Update (April 2020): The university will pause the strategic planning process for the foreseeable future to focus on immediate needs due to COVID-19, President Thomas LeBlanc announced in a message to the GW community on April 2.
Task Force and Committees
To support the development of the new strategic plan, the university has created a Strategic Planning Task Force as well as four committees addressing each area of the strategic plan's pillars.
Strategic Planning Task Force
Chaired by a trustee and made up of trustees, faculty, staff, student and alumni representatives, the Strategic Planning Task Force has been formed to coordinate the work of the four committees.
Christine Barth
Trustee; Chair of the Task Force
Peter Harrison
Trustee
Donna Hill Staton
Trustee
Madeleine Jacobs
Trustee
Todd Klein
Trustee
Grace Speights
Chair of the Board of Trustees; Ex Officio
Thomas LeBlanc
President; Ex Officio
Ave Tucker
Trustee; Ex Officio
Scott Kieff
Chair, World-Class Faculty Committee
Gayle Wald
Chair, High-Quality Undergraduate Education Committee
Carol Sigelman
Chair, Distinguished and Distinctive Graduate Education Committee
Alan Greenberg
Chair, High-Impact Research Committee
Sylvia Marotta-Walters
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair
Richard Jones
GW Alumni Association President
SJ Matthews
Student Association President, Undergraduate Student
Haley Gray
Presidential Fellow, Graduate Student
Rose Kirk Dunnegan
Chief of Staff, Division of Operations
Anton N. Sidawy
Professor and Lewis B. Saltz Chair, Department of Surgery (SMHS)
Kathryn Newcomer
Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration (CCAS)
Committees
Four committees are addressing the strategic plan’s pillars. Each committee is charged with gathering input from the university community, assessing the current state of its focus area and examining best practices, proposing recommendations to achieve preeminence and identifying challenges to doing so.
Each committee comprises faculty, students and staff representatives, as well as members of the administration in a supporting role. The committees are led by faculty chairs and vice chairs.
World-Class Faculty
Scott Kieff, Chair
GW Law
Professor of Law
Nancy Gaba, Vice Chair
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Faculty
Arshad Ali
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Assistant Professor of Educational Research
Adele Ashkar
College of Professional Studies
Associate Professor, College of Professional Studies
Associate Dean for Academic Excellence
Graciela Kaminsky
Elliott School of International Affairs
Professor of Economics, International Affairs
Tianshu Li
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Angie McNelis
School of Nursing
Professor of Nursing
Associate Dean for Scholarship, Innovation, and Clinical Science
Sara Rosenbaum
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Professor of Health Policy and Management
Lisa Schenck
GW Law
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Professorial Lecturer in Law, Director of the National Security Law Program
Gregory Squires
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Sociology, Public Policy and Public Administration
Jim Wade
GW School of Business
Professor of Strategic Management and Public Policy
Staff
Monica Partsch
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Program Development
Deans
Jeff Akman
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Anuj Mehrotra
Dean, GW School of Business
Academic Resources
Chris Bracey
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Interim Dean, GW Law
Shelese Smith
Director, Full-time Faculty Personnel Administration
CIBAS Suppport
Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate, CIBAS
Sara Williams
Associate, CIBAS
World-Class Faculty
Charge to the Committee:
A world-class faculty is critical to our aspiration for preeminence as a comprehensive, global, research university. Our ability to meet the many demands of our research and teaching missions requires a thoughtful balance across disciplines and faculty ranks with a focus on engagement in our intellectual community. Develop a strategy to recruit, retain, and promote an intellectually vibrant faculty that leverages our history, location, and emerging opportunities.
The process for determining the strategy for world-class faculty should involve consideration of the following two key elements: (1) world-class tenured and tenure-class faculty, and (2) high-quality contract, specialized, adjunct, and part-time faculty. A baseline set of comparative benchmarking data will be provided to the committee with regularly reported items on faculty in order to inform the committee’s final recommendations. The committee’s recommendations should adhere to the structure outlined below, include goals and initiatives by responding to the questions embedded within, and suggest metrics and resources required to achieve the goals.
- Principles
Provide overarching guidance to be considered and adhered to in addressing the charge to the committee.
- Goals
Based on these principles, and in response to the guiding questions below, establish the goals and define specific initiatives to realize the goals.
- World-class tenured and tenure-track faculty
- What changes in our university-wide faculty practices and policies (e.g., startup support, spousal hires, core facilities, teaching loads) would help us recruit, promote, and retain the very best faculty?
- How do we further engage faculty in the life of the university, and help create a stimulating intellectual environment that attracts scholars to the university, and provides opportunities for our faculty to engage with each other and our students?
- How do we assess the overall quality of the faculty and measure improvement over time? How do we recognize and celebrate the quality of our faculty
- What criteria should we use to determine teaching loads, considering class size, advising, research productivity, administrative appointments, and other responsibilities?
- High-quality contract, specialized, adjunct, and part-time faculty
- What criteria should we use to assess the proper balance between the tenure-track faculty and the non-tenure-track faculty, including contract and specialized faculty, adjuncts, and part-time faculty? How does this balance vary by discipline? How do we recognize, celebrate, and reward extraordinary contributions from our non-tenure-track faculty?
- In recognition of the District of Columbia’s remarkable number of professional experts interested in teaching, how do we further engage this extraordinary community of professionals in the teaching mission of the university, celebrate their contributions to the classroom, and make their presence a hallmark of a GW education?
- Metrics
Determine metrics to measure progress toward achieving the goals for faculty under this strategic plan.
- Resources
List all resources required, including assumptions, to achieve the goals for faculty.
High-Quality Undergraduate Education
Gayle Wald, Chair
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Chair and Professor of American Studies
Jason Zara, Vice Chair
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Associate Chair for Academic Affairs in Biomedical Engineering
Faculty
Lorena Barba
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Reid Click
GW School of Business
Associate Professor of International Business, International Affairs
Alex Downes
Elliott School of International Affairs
Associate Professor of Political Science, International Affairs
Majeda El-Banna
School of Nursing
Associate Professor of Nursing
Program Director, RN to BSN/MSN
LaTisha Hammond
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Assistant Professor of Honors and Biology
Tamara Henry
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Teaching Assistant Professor of Prevention & Community Health
Katrin Schultheiss
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Chair and Associate Professor of History
Frank Sesno
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences / School of Media and Public Affairs
Professor of Media and Public Affairs, International Affairs
Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs
Tiffany Sikorski
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Pedagogy
Richard Simons
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Senior Associate Dean for M.D. Programs
Professor of Medicine
Elizabeth Vaquera
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Sociology
Director of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute
Staff
Alex Cromwell
Elliott School of International Affairs
Associate Director, Dean’s Scholars and Experiential Learning
Shira Loev Eller
GW Libraries and Academic Innovation
Art and Design Librarian
Marcus Ware
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Assistant Director, POD 3 & Pre-Law Advisor
Students
Olaf Corning
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Shubham Gupta
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Daniel Kassl
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Mikaela Rose Tajo
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Deans
Reuben Brigety
Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs
Paul Wahlbeck
Interim Dean, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Ex Officio
Cissy Petty
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Tanya Vogel
Director of Athletics
Academic Resources
Terry Murphy
Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs
Ed Gillis
Interim Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
CIBAS Support
Pam Promisel
Senior Associate, CIBAS
Donald Reagan
Manager, CIBAS
High-Quality Undergraduate Education
Charge to the Committee:
Under the assumption of a residential undergraduate population of 8400 students, of which 30% ultimately complete a STEM major, develop a strategy with measurable outcomes to attract and retain a high-quality student body, and recommendations for the educational opportunities that we should provide to our students.
The process for determining the strategy for high quality undergraduate education should involve consideration of two key elements: (1) a high-quality undergraduate student body, and (2) a high-quality and distinctive undergraduate education. A baseline set of comparative benchmarking data will be provided to the committee with regularly reported items on undergraduate education in order to inform the committee’s final recommendations. The committee’s recommendations should adhere to the structure outlined below, include goals and initiatives by responding to the questions embedded within, and suggest metrics and resources required to achieve the goals.
- Principles
Provide overarching guidance to be considered and adhered to in addressing the charge to the committee.
- Goals
Based on these principles, and in response to the guiding questions below, establish the goals and define specific initiatives to realize the goals.
- High-quality undergraduate student body
- How do we define, recruit, retain, and graduate a high-quality student body?
- Beyond financial aid strategies, what programs, facilities, and experiences should we exploit or develop to attract and retain this high-quality student body?
- High-quality and distinctive undergraduate education
- How do we expand our offerings in STEM education to attract more STEM majors and to provide STEM educational opportunities to all students?
- How do we make the many distinctive educational opportunities available at GW (including the professional schools) accessible to every student?
- How do we use our location to create academic offerings and opportunities that are available at no other institution?
- Metrics
Determine metrics to measure progress toward achieving the goals for undergraduate education under this strategic plan.
- Resources
List all resources required, including assumptions, to achieve the goals for undergraduate education.
Distinguished and Distinctive Graduate Education
Carol Sigelman, Chair
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Psychology
Liesl Riddle, Vice Chair
School of Business
Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
Faculty
Paula Alonso
Elliott School of International Affairs
Associate Professor of History, International Affairs
Elias Balaras
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Brandon Bartels
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Political Science
Steve Charnovitz
GW Law
Associate Professor of Law
Mike Corry
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Professor of Educational Technology
Director of the GW Online High School
Matt Dallek
College of Professional Studies
Professor in Graduate School of Political Management
Cynthia Dowd
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Alison Hall
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Professor of Neurology
Associate Dean for Research Workforce Development
Melissa Napolitano
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Professor of Prevention and Community Health, Exercise Science
Kym Rice
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences / Corcoran School of the Arts and Design
Associate Professor of Museum Studies
Interim Director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design
Director of the Museum Studies Program
Pamela Slaven-Lee
School of Nursing
Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Staff
Gabrielle Julien-Molineaux
Graduate Enrollment Management
Students
Emma Backe
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Morgan Byrne
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Olivia Gant
GW School of Business
Deans
Christopher Deering
Interim Dean, College of Professional Studies
Michael Feuer
Dean, Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Lynn Goldman
Dean, Milken Institute School of Public Health
Academic Resources
Terry Murphy
Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs
Cheryl Beil
Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment
Assistant Research Professor of Psychology
CIBAS Support
Denita Acker
Associate, CIBAS
Distinguished and Distinctive Graduate Education
Charge to the Committee:
Our doctoral education and professional graduate education play vital roles in enhancing the reputation of the university. Develop a strategy to identify, resource, and elevate ten doctoral programs to national preeminence (placing each program within the top quartile of comparable programs), as well as a strategy and criteria for the creation, evaluation, and termination of professional graduate degree programs.
The process for determining the strategy for a distinguished and distinctive graduate education should involve consideration of two key elements: (1) distinguished doctoral education, and (2) distinctive professional graduate education. A baseline set of comparative benchmarking data will be provided to the committee with regularly reported items on graduate education in order to inform the committee’s final recommendations. The committee’s recommendations should adhere to the structure outlined below, include goals and initiatives by responding to the questions embedded within, and suggest metrics and resources required to achieve the goals.
- Principles
Provide overarching guidance to be considered and adhered to in addressing the charge to the committee.
- Goals
Based on these principles, and in response to the guiding questions below, establish the goals and define specific initiatives to realize the goals.
- Distinguished doctoral education
- What criteria should we use to evaluate doctoral programs that enhance the reputation of the university, and are, or could be, preeminent given our resource limitations?
- To what extent should the university support doctoral programs that are not preeminent and are unlikely to become preeminent given our resource limitations?
- What criteria should be used to create, merge, scale back, or eliminate a doctoral program?
- How do we use our location to create graduate programs that are available at no other institution?
- Distinctive professional graduate education
- What role should market demand (from both students and employers) play in the creation, evolution, and termination of professional graduate programs?
- What criteria should be used to create, merge, scale back, or eliminate a professional graduate program?
- What unique attributes should a professional graduate program offer to provide a competitive advantage and be distinctive?
- Metrics
Determine metrics to measure progress toward achieving the goals for graduate education under this strategic plan.
- Resources
List all resources required, including assumptions, to achieve the goals for graduate education.
High-Impact Research
Alan Greenberg, Chair
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Chair and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Diana Burley, Vice Chair
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Professor of Human and Organizational Learning
Faculty
Tyler Anbinder
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of History
Katherine Chiappinelli
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine
Tom Colby
GW Law
Professor of Law
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
Emilia Entcheva
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Jeanne Geiger-Brown
School of Nursing
Professor of Nursing
Associate Dean for Research
Neil Johnson
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Physics
Henry Kaminski
GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Chair and Professor of Neurology
Nirbhay Kumar
Milken Institute School of Public Health
Professor of Global Health
Annamaria Lusardi
GW School of Business
Chair and Professor of Economics and Accountancy
Jay Shambaugh
Elliott School of International Affairs
Professor of Economics, International Affairs
Chet Sherwood
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Anthropology
Staff
Graham Cornwell
Elliott School of International Affairs
Associate Dean, Research
Students
Sonali Bahl
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Danielle Gilmore
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Deans
John Lach
Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Pamela Jeffries
Dean, School of Nursing
Geneva Henry
Dean, GW Libraries and Academic Innovation
Academic Resources
Robert Miller
Vice President for Research
Gina Lohr
Senior Associate Vice Provost for Research
CIBAS Support
Leslie Roe
Associate, CIBAS
Donald Reagan
Manager, CIBAS
High-Impact Research
Charge to the Committee:
Building on the work of the Strategic Initiative for Research and the Faculty Senate Research Committee and its recommendations to improve the research ecosystem, the university has established the foundation to support large-scale, interdisciplinary team research efforts, and identified the shared facilities and opportunities that would benefit the greatest number of disciplines. Develop a strategy for improving research productivity across the university that addresses all disciplines and exploits the unique opportunities available at GW.
The process for determining the strategy for high impact research should involve consideration of two key elements: (1) university-wide, interdisciplinary team scholarship, and (2) university-wide core facilities and opportunities. A baseline set of comparative benchmarking data will be provided to the committee with regularly reported items on research in order to inform the committee’s final recommendations. The committee’s recommendations should adhere to the structure outlined below, include goals and initiatives by responding to the questions embedded within, and suggest metrics and resources required to achieve the goals.
- Principles
Provide overarching guidance to be considered and adhered to in addressing the charge to the committee.
- Goals
Based on these principles, and in response to the guiding questions below, establish the goals and define specific initiatives to realize the goals.
- University-wide, team scholarship
- How do we enhance a research ecosystem that supports large-scale team efforts across multiple schools and colleges?
- How should we support team research to achieve a five-year goal for growth in team scholarship?
- University-wide core facilities and opportunities
- Should GW develop facilities to support classified research and actively pursue opportunities for classified research?
- How should the university exploit the emerging field of data analytics in support of scholarship across all disciplines?
- In addition to building on our historical local partnerships (e.g., the federal government), how should the university engage with the surrounding technology community, including the new Amazon headquarters?
- Metrics
Determine metrics to measure progress toward achieving the goals for research under this strategic plan.
- Resources
List all resources required, including assumptions, to achieve the goals for research
Committee Engagement
To solicit feedback from the GW community, the committees will offer multiple avenues for engagement, including town halls and other meetings as determined by the committee. The university community will receive more information about these opportunities as it becomes available.
Timeline
Committees will prepare interim reports, including principles, metrics and a proposed set of recommendations, and share them with the university community in January 2020. The committees will present their final recommendations to the Board of Trustees in May 2020. The board will then consider how to harmonize those recommendations with budget planning and campus and facilities planning before voting on a final strategic plan at its meeting in late June 2020. View the detailed timeline.
Get Involved
We encourage all members of the university community to follow the work of the committees, participate in campus discussions and share their ideas for moving GW forward.