My Fellow Revs,
Each new academic year brings a familiar energy to GW. Our classrooms and labs come back to life. Theaters, studios, and galleries start humming with creative energy. Practice fields and athletic facilities buzz with the anticipation of a new season. There is a feeling of possibility in the air, and all of that makes this one of my favorite times of the year.
The excitement of this new year also comes amid a swirl of news about the challenges facing higher education, the upcoming midterm elections, the impact of artificial intelligence, and economic pressures at home and abroad. It can feel overwhelming, but it also serves as a reminder of why so many of us came to GW in the first place: to change our world for the better.
Meeting these moments of complexity is precisely what GW was built for. Here in the heart of our nation’s capital, we just don’t sit on the sidelines. As the most politically engaged university in the country, we are directly connected to the leaders, institutions, and ideas shaping our world and meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Preparing our community to lead and succeed in this changing landscape requires deliberate and visionary action right here at GW. This fall we will announce new initiatives to strengthen our campus and enhance the experience we all have learning, working, and living at this amazing institution. These initiatives have been developed through the strategic framework working groups, the AI mapping exercise, and the Foundational Excellence Initiative. Thank you to the hundreds of students, faculty, and staff who helped to shape these plans.
As I start my fourth year as your president, I have never been more confident about our ability to meet this moment, to see opportunity within challenge, and to thrive as a community. That confidence is rooted in you—GW students, faculty, and staff: in your creativity, in your resilience, and in your commitment to looking out for one another.
So as we embark on another year, let’s dream big, work hard, and keep moving forward as OneGW.
Welcome to another academic year and Raise High!
Ellen M. Granberg
President