The Mortara Center seeks to advance scholarship and inform policy by combining the expertise of scholars and the experience of international affairs practitioners to illuminate the fundamental forces that shape international relations. Virginia Mortara, and their friends, in January 2003. Mortara envisioned a center of scholarly inquiry at the School of Foreign Service that would embody the missio
n of the School and its focus on the intersection of theory and practice in international affairs. Today, the Mortara Center for International Studies promotes scholarly, interdisciplinary research by faculty and students, advancing policy-relevant knowledge about international political, social, and economic issues, and generating communities of research and practice on key global concerns. The Mortara Center is located in the Mortara Building, a historic town house at 3600 N Street NW, Washington, DC, that officially opened in September 2005. The gorgeously remodeled building features a large conference room with advanced audio-visual technology utilized for classes and events on a daily basis; a small conference room used for faculty and student research and small meetings; and office facilities for School of Foreign Service faculty and staff. The Mortara Building also houses the Center for Security Studies, which is located in the building's lower level. This physical space serves as the central hub for research activities at the School of Foreign Service; bringing together Georgetown scholars researching pressing global issues with policy-makers and other important change agents. Mortara Family
A 1971 graduate of Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, Michael Mortara was a dedicated volunteer leader at Georgetown, as evidenced by his many commitments to the School's Board of Visitors, the Third Century Campaign Steering Committee, and the board of the Wall Street Alliance, of which he was a founding member. At the time of his death in November 2000, Mortara had just began his service on the University's Board of Directors, proving a judicious member of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Main Campus Affairs, and was President and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Ventures. He actively recruited Georgetown students to Goldman Sachs and encouraged the firm to support a variety of projects on campus. His elder son, Michael Jr., is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service class of 2004, and his younger son, Matthew, is a graduate of the class of 2009. His wife, Virginia Mortara, serves on the School of Foreign Service’ Board of Visitors and remains supportive of the Mortara Center’s many activities.
