During its first year, The Urban Food Task Force (UFTF) focused on identifying ways in which GW might further support scholarship and instruction on food and health issues, sustainable food policies and related issues; provided practical information on and training in healthy eating and food preparation to interested students and the greater GW community; and worked with campus food service providers to develop healthier and more sustainable offerings. Throughout the year, task force members met with deans and senior administrators to keep them abreast of UFTF’s goals and activities.

Learn more about the Urban Food Task Force's first year by reading the full 2010-11 Report.

Mission Statement

The Urban Food Task Force is an initiative of George Washington faculty, students, staff, and volunteers who share an interest in healthy eating, sustainable food production, and food policy. Its mission is to identify and recommend ways in which the university might further support scholarship and instruction on sustainable urban food policies and related issues; provide practical information on, and training in, healthy eating and food preparation to interested students and the greater GW community; and offer healthy and sustainable food choices to students, faculty and staff.

Urban Food Task Force Members, 2010 - Present
  

Contact the Urban Food Task Force directly by emailing gwufoodtaskforce@gmail.com.
 

Welcome, and thanks for your interest in the Urban Food Task Force at GW! The Urban Food Task Force is an initiative of George Washington faculty, students, staff, and volunteers who share an interest in healthy eating, sustainable food production, and food policy.

Chef and the Garden Classes

The Urban Food Task Force will offer the Chef in the Garden course again this year. The 8-week session starts on May 29. If you’re interested, email fstreet@gwu.edu with your name, GW affiliation (staff, student, faculty), and we will be in touch. Space is limited! You can view the last course's lessons, and if you have a cooking question for University Chef Robert Donis, don't hesitate to Ask the Chef. 

Urban Food Task Force Establishes Award Fund

The GW Urban Food Task Force is happy to announce that it will begin to award a Staff Recognition Prize GW employees who have contributed significantly to the promotion of healthy eating or food access either within or beyond the GW community.  The deadline to apply for an award was March 8, 2013.  Prizes will be awarded in April.

The deadline has been extended to Thursday, March 8, 2012!

The George Washington University Office of University Events is holding an open competition for the 2012 Commencement student speaker.

ELIGIBILTY:

• Any student (undergraduate, graduate, on-campus, distance learning, etc.) who has completed or will complete graduation requirements after May 15, 2011 (i.e. students who earned their degrees in Fall 2011 or will earn their degree in Spring 2012 or Summer 2012) is eligible.
• Good academic standing

PROCESS:

Click here to submit the following materials by March 1, 2012:

1. Biography (150 words or less)
2. Video link (Youtube, vimeo, etc.) – speech three minutes in duration
3. Note: This video is an audition designed to evaluate the students’ speaking and presentation skills, so the speech in the video should be the speech that the student will give on the National Mall.
4. Text of your speech

Up to ten finalists will be asked to audition in person (or live Skype) their speeches to the Commencement Student Speaker Committee on April 20, 2012. The committee will select a winner shortly thereafter.

WINNER RECEIVES:

• Six reserved seating Commencement tickets on the National Mall
• Photo with Commencement speaker
• Invitation to special receptions for self and two guests
• Commemorative Commencement photo CD

Questions, comments or concerns, contact Office of University Events at 202-994-7129 or commencement@gwu.edu.

The Department of Campus Recreation manages an array of fitness and wellness programs and services. These programs and services – many of them free – are available to GW students, faculty and staff with memberships to the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.

Fitness Programs

Group Fitness
Certified group fitness instructors will lead you through exercises to reduce stress, increase energy levels and keep motivated.

Extreme Training
These high-intensity training sessions are designed to burn calories and increase strength, endurance, speed, agility and core stabilization.

Fitness Assessments & Orientation
A complete medical/health history questionnaire and a 30-minute series of tests measure or provide the following:

• Resting heart rate/blood pressure
• Body composition
• Cardiovascular fitness and endurance
• Muscular strength and endurance
• Flexibility
• Introduction to the center’s fitness equipment

Personal Training

Certified personal trainers design the individual exercise program you need to achieve personal fitness goals. The trainers take into account your fitness goals, your fitness level and your experience – and they keep you motivated.

Wellness Programs

Campus Recreation Incentive Program
Work out, earn points and win prizes! Participants earn points and prizes for participating in a variety of fitness and wellness activities.

Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is a dynamic process marked by change and growth. It is physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social and environmental. Understanding each dimension is vital in the pursuit of optimum health.

Nutrition Services
Working with your personal goals, a Certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant puts you on the path to a healthy lifestyle. Our Registered Dietitian is available to assist with your more in-depth dietary needs.

Massage Therapy
A certified massage therapist performs an hour-long massage. Current rates can be viewed on the Campus Recreation website.

Faculty/Staff Workshops
Learn proven stress management techniques through short, informative workshops and fun, interactive sessions. The workshops address time management and relaxation. They also take into consideration available fitness and nutrition services.

Many GW students want to stay active while in college but cannot commit to a varsity sport. Intramural and club sports may be the answer. They allow students to reap the health and wellness benefits of athletic competition – along with the fun – while remaining focused on academics and other aspects of GW life.

Club & Intramural Sports

Sport clubs are for students, faculty and staff who want more in-depth sports experience than is available through intramural sports or informal recreation. The club sports program lets participants learn new skills, practice regularly with club members and compete against other clubs. A number of GW’s club teams compete regionally and nationally.   Intramurals at GW range from team sports to individual sports.

“GWellness” describes the George Washington University's holistic approach to fitness and health. It reflects our commitment to providing a GW experience that is well rounded, benefiting the whole person. While GW students, faculty and staff work hard to achieve intellectual development, Campus Recreation works just as hard to help the GW community develop and maintain physical fitness and wellness through healthy lifestyle choices.

GW’s Campus Recreation office offers students, faculty and staff a roster of programs and activities aimed at keeping you fit and active at every stage of life. Whether you participate in a club sport, take a group fitness class, enroll in a nutrition program or join an intramural sport offered through the Department of Campus Recreation, you’re on your way to "GWellness."

Our colleagues in the Physics Department put it this way: “Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest. Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion.” From aerobics classes and wellness programs to sports clubs and intramural sports, we offer something for everyone.

Please note: 

All appointments for interviews to work at Commencement on the National Mall are currently taken.  If more appointments become available, we will include a link to sign-up on this website.  Thank you for your interest in the Commencement student staff positions.

Work at Commencement on the National Mall!

If you want to…

* see your friends graduate,
* earn extra money before summer begins,
* extend the stay in your residence hall until May 21 at no charge, and
* be part of a university tradition

…then a Commencement Student Staff position is right for you!

The Office of University Events is looking for student staffers to work at Commencement on the National Mall on Sunday, May 20, 2012.

Staff must have the following qualities:

• Outgoing demeanor and pleasant disposition
• Good communication skills
• Able to lift 30 lbs
• Stand for long periods of time
• Own a cell phone

Staff duties include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:

• Greet guests in a welcoming manner
• Assist guests and patrons with seating and providing information to ensure safe and enjoyable experience, inside and outside the venue
• Coordinate shuttles
• Breakdown chairs
• Door/venue access control and crowd control
• Other duties as assigned

Please note:

• Commencement will be held at the National Mall, which is a series of grassy fields surrounded by gravel walkways
• Positions may be located inside or outside, which may require employees to work in inclement weather
• Attire - All employees will be required to wear clean tennis shoes and either khaki pants or khaki shorts long enough to reach the tip of your longest finger
• Commencement student staff wage is $8.25 an hour; work study students may apply.

Interviews will be held on weekdays between March 19-30.

For more information, please contact University Events at 202-994-7129 or uevents@gwu.edu.

Commencement Weekend

Class of 2012 graduates, families, and friends

Join President Knapp for a ceremony of thoughtful reflection on the day before Commencement.

Saturday, May 19, 2012
9:30-10:45 a.m.

Reception to follow

Western Presbyterian Church
2401 Virginia Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20009

Keynote Speaker: The Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell
Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

President Barack Obama named the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell director of the Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on Dec. 13, 2010. Its mission is “to promote student achievement by connecting schools and community-based organizations, both secular and faith-based, as we build a culture of educational excellence.” The center also works as a part of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Centers at 11 other agencies to more effectively serve Americans in need. Read more.

Featuring

• Performances from the George Washington University Music Department, including
• Meditations from clergy representing various faith traditions
• Reflections from graduating GW seniors.

Open to all members of the GW community.

Register your attendance at http://bit.ly/gw-baccalaureate.