Senior Associate Provost for International Strategy Doug Shaw emphasized the George Washington University’s proximity to global institutions as a unique advantage Friday, at the winter meeting of the Board of Trustees.
“Leveraging Washington for global impact is an area of emphasis,” he said in a presentation about the university’s international strategy. “It focuses on GW’s unique opportunities first. Our location in the heart of Washington, D.C., offers the George Washington University advantages, particularly because we’re close to powerful global institutions. Many universities must seek international engagement only far from home. We can also achieve it right on campus.”
Dr. Shaw’s presentation highlighted a busy open session, which also featured remarks from Board of Trustees Chair Nelson Carbonell, B.S. ’85, George Washington President Steven Knapp, Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero, Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Charles Garris, Student Association President Andie Dowd and Laura Taddeucci Downs, B.A. ’92, M.A. ’95, chair of the Council of Chairs.
Doug Shaw presented Friday on the university's international strategy. (Logan Werlinger/GW Today)
Global ambitions on campus
In a 15-minute presentation, Dr. Shaw said GW is uniquely positioned to fulfill the international vision outlined in its strategic plan.
“George Washington University is destined to be a great global university,” he said. “Unlike many universities, the world is here. We have such an embarrassment of riches here right at our doorstep that it will take a focused effort to derive their benefit.”
Dr. Shaw outlined steps taken to achieve that vision in the months since his summer appointment to senior associate provost, emphasizing the university's location and its focus on understanding and responding to the world’s problems. Those characteristics, he said, create opportunities to enhance the university’s global efforts.
“Responding to global human problems creates mission alignment for us with many of these powerful global institutions,” Dr. Shaw said. “That creates opportunities for us to engage with them, and that creates the possibility of partnership.”
He highlighted the U.S. Department of State, located across the street from the Elliott School of International Affairs, as an example.
“This is the kind of partner that can propel all of our activity forward,” he said. “If you asked me today who is the state department’s best university partner, I’d make an argument for GW. But I don’t want to be in the position of making an argument. I want to know.”
‘One hello and one farewell’
It has been a productive start to the spring semester, Dr. Knapp said Friday. Last month, hundreds of student, faculty and staff volunteers participated in annual MLK Day of Service projects throughout the D.C. area. On Thursday, the university announced that first-year undergraduate admissions applications for fall 2016 rose 28 percent over the previous year.
The record 25,431 applications included students representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 142 countries. The university's July announcement that it would go test-optional likely played a role in the increase, Dr. Knapp said.
“The increase is particularly strong among underrepresented students, including those who are first-generation, international, African-American and Latino,” Dr. Knapp said. “Students applying test-optional accounted for 20 percent of our applications.”
Dr. Knapp formally introduced Teresa Murphy in her new capacity as deputy provost for academic affairs Friday. The former senior associate dean for academic affairs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences began her new post Jan. 1. Dr. Knapp also took time Friday to bid farewell to departing Vice President for Human Resources Sabrina Ellis, who is leaving GW Feb. 26 for a similar position at her alma mater, New York University.
Patrick Nero provided an update on the university's athletics efforts. (Logan Werlinger/GW Today)
Athletics, Faculty Senate and Student Association updates
Mr. Nero presented on GW’s success since the implementation of its 2012 athletics strategic plan. That plan, which focused on enriching the academic experience for student-athletes, connecting them to the local community, improving athletics facilities and fielding competitive teams, has led to a string of success for GW sports.
Since the strategic plan was implemented, the university has won 14 team championships in 10 sports. Men’s and women’s basketball will appear on national television a record 27 times this season—a national TV docket that began with men’s basketball defeating Virginia as part of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon. Facility upgrades have included the 2013 unveiling of a National Mall motif at the Charles E. Smith Center and the dedication of Tucker Field at Barcroft Park.
“As you can tell, from our standpoint, the support that the board gave us in moving forward with the plan really has had a tremendously positive impact,” Mr. Nero said. “We feel it’s actually something that really has just begun for us.”
Also on Friday:
Dr. Garris updated the board on the business of the Faculty Senate, which in January voted in favor of authorizing non-tenured, regular faculty from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences to serve in the senate and voted to extend short-term authorization of the same right to non-tenured, regular faculty in the School of Nursing.
Ms. Dowd provided remarks on three priorities for the Student Association: affordability, future renovations of the Marvin Center and student health and wellness. The latter included an update on GW Listens, a peer support program.
“I’m so proud to say we’ve finished with recruitment,” she said. “The students are in a training program and are looking to begin the program at the start of the fall of 2016. GW Listens will be very beneficial for students, their mental health and help guide them to enjoy their time at GW but also know they have peers looking out for them at all times.”
Ms. Downs delivered a short presentation on the philanthropic participation of the university’s 20 academic and advisory councils. A little more than 89 percent of the 575 members of those councils made gifts to GW last year, she said, totaling $35 million.
