College of Arts & Sciences
Department of French and Francophone Studies
Department of French and Francophone Studies

E.Joseph McCarthy Scholarships for Overseas Study

Pont des Amours, Annecy 

Mission Statement

E. Joseph McCarthy (1901-1993) was an entrepreneur who began his life in the stockroom of A. G. Walton Co., a shoe factory in Massachusetts. He never had the opportunity to attend college but was a great benefactor of higher education. In 1996, Mr. McCarthy bequeathed over $900,000 to the Georgetown University Department of French and Francophone Studies at the request of his niece, Maureen Gavel, an alumna of the Department of French and Francophone Studies and long-time employee. In his memory, the E. Joseph McCarthy Endowment Fund benefits students and faculty through scholarships and enhanced academic programs in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.

A board was appointed to designate, distribute and monitor the funds (endowment and current use), to select projects and proposals, and to review the progress thereof.

The founder of the E. Joseph McCarthy Endowment Fund, Maureen Gavel, appointed the first board with Professor Jean-Max Guieu as its chairperson. Professor Guieu served tirelessly in that capacity for over thirteen years.

In September 2009, Professor Deborah Lesko Baker was appointed the succeeding chairperson for the Endowment Fund. In 2015, when Professor Lesko Baker resumed duties as chair of the Department of French and Francophone Studies, Professor Amadou Koné was named interim chair of the Endowment Fund.  In the summer of 2019, Professor Koné entered phased retirement, and Professor Andrew Sobanet was appointed chair of the Endowment Fund.

Each year, a committee of three professors from the department, elected by their peers, serves under the direction of the Endowment Fund chair to distribute, designate, and monitor McCarthy funds.

Maureen Gavel reserves the right to name any subsequent chairperson of the Board. Although the chair of the Department of French and Francophone Studies is an ex officio member of all departmental committees, he or she does not vote on committee decisions made by the McCarthy committee.

The objectives of the McCarthy Endowment Fund are:

  • To help deserving students learn French through scholarships for Georgetown overseas programs.
  • To provide financial support for intellectual and cultural enrichment activities initiated by department faculty.
  • To provide funds to maintain and update the equipment and furnishings of the McCarthy Conference Room (the “Espace McCarthy”), which was built thanks to the Endowment and inaugurated in September 2001.

These scholarships provide support for a semester or a full academic year abroad in a Francophone country. Eligible French majors may receive up to $6,000 in scholarship support and eligible French minors up to $4,000.

These competitive scholarships are offered to eligible French majors and minors who can demonstrate financial need. The McCarthy Endowment Committee evaluates all applications; scholarships are awarded based on financial need and academic excellence.

Applicants must submit the following documents to the McCarthy Endowment Committee using this link: McCarthy Scholarship Applications for Spring 2025:

  • A scholarship application (please see attached form)
  • A one-page personal statement (submitted in both French and English on separate sheets) describing the student’s commitment to and motivation to excel in French and Francophone studies.
  • Two letters of recommendation from the student’s Department of French and Francophone Studies professors.
  • The student’s academic transcript.
  • A copy of the student’s official Georgetown Financial Aid Award, which can be printed out from GU Experience.

Deadline for applications for the Spring ’25 semester is October 31, 2024. Deadline for applications for Fall ’25 and Academic Year ’25-’26 is March 15, 2025.

Open to all undergraduate students enrolled in Georgetown French courses.

Eligible students may receive up to $2,500 each. These competitive scholarships are offered to undergraduate students who are planning to study in the Georgetown University Summer Program in Tours and who can demonstrate financial need. The McCarthy Endowment Committee evaluates all applications; scholarships are awarded based on financial need and academic excellence.

Applicants must submit the following documents to the McCarthy Endowment Committee using this link: McCarthy Scholarship Applications for Summer 2024 :

  • A scholarship application (please see attached form).
  • A one-page personal statement (submitted in both French and English on separate sheets) describing the student’s commitment to and motivation to excel in French and Francophone studies.
  • A letter of recommendation from at least one of the student’s professors in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.
  • The student’s academic transcript.
  • A copy of the student’s official Georgetown Financial Aid Award, which can be printed out from GU Experience.

Deadline for scholarship applications for the Tours program is March 15, 2024.

Open to all undergraduate students enrolled in Georgetown French courses.

Eligible students may receive up to $2,500 each. These competitive scholarships are offered to undergraduate students planning to study in the Georgetown University Summer Program in Tours/Paris and who can demonstrate financial need. The McCarthy Endowment Committee evaluates all applications; scholarships are awarded based on financial need and academic excellence.

Applicants must submit the following documents to the McCarthy Endowment Committee using this link: McCarthy Scholarship Applications for Summer 2024 :

  • A scholarship application (please see attached form).
  • A one-page personal statement (submitted in both French and English on separate sheets) describing the student’s commitment to and motivation to excel in French and Francophone studies.
  • A letter of recommendation from at least one of the student’s professors in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.
  • The student’s official academic transcript.
  • A copy of the student’s official Georgetown Financial Aid Award, which can be printed out from GU Experience.

Deadline for scholarship applications for the Tours/Paris program is March 15, 2024.

Open to all undergraduate students enrolled in Georgetown French courses seeking to participate in the Saint-Omer Internship Program.

Eligible students may receive up to $1,500 each to defer travel expenses. The McCarthy Endowment Committee evaluates all applications; scholarships are awarded based on financial need and academic excellence.

Applicants must submit the following documents to the McCarthy Endowment Committee using this link: McCarthy Scholarship Applications for Summer 2024 :

  • A scholarship application (please see attached form).
  • A one-page personal statement (submitted in both French and English on separate sheets) describing the student’s commitment to and motivation to excel in French and Francophone studies.
  • A letter of recommendation from at least one of the student’s professors in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.
  • The student’s official academic transcript.
  • A copy of the student’s official Georgetown Financial Aid Award, which can be printed out from GU Experience.

Deadline for applications for the Saint-Omer Travel Scholarship is March 15, 2024.