George Washington University

See Washington University (disambiguation) for institutions with similar names.

The George Washington University

File:GW Official Logo.jpg
Motto	Deus Nobis Fiducia (In God Our Trust)
Type	Private
Established	1821
Endowment	US $1.019 billion.
President	Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (retiring July 2007), Steven Knapp (incoming)
Academic staff	4,501
Undergraduates	10,831
Postgraduates	12,634
Location	Washington , D.C. , USA
Campus	Urban: Foggy Bottom campus, 43 acres; Mount Vernon campus in Foxhall, 26 acres
Colors	Buff and Blue     (Derived from Washington's Continental Army uniform)
Nickname	G.W.
Mascot	Colonial File:Colonials.gif
Website	www.gwu.edu

The George Washington University (GW), is a private, coeducational university primarily located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as the Columbian College by Baptist ministers using funds bequeathed by George Washington. It has since developed into a leading, non-sectarian research institution known especially for its social sciences and international affairs programs.

Campuses

Foggy Bottom

A bust of George Washington on the Foggy Bottom campus of the George Washington University

Most of the university's undergraduate and graduate studies are conducted on its 43-acre, downtown Foggy Bottom campus, which is situated just a few blocks from the White House and the National Mall. Barring a few outlying buildings, the boundaries of campus are delineated by Pennsylvania Avenue, 19th Street, E Street, and Virginia Avenue. However, the University owns much of the property in Foggy Bottom, and leases it to various tenants, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Since the GW campus is integrated with the city, it has less of a traditional campus than those of other major universities. However, the university has a significant presence in the area. Signs indicating the relative location of various university buildings can be found on almost every street corner.

The area surrounding GW's main library, Gelman Library, forms the heart of the campus. The seven-story library building, which contains over two-million volumes, is constructed in the popular Brutalist architectural style of the 1970's. It features a concrete façade punctuated by windows that are divided by projecting vertical slabs. The library's upper level is home to the National Security Archive, a highly-respected research institution that publishes declassified U.S. government files concerning selected topics of American foreign policy.

Adjacent to the library is a large open area known as Kogan Plaza, and Lisner Auditorium. Additionally, the student center (known as the Marvin center), several dormitories, the Media and Public Affairs building, and the University Yard (the only quadrangle on campus) are located within a three-block radius.

The Foggy Bottom Metro Station Station is conveniently located at the intersection of 23rd and I Streets, due south of Washington Circle. The University hospital, where many important politicians in the city often seek medical treatment, is located next to the Metro station entrance. Sometime in late 2007, construction on a large commercial development (known currently as "Square 54") is expected to begin on the vacant, school-owned lot across the street from the hospital.

A satellite View of the Mount Vernon Campus

Mount Vernon

In 1999, the university acquired the 23-acre Mount Vernon College for Women campus and renamed it The George Washington University at Mount Vernon College. Nicknamed "The Vern," the campus is served by a twenty-four hour shuttle service known as the Vern Express. Despite the fact that its dorm are now fully co-educational, the campus' legacy as a former women's college has been retained with the Elizabeth Somers Women's Leadership Program, a unique residential-academic program for first-year female undergraduate students.

Ashburn and Other Centers

The George Washington University also operates a postgraduate-geared campus in Ashburn, Virginia. Several other satellite education centers are maintained by the university, including the Alexandria Graduate Education Center in Alexandria, the Graduate Education Center in Arlington, and the Hampton Roads Center in Newport News.

History

George Washington had long argued for the creation of a university in the District of Columbia. In his will, he bequeathed fifty shares of the Potomac Company to support such an institution. He wrote, "I give and bequeath in perpetuity the fifty shares which I hold in the Potomac Company (under the aforesaid Acts of the Legislature of Virginia) towards the endowment of a University to be established within the limits of the District of Columbia, under the auspices of the General Government, if that Government should incline to extend a fostering hand towards it." The shares turned out to not be worth very much, but Washington's idea for a university continued.

Aware of Washington's wishes, a group of men led by Baptist missionary and minister Luther Rice raised funds to purchase a site for a college to educate citizens for work as missionaries and clergy. A large building was constructed on College Hill, which is now known as Meridian Hill, and on February 9 1821, President James Monroe approved the congressional charter creating The Columbian College. President Monroe, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, the Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries attended the college's first commencement exercises in 1824.

The college's buildings were used as a hospital during the Civil War. At times, academic and administrative departments have occupied other buildings around Washington, including what is now the National Museum of Women in the Arts on New York Avenue in northwest Washington.

The name of the institution was changed to Columbian University in 1873 and, in an agreement with the George Washington Memorial Association, to The George Washington University in 1904. The university was among the first American institutions to grant a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in 1888.

During the Vietnam era Thurston Hall, an undergraduate dormitory housing 875 students was (according to campus folklore) a staging ground for Student Anti-War Demonstrations (at 1900 F street, the building is just 3 blocks from The White House).

Since the 1970s, through the presidencies of Lloyd Hartman Elliott and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, GWU has become a major undergraduate and graduate institution. In December 2006, the university named Johns Hopkins University provost Steven Knapp its next president, to begin his term on August 1 2007.

In June 1999, the university purchased the campus of the defunct Mount Vernon College for Women which became the school's Mount Vernon Campus, named for the nearby Mount Vernon, home of the university's namesake.

Academics

Students at GW participate in a wide variety of educational opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. 9,700 full-time undergraduates are studying in 87 majors with 1,500 in business, 500 in engineering, 2,000 in international affairs, 700 in communications and media, 800 in sciences and math, 2,900 in social sciences, and 1,300 in arts, languages, and humanities. Nearly 900 students participate in GW's Study Abroad Programs each semester in 50 countries.[3] Additionally, about 125 entering students each fall join the University Honors Program community of 500 students. These students routinely live in the Scholars' Village, which is a unique academic housing concept for upperclassmen. Each "villager" has competed for a space in this prestigious "themed-house" environment.

The George Washington University has a medical school and its own hospital. It has a highly ranked law school, The George Washington University Law School. The Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) contains many top-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs in international affairs. The School of Business is also highly ranked: #14 in International Business and the 10th best MBA program for women.

In addition to offering courses on its Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses, GW faculty teach a large number of graduate courses in the suburbs of Washington (in Maryland and Virginia). The Graduate School of Political Management primarily holds their classes in the Hall of the States building at 444 North Capitol Street, located on north side of the U.S. Capitol Building and Senate offices.

Medical school students in class (1958)

Organization

The university is governed by a Board of Trustees[4]. The Board is responsible for selecting the President of the University, who is charged with managing the institution.

The university is organized into nine schools and colleges:

• Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS)
  • School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA)
  • Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (SPPPA)
• College of Professional Studies
  • Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM)
• Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA)
• The George Washington University Law School
• The Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD)
• School of Business (GWSB)
• School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)
• George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS)
• George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS)

Tuition

By some measures, George Washington University charges the highest undergraduate tuition of any institution in the country at $37,820 a year (as measured in 2006)[3], however the University employs a fixed-tuition plan whereby undergraduates do not experience tuition increases during their 4-year tenure to justify the high tuition.

Students and faculty

There were 10,394 undergraduate (not including Non-Degree Students) and 12,634 graduate students enrolled for the Fall 2005 academic semester. In 2001, there were 1,508 full-time and 2,725 part-time members of the faculty.

Student government

The Student Association (SA) is the official undergraduate and graduate student government of The George Washington University. The SA is fashioned after the federal government with three cooperative and equal branches of government. The President and Executive Vice President, however, are separately and popularly elected. Senate representation is divided among the schools of the university. Student elections are generally held in February or March of the spring semester and have been administered electronically since 1999 in designated locations or via paper ballot. To be elected, candidates for President and Executive Vice President must receive at least 40% of the student vote or else require a run-off election. Student newspaper The GW Hatchetreported that the 2007 election cycle drew in 11 percent more students than the year before - bringing the total to approximately 3300 voters, or only a third of the university's undergraduate population. Undergraduates, Law, Medical, and Graduate students are all permitted to vote.

Historically, SA presidents have fared well in the political arena. Former SA president Edward "Skip" Gnehm was the Ambassador to Kuwait during the Gulf War and received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards. Former SA president John David Morris (1989-1990) currently serves as a city councilman in Peoria, Illinois, and Al Park (1994-1995) is a New Mexico state representative and possible candidate for New Mexico Attorney General. Actor Alec Baldwin ran for SA President as a junior and narrowly lost. After his defeat, he transferred to New York University (NYU) to pursue his acting career. Jonathan D. Katz was SA president from 1980-81 and went on to found Queer Nation San Francisco and to become a professor of gay and lesbian studies as well as art.

The Student Association Executive Vice President chairs the Student Senate and assists the President in the performance of his duties.

The Student Association Senate is composed of 29 voting members, of which 15 are undergraduate students and 14 are graduate students. Seats are distributed proportionally based on each school's popular enrollment. There are also two undergraduate and two graduate at-large Senate seats.

The student government also includes a Student Court that adjudicates disputes between student groups and among the branches of the government.

Student organizations

There are over four hundred student organizations at the University, including organizations of common interest or political activism, ethnic organizations, and Greek organizations.

Political and international organizations

The George Washington University is home to several large and active political and international organizations.

The GW College Democrats has a membership over 2,000 making it the second-largest organization on campus. Howard Dean formally endorsed John Kerry for President on campus at a GW College Democrats sponsored event.

Started in Fall 2006, the GW Democrats has grown to over 800 members. The GW Dems, a collegiate chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, focus on Democratic and Progressive activism.

The GW College Republicans has approximately 430 members and is very active on campus. It was named the Best Chapter of 2005 by the College Republican National Committee.

Started during the 2006-2007 year, the GW College Libertarians are a voice for third parties and disillusioned Democrats and Republicans. They have been included in debates with the GW Dems and GW College Republicans.

The International Affairs Society (IAS) is among the largest and most active student organizations, with over 350 dues-paying members. IAS participates in international affairs-related events such as the Model United Nations.

G.W.'s Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) is one of the most active chapters in the country. Last year, the club staged AIDS awareness and prevention events, as D.C. currently has the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country (119 per 100,000).[5]

The GW Chapter of STAND, or GW STAND, was formed in 2003 shortly after the first STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition group was organized at Georgetown University. It has sponsored rallies, information sessions, and promoted divestment, about genocide in general, but specifically about genocide in Darfur.

The Global Language Group, or Global Languages, is a non-profit organization that offers over 150 free classes in 50 languages.

Greek-letter organizations

There are three honor societies: Order of Omega, Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi.

There are 14 recognized men's social fraternities on campus, including Alpha Epsilon Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Theta Delta Chi. Sigma Chi was approved for recolonization in 2006, and is projected to be chartered in early Fall of 2007. Kappa Alpha Order inducted its alpha class on March 2 2007, and expects to recharter in January 2008.

There are also two social fraternities, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Sigma Alpha Mu (also called "SAMMY"), that are not recognized by the university. A group of male students also maintain Alpha Pi Epsilon (or "Apes"), a group that emerged from a collection of students who had lost recognition by Alpha Epsilon Pi and Zeta Beta Tau due to hazing charges in 2001.

There are nine Panhellenic sororities on campus, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Delta Tau(the flat chested ass monkeys), and Sigma Kappa. Pi Beta Phi was approved for colonization by the Panhellenic Association in 2006, and installed as a chapter in January of 2007.

Three National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. have chapters at GW. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has a city-wide chapter in Washington, DC, with some members from GW.

The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) includes Iota Nu Delta fraternity, Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity, Pi Delta Psi fraternity, and Sigma Psi Zeta sorority.

There are also a number of professional and honorary fraternities active on campus. Delta Phi Epsilon, the nation's first and only professional foreign service society, was re-chartered in 2005. Theta Tau, the nation's oldest and foremost engineering fraternity is active on campus, as is the national honor fraternity Phi Sigma Pi, and the professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. Additionally there are two community service based Greek-letter organizations on campus: Alpha Phi Omega, a co-educational service fraternity, and Epsilon Sigma Alpha, which was founded in spring 2003 and is currently the only community service sorority on campus.

Student media

There are two student run news sources on campus, the twice-weekly newspaper The GW Hatchet, founded in 1904, and The Daily Colonial, an online daily founded in 2004.

There is also an online only student-run radio station, WRGW.

Other organizations

Intramural sports are also very popular in addition to the NCAA Division I varsity teams.

GW is home to an active performing arts community. Music groups include Emocapella, the Sons of Pitch, the Sirens, The GW Vibes, the GW Troubadors, and the GW Pitches. Student theater organizations include Generic Theatre Company , 14th Grade Players, Forbidden Planet Productions (FPP), and receSs, GWU's only comedy troupe. Balance: The GW Ballet Group offers free student-taught ballet classes to members, produces and performs The Nutcracker and other shows and offers discounted tickets to ballets at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The Chess Club was reconstituted in September of 2005 and now competes with other universities' teams nationally. It is currently coached by Grandmaster Lubosh Kavalek, who is also an alumnus.

The GW Gaming League was founded in 2003. The league has gained event sponsorship from such corporations as Electronic Arts, Universal Pictures, and Red Bull. It has been featured in the Washington Post.

GW is also home to one of the first virtual student organizations in the United States named ETLSO. The Educational Technology and Leadership Student Organization (ETLSO) caters to the needs of distance education students.

School songs

Fight song

The school fight song, "Hail to the Buff & Blue" or "The G.W. Fight Song" is as follows:

Hail to the buff! (buff!)

Hail to the blue! (blue!)

Hail to the buff and blue!

All our lives we'll be proud to say,

We hail from G.W.! (go big blue!)

Oh by George we're happy we can say,

We're G.W. here to show the way!

So raise high the buff! (buff!)

Raise high the blue! (blue!)

Loyal to G.W.!

(You bet we're!)

Loyal to G.W.! (fight!)

This song plays on synthesized bells (without words) every weekday at noon and 6:00 p.m. from the center of campus.

Alma Mater

The school's Alma Mater as sung today was rewritten from its original version in 1970:

Hail Alma Mater,

To thy spirit guiding,

Knowledge thy closest friend

In its strength abiding,

Pledge we fidelity

Ne'er its place resigning,

Hail thee George Washington.

Athletics

File:Colonials.gif

GW has an extensive Division I program that includes Men's Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Soccer, Women's Softball, Squash, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Women's Volleyball, and Water Polo. Colonials athletics teams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. While only a Division II program, the Men's and Women's Rugby Teams both compete in the Potomac Rugby Union and have had much recent success.[6]

The university's colors are buff and blue (buff being a color similar to tan, but often represented as gold or yellow). The colors were taken from George Washington's uniform in the Revolutionary War.

GW's football team won the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas in 1957. The school last competed in the sport in 1966 as a member of the Southern Conference.[7]

The teams have achieved great successes in recent years including a first round victory in the Men's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament in 2004

Basketball

Mike Jarvis coached GW in the 1990s, and led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1993, where they were beaten by the Fab Five Michigan team. Jarvis also coached current Colonials Head Coach Karl Hobbs in high school. NBA flop Yinka Dare also played at George Washington for two years before being drafted in the first round by the New Jersey Nets.

GW's Basketball team returned to the National Stage in 2004 after defeating No. 9 Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back to back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic. That year the Men's Basketball team went on to win the Atlantic 10 West Title and the Atlantic 10 Tournament Title (earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament). The #12 seeded Colonials tournament was short, ending with a first round loss to #5 Seed Georgia Tech.

The team began the 2005 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and after some tournament success they closed out the year ranked 19th nationwide. They had a record of 26-2 (16-0 in the A-10) going into the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The 2005-2006 season had been the team's best ever, surpassing the start of the 1953-1954 season and receiving an #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, they came back from a 18 point second-half deficit to defeat #9 seed UNC-Wilmington, but lost to Duke University, the top overall seed in the Second Round.

While only one Colonial from the 2005-2006 team was drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, Danilo Pinnock, there are currently three Colonials from that team in the NBA. Pops Mensah-Bonsu plays for the Dallas Mavericks and Mike Hall, who recently signed a contract with the Washington Wizards.

The 2006-2007 basketball season was considered by many to be a rebuilding year for the colonials after graduating their entire starting front court and losing junior leader Danilo Pinnock to the NBA. But coach Karl Hobbs and Senior guard Carl Elliott managed to lead the team to a 23-8 record, winning the 2007 Atlantic 10 Tournament in Atlantic City, NJ (once again earning an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament). The Colonials were placed as a #11 seed losing against #6 seed Vanderbilt University in Sacramento, CA 77-44 [8].

Karl Hobbs, a former player and coach under Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut is in his sixth year as head coach. Hobbs is a fan favorite -- often receiving as much applause during his entrance to games as the athletes. Known for his outward shows of emotion during games that include stomping his foot and slamming his clipboard, Hobbs is considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA.

Spirit Programs

The mascot for the Colonials is George, a student wearing a life-size George Washington costume with a large head. The sports teams are called Colonials. There is also an inflatable Colonial mascot called "Big George" (as opposed to "Little George," the life-size mascot) and an inflatable hippo. The Hippo was instituted by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, and there is a hippo statue at the corner of 21st and H Street NW on campus. During orientation, Freshmen are told one of two stories relating to the origins of the hippo; the first (an understood fallacy) is that the hippo is actually a "Water Horse", and that they were indiginous to Washington DC during the time of George Washington. The second, relayed by several members of the school's administration, is that ougtoing President Trachtenburg purchased the hippo while on a fundraiser in Connecticut. The man he was soliciting funds from happened to own a warehouse full of old statues, and Trachtenburg (whom may or may not have been drunk, depending on the rank of the administrator relating the tale,) purchased the hippo for his wife. His wife had the hippo sent to GW as she believed that's where he had intended for it to go.

The official student supporters' group of the men's basketball team is called the Colonial Army. It is one of the largest student organizations on campus.

Notable alumni and faculty

• List of George Washington University people

Harry Reid, the current Senate Majority Leader

John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State and a highly influential Cold War policy maker

J. Edgar Hoover, the longest serving, and arguably most controversial director of the FBI

File:Whitehouseportraitjackie.jpg

Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady

Presidents

• William Staughton (1821-1827)
• Stephen Chapin (1828-1841)
• Joel Smith Bacon (1843-1854)
• Joseph Getchell Binney (1855-1858)
• George Whitefield Samson (1859-1871)
• James Clarke Welling (1871-1894)
• Samuel Harrison Greene (1894-1895)
• Benaiah L. Whitman (1895-1900)
• Samuel Harrison Greene (1900-1902)
• Charles Willis Needham (1902-1910)
• Charles Herbert Stockton (1910-1918)
• William Miller Collier (1918-1921)
• Howard L. Hodgkins (1921-1923)
• William Mather Lewis (1923-1927)
• Cloyd Heck Marvin (1927-1959)
• Oswald Symister Colclough (1959-1961)
• Thomas Henry Carroll (1961-1964)
• Lloyd Hartman Elliott (1965-1988)
• Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1988-2007) (announced his retirement as President in April 2006, effective in July 2007)
• Steven Knapp (announced as the next university president in December 2006, effective July 1, 2007)

External links

• The GW and Foggy Bottom Historical Encyclopedia
• The George Washington University web site
• The GW Hatchet - A twice-weekly independent student newspaper, available daily online
• The Daily Colonial - A daily, online students news site
• Official GW athletics site
• The GW Patriot - A conservative monthly journal web site
• GW News Center
• WRGW - GW's All-Online Student-Run Radio Station
• GW's Parent's Association
• GW's Alumni Online Community