GSPM History

We trace our intellectual roots back to our first President. Here is an excerpt from George Washington’s Last Will and Testament:

"It has been my ardent wish to see ... the establishment of a university in a central part of the United States, to which the youth ... from all parts thereof might be sent for the completion of their Education in all branches of polite literature; in Arts and Sciences, in acquiring knowledge in the principles of Politics and good Government... I give an bequeath in perpetuity the fifty shares which I hold in the Potomac Company ... towards the endowment of a university to be established within the limits of the District of Columbia..."

Actually, the Potomac Company soon went bankrupt, so it took quite a bit longer for President Washington’s dream to be fulfilled.

The modern history of the Graduate School of Political Management began in 1986, when Neil Fabricant, a lawyer from New York City and former Legislative Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, convinced the New York State Board of Regents that a school of professional politics – not political science, not public policy, not public administration – was necessary and desirable. He realized that a new profession of politics was coming into being and that a dedicated school could nurture that development and, in the process, improve democratic politics.

Fabricant’s creative vision led to the founding of the Graduate School of Political Management, which began classes in September of 1987 with 24 students. The School operated as an independent graduate school chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. The School operated on the Manhattan campus of Baruch College and opened a degree program in Washington in September of 1991 on the campus of The George Washington University. In July of 1995, the University acquired the GSPM and made it a component of its Columbian School of Arts and Sciences.

Over its history, the GSPM has constructed an innovative and highly regarded curriculum, recruited an excellent faculty, attracted quality students, provided them with the best technical training and ethical guidance, and placed them in significant professional positions. By accomplishing these essential tasks of institution building, the GSPM has emerged as the leading institution for the study and teaching of political management in the United States and internationally.

In developing the nation's preeminent professional school of politics, the George Washington University has pursued four major goals:

• To establish a community of students, scholars and professionals devoted to learning, teaching, research and critical thinking in political management and its relationship to democratic government;
• To recruit, train and graduate the next generation political professionals and, in the process, establish the School's degree as the standard of excellence in professional politics;
• To increase access to politics for under-represented groups; and
• To develop and promote the highest ethical and professional standards of political management.

From a modest beginning in 1987, the GSPM has continually expanded the scope of its academic programs.

On August 25, 1996, The New York Times referred to the GSPM as "The West Point of the Political Wars". Click here to see the text of the article.