The semester-long program will be piloted this fall through a partnership between the CALL, the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences, and the , Georgetown鈥檚 hub for educational innovation. Launchpad is a distinct cohort pathway within the CALL ecosystem. It is designed to build upon and amplify CALL鈥檚 professional development focus with more concentrated skill development, challenge-based learning and close engagement with employers, for a smooth transition to lifelong learning after Georgetown. 

The program features a signature course where students will collaborate with industry professionals and learn to effectively use AI systems to solve complex, real-world challenges.

Launchpad 鈥渋s about helping students translate their liberal arts education into purpose, action and impact after graduation,鈥� said , the associate director for strategic integration with the Red House. 鈥淚t’s also about translation, helping students realize and then articulate the real capacities they’ve developed in this environment that translate to the workplace.鈥�

Tackling Real-World Challenges

While Launchpad is being designed as a dynamic experience for seniors, students across all class years are welcome to apply for the Fall 2026 cohort. Those interested in participating should and attend an information session.聽

Students apply using , which is open until March 29. Late applications for Launchpad will be considered based on availability. 

鈥淚 hope students who join this program will be able to enter their next step with a deeper sense of clarity and purpose, along with more precision preparation to achieve that purpose,鈥� Howard said.

The centerpiece and anchor course for the Fall 2026 Launchpad cohort will be a new project-based, three-credit course, Wicked Problems: Learning to Plan and Decide in Human鈥揂I Teams. The course is taught by , a professor of practice in the School of Foreign Service and senior fellow in the and the Red House. A one-credit Launchpad Studio complements Wicked Problems with personalized coaching and mentoring, employer conversations and structured reflection.

Organizations invited to join the class may include financial institutions, consulting firms and public-interest nonprofit organizations, Murdick said. Throughout the course, students will team up with executives from participating companies and utilize customized AI tools to help define problems, evaluate options and plan responses to real-world wicked problems, which are complex challenges that are hard to define and lack simple solutions because they involve uncertainty, incomplete information and competing values. 

Both the students and industry professionals will benefit from collaborating and gaining more knowledge of artificial intelligence, Murdick said. 

鈥淭his is an environment to learn in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gives executives the opportunity to see emerging talent. 鈥nd students can have a lower stakes environment where they can get face time with senior people and work through problems together.鈥�

Advancing Applied Liberal Arts

Launchpad pushes forward the notion of applied liberal arts, Howard said.

A major goal of the program is to affirm the value of a liberal arts education, while helping students recognize that the critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills they鈥檝e gained during their time at Georgetown can be applied directly to their careers in a variety of professions. 

Murdick said it is common for students to graduate without fully recognizing the skills they鈥檝e learned. Launchpad is meant to uncover that more clearly.

鈥淪tudents often have more skills than they realize,鈥� Murdick said. 鈥淲ith Launchpad, we want to help them see how their education has built real capacity and how that capacity can be translated to have real-world impact.鈥�

In this newly created position, Gregory will help students explore the ties between their studies and the marketplace, connect them with alumni and experiences to enhance those ties, and ultimately head out from the Hilltop prepared to pursue fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. 

Chris Celenza, dean of Georgetown 海角论坛, and , director of the Cawley Career Center saw the need for a career counselor solely dedicated to helping students in the 海角论坛. Celenza says that Gregory will be a 鈥済reat addition to Georgetown, and the help she can provide our students will be invaluable.鈥�

鈥淭he 26 academic departments and 12 interdisciplinary programs in the 海角论坛 of Arts and Sciences offers students a wealth of options in their education and beyond,鈥� says Celenza. 鈥淢addie will be able to help students take all they have learned and apply it to life after graduation. And I am especially excited that we have partnered with our friends in the Cawley Center, whose mission is so crucial for our students.”

Due to the variety of options and possible career paths that become available to those with a degree from the 海角论坛, students often benefit from career guidance throughout their time at the university.

鈥淚ntegrating career development with academics ultimately helps students pursue fulfilling careers and lead meaningful lives,鈥� says Campbell. 鈥淲e are excited to collaborate with the 海角论坛 students, deans, faculty, and alumni to help students explore the connections between their studies and their post-graduation pursuits. I am thrilled to welcome Maddie to our team and look forward to sharing our progress in the coming months.鈥�

Gregory will spend the first few months on a 鈥渓istening tour鈥� where she will meet with various campus partners and groups at Georgetown in order to create the best opportunities for our students. She has a master鈥檚 degree in counseling and recently worked in academic advising at George Washington University.

She is eager to put her experience mentoring young adults to use and 鈥渢o dive into the student experience and help students in the 海角论坛 to identify, pursue and achieve their goals.鈥�

Gregory is also looking forward to partnering with various groups across campus to enhance the resources that Cawley offers.

鈥淭his is an amazing opportunity to help students recognize and articulate the experiences and skills developed in the classroom,鈥� says Gregory. 聽鈥淚 am excited to begin working with students to translate these experiences into research, graduate school, service, the world of work, or overall life after Georgetown.鈥�