The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences sits at the heart of Washington, D.C., providing students with an excellent education in the breadth of arts and sciences, cultural opportunities and discovery through research.

We are the cornerstone of GW's academic program, with 42 departments and programs, from biology to dance, sociology to anthropology, museum studies to forensic sciences.

Discover new worlds through lab sciences, humanities, literature, languages, performing arts, social sciences and more. Partner with some of the most prestigious institutions in the nation here in D.C., such as through our 100-year partnership with the Smithsonian; working with a 400-year-old book at the Folger Shakespeare Library; on the Hill; and in D.C.'s most prestigious think tanks, national headquarters and non-profits.

Join us in our commitment to generate and share knowledge and improve our world through research.

Arts and Sciences News

Economics Professor Emeritus Mary Holman Dies

Dr. Mary A. Holman, Professor Emeritus of Economics, died on July 4, 2008. Dr. Holman is remembered as an engaging and thought-provoking instructor. For more than 40 years, she trained thousands of students in the field of economics. She served as Associate Administrator for NASA’s Manned Space Flight Program and as consultant for a number of governmental organizations and law firms, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Bureau of Standards, and the Institute for Defense Analysis. Read more.

CCAS Names New Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Tara Ghoshal Wallace has been named the new Associate Dean for Graduate Studies for the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, replacing Michael Moses, who has worked to build and support the CCAS graduate programs. Wallace has taught in the English Department at GWU for two decades, first as adjunct faculty, then as tenure-track and tenured professor. She served on the English Graduate Committee for many years, and was appointed Director of Graduate Studies in 2006. In the English Department, she has also served on the Curriculum Committee and
Appointments Committee, and she has been a member of the CCAS Graduate Committee, Dean's Research Advisory Council, and Student Grievance Committee. At the University level, she served on the University Honors Committee and advised the Enosinian Scholars. Tara has a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She has published books on Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, and 18th -century women critics, and is currently finishing a manuscript on imperial discourses in the eighteenth century.

Gift Creates Midge Smith Center

The George Washington University's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration recently established the Midge Smith Center for Evaluation Effectiveness through a $1.6 million in-kind donation plus future sustaining funds from M. F. "Midge" Smith.  The first of its kind in the world, the center creates and facilitates the use of evaluation knowledge and best practices to enhance program performance in the public and nonprofit sectors. Read more.

The Real Jurassic Park

National Geographic Magazine features the research of Biology Professor James Clark, who uncovered ancestors of T. rex and other reptile giants in China.

Read the article.

Watch the National Geographic video series on YouTube.

Dig Megiddo's New Blog

Follow archaeology students and Professor Eric Cline as they spend their summer digging at one of the world's most famous sites. Read the blog.

Check out the latest Columbian College of Arts and Science news in By George!

GW Hosts Science Olympiad National Tournament

GW Professor Leads Media Trainings in Iraq

Faculty Focus: Francys Subiaul, Assistant Professor of Speech and Hearing Science

Faculty Books Hit the Shelves in Time for Summer