GW President
The President of The George Washington University is the institution’s chief executive officer, appointed by the Board of Trustees and mandated by it to establish the University’s vision, oversee its teaching and research mission and guide its future.
President Steven Knapp
Steven Knapp became the 16th president of The George Washington University on Aug. 1, 2007. A distinguished scholar with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education administration, Dr. Knapp previously served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The Johns Hopkins University.
As president, Dr. Knapp’s priorities include enhancing GW’s partnerships with organizations and agencies throughout the nation’s capital, increasing the institution’s preeminence in research, addressing the affordability of higher education and strengthening connections with the University’s lifelong and worldwide community of alumni. He also has convened task forces on sustainability and campus safety and security.
A proponent of fostering close community ties, Dr. Knapp serves on the board of directors of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Washington Urban League. He is a member of the executive committees of the Council on Competitiveness, Atlantic-10 and the Federal City Council. He also serves on the cabinet of the Chronicle for Higher Education and is a member of the Economic Club of Washington and the Committee for Economic Development.
A specialist in 18th- and 19th-century English literature and literary theory, Dr. Knapp served for 16 years on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where he held leadership positions in the Department of English and on university committees. He earned a master’s degree and holds a doctorate from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University. He and his wife, Diane, have two adult children, Jesse and Sarah.
Sustainability, Affordability and Community
The three strategic initiatives GW is focusing on to enhance our academic, research and service programs. Learn more about them.
The GW Experience
Students
All in the Family
Greg and Heather Hachenburg talk about their undergraduate experience at GW, one of many sibling pairs to share in the Colonials legacy.
Creating Next Generation Leaders
GW program helps female students connect with leading women across a variety of fields and develop their roles as future women in leadership.
Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom...
Faculty
Fighting Neglected Diseases
GW professor works to eradicate diseases that affect the health, education and economic development of the world's poorest people.
Building the Super Computer
Pioneering lab puts GW at the forefront of high-speed computing and offers GW students unprecedented access to science and skills of the future.
Blast From the Past
Students map an ancient—and dramatic—eruption as part of a geological research program in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alumni
Giving Back to the District of Columbia
D.C. public health director calls GW education the foundation of his career.
GW Opens Doors
A chance encounter with a GW alumna helped give one GW undergraduate, an aspiring broadcast journalist from Texas, his big break.
The Legend Lives On
The $2 million bequest commitment caps a lifetime of philanthropy and service to GW, establishing the Elyse B. and Donald R. Lehman Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics.