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, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type =
Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
federally chartered A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code. The first char ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
, academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , president =
Mark S. Wrighton Mark Stephen Wrighton (born June 11, 1949) is an American academic and chemist, and the current President of The George Washington University. In September 2021, Wrighton was named the Interim President of The George Washington University for ...
, provost = Christopher Bracey , students = 27,159 (2016) , undergrad = 11,244 (2016) , postgrad = 15,486 (2016) , other = 429 (2016) , faculty = 2,663 , city =
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, country = U.S. , campus = Urban, , former_names = Columbian College (1821–1873)
Columbian University (1873–1904) , sports_nickname = Colonials , mascot = George , colors = Buff & blue , sporting_affiliations =
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
A-10 The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
, website = , free_label = Newspaper , free = ''
The GW Hatchet ''The GW Hatchet'' is the student newspaper of the George Washington University. Founded in 1904, The Hatchet is the second-oldest continuously-running newspaper in Washington, DC, only behind ''The Washington Post''. The Hatchet is often ranked ...
'' , logo = George Washington University wordmark.svg , logo_upright = .7 , founder = George Washington , accreditation = MSCHE The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
federally chartered A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code. The first char ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Chartered in 1821 by the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...
, GWU is the largest
institution of higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
. George Washington, the first
president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
, advocated for the establishment of a national university in the U.S. capital in his first
State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditi ...
address in 1790 and continued to promote this idea throughout his career and until his death. In his will, Washington left shares in the
Potomac Company The Potomac Company (spelled variously as Patowmack, Potowmack, Potowmac, and Compony) was created in 1785 to make improvements to the Potomac River and improve its navigability for commerce. The project is perhaps the first conceptual seed plan ...
to endow the university. However, due to the company's financial difficulties, funds were raised independently by Baptist ministers. Among the patrons contributing funds were
James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe wa ...
,
John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...
, and
John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...
. On February 9, 1821, the university was established by an Act of Congress first as Columbian College and then as Columbian University, making it one of only five
universities in the United States Higher education in the United States is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. Higher education is also referred as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 ...
with a
congressional charter A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code. The first cha ...
. The university's undergraduate and graduate schools includes the
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
, the
Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...
, the GWU School of Business, the
School of Media and Public Affairs The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, a school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in journalism and political and internatio ...
, the
Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration The Trachtenberg School, officially the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA), is the graduate school of public policy and public administration in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washing ...
, the GWU Law School and the
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...
. GWU's main
Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock C ...
campus is located in the heart of
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, with the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
and the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
located on campus and the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
and the
U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other natio ...
within blocks of campus. GWU hosts numerous research centers and institutes, including the
National Security Archive The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising government secrecy. The Nat ...
and the
Institute for International Economic Policy The Institute for International Economic Policy (abbreviated as IIEP) is a research institution dedicated to the study of global economic governance, based in Washington, DC at the Elliott School of International Affairs of the George Washington Un ...
. GWU also has two
satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or count ...
es: the
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...
campus, located in D.C.'s Foxhall neighborhood, and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus in
Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...
. GWU is
classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...
among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity." The university offers degree programs in seventy-one disciplines, enrolling around 11,000
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
and 15,500
graduate students Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...
. GWU is home to extensive student life programs, a strong
Greek culture The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Minoan civilization, Minoan and later in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, while influencing the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine ...
, and over 450 other
student organizations A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists o ...
. The school's athletic teams, the
George Washington Colonials The George Washington Colonials are the athletic teams of George Washington University of Washington, D.C. The Colonials compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference for m ...
, play in the
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Easte ...
. GWU also annually hosts numerous political events, including the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
and
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
's Annual Meetings. The university's
alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
,
faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument) A faculty is a legal in ...
, and affiliates include 16 foreign heads of state or government, 28
United States senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
, 27
United States governors The following is a list of current governors (or mayor) of U.S. states, territories, and the federal district. In the United States, a governor is the chief executive officer of a state or a territory. As of November 2022, there are 28&nb ...
, 18 U.S. Cabinet members, five Nobel laureates, two
Olympic medalists This article includes lists of all Olympic medalists since 1896, organized by each Olympic sport or discipline, and also by Olympiad. Medalist with most medals by sport Summer Olympic sports Winter Olympic sports A. Including military patrol e ...
, two
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
winners, and a
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
winner. GWU has over 1,100 active alumni in the
U.S. Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...
and is one of the largest feeder schools for the
diplomatic corps The diplomatic corps (french: corps diplomatique) is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission (am ...
.


History


Founding

The first
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
, George Washington, long favored the establishment of a university in a central part of the United States. He wrote to the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
and others in favor of it, and envisioned it would be in a central part of D.C., stating he hoped the university would educate the most promising students from across the country while reaping the benefits of the nation's capital. He wished for the students to become "citizen leaders" of the new republic. Washington included a bequest of his shares in the
Potomac Company The Potomac Company (spelled variously as Patowmack, Potowmack, Potowmac, and Compony) was created in 1785 to make improvements to the Potomac River and improve its navigability for commerce. The project is perhaps the first conceptual seed plan ...
in his last will and testament, though the shares lost their value and no educational institution ever benefited from them. His desire was shared and encouraged after his death by Presidents
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...
and
James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
, and they expressed the need to carry out Washington's plans. Finally, in 1821 the
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...
missionary and leading minister
Luther Rice Luther Rice (25 March 1783 – 27 September 1836) was an American Baptist minister who, after a thwarted mission to India, returned to America where he spent the remainder of his career raising funds for missions and advocating for the formation of ...
secured funds from
James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe wa ...
,
John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...
,
John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...
and other benefactors for a college to educate citizens from throughout the young nation in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
A large building was constructed on College Hill, which is now known as
Meridian Hill Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, is a structured urban park located in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Columbia Heights; it also abuts the nearby neighborhood of Adams Morgan. The park was designed and built between 1912 a ...
, and on February 9, 1821, President Monroe approved the
congressional charter A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code. The first cha ...
creating the non-denominational Columbian College. Washingtonians, Congress and the academic community celebrated this new institution as the fulfillment of Washington's vision. GWU, like much of Washington, D.C., traces many of its origins back to the
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
. The
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...
that the
President of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...
uses to swear an oath on upon inauguration is the Bible of Freemason George Washington. Freemasonry symbols are prominently displayed throughout the campus including the foundation stones of many of the university buildings.


19th century

During the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
, many students left to join the
Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
and the college's buildings were used as a
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...
and
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...
.
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...
was among many of the volunteers to work on the campus. Following the war, in 1873, Columbian College became the Columbian University and moved to an urban downtown location centered on
15th 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicio ...
and H streets.


20th century

Columbian University was renamed The George Washington University in 1904 after an agreement with the
George Washington Memorial Association George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
to build a campus building in honor of the first U.S. president. Neither the university nor the association were able to raise enough funds for the proposed building near the National Mall; however, the institution retained the name and the money that was raised went to the eventual construction of
Lisner Auditorium Lisner Auditorium is a performance venue sited on the Foggy Bottom campus of The George Washington University, at 730 21st Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. Named for Abram Lisner (1852-1938), a university trustee and benefactor whose will provid ...
. The university moved its principal operations to the D.C. neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in 1912. Many of the Colleges of the George Washington University stand out for their age and history. The Law School is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the 11th oldest medical school in the nation. The Columbian College was founded in 1821, and is the oldest unit of the university. The Elliott School of International Affairs was formalized in 1898. In the 1930s, the university was a major center for
theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...
. The cosmologist
George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theore ...
produced critical work on the
Big Bang theory The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
at GWU in the 1930s and 1940s. In one of the most important moments in the 20th century,
Niels Bohr Niels Henrik David Bohr (; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 ...
announced that
Otto Hahn Otto Hahn (; 8 March 1879 – 28 July 1968) was a German chemist who was a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is referred to as the father of nuclear chemistry and father of nuclear fission. Hahn and Lise Meitner ...
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 The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
era, Thurston Hall, an undergraduate dormitory housing 1,116 students was a staging ground for student anti-war Demonstrations. (At 1900 F Street NW, the building is 3 blocks from the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
.) In 1996, the university purchased the
Mount Vernon College for Women The Mount Vernon Seminary and College was a private women's college in Washington, D.C. It was purchased by George Washington University in 1999, and is now known as the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University. Founding of Mo ...
in the city's Palisades neighborhood that became the school's coeducational Mount Vernon Campus. The campus was first utilized in 1997 for women only but became co-educational in a matter of years. The
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...
campus is now totally integrated into the GWU community, serving as a complement to the Foggy Bottom campus. In 1999, GWU hosted the
Town Hall with President Clinton On November 8, 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton participated in the first ever presidential webcast produced by Excite@Home Network in partnership with the Democratic Leadership Council. The forum was held at George Washington University in ...
, the first presidential town hall to ever be
webcast A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...
live. The majority of the present infrastructure and financial stability at GWU is due to the tenures of GWU Presidents
Cloyd Heck Marvin Cloyd Heck Marvin (August 22, 1889 – April 27, 1969) was the longest serving president of the George Washington University, from 1927 to 1959, and previously the then-youngest American university president from 1922–1927 at the University of ...
,
Lloyd Hartman Elliott Lloyd Hartman Elliott ( – ) was President of the George Washington University from 1965 to 1988. He was born in Crosby, Clay County, West Virginia in 1918. He was also a professor of educational administration at Cornell University and Pres ...
and
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (born December 14, 1937) was the 15th President of the George Washington University, serving from 1988 to 2007. On August 1, 2007, he retired from the presidency and became GW's President Emeritus and University Professo ...
.


21st century

In December 2006, the university named
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...
provost
Steven Knapp Steven Knapp is an American academic who served as the 16th President of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC, succeeding Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. He currently serves on the boards of the World Affairs Council, the Economic Cl ...
as the next
President of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...
. He began his presidency on August 1, 2007. In 2017, Thomas LeBlanc, provost of the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, ...
, was named the
President of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...
. In July 2020, the university began forming special committees to look at possible name changes to an on-campus building and the school moniker. In a statement on the university's website, George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc said one of the panels will examine the Colonials’ other_name, which critics say is antiquated and conjures up racism, violence and genocide. George Washington University law professor and Ward 3 D.C. Council member
Mary Cheh Mary M. Cheh (born 1950) is an American Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. In November 2006, she won a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia representing Ward 3. Background and family Mary Cheh was born in Elizabeth, New Je ...
will serve as chair of that committee. Another panel, to be chaired by George Washington University law professor Roger Fairfax Jr., looked into renaming the Marvin Center. The building was named after former school President
Cloyd Heck Marvin Cloyd Heck Marvin (August 22, 1889 – April 27, 1969) was the longest serving president of the George Washington University, from 1927 to 1959, and previously the then-youngest American university president from 1922–1927 at the University of ...
, who was a known
segregationist Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Interna ...
. In February 2021, the university celebrated its 200th anniversary of its
Congressional Charter A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code. The first cha ...
. GW hosted former student, Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a p ...
as speaker. In January 2022, LeBlanc was succeeded by former Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor
Mark S. Wrighton Mark Stephen Wrighton (born June 11, 1949) is an American academic and chemist, and the current President of The George Washington University. In September 2021, Wrighton was named the Interim President of The George Washington University for ...
as interim university president.


Campuses

GWU has three fully integrated campuses in the D.C. area. These are the
Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock C ...
Campus, the
Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...
Campus, and the Virginia Science and Technology Campus. The Foggy Bottom Campus houses the vast majority of academic programming. Residence halls exist on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. The GWU library system contains the
Gelman Library The Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, more commonly known as Gelman Library, is the main library of The George Washington University, and is located on its Foggy Bottom campus. The Gelman Library, the Eckles Library on the Mount Vernon campus ...
, the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, the Burns Law Library, Eckles Library (named for Charles Ellison Eckles and Anita Heurich Eckles), and the Virginia Science and Technology Library. The GWU Library System is a constituent member of the
Washington Research Library Consortium The Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) was established as a non-profit corporation in 1987 to support and enhance the library and information services of universities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It aims to do this through e ...
, which allows for resource sharing among the university libraries of the
Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virg ...
.


Foggy Bottom

The main GWU campus consists of in historic
Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock C ...
and is located a few blocks from the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
, the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
, the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
,
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...
and the
National Mall The National Mall is a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, cultural institutions, and va ...
. Barring a few outlying buildings, the boundaries of campus are delineated by (running clockwise from
Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inters ...
)
Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, that connects the White House and the United States Capitol and then crosses the city to Maryland. In Maryland it is also Maryland Route 4 (MD ...
, 19th Street, E Street,
Virginia Avenue Virginia Avenue is a street in the Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. Like other state-named streets in Washington, it diagonally crosses the grid pattern formed by lettered (east-west) and numbered (north-south) ...
, 24th Street, and
New Hampshire Avenue New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Aven ...
. 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. Other nearby institutions include the
Harry S Truman Building The Harry S Truman Building is the headquarters of the United States Department of State. It is located in Washington, D.C., and houses the office of the United States Secretary of State. The Truman Building is located in the Foggy Bottom neig ...
(Department of State headquarters),
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
,
United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...
,
Watergate complex The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Covering a total of 10 acres (4 ha) just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings incl ...
and the embassies of
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
, Mexico, Spain,
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
and
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. The University Yard is the main open space and historic heart of the university. Along with George Washington's main library,
Gelman Library The Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, more commonly known as Gelman Library, is the main library of The George Washington University, and is located on its Foggy Bottom campus. The Gelman Library, the Eckles Library on the Mount Vernon campus ...
, it constitutes the hub of the main campus. The seven-story Gelman Library building contains over two million volumes and is constructed in the
Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ...
architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...
of the 1970s. 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 a day, seven days per week for use by students, faculty, and staff. The library's seventh floor includes the Special Collections Research Center,
National Security Archives The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, Nonprofit organization, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising gov ...
, Global Resources Center and Kiev Library. The
National Security Archives The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, Nonprofit organization, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising gov ...
(NSA) is a research institution that publishes declassified U.S. government files concerning selected topics of
American foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...
. It was a National Security Archive
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...
request that eventually made the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
's so-called " Family Jewels" public. Close to the library is
Lisner Auditorium Lisner Auditorium is a performance venue sited on the Foggy Bottom campus of The George Washington University, at 730 21st Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. Named for Abram Lisner (1852-1938), a university trustee and benefactor whose will provid ...
and a large open area between them is known as Kogan Plaza. Southeast of 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–GWU
Washington Metro The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,Google Books search/preview
station is located at the intersection of 23rd and I Streets NW due south of
Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inters ...
, and provides access to the
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...
,
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
and Silver lines. The
University Hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following is a ...
is located next to the Metro station entrance. The Foggy Bottom campus contains most of the residence halls in which GWU students live. The most notable include Shenkman Hall, Thurston Hall,
Madison Hall Madison Hall, formerly known as the Flagler Apartments, is a residence hall on the campus of George Washington University (GW) in Washington, D.C. The building was designed by Stern and Tomlinson and was built in 1926. The building is represen ...
, Potomac House,
Fulbright Hall Fulbright Hall, formerly known as The Everglades, is an undergraduate residence hall on the Foggy Bottom campus of the George Washington University (GW), named after J. William Fulbright, located at 2223 H St., Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the F ...
, Mitchell Hall,
Munson Hall Munson Hall is a residence hall on the campus of George Washington University, located at 2212 Eye St., Northwest, Washington, D.C. in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. History The building was designed by Robert O. Scholz and was built in 1937. It ...
,
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall (formerly known as ''Milton Hall'') is a residence hall on the campus of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. It is named after GW alumna Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former First Lady ...
, Phillip Amsterdam Hall, Guthridge Hall, Madison Hall, Townhouse Row, South Hall, and the newest, District House, which opened in 2016. In late 2007, construction began on a large mixed-use residential, office and retail development located on the site of the old GWU Hospital (Square 54) and just east of the Foggy Bottom–GWU Metrorail station. It was the second-largest undeveloped lot in the District of Columbia at the time of initial construction activity. In 2014, the university assumed ownership of the
Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...
, the oldest private art museum in Washington, D.C. and independent college of art and design. The college of art and design became The
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...
under the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. The
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of ch ...
will acquire many of the 17,000 pieces of art from the Corcoran and the rest will be donated to other museums around the country. In May 2014, GWU opened the
Milken Institute School of Public Health The Milken Institute School of Public Health (known as School of Public Health, Milken School, or SPH) is the school of public health of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. '' U.S. News & World Report University Rankings'' ranks ...
, a nine-story building that received
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, constructio ...
certification for sustainability features including a green roof, rainwater collection system, and special heating and air conditioning technologies that helps mass air displacement.
The Textile Museum The George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the history of George Washington University and textile arts, located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. The museum was founded by collecto ...
reopened to the public in March 2015 after the institution merged with the university in 2011 and closed it for renovations two years later.


Mount Vernon

In 1996, the university purchased the
Mount Vernon College for Women The Mount Vernon Seminary and College was a private women's college in Washington, D.C. It was purchased by George Washington University in 1999, and is now known as the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University. Founding of Mo ...
in the city's Palisades neighborhood that became the school's coeducational Mount Vernon Campus. Initially, the Mount Vernon Campus remained exclusively a women's college until 1999 when GWU changed its operations to a co-ed facility. Now known as the Mount Vernon campus, it is totally integrated into the GWU community, serving as a complement to the Foggy Bottom campus. The campus has transportation systems connecting the students to the GWU campus in Foggy Bottom. It also includes Eckles Library, six residence halls, Lloyd Gymnasium, The GW-Mount Vernon Athletic Complex and other various campus facilities.


Virginia

The George Washington University also operates a research and graduate campus in Ashburn, Virginia (near
Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located in Loudoun County and ...
) which was established in 1991. Starting with a donation of from Robert H. Smith, the campus grew to by 2010. Additionally, the university also operates several other graduate satellite education centers. These include the Alexandria Graduate Education Center in Alexandria, the Graduate Education Center in Arlington, and the Hampton Roads Center in
Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Unit ...
. The Virginia Science and Technology Campus hosts research and educational partnerships with industry and government officials and offers more than 20 graduate degrees. The Virginia Science and Technology Campus is home to the first walkable solar-power sidewalk in the world. The project began in 2012 and was completed two years later, inaugurated in October 2014.


Organization

The George Washington University is governed by the GWU Board of Trustees, the
President of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...
, provost, deans, and department chairs. The university employs over 6,000 faculty members, administrators, and support staff. In 2007,
Steven Knapp Steven Knapp is an American academic who served as the 16th President of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC, succeeding Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. He currently serves on the boards of the World Affairs Council, the Economic Cl ...
was named the university's sixteenth president.; he had previously taught at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
and was later the provost at
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...
. The current
President of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...
is
Mark S. Wrighton Mark Stephen Wrighton (born June 11, 1949) is an American academic and chemist, and the current President of The George Washington University. In September 2021, Wrighton was named the Interim President of The George Washington University for ...
.
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
was a member of the Board of Trustees, and his Grandson, Ulysses S. Grant III, was Vice President of GW. John Quincy Adams was also a member of the board of trustees.


Schools and colleges

GWU is organized into fourteen schools and colleges, each with a different dean and organization. The
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
was the original academic unit of the university. The Medical School is the 11th oldest medical school in the nation and the first to open in the District of Columbia. The Law School was also the first law school in the District of Columbia. Each academic unit has a distinct identity within the broader university. The Graduate School of Political Management and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design were organized outside of the university, later to join in 1987 and 2014, respectively.


Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

The
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
(CCAS) is the oldest and largest college in the university. It was founded in 1821; 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 A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(Ph.D.), in 1888. The Columbian College is notable for its academic diversity, and offers a wide range of majors and courses of study. The Columbian College contains the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, the School of Media and Public Affairs, and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. The Columbian College is primarily housed in Philips Hall, Rome Hall, Smith Hall of Art, MPA Building, Monroe Hall, Hall of Government, 1922 F Street, Corcoran Hall, Bell Hall, Samson Hall, Lisner Hall, and many other places around campus. The college is also present on the Mount Vernon and Virginia Campuses.


=Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration

= The
Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration The Trachtenberg School, officially the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA), is the graduate school of public policy and public administration in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washing ...
is a graduate school in the
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
. Consistently ranked as one of the top
Public Affairs Schools A public policy school is typically a university program that teaches students policy analysis, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, international relations, security studies, political science, ...
in the United States, it is ranked 11th nationwide by '' U.S. News & World Report.'' The Trachtenberg School offers
Master of Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a fo ...
,
Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
, and
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...
degrees in
Public Policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...
and
Public Administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, Administration (government), administration of Government, government establishment (Governance#P ...
. The school works in partnership with the
Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...
, the School of Public Health and Health Services, and the Graduate School of Education & Human Development to offer a variety of concentrations for its graduates.


=School of Media and Public Affairs

= The
School of Media and Public Affairs The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, a school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in journalism and political and internatio ...
(SMPA), although run separately, belongs to the Columbian College of Arts in Sciences. It offers two undergraduate degrees, Journalism and Mass Communication and
Political Communication Political communication is a subfield of communication and political science that is concerned with how information spreads and influences politics, policy makers, the news media, and citizens. Since the advent of the World Wide Web, the amou ...
and a master's degree in Media and Public Affairs. It is housed in the same building as the
Graduate School of Political Management The Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at the George Washington University is a school of political management and applied politics, strategic communications and civic engagement. Its graduates hold a variety of professional titles i ...
.The Public Affairs Project at GW, part of SMPA, is responsible for the creation and production of the PBS special, Planet Forward. School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) was the first in the nation to offer a bachelor's degree in Political Communication. The program boasts a faculty of retired and current professionals – including CNN correspondents, journalists, political analysts, and campaign professionals. The school is consistently ranked in the top 10 programs in the nation.


=Corcoran School of the Arts and Design

= The
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...
is one of the oldest Visual arts education, arts education institutions in the United States. It is a school of the
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
. It is housed in the
Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...
, the oldest private cultural institution in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Formerly an independent institution, known as the Corcoran College of Art and Design, the institution later merged the college operations with the George Washington University. The school retained over 20 full-time faculty members, and the college will continue to function as a separate entity within the university. The school has a historic building facing the White House on 17th Street.


School of Business

The George Washington School of Business was established in 1928 with a $1 million gift by the Supreme Council, Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction, USA), Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction. On February 6, 2006, the chairman and CEO of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, opened a new complex for the school called Ric and Dawn Duquès Hall, which today houses the business school along with the Norma Lee and Morton Funger Hall. , GW's undergraduate business program was ranked 42nd nationally and its International Business program was ranked ninth by '' U.S. News & World Report''.


School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Founded in 1824, the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) or simply the George Washington School of Medicine, was the first school of medicine in the nation's capital due to the need for doctors in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
. In 1981, George Washington University Hospital became the center of the national spotlight when President Ronald Reagan was rushed to the emergency room after an attempted assassination. GWU Hospital's emergency department was later renamed the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine. Other politicians, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, come to GWU for routine and emergency procedures. Cheney and wife Lynne Cheney helped to start the Cheney Cardiovascular Institute, Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute in 2006. Others notable patients include former First Lady Laura Bush, who was treated for a pinched nerve. SMHS is primarily housed in the George Washington University Hospital, GWU Hospital, Ross Hall, and many other centers along K Street and throughout the city. GWU was once home to the George Washington Dental College, but this department would close in 1921 due to budget constraints.


School of Engineering and Applied Science

The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science, 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 was one of the first to accept women for degree candidacy in engineering. The bazooka was invented at the SEAS in 1942. The school moved into the new Science and Engineering Hall in D.C. in March 2015.


Elliott School of International Affairs

The Elliott School of International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) was founded in 1898 as the School of Comparative Jurisprudence and Diplomacy. Under President Lloyd Elliott, the school separated from Columbian College. On September 3, 2003, alumnus Colin Powell opened a new complex for this school at 1957 E Street NW in front of the Department of State. , its undergraduate program was ranked eighth globally by ''Foreign Policy'' magazine, while the graduate program is currently ranked seventh in the world. ESIA is primarily housed in Elliott Hall at 1957 E St.


School of Nursing

The history of nursing education at GWU spans more than 100 years. In 2002, Jean Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, then senior associate dean for Health Sciences, met with the nursing faculty to assess GW's capacity to create GW's degree programs. The faculty moved forward to develop an MSN in the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences with programs in adult nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, nursing leadership and management, and clinical research administration. The first MSN class was admitted in 2004. Meanwhile, approval was also obtained to develop a Department of Nursing Education. As the first and only chair of the department, Ellen Dawson, Ph.D., RN, ANP, led the MSN program to accreditation in time for the graduation of the first class in 2006. Also, she spearheaded the development of both the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program and the 15-month (four consecutive semesters) accelerated second-degree bachelor of nursing science (ABSN) program located in Ashburn, VA. The first classes for these degrees were admitted in 2007 and 2009, respectively.In 2010, the GWU School of Nursing was re-established and is now the university's tenth academic institution, with Drs. Jean Johnson and Ellen Dawson as the founding deans.


Law School

The George Washington University Law School was established in 1826 and is the oldest law school in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, William Strong (Pennsylvania judge), William Strong, David J. Brewer, Willis Van Devanter and John Marshall Harlan were among those who served on its faculty. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Samuel Alito, and Justice Antonin Scalia presided over its moot court in 2006, 2007 and 2009, respectively. The law school is located primarily on the east side of University Yard.


Graduate School of Education and Human Development

The Graduate School of Education & Human Development (GSEHD) officially started in 1909. The school is composed of five distinct academic departments, and it is one of the largest schools within GW.


College of Professional Studies

The George Washington University College of Professional Studies (CPS) was founded during the Trachtenberg Presidency. The Graduate School of Political Management is included within the college. CPS offers courses on the Foggy Bottom and Virginia campuses.


=Graduate School of Political Management

= The Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) is an academic unit of the College of Professional Studies. GSPM offers graduate degrees in legislative affairs, political management, and other related disciplines. The current director is Lara Brown.


Milken Institute School of Public Health

Established in July 1997, and renamed in March 2014, the
Milken Institute School of Public Health The Milken Institute School of Public Health (known as School of Public Health, Milken School, or SPH) is the school of public health of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. '' U.S. News & World Report University Rankings'' ranks ...
brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education that have since expanded substantially. Today, more than 900 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 35 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. Its student body is one of the most ethnically diverse among the nation's private schools of public health. The School also offers an array of joint degree programs, allowing students to couple a Juris Doctor (JD) with the Professional degrees of public health, Master of Public Health (MPH), or to combine an MPH with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or an Master of Arts, MA in International Affairs. An MPH/Physician Assistant program, the first in the world, is available at the Milken Institute SPH, as is the opportunity to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer while pursuing an MPH.


Academics


Admission

GWU is the largest higher education institution in Washington, D.C. There are approximately 10,000 full-time undergraduates studying at George Washington University, and 14,000 graduate students. These students come from all 50 states and over 120 countries. Nearly 900 students participate in GW's Study Abroad Programs each semester in 50 countries. , George Washington University no longer required the SAT and ACT (test), ACT test scores for applicants in order to boost the enrollment of disadvantaged students. At GWU, Tuition payments, tuition was guaranteed to remain at the freshman rate for up to ten continuous (full-time) semesters of undergraduate attendance at the university. GWU no longer offers fixed tuition. The 2021–2022 academic year tuition rate was $59,780. Students were awarded $308.1 million in financial-aid during the 2017–2018 academic year. For the FY2011 cohort of students, the student loan default rate was 1.4, one of the lowest in the nation. For the 2010–2011 school year, the freshman retention rate was 94.3%. GWU requires that students live on campus for their first three years of enrollment as undergraduates.According to the self-provided data by George Washington University, as of the 2011–2012 academic year, the acceptance rate for the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Medical School was 3%, receiving 10,588 applications. George Washington University Law School, GWU Law School's acceptance was 23%, receiving 10,021 applications. GW's Undergraduate studies' acceptance rate was 32%, receiving 21,433 applications. Admission to George Washington is considered to be University admissions, competitive and highly selective, with ''The Princeton Review'' rating admissions difficulty as a 93 out of 99. In September 2013, ''The GW Hatchet, The GWU Hatchet'' reported that the university had a Need-blind admission, need-aware admissions policy, even though it claimed to have a need-blind policy at the time. The university subsequently admitted that its admissions policy was, in fact, need-aware.


Enrollment

During the 2013–2014 academic year, there were 5,015 undergraduates enrolled in the
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (known as Columbian College or CCAS) is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in f ...
, 2,005 in the
Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...
, 1,566 in the School of Business, 774 in the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 367 in the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 174 in the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Milken Institute School of Public Health, and 153 in the School of Nursing. Students come from all 50 United States, U.S. states. The top states include New York (state), New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois and Connecticut. George Washington University has many international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. During the 2013–2014 academic year, there were over 130 countries represented among the student body. The most represented countries represented were China, South Korea, India,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Nigeria, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, and Vietnam.


Rankings

GWU was ranked as tied for 25th of the "Top Universities for Producing Billionaires 2016–2017" by ''Times Higher Education''s Times Higher Education World University Rankings, ''World University Rankings'', which also ranks GWU as 51st of the "Top 100 Universities for Producing Millionaires" in the world. Apart from its 61st national ranking, ''Forbes'' ranks GWU as 44th in "Research Universities", 60th in "Private Colleges", 43rd in "The Northeast", and 287th in "America's Best Value Colleges". GWU was ranked as the 66th wealthiest university in the world. The Princeton Review consistently ranks George Washington University in the Top 10 for the following categories: ;Misreported admissions data In 2012, the university received national attention when GWU officials announced that they had misreported admissions data on their student body for over a decade, overstating the number of students who had graduated from high school in the top ten percent of their classes due to a "data reporting error". Consequently, '' U.S. News & World Report'' removed the school from its rankings and altered the GW's entry to being unranked for the 2013. The university was reinstated a year later in the 2014 rankings. ;Program rankings The Princeton Review ranked GWU first for "Top Colleges or Universities for Internship Opportunities." GWU is consistently ranked by The Princeton Review in the top "Most Politically Active" Schools. '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranks GWU's international business program as eighth best in the world, its MBA program as 51st best, and its undergraduate business program as 38th best. ''The Financial Times'' ranks GWSB as the 47th best business school in the United States. ''Foreign Policy'' ranks the Elliott School's Masters in International Affairs as the seventh best in the world in its 2018 "Inside the Ivory Tower" annual report. ''Foreign Policy'' ranks the Elliott School as being the eighth in the "Top U.S. Undergraduate Institutions to Study International Relations 2018." The 2020 ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranks GW Law School, GWU Law School as fifth best in the U.S. for its international law program, fifth best for Intellectual property, intellectual law, second best for part-time law, and as the 22nd best law school in the United States. The ''National Law Journal'' ranked GWU Law 21st for law schools that sent the highest percentage of new graduates to NLJ 250 law firms, the largest and most prominent law practices in the U.S. George Washington is ranked 61st for the "Best Global Universities for Social Sciences and Public Health 2018" by '' U.S. News & World Report''. The ''Times Higher Education'' ranks GWU as having the 64th best law program in the world in 2019.


Research

The George Washington University is the largest research university in
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According to the National Science Foundation, GWU spent $260 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 89th in the nation.


Centers and institutes

The George Washington University has many research centers including (non-exhaustive): ;Centers ;Institutes:


Student life

The university is located in downtown D.C., near the Kennedy Center, embassies, and other cultural events. Students are known as highly politically active; ''Uni in the USA'' stated that "politics at George Washington is about as progressive as it gets". There are many student organizations at the university. GWU has a Division I (NCAA), Division I athletics program that includes men's baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, women's lacrosse, women's rowing, soccer, women's softball, swimming, women's tennis, women's volleyball and men's water polo. Colonials athletics teams compete in the
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Easte ...
. The Division II men's and women's Rugby Teams both compete in the Potomac Rugby Union.


Student organizations

Most student organizations are run through the George Washington University Student Association (SA). The SA is fashioned after the federal government with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. There are over 500 registered student organizations on campus. The largest student organization on campus, the GWU College Democrats have hosted speakers such as CNN contributor Donna Brazile and former Democratic National Committee, DNC Chairman Howard Dean among many others. Likewise, the GWU College Republicans, the largest CR chapter in the nation, have been visited by politicians like John Ashcroft former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former President George W. Bush. The International Affairs Society (IAS) runs the university's internationally top-ranked Model United Nations team, in addition to hosting yearly high school and middle school Model UN conferences on campus. This organization also hosts various foreign dignitaries, US Government officials, and subject matter experts to further inform and foster international understanding both in the university's student body and the greater D.C. community. There are also several a cappella performance groups on campus. The university's school-sponsored a cappella group, the co-ed GWU Troubadours, has been a presence on campus since the mid-1950s and regularly records studio albums and travels internationally with the Department of Music. The Sons of Pitch, GW's only male a cappella group, has been around since 2003, and the female group the GWU Pitches was founded in 1996. All the groups are extremely committed to charity work, with the Troubadours holding an annual philanthropic concert in the fall entitled "Acappellapalooza," and the Sons of Pitch holding one in the spring named "The United States of A-Cappella." In the case of the former, groups from GWU are drawn for a concert, in the latter, groups from around the nation. The groups have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various charitable causes. Additionally, the university is home to the Voice gospel choir, a group that sings gospel music, the GWU Vibes, a co-ed group focusing on soulful music. The GWU Sirens, another all-girls group, and the GWU Motherfunkers, a coed top 40 group, were created in 2003 and 2012, respectively. Each year, the groups duke it out at the Battle of the A-Cappella groups, one of the biggest student events on GW's campus. Another student group, the Emergency Medical Response Group (EMeRG) provides an all-volunteer 24/7 ambulance service for the campus and the Foggy Bottom/West End community at no cost. EMeRG has been active on campus since 1994 and has advanced from bike response into a two ambulance system that is sanctioned by the District of Columbia Department of Health and DC Fire and EMS (DCFEMS). EMeRG also plays an active role in special events in around the DC area including the Marine Corps Marathon, National Marathon, Cherry Blossom Race, Commencement, Inauguration and other events in downtown D.C. and on the National Mall.


Greek life

GWU has a large Greek community with over 3,000 students consisting of just under 27 percent of the undergraduate population. Greek organizations are divided up between and governed by the Inter-Fraternity Council with 14 chapters, the Panhellenic Association with 11 chapters, and the Multicultural Greek Council with 13 chapters. Other Greek-life, known as "Alternative Greek Life" or simply "Alt-Greek", exists on campus in the form of professional, community-serviced based and honor groups although not under the university's traditional Greek life governing structure but instead are considered separate student organizations


Scholarly societies

There are chapters of many varied academic groups at the university. The local chapter of the Society of Physics Students was at one time under the auspices of world-renowned scientists like
George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theore ...
, Ralph Asher Alpher, Mario Schoenberg and Edward Teller, who have all taught at the university. The Enosinian Society, founded in 1822, is one of the university's oldest student organizations. Invited speakers included Daniel Webster.


Campus media

There are four major news sources on campus: the independent student-run newspaper ''The GW Hatchet, The GWU Hatchet'', which publishes articles online daily and a print edition weekly; ''The Rival GW'', an online-only student-run publication; the online-only radio station, WRGW (student radio), WRGW; and the university's official news source, ''GWU Today''. GWU also publishes a peer-reviewed journal, ''The International Affairs Review'', which is run by graduate students at the Elliott School.


Environmental sustainability

George Washington University was ranked number 12 on The Sierra Club's magazine "Cool Schools List" for 2014 and was included in the Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Schools for 2013. The campus has a campus-wide building energy efficiency program along with nine
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, constructio ...
-certified buildings including the Milken Institute School of Public Health building. In 2016, university officials rejected demands by the student body for the university to divest from fossil fuels.


Athletics

George Washington University is a member of the
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Easte ...
and most of its teams play at the NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I level. All indoor sports play at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center, Smith Center on the Foggy Bottom campus. The outdoor events are held at the Mount Vernon campus Athletic Complex. The university's colors are buff (colour), buff and blue (buff being a color similar to tan, but sometimes represented as gold or yellow). The colors were taken from George Washington's uniform in the American Revolutionary War, 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. The men's and women's varsity crew team rows out of Thompson's Boat Center on the Potomac River and competes in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. In the 2008–09 season, the men's crew team placed an all-time high national ranking of 12th in the country. The sailing team competes in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association while the gymnastics team competes in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. In 2007 the GWU Men's Water Polo team placed third at Eastern Championships and was ranked 14th in the nation. Officials announced that seven teams, such as "men's rowing, sailing, men’s and women’s squash, men’s indoor track, men’s tennis and women’s water polo will be eliminated" after the 2020–2021 school year, due to financial concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs have the opportunity to become club sports following their elimination.


Basketball

Mike Jarvis coached GWU in the 1990s, and led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, 1993, where they were beaten by the Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fab Five 1992–93 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, University of Michigan team (which later vacated its wins due to NCAA University of Michigan basketball scandal, rule violations). Jarvis also coached former Colonials head coach Karl Hobbs in high school. Former NBA player Yinka Dare also played at George Washington for two years before being drafted in the first round by the New Jersey Nets. Under former head coach Karl Hobbs, GW's basketball team returned to the national stage in 2004 after defeating No. 9 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball, Maryland in back to back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic Basketball Tournament, 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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, 2005 NCAA tournament. The team received a No. 12 seed, losing to No. 5 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball, Georgia Tech in the first round. The team began the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, 2005–06 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll, ''Associated Press'' poll, reaching as high as sixth 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 going into the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, 2006 NCAA tournament. The 2005–06 team achieved the school's highest ranking in the last 50 years, peaking at No. 6 in the nation, had been one of the team's best and received an #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, they came back from an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat #9 seed UNC-Wilmington, but lost to 2005–06 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, Duke University, the top overall seed, in the second round.While only one Colonial from the 2005–06 team was drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft, J. R. Pinnock, two other Colonials from that team have played in the NBA. Pops Mensah-Bonsu played for the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors and Mike Hall (basketball), Mike Hall played for the Washington Wizards. The 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, 2006–07 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. Coach Karl Hobbs and Senior guard Carl Elliott managed to lead the team to a 23–8 record, winning the 2007 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament, 2007 Atlantic 10 tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey, once again earning an auto-bid to the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The Colonials were placed as a #11 seed lost to No. 6 seed 2006–07 Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team, Vanderbilt University in Sacramento, CA, 77–44. Hobbs, a former player and coach under Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut coached the Colonials for 10 years. Known for his animated sideline personality Hobbs had been considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA. On April 25, 2011, the university released Hobbs from his contractual obligations, forcing him to resign as men's basketball coach In May 2011, Incoming Athletic Director Patrick Nero hired former University of Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan to take over the men's basketball program. The Bowie, Md. native had a slow start to his GWU tenure, finishing 10–21 in his first full year as coach, and improving to 13–17 in the second. The 2013–14 season solidified his hiring, as the team finished 24–9 on the year, tallying the second-most wins in a season in GWU history; took third place in the Atlantic 10 standings and made it to the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals; and earned the program's 11th bid to the NCAA Tournament, their first in seven years. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA committee selected the Colonials as the #9 seed in the East Region for the tournament. They faced #8 seed University of Memphis, Memphis in the second round. The Tigers took a five-point lead over the Colonials into the half, but the Colonials almost came back to win. A late rally cut the Memphis lead to only one point with 25 seconds to go, but the Colonials could not hold on and lost, 71–66. Soon after the end of the Colonials' successful 2013–14 campaign, Lonergan signed a contract extension, keeping him with the program through the 2020–21 season. The Colonials won the 2016 National Invitation Tournament, defeating Hofstra University, Hofstra, Monmouth Hawks men's basketball, Monmouth, Florida Gators, Florida, San Diego State Aztecs, San Diego State and Valparaiso University athletics, Valparaiso for the first postseason national title in their history. Prior to the 2016–2017 season, Mike Lonergan was removed as head coach following allegations of verbal abuse from players and staff. He was replaced by assistant coach Maurice Joseph who served as interim head coach before being signed fully following the 2016–2017 basketball season. One of Lonergan's players, Yuta Watanabe, was the first Japanese-born student athlete to secure an
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
basketball athletic scholarship, scholarship. Watanabe now plays in the NBA, and is the second Japanese player ever in the NBA. In March 2019, GWU hired Jamion Christian to be its next head men's basketball coach. After three years at GW, Christian was fired and Chris Caputo was hired from the University of Miami.


Baseball

The George Washington Colonials baseball team is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. George Washington's first baseball team was fielded in 1891. The team plays its home games at Barcroft Park in Arlington, Virginia. Gregg Ritchie coaches the Colonials.


Football

The school sponsored College football, intercollegiate football from 1881 to 1966. The team played home games primarily at Griffith Stadium and later at RFK Stadium. In 1966, the football program was discontinued due to a number of factors, including the team's lack of adequate facilities and the desire by the university to develop an on-campus fieldhouse for basketball and other sports. GWU has one alumni in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Alphonse Leemans.


Spirit programs

The GWU Spirit Program includes a co-ed Cheer Team, the First Ladies Dance team, and the university mascot. The Colonials mascot is named George, and is portrayed by a student wearing an outfit inspired by a uniform worn by General Washington. In 2012, George took first place at the National Cheerleaders Association Mascot Competition and is the university's first national champion. The spirit program also includes the Colonial Brass, directed by Professor Benno Fritz. The official fight song is ''Hail to the Buff and Blue'', composed in 1924 by student Eugene F. Sweeney and re-written in 1989 by Patrick M. Jones. The song is tolled twice-daily by bells atop Corcoran Hall, at 12:15pm and 6:00pm.


Club sports

The university also has various club sports, which are not varsity sports, but compete against other colleges. Examples include: boxing, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, figure skating, fencing, lacrosse, rugby football, rugby, Association football, soccer, triathlon, tennis, ultimate frisbee, cricket, water polo, Equestrianism, equestrian and others.


Notable people


Notable alumni

File:William Greenleaf Eliot.jpg, William Greenleaf Eliot, founder of Washington University in St. Louis; Columbian College, 1831 File:Judge Xu Mo.jpg, Hsu Mo, founding judge of the International Court of Justice; Law School File:Belva Ann Lockwood - Brady-Handy.jpg, Belva Ann Lockwood, first woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court; Law School File:Senator John Foster Dulles (R-NY).jpg, John Foster Dulles, former U.S. Secretary of State; Law School File:Hoover-JEdgar-LOC.jpg, J. Edgar Hoover, first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Director of the FBI;
Law School File:Mrs Kennedy in the Diplomatic Reception Room cropped.jpg, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former First Lady of the United States;Columbian College '51 File:George W. Romney official portrait.jpg, George W. Romney, President of American Motors Corporation, American Motors, Governor of Michigan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Columbian College File:Rhee Syng-Man in 1956.jpg, 1st President of South Korea, Syngman Rhee;
Columbian College, 1907 File:Axelrod01.jpg, Julius Axelrod, Nobel Prize in Medicine-winning biochemist;
Medical School, '55 File:L. Ron Hubbard in 1950 (cropped).jpg, L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. Columbian College File:Fulbright.jpg, U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, founder of the Fulbright Program;
Law School, '34 File:Colin Powell (15570753996) cropped.jpg, Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State;
School of Business, '71 File:Mark Warner, official 112th Congress Senate portrait.jpg, Mark Warner, United States Senator from Virginia; Columbian College, '77 File:Harry Reid official portrait.jpg, Harry Reid, former Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Majority Leader (D-Nevada);
Law School, '68 File:Eric Cantor, official 113th Congress photo portrait.jpg, Eric Cantor, former House Majority Leader and House Majority Whip (R-Virginia); Columbian College, '85 File:William Barr.jpg, Former U.S. Attorney General, William Barr;
Law School, '77 File:Kellyanne Conway by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg, Kellyanne Conway, former Counselor to the President;
Law School, '92 File:Korea President Park Business Leaders 20130508 01 (cropped).jpg, Kun-Hee Lee, Chairman of Samsung;
School of Business, '66 File:Dr. Mark T. Esper – Secretary of Defense.jpg, Former U.S. Defense Secretary, Mark Esper;
Trachtenberg School, '08 File:Elizabeth Warren, official portrait, 114th Congress.jpg, United States Senator from Massachusetts,
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a p ...
; Columbian College File:John Shalikashvili 1997.jpg, John Shalikashvili, Supreme Allied Commander and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Elliot School, '70 File:Tammy Duckworth, official portrait, 113th Congress (cropped).jpg, United States Senator from Illinois, Tammy Duckworth; Elliot School, '96 File:MichaelCoats.jpg, Michael Coats, Astronaut and Shuttle Commander; Engineering and Applied Sciences, '77 File:Greenwald and Miranda (cropped to Greenwald collar).jpg, Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist;
Columbian College, '90 File:Chuck Todd by Gage Skidmore(2015).jpg, Chuck Todd, television journalist and moderator of ''Meet the Press, Meet The Press'';
Media and Public Affairs File:Dana Bash in 2016.jpg, Dana Bash, Journalist; Media and Public Affairs File:DIG13846-168.jpg, Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning editor for the ''Washington Post'' File:Alec Baldwin 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.jpg, alt=Alec Baldwin, actor; (did not graduate; transferred), Alec Baldwin, actor;
Columbian College (did not graduate; transferred) File:Jared Leto, San Diego Comic Con 2016 (2) (cropped).jpg, Jared Leto, Actor; Corcoran School File:Kerry Washington Django avp.jpg, Kerry Washington, Actress; Columbian College '98 File:David Lynch Cannes 2017.jpg, David Lynch, American filmmaker, painter, musician, singer, sound designer, photographer, and actor; Corcoran School, '64
List of George Washington University alumni, George Washington University alumni have included many current and past political figures, both in the United States and abroad. 16 List of George Washington University alumni#Heads of state and government, GWU alumni have served as foreign heads of state or government (4 currently serving as of 2019). Many List of George Washington University alumni#U.S. Cabinet, alumni have held U.S. Cabinet positions, including former U.S. Attorney General, Attorney General William Barr, former acting U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and former United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. GWU is one of the schools with the most alumni that have served in the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
. Notable recent List of George Washington University alumni#U.S. Senators, GWU alumni members of congress include Harry Reid (Party Leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Majority Leader for most of the Obama Presidency),
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a p ...
(Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign, 2020 presidential candidate), Eric Cantor (Party Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Majority Leader, 2011–2014), and Robert Byrd (President pro tempore of the United States Senate, President pro tempore of the Senate under President Bush and President Obama). Alumni have served as Governor (United States), governors of 19 U.S. states, as well as the
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and Guam, among others. Some alumni serving in President Trump's
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
include current White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp and White House Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley. Other prominent U.S. politicians include Senator J. William Fulbright, former United States Secretary of State, Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, former CIA Director Allen Dulles and his brother, former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Also, current Premier of Bermuda Edward David Burt (youngest in history) and current Supreme Court of Bhutan, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bhutan Tshering Wangchuk are GWU alumni. Former associate director for National Preparedness at the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), John Brinkerhoff was a GWU alumni. In business, Lee Kun-hee (MBA), Chairman of Samsung who is credited with transforming the company into one of the largest electronics manufacturers, Scott Kirby (MS), CEO of United Airlines, Kathy J. Warden (MBA), President and CEO of Northrop Grumman and John F.W. Rogers (BA), Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Goldman Sachs. Notable company founders include Robert A. Altman (JD), co-founder of ZeniMax Media, Elaine Wynn, co-founder of Wynn Resorts, and Peloton (exercise equipment company), Tom Cortese, co-founder of Peloton (exercise equipment company), Peloton.    Science and technology alumni include Julius Axelrod (PhD), Nobel Laureate and medical researcher, Ralph Asher Alpher, National Medal of Science laureate, physicist and "father" of the Big Bang theory, Jack Edmonds, noted computer scientist and mathematician and one of the creators of combinatorial optimization, Walter O. Snelling, who first identified propane and researched how propane could be liquefied and used as a viable energy resource, Charles Browne Fleet, inventor of ChapStick. In addition, 7 NASA astronauts are alumni, including Charles Camarda and Serena Auñón-Chancellor. In arts, entertainment and media, writer and filmmaker William Peter Blatty (MA), author of The Exorcist, which he adapted for the screen and won the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
for Best Adapted Screenplay. Emmy winning actors Alec Baldwin and Kerry Washington are also alumni, while filmmaker and Palme d'Or recipient David Lynch and Oscar winning actor Jared Leto attended the
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...
. Journalism alumni include Pulitzer Prize winner Glenn Greenwald, CNN commentators Dana Bash and Chuck Todd as well as NBC News reporter Kasie Hunt.   Leaders of academic institutions include William Greenleaf Eliot co-founder of Washington University in St. Louis, Derek Bok (AM), president of Harvard University, Scott Cowen (MBA), president of Tulane University and John T. Wilson, president of University of Chicago.  Well known athletes and sports personnel include Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach (BA, MA), winner of nine NBA championships as a head coach with an additional seven as a general manager for grand total of 16 NBA championships. Many players have been drafted into NBA such as Yinka Dare and Yuta Watanabe. Other notable athletes include WNBA star Jonquel Jones, NFL Hall of Fame running back Tuffy Leemans, and Olympic Games, Olympic medalist Elena Myers. Several alumni have owned sports teams including Ted Lerner, owner of the Washington Nationals, Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox. 


Notable faculty and Trustees

File:John Quincy Adams.jpg,
John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...
, President of the United States; Trustee File:Ulysses S. Grant 1870-1880.jpg,
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
, President of the United States; Trustee File:William Strong, painted by Robert C. Hinckley, 1894.jpg, William Strong (Pennsylvania judge), William Strong, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:Alexander Graham Bell.jpg, Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor of the telephone; Trustee File:Bragg lab1 1930 (cropped).jpg,
George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theore ...
, Physicist, known for the Big Bang Theory; Faculty File:Edward Teller (1958)-LLNL.jpg, Edward Teller, Nuclear Physicist known as "the father of the hydrogen bomb"; Faculty File:Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994.jpg, Al Gore, Vice President and Climate Activist; Faculty File:Portrait of David Josiah Brewer.jpg, David J. Brewer, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:Willis Van Devanter.jpg, Willis Van Devanter, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:John Marshall Harlan 1.jpg, John Marshall Harlan, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:KBJackson.jpg, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:Marcus Raskin-IPS (cropped).jpg, Marcus Raskin, political theorist; Faculty File:Ferid Murad.jpg, Ferid Murad, Pharmacologist and Nobel Prize Winner; Faculty File:Adm William Crowe Jr - cropped.jpg, William J. Crowe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Faculty File:Jose Andres Puerta 2012 Shankbone 2.png, José Andrés, National Humanities Medal winning Michelin Chef; Faculty File:William Wilson Corcoran - Brady-Handy.jpg, William Wilson Corcoran, founder of the
Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...
; Trustee File:Jonathan turley 5263504.jpg, Jonathan Turley, Constitutional Law Scholar and Attorney for the President; Faculty File:Ulysses S. Grant III.jpg, Ulysses S. Grant III, Army Officer and grandson of President Grant; Trustee File:Eric Holder official portrait.jpg, Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General; Trustee File:Clarence Thomas official SCOTUS portrait (cropped).jpg, Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice; Faculty File:Phil Graham, 3 October 1961.jpg, Phil Graham, Owner of The Washington Post; Trustee File:Hossein nasr.jpg, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Traditionalist Philosopher; Faculty
List of notable George Washington University faculty, Notable GWU faculty include Tom Perez, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee; two current List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court Justices, Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson;
George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theore ...
, developer of the Big Bang theory; Edward Teller, "father of the hydrogen bomb"; Vincent du Vigneaud, Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner; John Negroponte, first Director of National Intelligence; Thomas Buergenthal, former Inter-American Court of Human Rights#Former Presidents of the Court, President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; Masatoshi Koshiba, Nobel Prize in Physics winner; Scott Pace, current National Space Council, Executive Secretary of the National Space Council; Amitai Etzioni, former President of the American Sociological Association; Marshall Warren Nirenberg, Nobel Prize in Medicine winner; Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize winner; Abba Eban, former United Nations General Assembly, Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly; Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary; and Ferid Murad, Nobel Prize in Medicine winner. Other faculty have included Frank Sesno, CNN former Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief and Special Correspondent; James Carafano, Heritage Foundation national security and homeland security expert; Leon Fuerth, former national security adviser to Vice President Al Gore; James Rosenau, political theorist and former president of the International Studies Association; Steven V. Roberts, American journalist, writer and political commentator and former senior writer at '' U.S. News & World Report''; Nancy E. Gary, former dean of Albany Medical College, Executive Vice President of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Dean of its F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Roy Richard Grinker, anthropologist specializing in autism and North-South Korean relations, Edward P. Jones, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2004, novelist H. G. Carrillo, Herman "H.G." Carrillo, historian Jessica Krug academic scandal, Jessica Krug, Dagmar R. Henney, Mohammad Nahavandian (economics), chief of staff of the President of Iran since 2013, and Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé (MBA), president of Togo since 2005, Dr. Blake R. Van Leer, president of Georgia Tech, Colonel and Civil Rights advocate.


See also

*Campuses of George Washington University *GW-TV *Hail to the Buff and Blue *List of centers and research institutes at George Washington University *
National Security Archive The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising government secrecy. The Nat ...
*
The GW Hatchet ''The GW Hatchet'' is the student newspaper of the George Washington University. Founded in 1904, The Hatchet is the second-oldest continuously-running newspaper in Washington, DC, only behind ''The Washington Post''. The Hatchet is often ranked ...
*''United States v. Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures'' *WRGW (student radio), WRGW


References


External links

*
GWU Athletics website
{{Authority control George Washington University, Educational institutions established in 1821 Foggy Bottom Private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. 1821 establishments in Washington, D.C.