George Washington University

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The George Washington University
Seal of The George Washington University
Motto Deus Nobis Fiducia

(In God Our Trust)
Established 1821
Type Private
Endowment US$1.017 billion[1].
President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Staff 4,501
Undergraduates 10,394
Postgraduates 12,634
Location Washington, D.C., USA
Campus Urban (Foggy Bottom)—43 acres (0.174 km²) & Suburban (Mount Vernon College)—26 acres (0.105 km²)
Athletics 18 Division I sports teams
Nickname GW
Mascot Colonial
Website www.gwu.edu
 
Enlarge
 
See Washington University (disambiguation) for institutions with similar names.

The George Washington University (GWU) is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian university located in Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1821 as The Columbian College on land provided by former President George Washington, the university has since developed into one of the world's leading educational and research institutions. The 43 acre campus, located in the city's historic Foggy Bottom neighborhood, is situated a few blocks from the White House and the rest of the National Mall. In 1999, the university acquired the Mount Vernon College for Women. As of 2006, the George Washington University's endowment and other trust funds total approximately $1.017 billion. George Washington is currently ranked 52nd on U.S. News & World Report's list of Top National Universities.[2]

In addition to 4,500 staff members, The George Washington University enrolls an even balance of undergraduate and graduate students; roughly 11,000 of the former and 12,500 of the latter. Applications dropped for the class of 2006 as compared to 2005.

GW's primary student media are a newspaper called The GW Hatchet, a news web site called The Daily Colonial, [3] and a student internet radio station called WRGW [4]. It is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for college athletics. The official school colors are buff (tan) and blue, based on the military uniform of George Washington.

Contents

[edit] History

George Washington had long argued for the creation of a university in the District of Columbia and bequeathed in his will fifty shares of the Potomac Company to support such an institution. "I give and bequeath in perpetuity the fifty shares which I hold in the Potomac Company (under the aforesaid Acts of the Legislature of Virginia) towards the endowment of a UNIVERSITY to be established within the limits of the District of Columbia, under the auspices of the General Government, if that Government should incline to extend a fostering hand towards it."[5]

Aware of Washington's wishes, a group of men led by Catholic Minister, John Paul Samson later raised funds to purchase a site for a college to educate missionaries and the clergy. A large building was constructed on what is now Meridian Hill, and on February 9, 1821, President James Monroe approved the Congressional charter creating The Columbian College. President Monroe, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, the Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries attended the College's first commencement exercises in 1824. The college's buildings were used as a hospital during the Civil War.

Various other departments have occupied other buildings around Washington, including what is now the National Museum of Women in the Arts on New York Avenue NW.

Despite its auspicious beginnings, the university often was bedevilled by financial crises in its first one hundred years of existence.

The name of the institution was changed to Columbian University in 1873 and to The George Washington University in 1904. The university became one of the first institutions in the United States to grant a Ph.D. in 1888.

Since the 1970s, under the leadership of presidents Lloyd Hartman Elliott and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, GWU has become a major undergraduate and graduate institution. In December 2006, the University named its next president, Steven Knapp, provost of Johns Hopkins University. Knapp will become president on August 1, 2007, and Trachtenberg will become President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service.

In June 1999, the university purchased the Mount Vernon College for Women near Georgetown, which became the George Washington University Mount Vernon Campus. The University also has a campus in Loudoun County, VA, as well as graduate centers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, Va.

[edit] Academics

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Medical school students in class (1958)
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Medical school students in class (1958)

The George Washington University has a distinguished medical school and its own hospital. It has a highly ranked law school The George Washington University Law School. The Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) is home to many top-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs in international affairs . The GW School of Business (GWSB) is also highly ranked: #14 in International Business and the 10th best MBA program for women. It has a distinguished record in the fields of engineering, medicine, political science, public affairs, business, psychology, and computer science.

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

[edit] Organization

The university is made up of a number of colleges that have different disciplines within them.

[edit] Campus

The university has three campuses: The main campus in Foggy Bottom, the Mount Vernon campus in northern Washington, D.C., and the Virginia campus in Ashburn, Virginia. The university also owns buildings around the Foggy Bottom campus that are not used for academic purposes; these include the mall at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave, and the land under the International Monetary Fund building. The university acts as landlord for these properties and collects lease money from its tenents.

[edit] Foggy Bottom Campus

This is the main campus, occupying 43 acres (170,000 m²) and over one hundred buildings on fourteen city blocks, plus portions of other blocks.

Some major and notable buildings are:

  • Libraries: Melvin Gelman Library, Jacob Burns Law Library, Paul Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, and Eckles Library.
  • Medical:
    • The George Washington University Hospital serves the university and the entire region. It is a level one trauma center and is Washington DC's only hyperbaric chamber. This is typically where presidents in need of urgent medical help are taken, as was President Ronald Reagan after a failed assassination attempt in 1981. More recently, Vice President Richard Cheney has been taken to The George Washington University Hospital on multiple occasions. The current hospital is across the street from the lot of the old hospital, which was torn down in 2003-2004.
    • The primary academic building for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is Ross Hall, which is located adjacent to the hospital.
  • Academic
    • 814 20th St, formerly the Union Methodist Episcopal Church, construction starting in 1846[1], making it the oldest building in the university.
    • The Academic Center, a complex of three buildings, Phillips Hall, Rome Hall and Smith Hall of Art, and home to the computer center.
    • Corcoran Hall, built in 1924 as the first building built for GWU on the Foggy Bottom campus, is the birthplace of the bazooka. This is the center of the sciences at GW.
    • 1957 E St., completed in 2003 as the new home to the Elliott School of International Affairs, as well as lecture halls and dormitory rooms. GW Alum Gen. Colin Powell visited GW to officially open this building.
    • Tompkins Hall, home of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
    • Media & Public Affairs Building, which houses the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery and the Jack Morton Auditorium, where CNN's Crossfire was broadcast until June 3rd, 2005; it later hosted CNN's On The Story which taped weekly on Friday evenings and aired the following Saturday. It now hosts CNN's Reliable Sources.
    • Duquès Hall, opened in January 2006 for classes and officially on February 8 2006, is the home to the GW Business School and features a model trading floor and state of the art class rooms.
  • Mixed Use
    • Cloyd Heck Marvin Center, the central building of the university and home to the J Street food court (the name is a joking reference to the fact that there is no street named J street in the District) the Cafritz Conference Center and the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, as well as classrooms, studios, and offices for the Department of Theatre and Dance. The fifth floor houses The Hippodrome, an area for students to relax and have fun and one of only 2 public bowling alleys in the District.
    • The Grant School building, which houses School Without Walls during the day, is used for evening classes.
  • Activity
    • Lisner Auditorium, the main auditorium of the university and home to the Dimock Gallery of Art. When built it was the largest in the city.
  • Athletic: The centerpiece is the Charles E. Smith Center, home of the Colonials and a fully equipped athletics center which occupies nearly an entire city block. There are also two tennis courts nearby, and the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.
  • Residences: There are 24 residence halls (not including Townhouses) on the Foggy Bottom campus, capable of housing over 6000 students.
  • Other Holdings: The university has many holdings in the area, either just the land or the buildings as well. Among these are the mall at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave, an office block at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave with many student-oriented services, The George Washington University Inn, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and several foreign embassies.
  • The University has announced its 20 year plan for the modernization of the Foggy Bottom Campus. The plan hinges on the redevelopment of the old George Washington University Hospital site, commonly known as Square 54.

[edit] Mount Vernon Campus

This wooded campus, originally the Mount Vernon College for Women. located on 23 acres (93,000 m²) in northwest Washington, D.C., was purchased by the university in 1999. Founded by Elizabeth Somers, the school was previously a seminary for women. The campus has been co-ed since the acquisition though it still has a large emphasis on women's academics and athletics. The Elizabeth Somers Women's Leadership Program is based on this campus and gives freshmen girls a unique residential-academic program. The Eckles Memorial Library serves this campus, and there are NCAA Division 1 fields for women's softball, women's and men's soccer, and women's lacrosse. There are six residence halls on this campus.

Nicknamed "The Vern," the campus is served by a shuttle service called the Vern Express. During the 2004-2005 academic year, there were several shuttle accidents. The atmosphere at Mount Vernon is generally considered more conducive to diligent study than the downtown Foggy Bottom campus. Also, there are outdoor athletic facilities, and a green area where it is socially acceptable to sunbathe.

GW is planning to build another large residence hall on the campus that will house another 500 students.

The Halls are:

  • Clark: 37-student capacity in traditional double rooms.
  • Cole: 43-student capacity in traditional double rooms. Right next to Eckles Library
  • Hensley: 39-student capacity in traditional single and double rooms.
  • Merriweather: 43-student capacity in traditional double rooms.
  • Pelham: 78-student capacity in single rooms.
  • Somers: 246-student capacity in traditional single and double rooms, including members of the Women's Leadership Program. Right next to the Softball field.

[edit] Virginia Campuses

The George Washington University has several Virginia Campuses. Among these are the Alexandria Graduate Education Center in Alexandria, VA; Graduate Education Center, Arlington in Arlington, VA; Hampton Roads Center in Newport News, VA; and the GW Virginia Campus - Loudoun in Ashburn, VA. This does not include the various satellite locations where classes are regularly held (Chesapeake, Mechanicsville, McLean, Richmond, and Virginia Beach, VA).

[edit] Students and faculty

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

[edit] Student government

The Student Association (SA) is the official undergraduate and graduate student government of The George Washington University. The SA is fashioned after the federal government with three co-equal branches of government. The President and Executive Vice President, however, are separately and popularly elected. The Senate is divided by the schools of the University, including but not limited to the GW Law and Medical Schools. Student elections are generally held in February or March of the Spring semester and are administered electronically in designated locations and/or via paper ballot. To be elected, candidates for President and Executive Vice President must receive at least 40% of the student vote (or a run-off election is triggered).

Historically, SA presidents have fared well in the political arena. Former SA president Edward "Skip" Gnehm was the Ambassador to Kuwait during the Gulf War and received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards. Former SA president John David Morris (1989-1990) currently serves as a city councilman in Peoria, Illinois, and Al Park (1994-1995) is a New Mexico state representative and possible candidate for New Mexico Attorney General. Famed actor Alec Baldwin once ran for SA President as a sophomore and narrowly lost. After his defeat, he transferred to New York University (NYU) to pursue an acting career.

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

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

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

[edit] Clubs and traditions

There are over four hundred student organizations at the University, including organizations of common interest or political activism, ethnic organizations, and Greek organizations. It is also home to one of the first virtual student organizations in the United States named ETLSO. The Educational Technology and Leadership Student Organization (ETLSO) caters to the needs of distance education students.

[edit] Political and International Organizations

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

The GW College Democrats boast a membership over 2,000 making it the second-largest organization on campus. Howard Dean formally endorsed John Kerry for President on campus at a GW College Democrats sponsored event. The GW College Democrats host many speakers and go on several campaign trips. Past speakers hosted by the group have included Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator and 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry, Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Representative Dennis Kucinich, former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Byron Dorgan, Representative Frank Pallone, and John Kerry's campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill.

The GW College Republicans has approximately 430 members and is very active on campus. It was named the Best Chapter of 2005 by the College Republican National Committee. The group actively participates in local and national campaigns and political events around the DC area. Notable guest speakers hosted by the organization in the past include Ann Coulter, John Ashcroft, Jack Kemp, Sam Brownback, Norm Coleman and George Allen.

The International Affairs Society (IAS) is another one of the largest and most active student organizations, with over 350 dues paying members. IAS activities include hosting speakers and panels on current events, visiting area institutions such as foreign embassies, Model United Nations (MUN) participation, social events, and hosting and organizing MUN conferences for middle and secondary-school students.

The Global Language Group, or Global Languages, is the University's largest organization, with a membership of over 7,200 members. It is a non-profit organization that offers over 100 free and intensive classes in 45 languages. Global Languages also organizes weekly cultural events including guest speakers, workshops, open-air markets, embassy visits, and an international film series. The group is also expanding throughout the US and as of fall, 2006 established a sister-branch at Northeastern University in Boston.

GW's Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) is one of the most active chapters in the country. Last year, the club staged protests against prominent drug companies, organized the National SGAC conference (held on GW's Campus), lobbied senators to increase their support for global health initiatives, helped to create free HIV-testing days for students and distributed buckets of condoms to residence halls. The club is currently working to reduce the cost of HIV testing at GW, although the administration has been slow to respond. D.C. currently has the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country (119 per 100,000).[6]

The Order of the Hippo is a secret society whose membership includes the Student Association President, editor of the Hatchet Newspaper, the President of the Intrafraternity Council and various other students and leaders.

[edit] Greek-Letter Organizations

There are 12 recognized fraternities on campus, including Alpha Epsilon Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Theta Delta Chi. Sigma Chi was approved for recolonization in 2006, and is projected to be chartered in late Spring 2007. Kappa Alpha Order was also approved for recolonization, and will begin recruiting an Alpha class during the spring of 2007. There are also a number of unrecognized fraternities, including Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu (also called SAMMY on campus), Alpha Pi Epsilon (or "Apes," formerly Zeta Beta Tau and a chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi before their recolonization found under the current charter). There are 8 Panhellenic sororities on campus, including Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Delta Tau, and Sigma Kappa. Pi Beta Phi was approved for colonization by the Panhellenic Association in 2006.

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

[edit] Other Organizations

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

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

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

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

One of the oldest student groups on campus is the student newspaper The GW Hatchet. The GW Hatchet is an independent student newspaper founded in 1904.

GW also has WRGW, an online only, student-run radio station that carries programming from 8 AM until 12 AM every day during the school year. Their programming includes music, talk shows, and sports. For decades, WRGW has served as the flagship station for GW Men's and Women's Basketball games and other sporting events in both the Spring and Fall. Recently, the station expanded into broadcasting Women's and Men's soccer, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Softball and Men's baseball.

[edit] School songs

[edit] Fight Song

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

Hail to the buff! (buff!)
Hail to the blue! (blue!)
Hail to the buff and blue!
All our lives we'll be proud to say,
We hail from GW! (go big blue!)
Oh by George we're happy we can say,
We're GW here to show the way!
So raise high the buff! (buff!)
Raise high the blue! (blue!)
Loyal to GW!
(You bet we're!)
Loyal to GW! (fight!)

[edit] Alma Mater

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

Hail Alma Mater,
To thy spirit guiding,
Knowledge thy closest friend
In its strength abiding,
Pledge we fidelity
Ne'er its place resigning,
Hail thee George Washington.

[edit] Athletics

GW has an extensive Division I program that includes Men's Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Soccer, Women's Softball, Squash, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Women's Volleyball, and Water Polo.

The teams are called the Colonials and have achieved great successes in recent years including a first round victory in the Men's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament in 2004 and basketball beating No. 9 Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back to back games to win the 2004 BB&T Classic. The Men's Basketball team went on to win the Atlantic 10 West Title and the Atlantic 10 Tournament Title (earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

The team began the 2005 season ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and after some tournament success they closed out the year ranked 19th nationwide. They had a record of 26-2 (16-0 in the A-10) going into the 2006 NCAA Tournament led by power forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Omar Williams, Danilo Pinnock, Mike Hall and Maureece Rice. The 2005-2006 season has been the team's best ever, surpassing the start of the 1953-1954 season. They received a #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and came back a from a large second half deficit to defeat #9 seed UNC-Wilmington, but then lost to Duke, the top overall seed in the tournament.

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

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

Colonials athletic teams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

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

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

[edit] Presidents

  • William Staughton (1821-1827)
  • Stephen Chapin (1828-1841)
  • Joel Smith Bacon (1843-1854)
  • Joseph Getchell Binney (1855-1858)
  • George Whitefield Samson (1859-1871)
  • James Clarke Welling (1871-1893)
  • Zak ElManahkly (1893-1894)
  • Samuel Harrison Greene (1894-1895)
  • Benaiah L. Whitman (1895-1900)
  • Samuel Harrison Greene (1900-1902)
  • Charles Willis Needham (1902-1910)
  • Charles Herbert Stockton (1910-1918)
  • William Miller Collier (1918-1921)
  • Howard L. Hodgkins (1921-1923)
  • William Mather Lewis (1923-1927)
  • Cloyd Heck Marvin (1927-1959)
  • Oswald Symister Colclough (1959-1961)
  • Thomas Henry Carroll (1961-1964)
  • Lloyd Hartman Elliott (1965-1988)
  • Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (1988-2007) (announced his retirement as President in April 2006, effective at the end of the following academic year in May 2007)
  • Steven Knapp On December 4th 2006, the GW Hatchet announced that Johns Hopkins University Provost Steven Knapp had been named Trachtenberg's successor by the Board of Trustees. [8]

[edit] Noted alumni


[edit] Noted faculty

[edit] External links


Colleges and Universities in the District of Columbia
American • Catholic • Corcoran • Gallaudet • George Washington • Georgetown • Howard • National Defense • SAIS • Southeastern • Strayer • Trinity • UDC
The Atlantic 10
Charlotte • Dayton • Duquesne • Fordham • George Washington • La Salle • UMass • Rhode Island • Richmond • Saint Bonaventure • Saint Joseph's • Saint Louis • Temple • Xavier

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.theunitedchurch.org/about/index.html
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