My Fellow Revs,
Never in my experience, nor I suspect anyone else’s at GW, have we faced the convergence of challenges we are facing today, each one complex on its own. Together, they raise profound questions about the purpose, effectiveness, and finances of our university and of higher education itself.
In this message, I want to share some thoughts on the most pressing issues before us.
Some of these issues originate in the national landscape. Federal policy decisions continue to shape the environment in which we operate and influence our ability to fulfill our mission, including our efforts to maintain a fully inclusive community while protecting free speech and academic freedom.
Here in the District, we are feeling these national pressures in very real ways. The recent federal government shutdown has disrupted the lives of many in our community. The increased presence of federal law enforcement and the National Guard in the District has added to an already challenging atmosphere. And there is the Department of Justice letter to GW regarding allegations of antisemitism, our work to resolve the situation with the Medical Faculty Associates, and our effort to eliminate the structural deficit in our budget.
Through many conversations, emails, meetings, and events, members of our community have expressed both curiosity and concern about how GW is responding to these issues and what we plan to do next. I want to provide information and context that I hope will be helpful. Even more, I want to share with you the principles guiding university leadership as we work with all of you to navigate these currents and prepare for what’s ahead:
Put people first: In times of challenge, our chief responsibility is clear: to put people first. This is true regardless of the situation or time. Our students, faculty, and staff are the heart and soul of GW. Every decision we make is guided by our commitment to supporting one another with empathy, respect, and understanding, and creating an environment where we can all fulfill the mission of GW. Putting people first doesn’t mean avoiding hard decisions; it means approaching them with empathy and fairness. The recent layoffs have been among the most difficult choices we’ve had to make, and we made them with profound respect for those affected. We never forget that there is a person at the other end of any email or conversation.
Remember why we are here: GW’s core mission is to provide outstanding education and generate world-changing research. In achieving that mission, we must be guided by our values, especially when it’s hard to do so. Those values include the rigorous pursuit of excellence, sustaining a fully inclusive community, protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression, providing forums for expressive activity that ensure the safety of our community, and providing for the continuity of operations. The path to doing so is not always perfectly clear. For example, free expression and operational continuity might come into conflict in situations where that expression interrupts classes. In cases like this, GW’s policies regarding the appropriate time, place, and manner for free expression are critical guides. GW leaders are committed to supporting a robust expressive environment, even where that might generate political pressure or criticism, while also ensuring that our institutional policies are followed.
Be transparent, smartly: Transparency is a key element of establishing trust and ensuring appropriate accountability. We endeavor to be as transparent as possible, whenever possible, including initiatives like the financial transparency website and the new policy approval process, which are designed to improve transparency in our normal organizational practices. There are times, however, when we cannot immediately answer reasonable and legitimate questions, most often if it would jeopardize sensitive discussions or involves legal or personnel issues. This is where being “smart” about transparency is most important. While we cannot always share everything people in our community want to know when they want to know it, our commitment to you is that we will share all that we can as soon as we can. The recently announced co-funding agreement with Universal Health Services (UHS)—which owns GW Hospital—is a good example where confidentiality during negotiations was essential to achieving this outcome.
Seek advice: To make good decisions in circumstances as complex as these, it is essential to seek advice from internal and external experts who can provide wise counsel. In determining how best to respond to the actions of the federal government, for example, we have established advisory groups of faculty members with relevant expertise, sought advice and counsel from alumni and friends with insight into the specific situations, and listened to the voices of our students, faculty, and staff.
Keep the big picture in mind: Any decision that reaches me or one of the university’s other senior leaders is typically very complex and requires balancing among important values, principles, or priorities, and, unfortunately, often it will not be possible to please everyone. When handling such issues, we try to keep the big picture in mind. Decisions like budget cuts, for example, are never made lightly. In making hard decisions today, we are taking important steps towards a future in which there are more resources to support student needs, employee pay and benefits, and investments in our education and research mission.
Be accountable: As president, I am formally accountable to the Board of Trustees, and the senior leadership is formally accountable to me. But in practice, we all understand that accountability takes many forms. It means consulting actively with the Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government Association, knowing that even when we don’t fully agree, their collective input always makes our decision-making stronger. It also means showing up, being out in the community, listening, and learning directly from as many of you as possible.
Below, I include thoughts on some of the main issues facing GW right now and share more about how we are putting our guiding principles into practice. I want to be candid that we have work to do before these challenges are behind us. That said, I am confident that with the collective talent, commitment, and wisdom of our community, we will meet this moment and emerge stronger.
Every day, I draw my confidence in GW’s future from you. I find it in our students and faculty pushing the boundaries of knowledge and creativity in our classrooms, laboratories, and studios; in our staff whose dedication keeps our campus running and our mission alive; and in our dedicated alumni and friends who are rooting for us and invested in our success.
Thank you for all that you do to keep this incredible university ever raising higher.
Sincerely,
Ellen M. Granberg
President
Update Challenges Facing GW
The FY26 budget: The recent actions to reduce certain campus services and make a limited number of staff reductions, as well as the hiring freeze and on-going position management review process, were very difficult but necessary steps, materially contributing to closing the FY26 budget gap and beginning to address the structural deficit. We recognize the impact these decisions have had on affected colleagues and are committed to supporting them with care and respect, including through severance packages, benefits assistance, and outplacement services. In addition to regularly meeting with the Faculty Senate Fiscal Planning and Budgeting Committee, we will be convening a working group of faculty, staff, and students to advise the administration as we shift our focus fully to the long-term structural deficit. At this point there are no plans for additional institution-wide reductions in force. Should such a plan become necessary, we will share that information with the community as soon as it is available. We will continue to share information about the budget on a regular basis.
Status of the MFA: The financial difficulties at the MFA have been decades in the making and will not be resolved quickly. Addressing them requires care and collaboration, especially given the MFA’s essential role in medical education, research, and the delivery of high-quality healthcare across the region. For the past year I have personally been leading an effort with UHS and the MFA to resolve this situation, including highly sensitive discussions with both parties. Until recently I have not been able to share much information about these conversations due to their confidential nature, but, as was reported last week, we have made some important progress, including UHS recently agreeing to co-fund the MFA during a period of negotiation intended to bring a permanent resolution to this situation.
Status of our discussions with DOJ: On August 12, 2025, we received the Department of Justice’s letter with its findings regarding GW’s response to antisemitism on campus. We responded by requesting a meeting to discuss the findings and engage in constructive dialogue; no meeting has taken place to date. In the meantime, we are consulting with our trustees and faculty experts, and we will update the community as we can. Most important, let me reiterate that antisemitism has no place at GW, and we continue our efforts to support our Jewish community.
Additional federal law enforcement on campus: We are committed to providing a safe environment for our students, faculty, and staff through the efforts of GWPD and our coordination with external law enforcement agencies. We are also committed to compliance with legal requirements. We know some people in our community are concerned about the presence of the National Guard and ICE, especially considering the recent enforcement action at Circa and the questions it raised about the appropriate response from the university. While GWPD’s jurisdiction on campus has not changed, the reality is that our campus is fully integrated into the fabric of the city: public streets and sidewalks fall under local and federal authority whereas tap-access facilities remain under university control. External law enforcement officers may not enter tap access spaces without a proper warrant, a court order, or exigent circumstances (e.g., a medical emergency or pursuit of a fleeing felon, among others). Staff in public facing positions have received guidance to ensure both legal compliance and the safety of our community should any law enforcement official request access to a locked facility. I encourage you to review our resource page on D.C. Federalization and the weekly Federal Update emails for the most current information and resources.
Impact of the federal shutdown: This shutdown hits particularly close to home given our location, and the human toll can be felt in many ways throughout our campus and across the District and our region. My heart goes out to the many members of our community and their families, including our alumni, who have been laid off or furloughed or whose livelihood depends on the federal government. Similarly, many students have had their internships and other opportunities interrupted, which can have both educational and financial impacts. Additionally, research activity is being affected especially with many federal research offices and research facilities closed. From conversations with faculty and academic leaders, I know that professors and administrators are working with students and researchers to minimize the impact of the federal budget impasse. Our financial aid office is also working to ensure our students continue to receive their federal student aid, and we are monitoring the impact of the shutdown on grants and research funds our faculty have been awarded.
State of inclusion efforts on campus: This is a topic on the minds and in the hearts of many of us as it touches both our core mission and our core values. We are taking several steps to navigate a path forward that maintains our commitment to a campus that is fully inclusive and welcoming to all. We are working with our general counsel’s office and outside counsel to clearly understand applicable law, particularly civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in the higher education context, and to validate that our current programs meet these standards. Those legal assessments will be shared with a group of senior administrators, including leadership from the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement and representatives from the campus community, who will be charged with evaluating them and offering advice to leadership as to how we best maintain our commitment to full inclusion and equal opportunity within the bounds of the law. We will share updates with the community as this process unfolds.
State of academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus: Academic freedom and freedom of expression are foundational to the mission of our university. They safeguard the right of faculty, students, and staff to explore ideas, question assumptions, and engage in open dialogue, all of which is essential to the pursuit of knowledge. In today’s deeply polarized climate, these principles are simultaneously tested and indispensable. The university’s role is to create spaces where members of our community can bring rigor, evidence, and respect as they confront ideas that may challenge or discomfort them. Defending academic freedom and free speech does not mean endorsing every view expressed on our campus; it means upholding the conditions in which debate and discovery can flourish. With these freedoms come responsibilities: to engage in expression while honoring the dignity of others; to reflect our shared commitment to truth, respect, and understanding; and to follow GW’s policies, including its time, place, and manner guidelines, which are critical resources to addressing situations where academic freedom or free speech questions come into play.