Chronology of The George Washington University and Foggy Bottom: 1904-2006

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GW, Foggy Bottom and The Washington Community

1904: January 23 Congress approved a name change from Columbian University to The George Washington University. The change came at the prompting of the George Washington Memorial Association.

1905: Continental blue and buff--from George Washington's military uniform--were adopted as the official school colors. The previous colors were orange and blue.

  • On February 22nd the University held its first Winter Convocation.

1906: The first GW Colonials Basketball meeting was held. The team defeated Georgetown twice, going to the Southern Conference Championship. The undergraduate courses in engineering were reorganized into a new Washington College of Engineering.

  • Black community leaders organized protests against Washington's Jim Crow laws.
  • The first horseless carriage arrived in Foggy Bottom. The first "horseless carriage," a Duryea, arrived as a curiosity with Barnum and Bailey's circus parade on May 11, 1896. The auto passed by Washington Circle, at Pennsylvania Avenue and 21st Street. At that time the Six Buildings were present, which dated from the beginnings of Washington.

1907: In its initial season the basketball team lost its first game to Virginia in Charlottesville. In the early 1900s The National College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine became a part of GW.

  • A "women's building" was opened by the University in September 1907. It was situated near the University Building at 1538 I Street. The building was the social center for young women at the College.

1908:The GW football team won the South Atlantic championship.

  • Latin was dropped from the BA requirements.
  • The College of Veterinary Medicine was organized.
The 1908 Columbian University Football Team.

1909: The undergraduate Division of Education became the Teachers College.

1910: Financial crisis: U.S. Attorney General investigated University finances. GW was forced to sell its major downtown property at 15th and H. Instruction continues without a break, but law and undergraduate classes met in rented buildings.

  • Japanese cherry trees were planted along the Tidal Basin. By 1915 they bloomed.

1912-1924: The Second Relocation.

1912: The University borrowed from Riggs Bank to buy property at 2023 G Street (present site of Lisner Hall) to house all of its arts and science departments.

  • There were a total of nine inhabited Foggy Bottom alleys.

1912-1916: The University bought additional land and buildings in the G Street area of Foggy Bottom.

  • The Sphinx Honor Society was organized in the fall for the purpose of promoting high scholarship and interest in college activities among the women students of the university.


Through the urging of Dr. Stockton, the Department of Arts and Sciences was moved in 1912 to 2023 G Street, the area that George Washington himself selected as the site for "his" University. Foggy Bottom was established as the new central location.

1913: The Law School, reversing its decision of 20 years earlier, admitted five women as students.

1914: Heurich constructed a new icehouse and converted the old one to a storehouse for beer.

  • Construction began on the Lincoln Memorial.

1915: The Menorah Society was organized on the GW campus, a constituent of the Intercollegiate Menorah Society, for the study and promotion of Jewish culture and ideals.

1917: The U.S. entered World War I. GW mustered the Second Company of Coast Artillery, which later saw action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

  • Women suffragists picketed the White House, prompting riots and disorders. Leaders, including several prominent Washingtonians, were arrested.

1918: The war led to rapid population growth for the city: from 350,000 in 1914 to 526,000 by the end of 1918.

  • Prohibition began.

1919: Merchant-philanthropist Abram Lisner paid off all the debt ($24,500) on the G Street property.

  • Race riots and street fighting broke out in Washington and Chicago.

1920: Zoning was introduced in 1920.

  • The National Capital Park and Planning commission was established. Residential neighborhoods are expanded.

1921: GW celebrated the centennial of the founding of Columbian College.


Quigley's Pharmacy was the social “hangout” for GW students after the move to Foggy Bottom.


1922: The Lincoln Memorial was completed.

1924: Trustees rejected a takeover bid by the Baptist Convention.

  • Corcoran Hall on 21st Street became the University's first completed construction project in Foggy Bottom.
  • Construction was completed on GW's first gymnasium, the "Tin Tabernacle," which stood in what is now the University Yard.
  • The Washington Senators won the World Series.
  • St. Stephens constructed the St. Stephen's School. The building now housing the National Academy of Sciences was opened.

1925: November 14: Stockton Hall, the new Law School building at 20th and H streets, was dedicated.

1926: The Parkway was built during the 1930s as part of a larger plan sponsored by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, formed in 1926 to introduce more rational planning into the city's physical development.

1927: GW historian Samuel Flagg Bemis won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his work Pinckney's Treaty.

  • Economist Cloyd Heck Marvin, previously President of the University of Arizona, signed on for what was to be a 32-year presidency at GW.
  • The first annual Cherry Blossom Festival was held in Washington.

1928: President Marvin established the School of Government, independent of the Columbian College. Its curriculum included business and international affairs.

  • A School of Library Science was organized. It continued in operation until 1941.

1929: The 1929 Cherry Tree was dedicated to Elmer Louis Kayser, who as student, Alumnus, Professor and Secretary, devoted his efforts in earnest service to The George Washington University.

1930: The Men's Glee Club, led by Dr. Robert Harmon, took first place in the 14th Annual Intercollegiate Glee Club Contest at Carnegie Hall. It was the first time the GW club competed.

1932: The George Washington University Law Review began publication.

  • Thousands of World War I veterans staged the Bonus March, demanding war benefits and camping out on the Anacostia Flats. The men were evicted by troops led by General Douglas MacArthur. General MacArthur was the grandson of Arthur MacArthur, first Chancellor of the National University. National merged with GW in 1954.

1934: Almost 200,000 people were out of work in Washington, D.C.

  • Trustees authorized construction of Lisner Hall on G Street and received Mrs. Henry Alvah Strong's gift of $200,000 to build a women's dormitory.
  • Congress passed the District of Columbia Alley Dwelling Act.
  • The building housing the American Pharmaceutical Association was opened.

1935: The Naval Medical Center was established at the Naval Observatory. It remained in Foggy Bottom until after the Second World War when it moved to Bethesda.


George Gamow (1904-1968) was an internationally well-known author and nuclear physicist. He was the chief proponent of the big bang theory, according to which the universe was formed in a colossal explosion that took place billions of years ago. In addition, his work on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) made a basic contribution to modern genetic theory. Gamow was professor of theoretical physics at George Washington University from 1934-56.



1935-1937: Pro-peace and anti-fascist demonstrations caused rifts between students and administration.

1935-1936: Newly built Bell and Stuart Halls were ready for occupancy.

1936: The GW Law School was made a graduate school; a bachelor's degree was required for admission.

1937:The Department of the Interior building was finished.

  • The Federal Reserve buildings were completed.

1938: Construction was completed on the Hall of Government, 21st and G Streets.


In the 1930s, The George Washington University served as a center of activity for theoretical physicists and as the backdrop for some of the most important conferences on theoretical physics ever held. It was on this campus that one of the most dramatic announcements of the century was made. The news that physicist Otto Hahn in Berlin had successfully split an atom was made on January 26, 1939. The Fifth Washington Conference on Theoretical Physics, hosted by faculty members George Gamow and Edward Teller and attended by distinguished physicists from all over the world, listened as Niels Bohr of Copenhagen read the telegram with the amazing news. The development gave GW a prominent place in scientific history.



1939: Lisner Library (now Lisner Hall) opened as the University's first separate library facility.

  • Physicist Niels Bohr, in the company of Enrico Fermi and GW professors Edward Teller and George Gamow, announced the discovery of the fissionable nature of uranium at a conference at GW.
  • African-American singer Marian Anderson, denied permission to sing in the DAR's Constitution Hall, gave a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. More than 75,000 attended.
  • By the later 1930s there were five African-American churches in Foggy Bottom.

1940s: The Titanic Memorial was located along the waterfront. It was relocated to Washington Channel and Fort McNair.

  • During the 1940s the Virginia Avenue Tunnel under 23rd Street was opened. (23rd Street was widened in the process)

1941: The GW Football team joined the Southern Conference.

1941-1945: The University offered 387 courses to nearly 13,000 wartime students under a contract with the U.S. Office of Education for Engineering, Science and Management War Training.

World War II: An estimated 7,000 GW graduates served in the armed forces.

1942: The Jefferson Memorial was completed and dedicated.

1943: The Pentagon was completed and was immediately put to full use in the war effort.

  • In 1943 the Alley Dwelling Authority became the National Capital Housing Authority.

1946: Lisner Auditorium hosted its first commercial production, Ingrid Bergman starring in Maxwell Anderson's "Joan of Lorraine." The new auditorium was segregated, like much of Washington at the time. Ingrid Bergman joined by other protestors objected to the exclusion of African Americans.

  • First daughter Margaret Truman received a BA. Her father, President Harry Truman, was awarded an honorary doctorate the same day.

1947: The State Department moved into a new building at 23rd and D Streets.

  • The Washington Gas Light Company announced plans to remove its gas facility at 26th and G Streets.

1948: "George 1," the GW Mascot became the official mascot.

  • St. Paul's Episcopal Church moved to make way for the new hospital.

1949: The elevated Whitehurst Freeway, connecting downtown with Georgetown and the Key Bridge to Virginia was built.

1950: The Census showed that a record 813,000 people live in Washington.

  • All the public swimming pools in D.C. were desegregated.
  • Foggy Bottom (23rd street to river) could still claim to be a low-income residential and industrial area.
  • Government planners began targeting Foggy Bottom for redevelopment. However, private renovation had begun to the point where the area's housing no longer met the definition of a "blighted area."

1954: The National University Law School, founded in 1869, became part of GW's law school.

  • GW abolished all restrictions on minority student admissions. The new policy was to be in effect by 1955.
  • The last tanks of Washington Gas Light Company were removed.

1954-1955: The D.C. public schools were desegregated.

1955: Foggy Bottom was listed as an urban renewal project area. (West of 23rd Street)

  • Zoning was changed to allow the corporation to apply for a building permit to start the first phase of the Potomac Plaza project. The permit, submitted in October 1955, outlined plans for the construction of an eight-story, 274 unit, apartment building.
  • May: The Foggy Bottom Restoration Association was formed. Its first meeting was held at the Immaculate Conception Academy, 24th and K Street. (West of 23rd Street) The FBRA was organized so local residents could seek help from the Redevelopment Land Agency and the National Capital Planning Commission.
  • October: The Urban Renewal Operations Committee recommended to the NCPC Board of Commissioners that both a Foggy Bottom Urban renewal area and GW Urban Renewal area be established. However, so much renovation and development occurred that neither area used the urban renewal process.

1956: The Board of Trustees wrote a special report to the District Commissioners requesting approval of the proposed boundaries of the George Washington urban renewal area.

1957: The Arena Stage moved to the former Heurich Brewery in Foggy Bottom.

1958: Zoning decisions allowed for high-rise development in Foggy Bottom.

1959: The trustees approved creation of the National Law Center, which included the Law School, the Graduate School of Public Law and related research activities and publications.

  • Construction began on the Capital Beltway.
  • The Foggy Bottom Association was founded.

1960: The School of Government was renamed the School of Government, Business, and International Affairs.

  • The population of D.C. was 764,000--50,000 less than a decade earlier--but the suburbs were booming.
  • The Heurich Brewery closed.

1961: The Twenty-Third Amendment to the Constitution, giving D.C. residents the right to vote for U.S. president, was ratified.

  • The State Department headquarters building was opened.
  • The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, The Inner Loop and Washington Circle tunnel were completed.
  • The Heurich Brewery was demolished in 1961 and 1962.
  • April: The NCPC adopted an urban renewal plan for Columbia Plaza, the District commissioners approved it on May 12.

1962: GW awarded an honorary degree to President John F. Kennedy.

1963: A national civil rights March for Jobs and Freedom heard Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

1964: The Roosevelt Bridge was dedicated.

  • December: President Lyndon B. Johnson broke ground for the Kennedy Center.

1965: Lloyd Hartman Elliott was named the 14th President for the University. The Watergate complex's first condominium was opened. The complex was finished after 1970 and consisted of two apartment buildings, two office buildings, a luxury hotel, two shopping areas and restaurants.



Dr. Lloyd H. Elliott was President of The George Washington University from 1965 to 1988. Dr. Elliott became University President during the turbulent years of the Vietnam Era and the student protests. By the end of his tenure Dr. Elliott had brought to the University financial stability and continued growth through academic development and his many building programs.

As Dr. Elliott considered libraries to be the backbone of any campus, his proudest achievement was the building of the three libraries currently at the campus: the Melvin Gelman Library, the Jacob Burns Law Library, and the Paul Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library. In addition to the library projects, the Academic Center, (comprised of Smith, Rome and Phillips Halls), Funger Hall and the National Law Center's Theodore N. Lerner Hall were completed. The Charles E. Smith Center for Physical Education and Athletics, which replaced the old "Tin Tabernacle," was completed and in use in 1970. In that same year Dr. Elliott opened the Cloyd Heck Marvin Student Center.


1966: The School of Government, Business and International Affairs was divided into the School of Public and International Affairs and the School of Government and Business Administration.

  • The GW football team played its last season. Football at GW was discontinued at the end of the 1966-1967 season.

1967: The District's commission form of government was abolished. President Johnson appointed Walter Washington mayor.

  • University President Elliott barred recruiters from campus when he learned that students might be drafted for interfering with recruiters on college campuses.
  • November: The first buildings were officially opened at Columbia Plaza.

1968: More than 2,000 students attended a rally in the University Yard opposing the House Un-American Activities Committee--Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman spoke.

  • April 4-6: A wave of rioting hit Washington in the wake of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., causing extensive damage.
  • President Johnson called out federal troops.
  • February: The WMATA Board adopted the name "Metro."

1969: Forty members of Students for a Democratic Society seized Maury Hall, home of the Sino-Soviet Institute, to protest University complicity with the Vietnam War.

  • December: A ceremonial groundbreaking for "Metro" took place at Judiciary Square.

1970: May: Students went on strike to protest the invasion of Cambodia and the killings at Kent State. The University provided a "sanctuary" for anti-war demonstrators.

  • The Marvin Center opened, but the barbershop inside it soon closed. "I guess it's just this long hair thing," said the proprietor.
  • St. Mary's Court continued as a low-income housing project until 1972 when the decision was made to demolish the site. A Parking lot for GW University stood on the site until 1978 when the ground was broken to construct housing for the elderly. The new St. Mary's Court was sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and included a professional services center staffed by GW.

1973: The University Library, begun in 1970, was completed. The building was named the Melvin Gelman Library in 1980.

  • The School of Medicine and Health Sciences relocated from 13th and H Streets to Ross Hall on the Foggy Bottom campus. For the first time since 1912, the University was located in one area.

1973-1974: Women's Studies was offered as a graduate program.

1974: President Lloyd Elliott flew to Iran to give the Shah an honorary degree.

  • President Nixon resigned, following the Watergate scandal.

1975: The Charles E. Smith Center was completed, giving GW its first on-campus sports arena.

1976: The Student Association was established in April 1976. Membership included all full-time, part-time, graduate, professional and undergraduate students who were registered for academic credit.

1977: Foggy Bottom metro stop opened.

1979: To resolve a controversy over planned expansion on Pennsylvania Avenue, President Lloyd Elliott agreed that Red Lion Row would remain standing, to be incorporated into the new building.

  • Quigley's closed. This fact highlighted the decline of G Street as the campus center.

1980s: A portion of Foggy Bottom was given national historic status. The Historic District covered sections of squares 16, 17,28 and 29 and bounded by K, 26th, H, 24th and New Hampshire Avenue.

1981: The attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan put GW Hospital in the spotlight as it successfully treats the wounded president.

1984: Gelman Library acquired its one-millionth volume and added it to the distinguished "Washingtoniana" collection.

1987: Benjamin Franklin University, a Washington institution offering degrees in accounting and finance, merged with GW.

1988: Stephen Joel Trachtenberg became GW President, replacing Lloyd Elliott. The School of Public and International Affairs was renamed the Elliott School of International Affairs.

President Trachtenberg affirmed his commitment to the importance of teaching at the University with the establishment of the University Teaching Center. He also created the 21st Century Scholars program, allowing high school students within the District of Columbia to attend the University and participate in aspects of campus life. President Trachtenberg has endorsed and advanced policies designed to increase excellence in research, graduate and undergraduate liberal arts education, and budgetary stability and quality management for the University. Between August 28, 1995, and May 19, 1996, the University celebrated its 175th Anniversary.


1990: Gelman Library bid farewell to its card catalog. The records of GW's library, and those of other Washington-area university libraries, were now available on a computer network named Aladin.

  • The undergraduate Honors Program started up, part of a growing drive for academic excellence.
GW broke ground on its Virginia Campus on July 16, 1990, in Loudoun County, VA.



1991: The Virginia Campus opened in Loudoun County.

  • President Reagan visited GW on the tenth anniversary of his life-saving surgery at GW Hospital, received an honorary degree, and surprised millions by endorsing the Brady Bill for handgun control.

1993: The men's basketball team made it to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" for the first time.

  • The University hosted the press activities for the inauguration of President Clinton. The Marvin Center held its own inaugural ball.

1994: The University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement to make GW a model "Green University."

  • March: Court cases by local residents prevented the relocation of WETA to The George Washington University. WETA moved to new facilities in Arlington County.

1995: November 11: GW's Svetlana Vtyurina scored her 2,933rd kill, a new all-time record in women's collegiate volleyball.

1995-1996: GW celebrated its 175th anniversary with a year of convocations, exhibits, reunions and special events.


To commemorate this special occasion, symposia, conferences, exhibitions and performances were held. On February 9th, 1996, Charter Day/Homecoming weekend, the University held a special convocation and a birthday gala at historic Union Station. This event was accompanied by other celebrations and the Homecoming basketball games. Also, in 1996, a new photographic history of the University entitled From Strength to Strength was published.



1996: Nobel Prize winner Leon Max Lederman inaugurated GW's Laureate Lecture Series.

  • Patches from GW's AIDS memorial quilt were exhibited at the Colonnade Gallery.
  • GW named Donald R. Lehman Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • GW's solar car was crowned world champion at World Solar Car Rally.
  • Greek Island Moments was remembered in "Landscapes of Corfu, 1996"--at GW's Dimock Gallery December 12- January 31.
  • GW/Foggy Bottom participated in the second clean-up efforts.
  • GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was honored with the B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award.
  • The Kiev Collection, an extensive Judaica literary collection, was donated to GW's Gelman Library.
  • Katie Koestner addressed date rape and alcohol at GW's first "Issues Awareness Night."
  • GW hosted America's Black Forum taping of "Election '96: Where To, Black America."
  • GW press releases became available on the World Wide Web.
  • The Event Management Program at GW received full accreditation by the International Special Events Society.
  • GW hosted D.C. component of nationwide U.N. women's conference follow-up to Beijing on Sept. 28, 1996.

1997: F. David Fowler retired as Dean of GW's School of Business and Public Management.

  • Bill Cosby addressed the graduates at GW's commencement on the Ellipse May 18th. Bill Cosby joined Elizabeth Campbell, I. Bernard Cohen and Laszlo Tauber in receiving honorary doctoral degrees
  • GW's Laureate Lecture Series welcomed "The Poet Laureate of Black Women and Sensitive Souls Everywhere,"
  • GW hosted its second presidential inaugural ball.
  • The women's basketball team went to the "Elite Eight" in the NCAA--the first time for a GW team.
  • Nobel Laureate Franco Modigliani spoke at GW on May 5.
  • W's "Travel Minute" was expanded to global reach through the Internet.
  • Gorbachev spoke at GW April 15th.
  • History met high-tech as GW opened its neo-classic residence hall.
  • GW Professor Susan J. Tolchin received the Marshall Dimock Award from the American Society for Public Administration.
  • Allan B. Weingold, M.D., Vice President for Medical Affairs, retired, John F. Williams, M.D., Ed.D. was named acting VPMA.
  • GW began a partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library in publishing the Shakespeare Quarterly.
  • Patricia Shakow and Gauttam Adhikari were named the first Shapiro Fellows in GW School of Media and Public Affairs.
  • GW's School of Business and Public Management honored Tomas Gonzalez Sada as International CEO of the Year.
  • Ambassador William J. Crowe was named Shapiro Professor in GW's Elliott School of International Affairs.
  • President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Attorney General Reno participated in a White House Conference on hate crimes hosted by GW.
  • The first annual Lura Bradfield Foundation Lecture and Awards Ceremony was held at GW Oct. 28th.
  • University Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr won the award for best course in America in science and religion.
  • Political humorist Mark Russell broadcasted a live performance on PBS from GW's Marvin Center Theater.
  • GW honored Washington journalism legend Charles W. Puffenbarger with a memorial tribute.

1998: GW and Mount Vernon College began an eighteen-month transition to "The George Washington University at Mount Vernon College."

  • GW dedicated the America's Gate at a ceremony honoring Trustee Emilio A. Fernandez.
  • GW's 1998 Commencement on the Ellipse Honored Sen. Bob Dole and over 3,500 GW graduates.
  • Sen. John Glenn discussed his return to space on the shuttle Discovery during space day symposium at GW.
  • D.C. Council Chair Linda W. Cropp addressed the graduates at the Mount Vernon College Commencement on May 10th.
  • The 1998 Trachtenberg Teaching Prize was awarded to GW Religion Professor Harry Yeide.
  • The 1998 Trachtenberg Prize for University Service was awarded to GW Statistics Professor Arthur Kirsch.
  • Dr. Susan Phillips, Federal Reserve Board of Governors member, was named dean of GW's School of Business And Public Management.
  • GW's annual block party promoted artistic expression as a stress reliever.
  • GW and Manna, Inc. celebrated Earth Day and National Volunteer Week with the Shaw neighborhood cleanup.
  • "Washington's Broadcast Legacy" exhibit opened at GW's Colonnade Gallery.
  • GW Parliamentary Debate Society hosted the National Debate Championship.
  • GW students won the 1998 National MBA case competition.
  • The 1998 Trachtenberg Prize For Research Scholarship was awarded to GW Public Administration Professor Susan J. Tolchin.
  • Turkish Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir addressed the GW Community as part of international week festivities.
  • GW's accelerated master's degree for tourism and hospitality professionals received full approval from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • GW hosted the Greek Forum on Current Events.
  • The DC Council declared January 22nd "Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Day."
  • Five-time Grammy Award winning composer John Corigliano received The George Washington University President's Medal.
  • The GW Libraries were accepted into the Association of Research Libraries.
  • The Dalai Lama spoke at GW November 10th.
  • GW made the Black Entertainment Magazine's list of top 50 colleges for African Americans.
  • Japanese firms gave $1 Million to help create a Japan-U.S. Relations Chair in GW's Elliott School of International Affairs.
  • GW received the top award from EPA for improving the environment.
  • The Starr Foundation awarded a grant to GW's Elliott School for the Mid-Career Scholars Program.
  • The Foggy Bottom Association celebrated its 40th anniversary with multiple programs from June 10th to June 19th.
  • The American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation honored Alexander Pushkin.

1999: GW bought the former Howard Johnsons.

  • Mayor Anthony Williams addressed The George Washington University Law School Commencement on Sunday, May 30th.
  • GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg received an honorary degree from Boston University on May 23rd.
  • UPI's Helen Thomas addressed the graduates at Mount Vernon College's last commencement May 16th.
  • South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed GW graduates at the May 16th commencement.
  • GW Students were among 40 Marshall Scholars.
  • The Board of Zoning approved the GW at Mount Vernon Campus.
  • Jack Morton contributed $1 Million to GW's New Media and Public Affairs Building.
  • GW earned full NCAA division I certification for GW athletics.
  • The GW Center for Excellence in Municipal Management received the National Bridge Builders Award.
  • Robert and Jan Davidson contributed $500,000 to support GW's Center for Distance and Mediated Learning.
  • Talk show host Larry King endowed $1 Million to GW's School of Media and Public Affairs.
  • GW received a one million dollar bequest from alumna Mei Yuen Hoover to establish scholarships for disabled students.
  • GW Elliott School alumnus Admiral Joseph W. Prueher was unanimously confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to The People's Republic of China.
  • The University held its Millennium convocation on November 16th.
  • GW Professor and choreographer Maida Withers was the Guest Artist at the International Dance Festival.
  • GW and CBS collaborated on a radio series with Walter Cronkite.
  • GW was named the top environmental management school for the second consecutive year.

2000: Prestigious Bunsen-Kirchhoff Prize awarded to a GW student, John McLean.

  • Student artists from Loudoun County Public Schools exhibited at GW Virginia Campus, January 24 - February 28, 2001.
  • GW hosted party celebrating the District of Columbia's 200th Birthday.
  • GW's Columbian School of Arts and Sciences approved an undergraduate major in Women's Studies.
  • 2000 Politics Online Conference examined political internet innovations during the 2000 election season Monday, December 4.
  • Former Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs Bill Ownes discussed future of U.S. national security.
  • GW housed new National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Training Academy.
  • Secretary of Education Richard Riley spoke at GW campus Dialogue on Race and Diversity.
  • GW Doctoral recipient wins prize for Best Dissertation in American Studies.
  • GW University Club presented first Annual Book Fair.
  • GW faculty authors sign books at Gelman Library reception.
  • GW forms new Public Policy Institute.
  • GW received $978,000 grant from Pew Charitable Trusts For Congress Online Project.
  • GW Trustees expanded Honors Program to Mount Vernon Campus.
  • Filmmaker John Waters spoke to GW students October 18.
  • Gretchen Kline King joined GW as Director of Media Relations.
  • GW logs on to Globalization of the Classroom.
  • New GW Gelman Library exhibit highlighted presidential election losers.
  • GW's Harmon Choral Associates dedicated Bronze Bust Sept. 23 in honor of Professor Robert Howe Harmon.
  • Statue of immortal Russian Poet, Alexander Pushkin, was dedicated on GW's Campus, September 20.
  • GW celebrated Alumni Weekend 2000 - "Building a Tradition Together" September 22 - 24.
  • GW ceremony on September 5 honored Costa Rican President and broke ground for new International Affairs Building.
  • High school students from every state and over 35 countries arrived in Washington, D.C. participating in Hugh O'Brien Youth World Leadership Congress.
  • GW hosted Mayor Williams' Public/Private Partnership Conference.
  • "A Celebration of Academic Excellence in D.C. Public Schools" was held at GW May 31.
  • GW Y2K Group Panel Program looked at possible Y2K-related technology problems.
  • GW made the Peace Corps' list of top 25 volunteer-producing universities and colleges.
  • GW's "The Birth of Two Democracies" exhibition opened With a visit from the President of Israel.

GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and Urban Institute President Robert Reischauer introduced George Washington Institute of Public Policy at May 3 lecture and reception.

  • GW Department of Theatre and Dance staged world premiere of "Enchanted Night" April 12 - 15.


The University Archives booth at GW's Colonials Weekend, 2005



Dr. Steven Knapp was elected by the Board of Trustees as GW's 16th President. Formerly Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs of The Johns Hopkins University, President Knapp assumed office August 1, 2007. He succeeded GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.




Sources:

  • Building a University; an article published in IT Magazine by G. David and Blanche Anderson, 1994.
  • City of Magnificent Intentions: A History of Washington, District of Columbia, by Keith Melder, second edition. Washington D.C. and Silver Spring, Maryland, Intac, Inc., 1997.
  • Foggy Bottom 1800-1975: A Study in the Uses of an Urban Neighborhood, by Suzanne Berry Sherwood, GW Washington Studies, No. 7, Center for Washington Area Studies, The George Washington University, 1974, GW Magazine, 1996
  • Michelin Tourist Guide to Washington, D.C. Michelin Travel Publications, Greenville, SC. 1977.
  • GW Press releases 1996-1999
  • Washington At Home: An Illustrated History of Neighborhoods in the Nation's Capital, Kathryn Schneider Smith, editor. "Foggy Bottom Blue-Collar Neighborhood in a White-Collar Town," by Suzanne Sherwood Unger, 1988.
  • Washington Evening Star
  • Washington Post
  • Washington, D.C.: The Complete Guide, 1994-1995 edition. by Judy Duffield, William Kramer & Cynthia Sheppard.
  • Bricks Without Straw, Elmer L.Kayser, 1970.

Document Information

Images: 0
Photographic Credit: n/a
Author or Source: See Endnotes
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: December 21, 2006
Prepared by: G. David Anderson, University Archivist and Historian

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