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Mission and Heritage

Mission

The Graduate School of Education and Human Development at The George Washington University is dedicated and committed to our mission to Lead Innovation through Learning. We provide the highest quality educational services to our students, develop innovative research programs, contribute in diverse ways to local communities and the nation, and actively participate in the international community of scholarship. We believe that continuous self-examination and improvement are fundamental and our students emerge from our programs enriched in theory and practice and become agents of change in the education and human services fields. Our unique location in the nation's capital, a vibrant, multicultural and multinational center, offers a broad range of resources and opportunities to our diverse students and faculty.

Heritage

The George Washington University, which celebrated its 185th anniversary in 2006, grew out of the desire of our country's first President to establish a national institution of higher learning. When GW opened its doors in 1821 as Columbian College in the District of Columbia, it boasted three faculty members, one tutor, and 30 students in a single building.

The debt of the University to George Washington is intangible but clear. Both as president and private citizen, Washington believed the fledgling country urgently needed a national university where "Youth from all parts of the United States" might go to be educated in the arts and sciences, and to study "the principles of Politics and good Government." Washington believed the capital city, which at the time was centrally located, was the logical site for such an institution. To help cover its cost, Washington left a bequest of 50 shares of stock in the Potomac Company, a canal building enterprise. Unfortunately, the Potomac Company passed out of existence before the bequest could be realized. The effort was carried forward, however, by the Reverend Luther Rice and three friends. A tireless individual, Rice traveled from Tennessee to New England soliciting support for his idea. President James Monroe himself contributed to the cause, along with 32 members of Congress.

On February 9, 1821, President Monroe signed the Act of Congress creating Columbian College, a non-sectarian institution. In 1904, the institution was given its current name, and in 1912, it began the move to its present location in Foggy Bottom, the area George Washington had envisioned for his national university.

Today, GW's enrollment exceeds 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students across nine schools. Notable alumni and former students include J. William Fulbright, former U.S. senator and creator of the Fulbright scholarships, Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state, and Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for Veterans Affairs to name just a few. With its location in the nation's capital, the University has and continues to play host to numerous prominent national and international dignitaries/leaders.