The George Washington University has updated its mission statement to reflect both its institutional priorities and community voice as it continues its work in an important period of alignment and renewal.
Approved at the March Board of Trustees meeting, the new mission statement is the result of discussions with the university’s leadership and key stakeholders and incorporates extensive community feedback. Through these conversations and engagements, several themes and shared priorities emerged.
Most notably, there was a desire for a mission that is aspirational and forward-looking, that celebrates GW’s unique location and that honors the university’s deep history and enduring commitment to the public good. These common threads informed the new statement, which follows:
“Since its founding in the earliest days of the nation, the George Washington University has prepared graduates to lead with integrity, resilience, and purpose. GW takes full advantage of its location in the heart of the nation’s capital to bring together diverse communities of scholars, practitioners, and professionals in service to the public good. Global in outlook and revolutionary in spirit, GW cultivates a civic-minded community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni whose work sparks creativity, advances discovery, and makes a lasting impact in their communities and around the world.”
This new mission statement provides clear, relevant and inspirational language to ensure the strategy, planning and daily work at GW are grounded in a shared sense of purpose. Taken together with GW’s new strategic framework and comprehensive brand refresh, these efforts sharpen how GW defines its priorities, communicates its identity and makes decisions across the institution early in its third century of educating future leaders in the heart of the nation’s capital.
“This mission statement reflects the collective voice of our community and will help drive our priorities and aspirations in the years ahead,” President Ellen M. Granberg said. “My hope is that every member of our community knows this mission and can see themselves in it, take ownership of it and bring it to life through their work each day.”
To develop the new statement, Granberg convened a Mission Statement Steering Committee composed of faculty, staff, students, trustees and university leaders from across all 10 schools and colleges, co-chaired by Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Scott Mory and Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs Terry Murphy. Over several months, the group engaged with stakeholders across campus, including the Faculty Senate, Staff Council and Student Government Association.
The process also included robust community feedback, which helped shape the final statement. This level of engagement mirrors the listening sessions hosted throughout the fall semester and reflects a strong, shared commitment to ensuring that GW’s mission authentically reflects the university’s identity, values and vision forward.
“What made this effort especially meaningful was the extraordinary level of enthusiasm shown across our community,” Granberg said. “From faculty and staff to students, alumni, and trustees, people brought real thoughtfulness, candor, and care to the process. That collective participation not only strengthened the final statement but also reflects a shared commitment to the future of our university and our work together as OneGW.”