay Packers


  37. Susan O'Malley (L 2007) - first female president of an NBA franchise (Washington Sports and Entertainment)


  38. Carmen Policy (L 1966) - president, Cleveland Browns


  39. Jim Schwartz (C 1989) - head coach, Detroit Lions


  40. Paul Tagliabue (C 1962) - commissioner, National Football League (1989-2006)


  41. William Shea (C 1929) - noted New York attorney and patriarch of the New York Mets; Shea Stadium named in his honor

For a more complete list of notable Georgetown alumni, check out Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Georgetown_University_alumni)

...and don't worry, I referenced a good sample of the names to make sure the information was accurate, and it was.

Monday, June 15, 2009

MSB Announces 13 New Faculty Appointments


It appears Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business has taken another step to bolster its reputation within the national community of top-tier undergraduate and M.B.A business programs. After the undergrad program was ranked #11 by BusinessWeek for 2007, the MSB's ranking has fallen ever since. In 2008 the MSB's undergrad program ranked #19, and in 2009 fell even further to #24 (BusinessWeek Rankings 2009).

In order to combat this ranking slump, the MSB has made a number of improvements. These improvements range from rebranding the business program as the "Georgetown University McDonough School of Business" to finally opening its new building this summer. Yet despite not having a building to call its own, which has hurt the program in the rankings, the MSB's backbone has always been based on academic achievement and progress. The recent announcement of 13 new faculty appointments demonstrates the MSB's continued commitment to its founding roots: superior teaching and research by professors in various fields of business.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Welcome to Hoya Insider!


Hi everyone. Hoya Insider was created to provide students, professors, alumni, and fans of Georgetown University with an "insider's" look into what is going on in and around the school campus. As we move forward, this blog will provide you with pictures, video, and commentary on news and events related to the university. The blog will cover a range of topics including student achievements, university research, speaker events, athletic contests, campus/alumni events, and updates on the construction and opening of new on-campus buildings (business & science) just to name a few. Hopefully, Hoya Insider will serve as your "one-stop shop" for keeping you current on everything related to Georgetown. Hoya Saxa!