Founding donor’s commencement address marks 10th anniversary of the McCourt School
Frank McCourt’s (C’75) 0M investment enabled Georgetown University to establish the McCourt School of Public Policy in 2013.
Georgetown alumnus Frank H. McCourt, Jr. (C’75), a civic entrepreneur, international business leader and founder of Project Liberty, a visionary initiative to transform how the internet works and empower people over platforms, will speak at the 2023 McCourt School Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 18, 2023.
Headshot of Frank H. McCourt, Jr. (C’75)
McCourt is a passionate supporter of several academic, civic and cultural institutions and initiatives. In 2013, he donated 0 million to Georgetown University to create the McCourt School of Public Policy and made a second 0 million investment in 2021, half of which is devoted to scholarships to catalyze a more inclusive pipeline of public policy leaders.
“The 2023 McCourt School Commencement Ceremony marks a momentous occasion in the School’s history,” said Dean Maria Cancian. “We are especially excited to gather with students and their families this year, the tenth anniversary of the McCourt School’s founding, and we are grateful to Frank McCourt for joining us to celebrate our graduates and for all that his leadership and generosity have enabled Georgetown and the McCourt School to achieve.”
Frank H. McCourt, Jr., executive chair of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty, Maria Cancian, dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy, and John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University
In addition to launching and helping to lead Project Liberty, McCourt serves on Georgetown’s Board of Directors and is the founder and executive chair of McCourt Global, a private family company committed to building a better future through its work across the real estate, sports, technology, media and finance industries. He also owns the French football (soccer) club Olympique de Marseille and is a major benefactor of The Shed, an innovative and architecturally-significant art and cultural center in New York City.
Project Liberty’s McCourt Institute, which was launched in 2021 with founding academic partners Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University, aims to address critical questions on the impact of technological innovation on society, with a particular focus on public policy. In March 2022, Georgetown awarded .3M in research grants through its partnership with the McCourt Institute, supporting the work of faculty across the University with deep expertise in law, public policy, computer science and ethics.
William J. Doyle (C’72) and Frank H. McCourt, Jr. at the opening ceremony for the McCourt School of Public Policy in 2013
McCourt received his undergraduate degree in economics from Georgetown University in 1975 and is the former co-chair of the University’s Third Century Campaign (New England Region). Two of Frank McCourt’s brothers attended Georgetown — Terence P. McCourt (C’77) and David C. McCourt (C’79) — and their father, Frank H. McCourt Sr., graduated from the University in 1939. One of Frank McCourt Jr.’s five sons, Travis (C’05), is also an alumnus.
Stream the 2023 McCourt School Commencement Ceremony live on May 18, 2023.