The George Washington University

The George Washington University

Former names	Columbian College Columbian University
Motto	Latin: Deus Nobis Fiducia
Motto in English	God is Our Trust
Type	Private
Established	February 9, 1821
Endowment	$1.570 billion (2016)
Chairman	Nelson Carbonell
President	Steven Knapp
Provost	Forrest Maltzman
Academic staff	2,663
Students	26,212 (2015)
Undergraduates	10,900 (2015)
Postgraduates	14,843 (2015)
Other students	469 (2015)
Location	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Campus	Urban (Foggy Bottom) Suburban (Mount Vernon and Virginia campuses)
Colors	Buff and Blue
Nickname	Colonials
Mascot	George Washington The Colonial
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – A-10
Website	www.gwu.edu

The George Washington University (GW, GWU, or George Washington) is a private research university in Washington, D.C., U.S., primarily located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, with two satellite campuses, the Mount Vernon campus in the Foxhall neighborhood of D.C. and the Virginia Science & Technology campus in Loudoun County, Virginia. GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington, D.C.

George Washington, the first U.S. president, advocated the establishment of a centrally located national university in his first State of the Union address in 1790 and continued to promote this idea throughout his career. In his will, Washington left his 50 shares in the Potomac Company to help endow the university. However, due to the company's financial difficulties, the funding did not materialize. The university was chartered by an act of Congress on February 9, 1821, as Columbian College. Its name was changed to Columbian University in 1873 and to the George Washington University in 1904, in honor of Washington.

The university has ten colleges and schools: the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (which includes the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, the School of Media and Public Affairs, and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration); the School of Business, the Elliott School of International Affairs, the Milken Institute School of Public Health, the College of Professional Studies (which includes the Graduate School of Political Management), the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, the Law School, the School of Nursing, and the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.