More than three months after beginning his tenure, Georgetown University is preparing to inaugurate Eduardo M. Peñalver as its 49th president on Oct. 9. The ceremony—Georgetown’s first in 25 years—will mark the latest entry in a tradition stretching back through generations of university leadership.
Georgetown’s last presidential inauguration was in 2001 for President emeritus John J. DeGioia, beginning his 23-year tenure. His ceremony took place in downtown D.C. at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. The first documented inauguration ceremony was of President Alphonsus J. Donlon, S.J., in 1912 in Healy Hall.
A quarter-century after DeGioia’s inauguration, and a full century after Donlon’s, Georgetown’s campus and the logistics of inaugurating a president have evolved.
Unlike DeGioia’s inauguration, Peñalver’s will take place entirely on Georgetown’s Hilltop campus.
“The campus was very different back then [and] had different spaces available,” university Secretary Marie Mattson said in an interview with the Voice. “Now that we do have this big space, it’s nice to celebrate right in your house, right? So, we decided to have it here on campus.”
The day is scheduled to begin with a Mass in Gaston Hall at 10 a.m. for select guests, followed by an open-invite formal installation ceremony in McDonough Arena at 3 p.m. and a reception at the recently opened Hoya Hotel.
The inauguration is organized by Georgetown’s Board of Directors, which selects and appoints the university president. The Office of the President, which includes the Office of Presidential Events, has led planning since January 2026, three months after his presidency selection.
The Mass, which highlights Georgetown’s identity as the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution in the U.S., will be held in Gaston Hall rather than Dahlgren Chapel—a decision made by organizers to accommodate a larger crowd.
“Obviously we needed a bigger space than Dahlgren, but we wanted to stay on campus because our whole thing is to have this be with ‘the family’ on campus,” Mattson said. “So Gaston was an easy pick, and it’s a very pretty, solemn space.”
As for the liturgical aspect of inauguration day, Mattson said there is still some logistical planning regarding seating arrangements, biblical readings, and the procession order. The Mass will be officiated by Fr. Michael Castori, S.J., Bishop of Honolulu, a longtime friend of Peñalver’s. 25 priests from across the globe will also be seated at the altar.
The installation ceremony, Mattson said, is “less prescribed,” since it’s not a religious ceremony, and has considerably more parts that require strategic planning and attention to detail.
McDonough Arena, the gymnasium primarily used for Georgetown basketball and volleyball games, will be transformed into an inaugural hall for the first time since the 1969 inauguration of Robert J. Henle, S.J.
There will be a newly constructed video wall behind the stage presenting original, day-to-day footage of Georgetown’s campus and students. Mattson compared the visual production of the ceremony to that of televised awards shows.
“Like when you see a live production on TV, say, the Emmys or the VMAs or something like that, there’s a video component to bolster the experience of the audience,” she said.
The Georgetown Inauguration Orchestra, specifically assembled for the ceremony, will perform. The 16-piece live orchestra will be conducted by Luke Frazier, conductor of the American Pops Orchestra, and will include professional musicians from Frazier’s orchestra and from around D.C.
At the start of the ceremony, there will be remarks by students, faculty, and alumni leaders: Darius Wagner (CAS ’27), president of Georgetown University Student Association; Keaton Ballard (GRAD ’27), president of the Graduate Student Government; George Luta, president of the Faculty Senate; Teresa Mannix, president of the Staff and Academic and Administrative Professionals Advisory Council; and Gail Gillis-Louis (CAS ’75), president of the Alumni Association.
The inauguration is expected to have a procession of between 350 and 400 individuals, a combination of Georgetown faculty and distinguished faculty members from other higher education institutions.
The procession follows a traditional order, with representatives from other universities arranged according to when their institutions were founded. From arranging regalia to determining where each participant sits, Mattson said, “there’s just a bazillion of those little teeny details” that organizers hope attendees never have to think about.
“You have to have somebody there to make sure they all brought their regalia, and they have to be put in order by the beginning of their school,” Mattson said. “So you have to know which schools were founded when and make sure those representatives are in the right space.”
For Mattson, who spent 20 years as the Vice President of Development, Special Events and Volunteers at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, managing an event of this size is familiar. What is less familiar is curating a memorable experience for a community that has not encountered an event of such stature.
“We haven’t done it in 25 years, so it’s just trying to be creative,” Mattson said, while also producing “something that’s special for President Peñalver.”
Mattson said she hopes Peñalver will feel welcomed by the Georgetown community and that attendees will notice the intentionality of the ceremony.
“You want to make sure that it’s a solemn occasion, but you certainly don’t want it to be a dreary occasion,” Mattson said. “You want it to be very hopeful and joyful because it’s a really special time for Georgetown.”
Beyond the ceremony itself, Mattson hopes the inauguration will reinforce attendees’ sense of connection to the Georgetown community.
“When you go away from a celebration like this, you should feel engaged,” Mattson said. “You should feel a part of the community.”
