In October, GW student Sloan Saunders got to shake President Barack Obama’s hand.
“It was the most amazing experience,” says Ms. Saunders, a freshman and varsity swimmer. “I can’t believe I’ve only been at GW for a few months, and now I’ve already met the president.”
Ms. Saunders was selected to greet the president when he held a Moving America Forward town hall meeting at GW’s Marvin Center that was broadcast nationwide on Oct. 12. Other students and faculty members were part of the live audience.
It was one of myriad opportunities GW students had this semester to see and hear from national and world leaders, top media and entertainment personalities, and leading policymakers.
A month before the president’s town hall, First Lady Michelle Obama joined more than 1,900 GW students to volunteer across the region on Sept. 11 as part of the university’s second annual Freshman Day of Service, dedicated this year to helping veterans.
Students and alumni got a firsthand account of the government’s efforts to contain the BP oil spill when on Sept. 24, Adm. Thad Allen, M.P.A. ’86, discussed his experiences as national incident commander and received the university’s Colin Powell Public Service Award.
Two former press secretaries shared the stage in October when Dana Perino, now an adjunct professor in GW’s Strategic Public Relations program, interviewed her Reagan administration counterpart Marlin Fitzwater.
Another Bush administration official, Karl Rove, reflected on the midterm elections and his college activist days at a GW College Republicans event in November.
The same week, the Law School welcomed a leader from another branch of government: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who discussed his seminal 1970 article on copyright at a law symposium.
GW students got first look at the Democratic National Committee’s new logo, website and slogan when DNC chair Tim Kaine unveiled them at GW. They also learned from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, about the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
In November a GW alumnus was elected to lead D.C. government when Vincent Gray, B.A. ’64, won the city’s mayoral election. Mr. Gray addressed GW’s D.C. government alumni reception later that month.
GW was the forum for major policy announcements this fall. In November, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius unveiled a new comprehensive tobacco control strategy, which included new health warnings for cigarettes, at GW’s Jack Morton Auditorium.
A few weeks later, the Department of Health and Human Services announced “Healthy People 2020,” the nation’s new 10-year goals for health promotion and disease prevention at GW.
And an announcement that the White House would install solar panels was made at the Green Gov symposium hosted by GW and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack were among the speakers at the symposium, which targeted a wide range of sustainability topics.
Leading researchers and scholars were also on campus this fall. Renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall celebrated the 50th anniversary of her pioneering research with chimpanzees in an October event at GW’s Lisner Auditorium. The university also hosted National Institute of Mental Health director Thomas Insel and Nobel laureate Ferid Murad.
The GW community had the opportunity to see three Pulitzer Prize-winning writers this semester. An evening with author Junot Diaz launched GW’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration in September. A reading and book signing by writer Jonathan Franzen was held at GW’s Lisner Auditorium later in the month.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Woodward discussed everything from his new book to WikiLeaks at an Elliott School of International Affairs event in November.
Top performers entertained GW audiences this fall. In October, Grammy Award-nominated group Barenaked Ladies performed a live concert on University Yard as part of GW’s Alumni Weekend, while comedian Jimmy Fallon headlined the university’s annual Colonials Weekend with two shows in the university’s Charles E. Smith Center.
Legendary artist Bob Dylan also performed at GW’s Charles E. Smith Center in a concert in November.
And 2011 promises to be no less action packed. GW anticipates another year of high-profile events and speakers, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will serve as the university’s Commencement speaker.