Keeping 19,500 Students Entertained: A Look at GW’s Program Board

Student-run organization hosts memorable entertainers and events on campus.

May 8, 2010

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By Julia Parmley

Cruises, concerts and film series — not to mention big name artists Kanye West, Ben Folds and Jason Mraz — have captivated GW students. And for almost 40 years, the daunting job of planning a wide range of student activities has fallen to the Program Board, one of GW’s largest student organizations on campus.

Executive Chair Tiffany Meehan says the Program Board’s mission is to provide GW students with a “diverse and engaging” selection of events, from lectures and concerts to fundraisers and festivals. One of the most unique aspects of the organization is that it’s entirely student run, which Ms. Meehan believes is why the organization is so successful. “Each member is a student so it gives us a special insight into what students want to see on campus,” says Ms. Meehan. “Whether it’s a political speaker or free film screenings, the Program Board always has a student working on the event.”

Funded by Student and Academic Support Services, Program Board consists of 21 student volunteers from all grade levels and is divided into three committees: executive, which includes leadership; programming, which covers eight areas including community service, grad life and arts; and support, which oversees advertising, marketing and sponsorships.

Members meet weekly to keep abreast of the myriad events the organization runs and hosts every year, some of which can take up to five months to plan. “There are so many details and logistics that go into planning an event that we like to have as much time as possible to make the event great,” says Ms. Meehan.

Annual events include Fall Fest in University Yard, which this year featured popular reggae-fusion singer Sean Kingston; a crab boat cruise on the Potomac River; Cafe Gelman, a “study break” event at the library each semester; and fall and spring film series. Ms. Meehan says Program Board is constantly looking for and brainstorming new ideas — the popular Student Art Gala, Fountain Fling and Relay for Life events were added in just the past two years. “We strive to attract the largest audience to events,” she says. “And our chairs program for topics that are in line with their own interests, so they have a better idea of how to create engaging programming.”

To publicize its events, Program Board posts news on its Web site and Facebook page, and sends out e-mails to its 4,000-member listserv. The organization recently launched a new Twitter site as well and plans to heavily promote events through the site.

Ms. Meehan, who has served on the Program Board for the past three years, says she loves planning events “that GW students will remember during their time here and after.” “My favorite events are the ones that really unite the campus and give it a community feel. The crab boat cruise brings a lot of graduate students together, and the Jason Mraz/Ben Folds concert we did in 2008 was amazing,” she says. “There’s just something really special about seeing an event you’ve worked on for months play out in front of a crowd.”