The Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service (CSJ) opened its doors in January 2001. The Center has a mission that is simple to state but far-reaching in its implications: In order to advance justice and the common good, CSJ promotes and integrates community-based research, teaching and service by collaborating with diverse partners and communities.

"The idea of the common good unites each of us – unites us across faiths, across traditions, across borders – it unites us in the work we do in our communities, the work to improve the world we share. We come to this from different faiths, different traditions - but we come together, and converge, in this common pursuit. At Georgetown, our commitment to the common good is at the core of our mission as a university, and finds its roots in our Catholic and Jesuit tradition. We also come to this work by virtue of our academic mission—a mission which each of us, in this room, shares as women and men dedicated to higher education. Colleges and universities have a responsibility to our world, to the common good. We are seen as the greatest instrument for social mobility in our country. We have a public responsibility to prepare a workforce, engage in local community development, and leverage our resources in the pursuit of social justice." 

- Georgetown University President, Dr. John J. DeGioia at the President's Interfaith and Community Service Challenge Gathering hosted at Georgetown University in September 2013