George Washington University
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

, 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 recorde ...
federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.5 billion (2022) , president = Ellen Granberg , provost = Christopher Bracey , students = 26,457 (2021) , undergrad = 11,502 (2021) , postgrad = 14,955 (2021) , faculty = 2,663 , city = Foggy Bottom, Washington, District of Columbia , country = United States , campus = Large city , campus_size = , former_names = Columbian College (1821–1873)
Columbian University (1873–1904) , sports_nickname = Revolutionaries , mascot = George , colors = Buff and blue
, sporting_affiliations = , website = , free_label = Newspaper , free = '' The GW Hatchet'' , logo = George Washington University wordmark.svg , logo_upright = .7 , 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 recorde ...
federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 as Washington, D.C.'s first university by the United States Congress, GW is one of six universities in the United States 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 charte ...
. GW 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." It is a member of the Association of American Universities. The university offers degree programs in seventy-one disciplines, enrolling around 11,500 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students. The school's athletic teams, the
George Washington Revolutionaries The George Washington Revolutionaries are the athletic teams of George Washington University of Washington, D.C. The Revolutionaries compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic 10 Confe ...
, play in the NCAA Division I
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 Eastern ...
. GW also annually hosts numerous political events, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's Annual Meetings. The university's alumni,
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, 27 United States governors, 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 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. GW 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.


History


Founding

The first President of the United States,
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, long favored the establishment of a university in a central part of the United States. He wrote to the U.S. Congress 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. Washington included a bequest of his shares in the Potomac Company 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 and James Madison, and they expressed the need to carry out Washington's plans. Finally, in 1821 the Baptist missionary and leading
minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
Luther Rice secured funds from James Monroe, John Quincy Adams,
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. 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 charte ...
creating the non-denominational Columbian College. Washingtonians, Congress and the academic community celebrated this new institution as the fulfillment of Washington's vision. The first commencement in 1824 was considered an important event for the young city of Washington, D.C. In attendance were President Monroe, John C. Calhoun,
Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
, the Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries. GW, 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 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 missi ...
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 this period most of the students came from the
South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
, and as the Civil War broke out many left their studies to fight. However, the college was still fractured, as Professor of Anatomy since 1854,
A.Y.P. Garnett Alexander Yelverton Peyton Garnett (September 8, 1820 – July 11, 1888) was an American physician. He was President of the American Medical Association, and served Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. He was a gra ...
, left for the South to serve as
Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
' physician and
Robert King Stone Robert King Stone (December 11, 1822 – April 23, 1872) was an American physician and professor at Columbian College Medical School (predecessor to today's George Washington University School of Medicine). He was considered "the dean of the Wash ...
stayed in Washington to serve as the physician to Abraham Lincoln. The college was temporarily turned into a Union military camp during this time. Poet Walt Whitman worked at this camp while visiting his wounded brother. 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 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...
and H streets.


20th century

Columbian University was renamed The George Washington University in 1904 after an agreement with the George Washington Memorial Association. In honor of George Washington, funds from the memorial association were donated to construct Lisner Auditorium. 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 are notable for their age and history. The law school is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. The medical school is the 11th oldest medical school in the nation and the first established in the nation's capital. 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. The cosmologist George Gamow produced critical work on the Big Bang theory at GW in the 1930s and 1940s. In one of the most important moments in the 20th century, Niels Bohr announced that Otto Hahn had successfully split the atom on January 26, 1939, at the Fifth Washington Conference on theoretical physics in the Hall of Government. During the Vietnam War era, Thurston Hall, an undergraduate dormitory housing 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.) 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 Mount ...
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 campus is now totally integrated into the GW community, serving as a complement to the Foggy Bottom campus. In 1999, GW hosted the
Town Hall with President Clinton On November 8, 1999, President of the United States, 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 Geo ...
, 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.


21st century

In December 2006, the university appointed Johns Hopkins University 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 C ...
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 missi ...
, and his presidency began August 1, 2007. In 2017,
Thomas LeBlanc Thomas John LeBlanc is a computer scientist and academic administrator. He was the 17th President of the George Washington University from July 2017 to December 2021. Education LeBlanc earned a Bachelor of Science in computer sciences from the ...
, provost of the University of Miami, 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 missi ...
. 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 Thomas John LeBlanc is a computer scientist and academic administrator. He was the 17th President of the George Washington University from July 2017 to December 2021. Education LeBlanc earned a Bachelor of Science in computer sciences from the ...
said one of the panels will examine the Colonials moniker, which critics say conjures up racism, violence and genocide. George Washington University law professor and Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh will serve as chair of that committee; the Colonials name was officially retired in 2022, and the new nickname was announced to be the Revolutionaries the following year. 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 List of longest serving higher education presidents in the United States, longest serving president of the George Washington University, from 1927 to 1959, and previously the then-you ...
, who was a segregationist. 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 charte ...
. GW hosted former student, Senator Elizabeth Warren as speaker. In January 2022, LeBlanc was succeeded by former Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton as interim university president. One year later in January 2023, the university named Ellen Granberg as the new president, with a start date of July 1, 2023.


Campuses

GW has three fully integrated campuses in the Washington, D.C. area. These are the Foggy Bottom Campus, the Mount Vernon 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 GW library system contains the Gelman Library, 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 GW Library System is a constituent member of the Washington Research Library Consortium, which allows for resource sharing among the university libraries of the Washington metropolitan area.


Foggy Bottom

The main GW campus consists of in historic Foggy Bottom and is located a few blocks from the White House, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund,
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
and the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
. Barring a few outlying buildings, the boundaries of campus are delineated by (running clockwise from Washington Circle) Pennsylvania Avenue, 19th Street, E Street, Virginia Avenue, 24th Street, and New Hampshire Avenue. 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 institutions in proximity include the
U.S. 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 nati ...
, the Kennedy Center, the
U.S. 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 peac ...
, the Watergate complex, and embassies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Uruguay. The University Yard is the main open space and historic heart of the university. Along with George Washington's main library, Gelman Library, 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 Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
architectural style 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, 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 Na ...
, Global Resources Center, and Kiev Library. The
National Security Archives 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 Na ...
(NSA) is a research institution that publishes declassified U.S. government files concerning selected topics of American foreign policy. It was a National Security Archive Freedom of Information Act request that eventually made the Central Intelligence Agency's so-called " Family Jewels" public. Close to the library is Lisner Auditorium 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–GW
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, and provides access to the Orange, Blue and Silver lines. The University Hospital is located next to the Metro station entrance. The Foggy Bottom campus contains most of the residence halls in which GW students live. The most notable include Shenkman Hall, Thurston Hall, Madison Hall, Potomac House, Fulbright Hall, Mitchell Hall, Munson Hall, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Hall, 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 GW Hospital (Square 54) and just east of the Foggy Bottom–GW 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 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 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 char ...
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, GW opened the Milken Institute School of Public Health, 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, construction ...
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 Mount ...
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 GW changed its operations to a co-ed facility. Now known as the Mount Vernon campus, it is totally integrated into the GW community, serving as a complement to the Foggy Bottom campus. The campus has transportation systems connecting the students to the GW 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 Ashburn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, its population was 43,511, up from 3,393 twenty years earlier. It is northwest of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washingt ...
(near Dulles International Airport) 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. 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

George Washington University is governed by the GW 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 missi ...
, 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 C ...
was named the university's sixteenth president.; he had previously taught at the University of California, Berkeley and was later the provost at Johns Hopkins University. 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 missi ...
is Mark S. Wrighton. Ulysses S. Grant 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

GW is organized into fourteen schools and colleges, each with a different dean and organization. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences 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 (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 (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 is a graduate school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. 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,
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'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
degrees in Public Policy and Public Administration. The school works in partnership with the Elliott School of International Affairs, 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 amount ...
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 ''Planet Forward'', a project of The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, is an online public forum where experts, engaged citizens and students weigh in on energy, climate and sustainability. The most inventive and ...
. 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 is one of the oldest arts education institutions in the United States. It is a school of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. It is housed in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the oldest private cultural institution in Washington, D.C. 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 The George Washington University School of Business (known as GW School of Business or GWSB) is the professional business school of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The GW School of Business is ranked as one of the top business sch ...
was established in 1928 with a $1 million gift by the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction. On February 6, 2006, the chairman and CEO of
FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
, 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 School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), or simply the George Washington School of Medicine, was the first school of medicine in Washington, D.C. In 1981, George Washington University Hospital became the center of the national spotlight when President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
was rushed to the emergency room after an attempted assassination. GW Hospital's emergency department was later renamed the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine. Other politicians, such as former Vice President
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
, come to GW for routine and emergency procedures. Cheney and wife Lynne Cheney helped to start the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute in 2006. Others notable patients include former First Lady
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...
, who was treated for a pinched nerve.SMHS is primarily housed in the GW Hospital, Ross Hall, and many other centers along K Street and throughout the city. GW 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 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 (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 Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...
opened a new complex for this school at 1957 E Street NW in front of the
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 nati ...
. , its undergraduate program was ranked eighth globally by ''
Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
'' 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 GW 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 GW 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 GW School of Nursing was re-established and is now the university's tenth academic institution, with Jean Johnson and Ellen Dawson as the founding deans.


Law School

The
George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...
was established in 1826 and is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, William Strong,
David J. Brewer David Josiah Brewer (June 20, 1837 – March 28, 1910) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1890 to 1910. An appointee of President Benjamin Harrison, he supported states' rig ...
, Willis Van Devanter and John Marshall Harlan were among those who served on its faculty. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
, and Justice
Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...
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

Although teacher education has been offered since the university's founding in 1904, the Graduate School of Education and Human Development officially started in 1909. The school turned its focus to graduate education in 1994.


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 Lara M. Brown is an American political scientist and the director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University since 2016. Early life and education Brown was born and grew up in California. She obtained a BA, ...
.


Milken Institute School of Public Health

Established in July 1997, and renamed in March 2014, the Milken Institute School of Public Health 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 The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
(JD) with the
Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...
(MPH), or to combine an MPH with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or an 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

GW 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 scores for applicants in order to boost the enrollment of disadvantaged students. GW tuition was guaranteed to remain at the freshman rate for up to ten continuous (full-time) semesters of undergraduate attendance at the university. GW 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%. GW requires that students live on campus for their first two years of enrollment as undergraduates. According to self-provided data by George Washington University, as of the 2011–2012 academic year, the acceptance rate for the
Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
was 3%, receiving 10,588 applications. GW 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 was at 43% for undergraduates in 2023. In September 2013, '' The GW Hatchet'' reported that the university had a 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, 2,005 in the Elliott School of International Affairs, 1,566 in the School of Business, 774 in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, 367 in the
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (abbreviated as GW Medical School or SMHS) is the professional medical school of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. SMHS is one of the most selective med ...
, 174 in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and 153 in the School of Nursing. Students come from all 50 U.S. states. The top states include
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, 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, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Nigeria, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Germany, Brazil,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, and Vietnam.


Rankings

GW was ranked tied for 25th of the "Top Universities for Producing Billionaires 2016–2017" by '' Times Higher Education''s ''World University Rankings'', which also ranks GW as 51st of the "Top 100 Universities for Producing Millionaires" in the world. Apart from its 61st national ranking, '' Forbes'' ranks GW 44th among "Research Universities", 60th among "Private Colleges", 43rd among universities in the
U.S. Northeast The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
, and 287th among university rankings of "America's Best Value Colleges". GW was ranked the 66th world's wealthiest university in 2015. 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 GW 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 GW first for "Top Colleges or Universities for Internship Opportunities." GW is consistently ranked by The Princeton Review in the top "Most Politically Active" Schools. '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranks GW's
international business International business refers to the trade of goods, services, technology, capital and/or knowledge across national borders and at a global or transnational scale. It involves cross-border transactions of goods and services between two or more ...
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 A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
'' ranks the Elliott School's
Masters in International Affairs The Master in International Affairs (MIA), or the Master in Global Affairs (MGA), also known as Master in International relations (MIR) is a master's degree awarded by schools of international relations, international affairs. Subject matter Det ...
as the seventh best in the world in its 2018 "
Inside the Ivory Tower "Inside the Ivory Tower" is a College and university rankings, ranking of the world's best university programs in international relations. The ranking is published by the ''Foreign Policy'' magazine in collaboration with the Teaching, Research, and ...
" annual report. ''Foreign Policy'' ranks the
Elliott School 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 ...
as being the eighth in the "Top U.S. Undergraduate Institutions to Study International Relations 2018." '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranks the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration as the 10th best public affairs school in the United States and as having the 6th best Global Policy program, 11th best public management program, the 14th best
health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...
program, and the 20th best
social policy Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society. Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize soci ...
program in the U.S. The 2020 ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranks
GW Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cour ...
as fifth best in the U.S. for its international law program, fifth best for intellectual law, second best for part-time law, and as the 22nd best law school in the United States. The ''
National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspape ...
'' ranked GW 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 GW as having the 64th best law program in the world in 2019.


Research

George Washington University is the largest research university in Washington, D.C. According to the National Science Foundation, GW spent $260 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 89th in the nation. In 2023, GW was invited to join the Association of American Universities, making it the only member of the research university organization in Washington D.C.


Centers and institutes

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


Student life

The university is located in downtown Washington, 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". GW has a 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 Eastern ...
. 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 The George Washington University Student Association (known as the GW Student Association or SA) is the student government of the George Washington University in Washington, DC. The SA is responsible for advocacy on behalf of the GW student body ...
(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 GW College Democrats have hosted speakers such as CNN contributor Donna Brazile and former DNC Chairman Howard Dean among many others. Likewise, the GW 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), currently headed by Tressel Stone, 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 GW 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 GW 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 GW 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 GW Vibes, a co-ed group focusing on soulful music. The GW Sirens, another all-girls group, and the GW 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

GW 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, the National Pan-Hellenic Council with seven chapters, and the Multicultural Greek Council with seven chapters as well. 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, Ralph Asher Alpher,
Mario Schoenberg is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
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'', 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; and the university's official news source, ''GW Today''. GW also publishes a peer-reviewed journal, ''The International Affairs Review'', which is run by graduate students at the Elliott School.


WRGW

WRGW is the student-run radio station of George Washington University. It broadcasts live every day online throughout the school year between 8am and 2am. The studio is in the ground floor of the University Student Center, where it has been located since 1999. While now only available on the internet, the online broadcasts are named for a carrier current radio station that first operated on campus in 1958. That station was created as a result of efforts by GWU's Radio Club, which was founded in February 1929.


Environmental sustainability

George Washington University was ranked number 12 on The
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...
'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, construction ...
-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 A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...
.


Religious organizations

George Washington University has an active
Newman Center Newman Centers, Newman Houses, Newman Clubs, or Newman Communities are Catholic campus ministry centers at secular universities. The movement was inspired by the writings of Cardinal John Henry Newman encouraging societies for Catholic stude ...
that supports the growing Catholic student community on campus. Its current chaplain is Fr. Benjamin Petty. GW Hillel serves more than 3,000 Jewish students and is one of the largest campus Hillel International organizations in the United States. In 2021, a multistory building was erected in the middle of GW's campus.


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 Eastern ...
and most of its teams play at the NCAA Division I level. All indoor sports play at the 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 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 Revolutionary War. The teams had 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 GW 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 GW in the 1990s, and led the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, where they were beaten by the Fab Five University of Michigan team (which later vacated its wins due to NCAA rule violations). Jarvis also coached former Colonials head coach
Karl Hobbs Karl Bernard Hobbs II (born August 7, 1961) is an American men's college basketball coach, currently the associate head coach at Rutgers University. He is the former head coach of the George Washington University Colonials men's basketball team ...
in high school. Former
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
Yinka Dare Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A , center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. Early years Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Llo ...
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 Karl Bernard Hobbs II (born August 7, 1961) is an American men's college basketball coach, currently the associate head coach at Rutgers University. He is the former head coach of the George Washington University Colonials men's basketball team ...
, GW's basketball team returned to the national stage in 2004 after defeating No. 9 Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back to back games to win the 2004
BB&T Classic The BB&T Classic, originally the Franklin National Bank Classic, was a Washington, D.C.-based college basketball event held annually from 1995 to 2017. It raised funds for the Children's Charities Foundation, a fund-raising organization that fi ...
. That year, the men's basketball team went on to win the Atlantic 10 West Title and the Atlantic 10 Tournament Title, earning an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA tournament. The team received a No. 12 seed, losing to No. 5 seed Georgia Tech in the first round.The team began the 2005–06 season ranked 21st in the ''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 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 The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students eac ...
, but lost to
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
, 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 The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
,
Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors and Mike Hall played for the Washington Wizards. The 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 Karl Bernard Hobbs II (born August 7, 1961) is an American men's college basketball coach, currently the associate head coach at Rutgers University. He is the former head coach of the George Washington University Colonials men's basketball team ...
and Senior guard Carl Elliott managed to lead the team to a 23–8 record, winning the 2007 Atlantic 10 tournament in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
, once again earning an auto-bid to the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
. The Colonials were placed as a #11 seed lost to No. 6 seed 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 Michael Thomas Lonergan (born January 28, 1966) is the former head coach of the George Washington University Colonials men's basketball team. He replaced Karl Hobbs. He was formerly the coach of the University of Vermont Catamounts and the Cath ...
to take over the men's basketball program. The Bowie, Md. native had a slow start to his GW 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 GW 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 NCAA committee selected the Colonials as the #9 seed in the East Region for the tournament. They faced #8 seed 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' 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 The 2016 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2016 NCAA tournament. The annual tournament was played on campus sites for the first three round ...
, defeating Hofstra,
Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
, Florida, San Diego State and 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 is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball in the United States for the George Washington Colonials, becoming the first Japanese-born student at ...
, was the first Japanese-born
student athlete A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
to secure an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship. Watanabe now plays in the NBA, and is the second Japanese player ever in the NBA. In March 2019, GW hired
Jamion Christian Jamion Christian (born April 18, 1982) is an American college basketball coach, who was most recently the head coach of the George Washington Colonials men's basketball team. He previously was the head coach at Siena and Mount St. Mary's. Biog ...
to be its next head men's basketball coach. After three years at GW, Christian was fired and
Chris Caputo Chris Caputo (born July 22, 1980) is an American basketball coach who is the current head coach of the George Washington Colonials men's basketball team. Playing career Caputo played four years of basketball at Westfield State, where he served a ...
was hired from the University of Miami.


Baseball

The GW baseball team, founded in 1891, 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 Eastern ...
, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Barcroft Park in Arlington County, Virginia, and Gregg Ritchie is the team's coach.


Football

GW had a
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
team from 1881 to 1966. The team played home games primarily at Griffith Stadium and later at
RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...
. In 1966, the football program was discontinued due to a lack of adequate facilities and the university's desire to develop an on-campus fieldhouse for basketball and other sports. GW has one alumni in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
Alphonse Leemans Alphonse Emil "Tuffy" Leemans (November 12, 1912 – January 19, 1979) was an American football fullback and halfback who played on both offense and defense. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978 and was named in 1969 to the ...
.


Spirit programs

The GW Spirit Program includes a co-ed Cheer Team, the First Ladies Dance team, and the university mascot. The Revolutionaries 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 GW Brass, directed by Professor Benno Fritz. The official fight song is "
Hail to the Buff and Blue "Hail to the Buff and Blue" is the official fight song of the George Washington University Colonials athletic teams. The song is played daily at 12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. by the bells located atop Corcoran Hall on the University Yard. Hi ...
", composed in 1924 by GW student Eugene F. Sweeney and rewritten 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,
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, triathlon, tennis, ultimate frisbee,
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
,
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
, water polo, 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:Rhee Syng-Man in 1956.jpg,
Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) 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 Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
, first president of South Korea;
Columbian College, '07 File:Hoover-JEdgar-LOC.jpg, J. Edgar Hoover, first FBI Director;
Law School File:Mrs Kennedy in the Diplomatic Reception Room cropped.jpg,
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
, former
First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually 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 ...
; Columbian College '51 File:Senator John Foster Dulles (R-NY).jpg,
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...
, Secretary of State and Senator; Law School File:George W. Romney official portrait.jpg, George W. Romney, former American Motors president,
Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...
, and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Columbian College File:L. Ron Hubbard in 1950 (cropped).jpg, L. Ron Hubbard,
Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...
founder; Columbian College File:Fulbright.jpg, J. William Fulbright, former U.S. Senator and founder of the Fulbright Program;
Law School, '34 File:Korea President Park Business Leaders 20130508 01 (cropped).jpg,
Kun-Hee Lee Lee Kun-hee (, ; 9 January 194225 October 2020) was a South Korean business magnate who served as the chairman of Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to one of the world's la ...
, Chairman of Samsung;
School of Business, '66 File:Elizabeth Warren, official portrait, 114th Congress.jpg, Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts; Columbian College File:William Barr.jpg, William Barr, Attorney General; Law School File:Harry Reid official portrait.jpg, Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader from Nevada; Law School File:Eric Cantor, official 113th Congress photo portrait.jpg, Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader from Virginia; Columbian College File:Colin Powell (15570753996) cropped.jpg,
Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...
, 65th U.S. Secretary of State;
School of Business, '71 File:Dr. Mark T. Esper – Secretary of Defense.jpg, Former
U.S. Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...
Mark Esper;
Trachtenberg School, '08 File:Tammy Duckworth, official portrait, 115th Congress.jpg, Tammy Duckworth, Senator from Illinois; Elliot School File:Mark Warner, official 112th Congress Senate portrait.jpg,
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 governo ...
, U.S. Senator from Virginia; Columbian College, '77 File:John Shalikashvili 1997.jpg, John Shalikashvili,
Supreme Allied Commander Supreme Allied Commander is the title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances. It originated as a term used by the Allies during World War I, and is currently used only within NATO for Supreme Allied Comm ...
and
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
; Elliot School, '70 File:MichaelCoats.jpg, Michael Coats,
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
and Space Shuttle Commander; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences File:Greenwald and Miranda (cropped to Greenwald collar).jpg, Glenn Greenwald,
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning journalist;
Columbian College, '90 File:Chuck Todd by Gage Skidmore(2015).jpg, Chuck Todd, television journalist and moderator of '' Meet The Press'';
Media and Public Affairs File:DIG13846-168.jpg, Bob Woodward,
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning editor for the '' Washington Post'' File:Kerry Washington Django avp.jpg, Kerry Washington, actress; Columbian College '98 File:Alec Baldwin 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.jpg,
Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
, Actor; Corcoran School File:Jared Leto, San Diego Comic Con 2016 (2) (cropped).jpg,
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...
, actor; Corcoran School File:David Lynch Cannes 2017.jpg,
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
, filmmaker, painter, musician, singer, sound designer, photographer, and actor; Corcoran School, '64
George Washington University alumni have included many current and past political figures, both in the United States and abroad. 16 GW alumni have served as foreign heads of state or government (4 currently serving as of 2019). Many alumni have held U.S. Cabinet positions, including former
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
William Barr, former acting
Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
Mark Esper, and former
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...
David Bernhardt. GW is one of the schools with the most alumni that have served in the U.S. Congress. Notable recent GW alumni members of congress include Harry Reid ( Senate Majority Leader for most of the Obama Presidency), Elizabeth Warren ( 2020 presidential candidate), Eric Cantor ( House Majority Leader, 2011–2014), and Robert Byrd ( President pro tempore of the Senate under President Bush and President Obama). Alumni have served as governors of 19 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and Guam, among others. Some alumni serving in President Trump's White House include current White House Director of Strategic Communications
Mercedes Schlapp Mercedes Schlapp ( Viana; born December 27, 1972) is an American communications specialist and political commentator for both English and Spanish media. She has served in two presidential administrations as director of specialty media under George ...
and
White House Cabinet Secretary The White House Cabinet secretary is a high-ranking position within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The White House Cabinet Secretary is the head of the Office of Cabinet Affairs within the White House Office and the p ...
Bill McGinley William "Bill" McGinley is the former White House Cabinet secretary in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump. He is an American lawyer and a former partner at the law firm Jones Day where he represented federal office holders, candi ...
. Other prominent U.S. politicians include Senator J. William Fulbright, former Secretary of State
Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...
, former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, former CIA Director
Allen Dulles Allen Welsh Dulles (, ; April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was the first civilian Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and its longest-serving director to date. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he ov ...
and his brother, former Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...
. Also, current Premier of Bermuda Edward David Burt (youngest in history) and current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bhutan Tshering Wangchuk are GW alumni. Former associate director for National Preparedness at the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
John Brinkerhoff John Richmond Brinkerhoff (January 31, 1928 – December 18, 2020) was the associate director for national preparedness of the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 1981 to 1983. Career Before joining FEMA, Brinkerhoff se ...
was a GW 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 John Scott Kirby (born August 13, 1967) is an American executive currently serving as CEO of United Airlines. He previously served as President of US Airways and American Airlines, as well as President of United Airlines from 2016 to 2020, when he ...
(MS), CEO of United Airlines,
Kathy J. Warden Kathy J. Warden is an American business executive who serves as chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman, as of 2019. Education Warden graduated from Smithsburg High School. She then earned a bachelor's degree at James Madison U ...
(MBA), President and CEO of Northrop Grumman and
John F.W. Rogers John Francis William Rogers (born April 15, 1956) is an American businessman, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Goldman Sachs. Early life Rogers was born in Seneca Falls, New York on April 15, 1956 ...
(BA), Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of
Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
. Notable company founders include
Robert A. Altman Robert Alan Altman (February 23, 1947February 3, 2021) was an American lawyer and video game executive. He worked as a lawyer in Washington, D.C. and was involved in a scandal surrounding the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. In 1999, ...
(JD), co-founder of ZeniMax Media, Elaine Wynn, co-founder of Wynn Resorts, and Tom Cortese, co-founder of Peloton.    Science and technology alumni include Julius Axelrod (PhD),
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...
and medical researcher, Ralph Asher Alpher, National Medal of Science laureate, physicist and "father" of the Big Bang theory,
Jack Edmonds Jack R. Edmonds (born April 5, 1934) is an American-born and educated computer scientist and mathematician who lived and worked in Canada for much of his life. He has made fundamental contributions to the fields of combinatorial optimization, pol ...
, noted computer scientist and mathematician and one of the creators of combinatorial optimization,
Walter O. Snelling Walter Otheman Snelling (December 13, 1880September 10, 1965) was a chemist who contributed to the development of explosives, ordnance, and liquefied petroleum gas. Early life and career Walter Otheman Snelling was born in Washington, D.C. on De ...
, 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 Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor (born April 9, 1976) is an American physician, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She visited the ISS as a flight engineer for Expedition 56/Expedition 57, 57 on the International Space Station. Education Auñón-Chanc ...
. 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 for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
winning actors
Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
and Kerry Washington are also alumni, while filmmaker and Palme d'Or recipient
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
, Oscar winning actor
Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...
and portrait painter
Ned Bittinger Edmund Stuart Bittinger (born July 4, 1951), better known by Ned Bittinger, is an American portrait painter and illustrator whose work includes the official Congressional portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Lindy Boggs for the US Capitol, as well a ...
attended the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. Journalism alumni include
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
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 John Todd Wilson (March 7, 1914 – August 4, 1990) served as president of the University of Chicago from 1975 to 1978.K. O. Dawes. "John T. Wilson, 76, ex-chief of U. of C." ''Chicago Sun-Times''. August 8, 1990. 63. Wilson was born in Punxsut ...
, president of University of Chicago.  Well known athletes and sports personnel include
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
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 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
such as
Yinka Dare Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A , center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. Early years Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Llo ...
and
Yuta Watanabe is a Japanese professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball in the United States for the George Washington Colonials, becoming the first Japanese-born student at ...
. Other notable athletes include WNBA star
Jonquel Jones Jonquel Orthea Jones (born January 5, 1994) is a Bahamian-Bosnian professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. S ...
, NFL Hall of Fame running back Tuffy Leemans, and Olympic medalist
Elena Myers Elena Myers Court (born November 21, 1993) is an American professional motorcycle racer. She made history in 2010 as the first female to win an AMA Pro Racing sprint road race. She is also the first woman to win a professional motorsports rac ...
. 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

File:Clarence Thomas official SCOTUS portrait (cropped).jpg, Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice; faculty member File:Edward Teller (1958)-LLNL.jpg, Edward Teller, nuclear physicist known as "the father of the hydrogen bomb"; faculty member File:Aguinis1.jpg,
Herman Aguinis Herman Aguinis (born 1966) is a researcher and business professor and author. He is the Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Management at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C. He has been ranked a ...
; researcher, business professor, author, and former President of the Academy of Management; faculty member File:Carte de visite portrait of Robert Cutler Hinckley, front view.jpg, Robert Cutler Hinckley, American portraitist known for portraits of eminent Americans; faculty member File:Jose Andres Puerta 2012 Shankbone 2.png, José Andrés, National Humanities Medal winning chef; faculty member File:Bragg lab1 1930 (cropped).jpg, George Gamow, physicist known for
Big Bang 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 ...
Theory; faculty member File:Portrait of David Josiah Brewer.jpg,
David J. Brewer David Josiah Brewer (June 20, 1837 – March 28, 1910) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1890 to 1910. An appointee of President Benjamin Harrison, he supported states' rig ...
, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice; faculty member File:Adm William Crowe Jr - cropped.jpg,
William J. Crowe William James Crowe Jr. (January 2, 1925 – October 18, 2007) was a United States Navy admiral and diplomat who served as the 11th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassad ...
, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman; faculty member File:Willis Van Devanter.jpg, Willis Van Devanter, former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice; faculty member File:Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994.jpg,
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
, former U.S. vice president and climate activist; faculty member File:John Marshall Harlan 1.jpg, John Marshall Harlan, former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice; faculty member File:KBJackson.jpg, Ketanji Brown Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice; faculty member File:Ferid Murad.jpg, Ferid Murad, pharmacologist and Nobel Prize winner; faculty member File:Hossein nasr.jpg,
Seyyed Hossein Nasr Seyyed Hossein Nasr (; fa, سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University. Born in Tehran, Nasr completed his education in Iran and the United St ...
, Islamic Traditionalist Philosopher; faculty member File:Marcus Raskin-IPS (cropped).jpg, Marcus Raskin, political theorist; faculty member File:William Strong, painted by Robert C. Hinckley, 1894.jpg, William Strong, former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice; faculty member File:Jonathan turley 5263504.jpg, Jonathan Turley, U.S. Constitution law scholar and Attorney for the President; faculty member File:Dr. Vincent du Vigneaud.jpg, Vincent du Vigneaud, Biochemist and Nobel Prize winner; Faculty Member File:Dana Perino (25238814459).jpg, Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary and political commentator; faculty member File:Official portrait of United States Secretary of Labor Tom Perez.jpg, Tom Perez, Chair of the Democratic National Committee and United States Secretary of Labor; faculty member File:Amy Coney Barrett official portrait.jpg, Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. Supreme Court Justice; faculty member File:WalterReed.jpeg, Walter Reed, U.S. Army Physician and pioneer in epidemiology and biomedicine. The namesake of Walter Reed Army Medical Center; faculty member
Notable GW faculty include Tom Perez, former Chair of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
; two current
Supreme Court Justices The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of ...
, Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson; George Gamow, 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 The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...
; Thomas Buergenthal, former President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; Masatoshi Koshiba, Nobel Prize in Physics winner;
Scott Pace Scott Norman Pace (born January 23, 1959) currently serves as Director of the Space Policy Institute, Director of the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy and Director of the MA International Science and Technology Policy progr ...
, current Executive Secretary of the National Space Council;
Amitai Etzioni Amitai Etzioni (; Werner Falk; born 4 January 1929) is a German-born Israeli-American sociologist, best known for his work on socioeconomics and communitarianism. He founded the Communitarian Network, a non-profit, non-partisan organization ...
, former President of the
American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
; Marshall Warren Nirenberg, Nobel Prize in Medicine winner; Edward P. Jones,
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
winner; Abba Eban, former 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 Frank Sesno is an American journalist, former CNN correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau chief, author, and former director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University. Sesno is also the creator and host o ...
, CNN former Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief and Special Correspondent;
James Carafano James Jay Carafano (born May 8, 1955) is the director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies and vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Car ...
, Heritage Foundation national security and homeland security expert; Leon Fuerth, former national security adviser to Vice President
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
;
James Rosenau James N. Rosenau (November 25, 1924 – September 9, 2011) was an American political scientist and international affairs scholar. He served as president of the International Studies Association from 1984 to 1985. Life His scholarship and teaching ...
, political theorist and former president of the International Studies Association;
Steven V. Roberts Steven V. Roberts (born February 11, 1943) is an American journalist, writer, and political commentator. Life and career Roberts was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, and graduated from Bayonne High School.Rahman, Sarah"Author Steven V. Roberts pays ...
, American journalist, writer and political commentator and former senior writer at '' U.S. News & World Report'';
Nancy E. Gary Nancy E. Gary (March 4, 1937 – May 31, 2006) was president and chief executive officer of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, executive vice president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and dea ...
, 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 Roy Richard Grinker (born 1961) is an American author and Professor of Anthropology, International Affairs, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University. Grinker is an authority on North and South Korean relations. As part of his PhD r ...
, anthropologist specializing in
autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
and North-South Korean relations, Edward P. Jones, who won the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for fiction in 2004, novelist Herman "H.G." Carrillo, historian
Jessica Krug Jessica Anne Krug (born ) is an American historian, author, and activist who taught at George Washington University (GWU) from 2012 to 2020, eventually becoming a tenured associate professor of history. Her publications include ''Fugitive Mod ...
, Dagmar R. Henney, Mohammad Nahavandian (economics), chief of staff of the President of Iran since 2013, and
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Faure is an Occitan family name meaning blacksmith, from Latin ''faber''. It is pronounced differently from the accented surname Fauré, as in Gabriel Fauré, French composer and organist. People Politicians * Dominique Faure (born 1959), Frenc ...
(MBA), president of Togo since 2005, Blake R. Van Leer, president of Georgia Tech, Colonel and Civil Rights advocate.


Controversies

On the first day of classes in August 2022, psychology professor Lara Sheehi allegedly made anti-Semitic comments to students. Students also found anti-Semitic comments on her Twitter account. In January 2023, Jewish students filed a complaint at the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). As a result of the OCR complaint, school administrators initiated a third-party investigation, contracting independent law firm Crowell & Moring LLP. In May 2023, Crowell & Moring cleared Sheehi of antisemitism charges, having found a lack of supportive evidence to prove the claims. Crowell & Moring, George Washington University administrators, and Jewish students all agreed to pursue remediation. Although George Washington administrators closed their investigation, the OCR investigation remains open.


See also

*
Campuses of George Washington University The campus of the George Washington University (GW), originated on College Hill, a site bounded by 14th Street, Columbia Road, 15th Street and Florida Avenue, NW in the Columbia Heights (Washington, D.C.), Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washingt ...
*
GW-TV ''This page describes the student-run television station of The George Washington University. See also: Great West Television'' GW-TV is the student television station at George Washington University in Washington, DC. It began on gw-tv.com i ...
*
Hail to the Buff and Blue "Hail to the Buff and Blue" is the official fight song of the George Washington University Colonials athletic teams. The song is played daily at 12:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. by the bells located atop Corcoran Hall on the University Yard. Hi ...
*
List of centers and research institutes at George Washington University A number of research centers and institutes are based at George Washington University (GW), a university in the Washington, D.C., in the United States. Among these are: List of chartered centers and institutes listed by the GW's Office of the Vic ...
*
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'' * '' United States v. Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures'' * WRGW


References


External links

*
GW Athletics website
{{coord, 38.9007, -77.0508, display=inline,title 1821 establishments in Washington, D.C. Educational institutions established in 1821 Foggy Bottom Private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C.