George Washington University
| File:GWUlogo.jpeg | |
| Motto | Deus Nobis Fiducia (In God Our Trust) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | February 9, 1821 |
| Endowment | US $1.019 billion[1]. |
| President | Steven Knapp |
Academic staff | 2,062 |
| Undergraduates | 10,813 |
| Postgraduates | 13,718 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban - Foggy Bottom; Suburban - Mount Vernon; Rural - Ashburn |
| Colors | Buff and Blue |
| Nickname | GW, GeeDub |
| Mascot |  Colonials |
| Website | www.gwu.edu |
The George Washington University (GW) is a private, coeducational university located in Washington, D.C. The school was chartered on February 9, 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by an Act of Congress and since that time has developed into a nonsectarian research institution. Located four blocks from the White House, GW is known for its undergraduate liberal arts education as well as its graduate and doctoral programs in social sciences, international affairs, medicine, public health, and law.
History
Founding
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."[2] The shares turned out to not be worth very much, but Washington's idea for a university continued. Aware of Washington's wishes, Baptist missionaries and leader minister Luther Rice raised funds to purchase a site for a college to educate citizens in Washington, D.C.. 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 non-denominational Columbian College in the District of Columbia. The first commencement exercises in 1824 were considered an important event for new Washington, D.C.. They were attended by President Monroe, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay,Marquis de Lafayette, and other dignitaries. During the Civil War, most students left to join the Confederacy and the college's buildings were used as a hospital and barracks. Walt Whitman was among many of the volunteers to work on the campus. After the Civil War in 1873, the Columbian College became the Columbian University and the university moved to its present location. In 1904, the Columbian University became The George Washington University.
Expansion
The majority of the present infrastructure and financial stability at GW is due to the tenures of Presidents Cloyd Heck Marvin, Lloyd Hartman Elliott, and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. In the 1930s, the university was the center for theoretical physics. In one of the most important moments in the 20th century, Niels Bohr announced that Otto Hahn had successfully split the atom on January 26, 1939 at the Fifth Washington Conference on Theoretical Physics in the Hall of Government. During the Vietnam War 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 NW, the building is 3 blocks from the White House). In 1996, the university purchased the Mount Vernon College for Women in the city's Foxhall neighborhood that became the school's co-educational Mount Vernon Campus. The campus was first utilized in 1997 for women only, but became co-eduational in a matter of years. The Mount Vernon campus is now totally integrated into the GW community, serving as a great compliment to the Foggy Bottom campus. In December 2006, the university named Johns Hopkins University provost Steven Knapp its next president, to begin his term on August 1 2007.[3]
Campuses
Foggy Bottom
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. Neighbors of this campus include the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, White House, State Department, Kennedy Center, Watergate, Organization of American States, and the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Foggy Bottom campus is integrated into Washington, D.C. and because of this it has less of a traditional campus atmosphere than those of other universities. 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 student union (known as the Marvin Center), several residence halls, the Media and Public Affairs building, and other major academic buildings are located within a three-block radius of the University Yard (the original quadrangle on campus).
The nearby area surrounding GW's main library, Gelman Library, forms the hub of the campus. The seven-story library building, which contains over two million volumes, is constructed in the Brutalist architectural style of the 1970's. It features a concrete façade punctuated by windows that are divided by projecting vertical slabs. For most of the year, parts of the library are open 24 hours, 7 days per week for use by students, faculty and staff. 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. For example, in June of 2007, the organization made the Central Intelligence Agency's so-called "family jewels," which detail twenty-five years of misdeeds, available to the public [7].
Adjacent to the library is Lisner Auditorium and a large open area known as Kogan Plaza. Close to the plaza and located near Monroe Hall and Hall of Government is the Monroe Court, a landscaped area with a large fountain. The Foggy Bottom Metro Station Station is located at the intersection of 23rd and I Streets NW, due south of Washington Circle. The University hospital, where many politicians in the city often seek medical treatment[8], 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 currently-vacant lot previously occupied by the old GW Hospital. It is the second-largest undeveloped lot in the District of Columbia. [9] [10]
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", students at this campus are the neighbors of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the Foxhall District. The campus is served by a 24-hour shuttle service known as the "Vern Express". Despite the fact that its dorms are 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. The Mount Vernon campus also hosts the university's outdoor varsity sports.
Ashburn and Other Centers
The George Washington University also operates a postgraduate-geared campus in Ashburn, Virginia (near Dulles International Airport) and several other satellite education centers including the Alexandria Graduate Education Center in Alexandria, the Graduate Education Center in Arlington, and the Hampton Roads Center in Newport News. The Ashburn campus hosts a National Transportation Safety Board automobile crash-safety facility
Organization
The University
The George Washington University is governed by a Board of Trustees and the Presidents who are in charge of managing the institution as a whole and providing a vision for the future. [11]
The current Chairman of the Board is W. Russell Ramsey. Mr. Ramsey is a business entrepreuneur who is known as the co-founder of Freidman, Billings, Ramsey Group, a top investment bank in the United States. He is currently the chairman, CEO, and CIO of Ramsey Asset Management.
The current President is Steven Knapp who was the provost at Johns Hopkins University before being chosen by the Board of Trustees in 2007. The past presidents of The George Washington University were: 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), and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1988-2007).
Schools and Colleges
GW is organized into nine schools and colleges each with a different dean and organization.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) is the oldest college in the university and also the largest. It was founded in 1921 and at the beginning of the university's history there was no distinction between this college and the university. The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (SPPPA) belong to this college although they are run separately. The Columbian College was among the first American institutions to grant a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in 1888. The Columbian College is notable for its academic diversity.
The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was founded in 1821 in need for doctors in the District of Columbia. The school has always been a national leader in medicine due its location near the White House and Capitol. In 1981, the Medical Center became the center of the national spotlight when President Reagan was rushed to the emergeny room after and attempted assassination. With the establishment of the Ronald Reagan Institute of Energy Medicine, the school has become a national leader in emergency room medicine. An associate school in the university is the George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS).
The The George Washington University Law School was established in 1826 and is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. Supreme Court Justices like David J. Brewer and Marshall Harlan were among its renowned faculty. Due to its proximity to the Supreme Court, the Law School is frequently visited by Supreme Court Justices and Law Clerks.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) was founded on October 1, 1884 as the Corcoran Scientific School of Columbian University. The school separated from the Columbian College in 1962 and is notable because it was one of the first to accept women for degree candidacy in engineering.
The Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) was originally founded in 1898 as the School of Comparative Jurisprudence and Diplomacy. Under President Lloyd Elliott the school completely separated from the Columbian College and has flourished in interdisplinary studies. The school lies down the street from the Department of State and because of this there are many opportunities for students in American Diplomacy.
The School of Business (GWSB) was established with a $1,000,000 gift by the Supreme Council Scottish Rite Masons of the Southern Jurisdiction in 1928. With its proximity in Washington, D.C. to world-leading institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the School of Business has provided its graduates with important contacts for the future.
During the Trachtenberg Presidency, the George Washington University has also become a leader in terms of schooling and education. Some schools founded during his era are: the College of Professional Studies, the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM), the Online Masters in Political Management (GSPM), and the The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
Academics
Admission
The George Washington University is one of the 50 universities in the United States according to the Princeton Review. 10,761 undergraduate students attended the university as of the 2006-2007 school year[12]. 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.
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.[13] Additionally, about 125 entering students each fall join the University Honors Program community of 500 students.
The George Washington University has been ranked by The Princeton Review as in Top 10 for the following categories:[4]
- Most Politically Active
- Dorms Like Palaces
- Great College Towns
- Best in the Northeast
- College With a Conscience
Tuition
The George Washington University is one of the more expensive undergraduate institutions in the United States.[5][6] Tuition is guaranteed to remain at the freshman rate for up to ten continuous (full time) semesters of attendance at the university. Tuition for the 2007-2008 year is $39,210 with a housing/board estimated cost of $11,900.[7] That tuition rate only applies to the incoming Class of 2011 and those who remain at the university after 10 full time semesters. However, GW also gives the most need based financial aid in the country. [8]
Research
For a private institution of its size, the George Washington University is very devoted to research. There are major research institutions that many students utilize like the Library of Congress, the National Institutes of Health, the Carnegie Institute, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the Carnegie Institutes, and the National Geographic Society - only to name a few. Many think-tanks nearby provide students with every opportunity to decipher and participate in research projects with professors and advisors.
Student Life
Due to its location, students at the George Washington University get to take advantage of Washington, D.C. This includes all of the museums, embassies, and cultural events that are world-renowned and occur throughout the year. There are over four hundred student organizations at the University, including organizations of common interest, political activism, ethnic organizations, and Greek organizations. 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.[14]
Student Organizations and Government
All student organizations are run through the Student Association (SA). The SA is fashioned after the federal government and historically, SA presidents have fared well in thier future endeavours. For example, 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.
Student organizations are very popular on campus because of the support they receive from the community. During an event for the GW College Democrats in 2004 Howard Dean formally endorsed John Kerry for President on campus at a GW College Democrats sponsored event. The GW College Republicans has been visited by politicians like John Ashcroft and President George W. Bush. The International Affairs Society (IAS) visits embassies and goes trick-or-treating on Halloween at different embassies. GW's Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) is one of the most active chapters in the country [citation needed] due to the high amount of AIDS cases in Washington, D.C. [15] The GW Chapter of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, or GW STAND, was formed in 2003 and works with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on information 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.
Academic groups are very popular on campus. There are many local chapter in academic-related fields. The local chapter of the Society of Physics Students was at one time under the auspices of world renowned scientists like George Gamow and Edward Teller who have taught at the university. The Enosinian Society, founded in 1822, is one of George Washington University oldest and most storied student organizations. Invited speakers included prominent U.S., including Daniel Webster. [16]
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, that is in its 79th year.
GW has a Navy ROTC program on campus.
Greek Life
GW has a large Greek community and Greek history on campus.
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, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Kappa Alpha Order, and Theta Delta Chi.
There are nine Panhellenic sororities on campus, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, and Phi Sigma Sigma. Three National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities exist on campus: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta.
Other Greek-life exist on campus in the form of multicultural, professional, community-serviced based and honor groups: Order of Omega, Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, Iota Nu Delta, Lambda Upsilon Lambda , Pi Delta Psi, Sigma Psi Zeta, Delta Phi Epsilon,Theta Tau, Phi Sigma Pi, Delta Sigma Pi, Alpha Phi Omega, and Epsilon Sigma Alpha.
Controversies
A number of posters in October, 2007 surfaced at GW promoting "Islamofascism Awareness Week," which was attributed to the GWU Young American's Foundation.[9] On October 9th, the GWHatchet reported that the posters were not the work of the YAF, but rather in attempt to discredit, seven liberal, anti-YAF students emailed their confessions of responsibility regarding the posters. [10]. Adding further to the controversy, the president of the school, Steven Knapp, announced that he would not discipline the seven students who set up the hoax fliers, recanting on earlier promises of discipline.[11]
The Program Board has, in years past, scheduled a rated X film to show as part of their semester series. The film is usually partnered with a discussion of the 1st Amendment or a seminar on the sociological underpinnings of pornography. One year in the mid-1990's, "Porn Night" garnered national press coverage along with an ensuing protest. The film shown that night was "John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut". The organized protest brought together College Republicans with College Democrats, the Christians, Jews and Muslims and a bevy of diverse student organizations to speak out against pornography. A number of university administrators appeared that night to show their support of the students' right to assemble - on one hand to view the movie and on the other to protest using student fees to show the film in the first place.[citation needed]
Athletics and Spirit Programs
Athletics
The George Washington University is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and most of its teams play at the NCAA Division I level. All indoor sports play at the Smith Athletic Centero on the Foggy Bottom campus. The outdoor events are held at the Mount Vernon campus Athletic Complex.
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.
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 team received a #12 seed, losing to #5 seed Georgia Tech in the first round.
The team began the 2005 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll, reaching as high as 6th in the polls, and after some tournament success they closed out the year ranked 19th in the nation. 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, J. R. Pinnock, two other Colonials from that team played in the NBA. Pops Mensah-Bonsu played for the Dallas Mavericks (and is now with Benetton Treviso in Italy) and Mike Hall plays 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 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 lost to #6 seed Vanderbilt University in Sacramento, CA 77-44.[17]
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. [12] The sports teams are called Colonials. There is a hippo statue at the corner of 21st and H Street NW on campus and Professor and former University Honors Program Chairman David Allen Grier is credited with fabricating the legend of the "River Horse" and the statue's purpose for being located on campus.
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. The Colonial Army provides its members with gear such as yellow foam tricorner hats, and in the past had preferred seating.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
Notable Alumni
Colonials have been very influential in American politics because of their young start in the nation's capital. The high cost of the university is also a factor. Modern business entrepreneurs like Ansousheh Ansari. Current and past famous senators like J. William Fulbright, Harry Reid, and Mark Warner have also spent time in Foggy Bottom. World leaders and political shakers like Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, Allen Dulles, John Foster Dulles, J. Edgar Hoover, Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, Syngman Rhee, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Mikhail Saakashvili, and Edward "Skip" Gnehm have also made their mark on the George Washington University culture and character. Other famous alumni who have contributed a great deal to the past, present, and future of the George Washington University are Courtney Cox Arquette, Ina Garten, Dana Bash, L. Ron Hubbard, Arnold J. 'Red' Auerbach, and Theodore N. Lerner
Notable Faculty
Because of the location in Washington, D.C. of the Foggy Bottom campus, the university also has access to a great deal of resources. These resources bring faculty of all types to study in the locale. Notable faculty include: George Gamow (1934-1954), physicist and cosmologist; Edward Teller (1935-1941), nuclear physicist and father of the hydrogen bomb; Seyyed Hossein Nasr, founder and first president of the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy; Edward "Skip" Gnehm, former US Ambassador to Jordan, Kuwait and Australia; John Logsdon, member of Columbia Accident Investigation Board, NASA Advisory Council; and Frank Sesno, CNN Special Correspondent.
Notes
- ^ "GW's endowment breaks one billion," GW Hatchet [1]
- ^ "Rediscovering George Washington" from the website of the Public Broadcasting Service; accessed February 23, 2007
- ^ The GW Hatchet, December 4 2006; accessed February 23 2007
- ^ http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/generalinfo.asp?listing=1022790<ID=1
- ^ AOL Money[2]
- ^ New York Times [3]
- ^ GWU [4]
- ^ GW Hatchet [5]
- ^ http://video1.washingtontimes.com/culture/2007/10/monday_morning_students_at_geo.html
- ^ http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2007/10/08/News/Seven.Gw.Students.Admit.To.Hanging.Controversial.Posters-3022092.shtml
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301523,00.html
- ^ GW Spirit Programs, [6]
External links
- The GW and Foggy Bottom Historical Encyclopedia
- George Washington University Historical Photographs - online images of individuals, localities, objects, buildings, events, and groups associated with the history of the University.
- The George Washington University web site
- The GW Hatchet - A twice-weekly independent student newspaper
- 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
Template:Geolinks-US-streetscale
| Current full members |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Field hockey members | ||
| Men's lacrosse members | ||
| Former full members | ||
| Former associate member |
| |
| Former football-only members | ||
| Sports |
| |
| History | ||