The George Washington University (GW, GWU, or George Washington)
is a clandestine, coeducational research university situated in the Foggy
Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with two other colleges comprising the
Mount Vernon College in the Fox hall neighborhood, as well as the Virginia
Science & Technology College in Loudoun County, Virginia. GW is the biggest
organization of higher education in the District of Columbia. George Washington,
the first president of the United States, had signified to Congress through
various letters, as well as his last will and testimony that he wished to launch
a university within the nation's capital. Washington left 50 shares of the Potomac
Company in his property for a national university in the District of Columbia. But,
due to the company's economic status, the university never received the shares.
The university was contracted by an Act of Congress on February 9, 1821, as the
Columbian College in the District of
Columbia. In 1904, it was renamed in honor of Washington to George
Washington University. The university has 10 colleges and schools: the School
of Media and Public Affairs, and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and
Public Administration), the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (which
includes the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design,;, the College of
Professional Studies (which includes the Graduate School of Political
Management), the School of Business, the Elliott School of International
Affairs, the Milken Institute School of Public Health, the George Washington
University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, , the School of
Engineering and Applied Science the Law School, the Graduate School of
Education and Human Development, and the School of Nursing. George Washington
is regularly graded by The Princeton Review in the top "Most
Politically Active" Schools. Some of the university's graduates have gone
on to top positions within both the U.S. government and foreign governments. Some
of the notable alumni comprise Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, former Secretary
of State Colin Powell, and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The school
colors are buff and blue, and the sports teams and current and former students
in general are called the Colonials.
History
Historical
records showed that the first president of the United States, President George
Washington, had made suggestions to Congress that he desired to have a
university established in the capital of the United States. He offered numerous
letters to Congress and included the subject in his last will and testimony. Baptist
missionary and leading minister Luther Rice raised funds to acquire a site for
a college to educate citizens from all over the young nation in Washington,
D.C. A large building was built on College Hill, which is now known as Meridian
Hill, and on February 9, 1821, President James Monroe accepted the congressional
charter creating the non-denominational Columbian College in the District of
Columbia. The first initiation in 1824 was considered an important incident
for the young city of Washington, D.C. In presence were President Monroe, Henry
Clay, John C. Calhoun, Marquis de
Lafayette and other dignitaries. During the Civil War, most students joined the
Confederacy and the college's buildings were used as a hospital and barracks. Walt
Whitman was amongst many of the volunteers to work on the campus. Following the
war, in 1873, Columbian College became the Columbian University and shifted to
an urban downtown region centered on 15th and H streets, NW.
In 1904, Columbian University was
renamed to the George Washington University in an accord with the George
Washington Memorial Association to build a construction in honor of the first
U.S. President. Neither the association nor the university was able to raise adequate
money for the proposed building near the National Mall; nevertheless, the
institution preserved the name. Ultimately the association makes a contribution
of the remaining funds that had been raised to the University for the Expansion
of Lisner Auditorium. The university shifted its principal operations to the
D.C. neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in 1912.The George Washington University, similar
to much of Washington, D.C., traces many of its geneses back to the Freemasons.
The Bible that the presidents of the university use to vow an oath on upon inaugural
ceremony is the Bible of Freemason George Washington. Freemasonry symbols are notably
displayed all over the campus including the foundation stones of many of the
university buildings. Many Colleges of the George Washington University be
prominent for their age and history. The Law School is the oldest law school in
the District of Columbia. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the
11th oldest medical school in the US. The Columbian College was established in
1821, and is the oldest unit of the university. The Elliott School of
International Affairs was officialized in 1898.
