The people who come to GW are not ordinary and their desire to make a difference is innate. It’s why students express their passion for leadership and involvement by forming more than 400 campus organizations. It’s why when the First Lady of the United States challenged us to complete 100,000 hours of community service, we reached our goal and then some. It’s why the George Washington University is ranked #1 for students who go into the Peace Corps for a school its size.

It’s why Bono, Karl Rove, Jane Goodall, Alicia Keys, Stephen Hawking, former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Pulitzer Prize winners like Toni Morrison, Junot Diaz and GW’s own Edward P. Jones come here to teach, inspire and enlighten. It’s why the Clinton Global Initiative University chose GW to host its 2012 annual meeting, bringing together President Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Jon Stewart and more than 1,000 students from around the world to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.