Thumbs Up:

About 12 percent of GW’s students are from countries other than the U.S. – and the University has plans to double this number in the next decade.

It’s an ambitious and worthy goal, but it’s unlikely that administrators will succeed unless they tell prospective foreign students why GW is the right place for them and have the academic and student life services in place to help them adjust.

That’s why it is reassuring to see that administrators are focusing energy on appealing to the parents of international students. To do this, they’ve created a partnership between the Office of Parent Services and the International Services Office.

For many families who don’t live in the United States, GW may not be a school on their radar. The University’s proactive step to work directly with parents of international students will help spread the word about how GW is trying to cater to international students.

Of course, a higher international student population bodes well for the University’s bottom line: Most foreign students traditionally are able to pay full tuition and do not receive financial aid from the federal government.

But multiculturalism is a plus in the classroom as well. So as GW looks around the world for new students, it is smart to make sure their parents are also buying in.

Thumbs Down:

Last week, GW School of Business professors said part of the reason that former dean Doug Guthrie spent $13 million over budget was because he lacked the financial management systems to appropriately keep track of the school’s expenses.

Guthrie and other administrators said deans are typically pulled in two directions by staffers in GW’s provost’s and treasurer’s offices, creating confusion about budgeting. Experts also said the once-a-quarter budget check-ins are insufficient.

That’s a frightening prospect, especially since it could spell financial trouble for GW’s other colleges if they are left unwatched or pulled in different directions.

To prevent overspending by future leadership in the business school and across the University, administrators need take responsibility for the overspending. While Guthrie certainly shares the blame – and got plenty of it because of his firing – there seems to be larger institutional flaws at play.

It’s up to the provost, treasurer and the deans to modernize the system to keep GW’s financial budgets under control.