The Faculty Senate will convene to discuss GW’s enrollment levels and the Strategic Campus and Facilities Master Plan during a virtual meeting Friday.

The facilities plan update comes after officials have worked to upgrade GW’s buildings with HVAC improvements and a new classroom security system while managing facilities issues, like mold outbreaks and building closures following the University’s reopening. After meeting in person last month for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, senators will revert back online to meet via WebEx, according to an email from senate staff members last week.

Here’s what you can expect to hear on Friday, based on the meeting’s agenda and what we know so far:

Fall 2021 enrollment update
Jay Goff, the vice provost of enrollment and student success, will deliver an enrollment update, according to the agenda. The update comes less than a week after GW’s Oct. 9 fall census date, which marks the official snapshot of the University’s enrollment levels this semester.

In February, officials announced targets to enroll between 2,475 and 2,550 freshmen and between 150 and 300 transfer students this year, which would mark an uptick in the incoming class size from last year.

Ave Tucker, the co-chair of the Board of Trustees’ Committee on Strategic Planning and Enrollment, said at a Board meeting earlier this month that GW had met its enrollment targets.

“Despite all the challenges, which includes a lot less part-time students and a lot less international students, we met the enrollment targets that had been set out with a very good group of students that are academically strong,” Tucker said. “They’re very diverse.”

Last fall, undergraduate enrollment fell by nearly 8 percent after officials abandoned an initiative to reduce the undergraduate population by 20 percent over five years in April 2020. Diversity levels generally remained steady.

The 2020 data also showed the mean GPA and SAT score remained stable for the incoming class compared to previous years.

Campus facilities master plan 
Chief Financial Officer Mark Diaz will share a report on the Strategic Campus and Facilities Master Plan, the agenda states. Diaz’s report comes after officials have worked to manage a range of facilities issues across University buildings this fall. Nearly 200 residents evacuated Townhouse Row because of a mold outbreak last month and students in 10 different residence halls reported mold growth shortly after.

The senate passed a resolution earlier this semester stating that HVAC systems were “not well aligned” with COVID-19 reopening guidelines and alleging that officials spread “misinformation” through an earlier announcement indicated that the upgrades were complete in June.

Student Association representative approvals
Senators will approve representatives from the Student Association to serve on the Faculty Senate’s 10 standing committees, according to the senate’s agenda.