It’s easy to lose touch with University news when you’re off campus. If you’re returning this fall and want to catch up on this summer’s headlines, here are some stories you may have missed:
Administrative departures and hires
Laurie Koehler, the former senior vice provost for enrollment and the student experience, stepped down from her position on Aug. 7 to serve as the vice president for marketing and enrollment strategy at Ithaca College. In addition to Koehler’s departure, Dean of Admissions Costas Solomou resigned on Aug. 2 to serve as the vice president for enrollment at State University of New York at Geneseo.
Sanjit Sethi, the former director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, left his position in July to serve as president of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Corcoran Assistant Director for Academic Affairs Kym Rice, who teaches museum studies at GW, took over as the interim director this fall.
Officials also announced that Dana Bradley was selected as GW’s first-ever chief people officer in July, part of University President Thomas LeBlanc’s push to bolster human resources and institutional culture. Mary Tschirhart, a former professor at Ohio State University, was also selected in early August to helm the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
LeBlanc plans to cut enrollment, ditch fixed tuition policy
LeBlanc announced plans in July to reduce undergraduate enrollment by 20 percent over a period of five years and increase the number of science, technology, engineering and math majors. He said the rising undergraduate population has “stretched” the University’s resources.
Officials also announced last week that beginning with the Class of 2024, students will no longer pay a fixed tuition.
Jack Evans probe
After reports surfaced in March claiming that former Metro board chairman and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans used his position for personal benefit, a Metro board ethics investigation found in June that he violated ethics codes relating to conflicts of interest. Since then, members of the D.C. Council voted to remove Evans from his committee chairmanship and launched an investigation into his business dealings. Five Ward 2 residents have also launched bids to unseat him, becoming Evans’ first rivals since 2000.
Following the investigation, Evans stepped down from his position as Metro chairman, admitting in a letter that he violated ethics codes. More recently, the D.C. ethics board fined Evans $20,000 for using government resources to seek employment at local law firms.
Lawsuits
Two separate lawsuits were filed against the GW Hospital. A man sued the hospital in late July for alleged medical malpractice, claiming that he was improperly treated for an ulcer in 2017. In the same week, a woman also sued the hospital for alleged negligence during a surgery on her artery in 2016.
A former technology research director also sued the University for wrongful termination, alleging that GW violated D.C. laws by firing him after he was diagnosed with cancer. A woman sued the law school for alleged religious discrimination, saying admissions officials discriminated against her as a “Roman Catholic female.”
GW misses Princeton Review rankings
For the second year in a row, GW did not make the list for “Most Politically Active Students” in the country by The Princeton Review. GW was ranked No. 1 on the list for four years in a row and fell to No. 10 in 2017.
All tap access
All students are granted tap access to residence halls this fall, continuing a pilot program that began with only first-year students in the spring. Student Association President SJ Matthews ran on a platform of providing students with tap access to every residence hall last semester and during her time as Residence Hall Association president.
