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 The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

CCAS is the largest school at George Washington University, with around 5,000 undergraduate students and 2,500 graduate students, and 42 academic departments, representing a significant portion of the University's instructional, scholarly and research activity. The college is known for its numerous prominent alumni, particularly in the fields of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...

, including notable living figures, such as

Anwar Gargash Anwar Mohammed Gargash (; born 28 March 1959) is an Emirati politician who served as the minister of state for foreign affairs between February 2008 and February 2021. Since February 2021, he has been serving as a senior diplomatic advisor to th ...

(current Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

), sitting

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...

, Vincent C. Gray (former

Mayor of the District of Columbia The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the D.C. Council. ...

) and Daniel Weiss (CEO of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

). Historical alumni include First Lady

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...

and

Ralph Asher Alpher Ralph Asher Alpher (February 3, 1921 – August 12, 2007) was an American cosmologist, who carried out pioneering work in the early 1950s on the Big Bang model, including Big Bang nucleosynthesis and predictions of the cosmic microwave backgrou ...

, "father of the

Big Bang theory The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including the ...

History

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the original college of George Washington University and one of the oldest colleges in the United States. It was created as a Baptist institution by Reverend

Luther Rice Luther Rice (March 25, 1783 – September 27, 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 ...

, and officially founded as the Columbian College on February 9, 1821 by an

act of Congress An act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

signed by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

. Originally, the college consisted of two departments: the Theological Department and Classical Department, with individual professors covering other subjects such as

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

. The college's first class graduated in 1824, where the president presented each of the three graduates with their degree in the presence of the

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

and college president

William Staughton William Staughton (January 4, 1770 – December 12, 1829) was a Baptist clergyman, educator, and music composer. He was also a Chaplain of the United States Senate and the first List of Presidents of The George Washington University, Pre ...

. The college conferred its first Master of Arts degree in 1831. It was one of the first institutions in the United States to award a doctorate, awarding a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1888. However, the graduate program was not formally established until 1905. With the dawn of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...

in 1861, the majority of the students left the college to fight for the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, and the campus buildings were used as a hospital and barracks. In 1873 the college becomes Columbian University and in 1904 the George Washington University was established by an Act of Congress, with Columbian College and its Graduate School being integrated in the Department of Arts and Sciences. In 1962, Columbian College changed its name to the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

Facilities

The College contains many research centers and institutes, including the Biostatistics Center. Its main facilities are located at

Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States, located in the city's northwest quadrant. It stretches west of the White House towards the Potomac River, north of the National Mall, east of Georgetown, south of the West ...

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

Organization and administration

The college is managed by a team of administrative staff currently led by Interim Dean Paul Wahlbeck and Vice Dean

Eric Arnesen Eric Arnesen (born 30 April 1958) is an American historian. He is currently the James R. Hoffa Professor of Modern American Labor History at George Washington University. He was a Fulbright Scholar, and is a member of the Organization of Americ ...

. The leadership is also supported by the National Council for Arts and Sciences, which is composed of national and international alumni and others associated to the college, and serves a volunteer advisory board. Other affiliated advisory councils are the Corcoran Strategic Advisory Council, the National Council for Media and Public Affairs and the Trachtenberg School Advisory Board.

Academics

Columbian_College_of_Arts_and_Sciences_Graduation_medal

The Columbian College houses 42 academic departments and programs. CCAS is also host to three distinct schools: *

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 internati ...

(SMPA) *

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, D.C.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts a ...

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 public policy school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of the George Washington University, in Washington ...

(SPPPA) It offers a total of 61 undergraduate minors, 58 undergraduate major, 51 master's degrees and 33 combined degree program's (bachelor's and master's). The College offers degrees in the main fields Arts & Design, Clinical Programs, Humanities, Mathematics & Statistical Analysis, Natural & Forensic Sciences, Policy & Public Affairs and Social & Behavioral Sciences. The college also offers different engaged learning programs, an extensive on- and offline summer school program, 16 graduate certificates and more than 30 doctoral degrees. The college has an international network of partnering universities and schools. For students there are currently more than 300 study and exchange programs in 50 countries available. Graduates to the College are awarded a commencement medal depicting the College's seal that is worn during the commencement ceremony. The original seal was designed by James Peale when the Columbian College was founded in 1821. The seal originally depicted a biblical lion laying down with a lamb under an open book with Greek text that translated to "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." The design of the seal was changed in 1873, and completely replaced by George Washington University in 1905. The College still uses the seal today but with the Greek text omitted.

Rankings

In the ''2018

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

'', Columbian ranks in the top 76–100 schools of

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

in the world. In 2019, ''Intelligent'' ranked the College's Department of Forensic Science as 6th in The Best Master's in Crime Scene Investigation Degree Programs from an assessment of 443 education programs compared from 159 colleges and universities.

Research

The College is home to 28 research centers and institutes with an average annual research expenditure of $18.6 million. Research is supported by internal funding and external grants from institutions like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. It also offers different undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral student research fellowships and programs.

Notable people

File:Mrs Kennedy in the Diplomatic Reception Room cropped.jpg,

('51) –

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

File:DanWeiss photo (cropped).png, Daniel H. Weiss ('79) – President & CEO the

File:Eric Cantor, official 113th Congress photo portrait.jpg,

Eric Cantor Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Mino ...

('85) – Former

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

File:Mark Warner 113th Congress photo.jpg,

('77) – Current

and former

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...

File:Anwar Gargash.jpg,

('81, '84) – Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the

File:Mayor Vincent Gray Talks About Consumer Protection (6918837914) (cropped).jpg, Vincent C. Gray ('64) – Former

File:Steve Israel 113th Congress.jpg,

Steve Israel Steven Jay Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller, and former politician. He served as a U.S. representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elect ...

('81) – Former Chair of the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises funds and organizes races in ...

File:Kerry Washington Django avp.jpg,

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fil ...

('98) –

Time 100 ''Time'' 100 is a list of the top 100 most influential people, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly ...

and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning actress File:Huma Abedin DNC 2016 Pre Hillary Clinton Speech at Democratic National Convention (July 28, 2016).jpg,

Huma Abedin Huma Mahmood Abedin (born July 28, 1975) is an American political staffer who was vice chair of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for President of the United States. Before that, Abedin was deputy chief of staff to Clinton when she was U.S. Secre ...

('97) – Former

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

File:Carl Lutz fortepan 105824.jpg,

Carl Lutz Carl Lutz (30 March 1895 – 12 February 1975) was a Swiss diplomat. He served as the Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest, Hungary, from 1942 until the end of World War II. He is credited with saving over 62,000 Jews during the Second World War in p ...

('24) – Swiss diplomat who saved over 62,000 Jews during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

File:David Lynch Cannes 2017.jpg,

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

– Artist and director File:Glenn Greenwald 2014-01-20 001.jpg,

Glenn Greenwald Glenn Edward Greenwald (born March 6, 1967) is an American journalist, author, and former lawyer. In 1996, Greenwald founded a law firm concentrating on First Amendment to the United States Constitution, First Amendment litigation. He began blo ...

– Journalist File:Rhee Syng-man 1956.jpg,

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

– 1st President of South Korea File:Elizabeth Warren, official portrait, 114th Congress.jpg,

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...

, Senator from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Columbian College Of Arts And Sciences 1821 establishments in Washington, D.C. Colleges and Schools of The George Washington University Liberal arts colleges at universities in the United States