University President Ellen Granberg said officials are preparing for some of President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions to have “significant implications” for GW in a message to community members Monday, a week after he was sworn into office a couple miles from campus.
Granberg said this year’s presidential transition was “unique in many ways,” noting that Trump’s administration issued a “historic number” of executive orders in the days following the inauguration that will have “significant and far-reaching effects” on the University and community members. Granberg said given the “number and complexity” of Trump’s executive orders, it will take time for officials to fully understand their impact on higher education and the University.
“In a community as diverse as GW’s, these actions will be met with approval by some and concern by others,” Granberg said in her statement. “What is clear, however, is that there are potentially significant implications for higher education, including at GW.”
Trump has signed 28 executive orders since he took office on Jan. 20, including measures to expand restrictions on student visas and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Higher education policy experts said earlier this month that GW could be subject to heightened federal scrutiny given the University’s location just blocks from the White House.
Granberg said it is “clear” to officials that higher education institutions, including GW, will be affected by Trump’s executive actions, but didn’t specify which executive orders. She said officials, faculty and alumni are working with the University and its partners to understand the orders and their implications while complying with the law and “staying true” to GW’s educational mission.
“Not only are our faculty already deeply engaged in understanding what these executive actions mean, but leaders across GW are also working with university partners and peer organizations to analyze these wide-ranging executive actions and determine how to continue to comply with the law while staying true to our educational mission,” Granberg said in the message.
Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 that bolsters vetting for visa applicants, including for students with F-1 and J-1 visas. Most of the 3,044 international students currently enrolled at GW hold either an F-1 or J-1 visa, which allows them to participate in specific education programs.
Trump also signed an executive order on Jan. 21 directing all federal agencies to identify up to nine potential investigations of corporations, large nonprofit groups or institutions of higher education with endowments exceeding $1 billion whose diversity policies violated civil rights laws. GW is one of 130 universities identified as having an endowment over $1 billion, given the University’s endowment sits at $2.6 billion.
Granberg said some of the Trump administration’s executive orders could be legally challenged, and the University will “take guidance” from the courts. She said the University will also solicit guidance from federal agencies, and share information and support “as it becomes available.”
Granberg said she urges the community to continue committing to GW’s missions, which include “perpetuating the free exchange” of ideas. She said it is important for GW to foster and support a “vibrant and engaged” community where people can freely “learn, work and thrive.”
“I also encourage you—as GW students, faculty, and staff—to continue to contribute to the discussion through the respectful exchange of ideas, rigorous debate, and intellectual discourse that define university life,” Granberg said in the message.
