School of Engineering and Applied Science officials changed the school’s moniker to GW Engineering to bring more awareness to its programs, according to an email sent to the school last month.

John Lach, the dean of GW Engineering, said in the email that officials began using GW Engineering as a brand moniker, and the phrase “Engineering And…” as a new brand identity this fall. Lach said the brand identity “Engineering And…” emerged from conversations with faculty, staff and alumni about their interests in studying engineering alongside different “societal contexts” like public health, law and international affairs.

“Many of our alumni are living ‘Engineering And…’ by leveraging their technical foundation, broader perspective and leadership skills in a variety of societal sectors, and they point to their diverse experiences at GW as a key driver of their success,” Lach said an email. 

This transition comes amid a wave of rebranding monikers at the University, with the Board of Trustees currently working to replace the Colonials moniker following years of student pressure. Officials also renamed the former Cloyd Heck Marvin Center the University Student Center following years of student pressure over its namesake’s racist legacy. 

Lach said the inspiration for the moniker change originally came from the National Advisory Council, GW’s alumni advisory board, who want more people to know about engineering at GW and thought a name change could help advertise the school. He said the moniker received “broad support” after its proposal at a school-wide meeting in September 2022.

“Over the last couple of years, I discussed the proposed moniker with the school’s department chairs, staff directors and several student groups, and it was received positively,” Lach said.

Lach said refining the “outward-facing” moniker will increase brand awareness because the SEAS moniker is not as “well-known” outside of academia.

“We want everyone – prospective students, employers, industry partners and the general public – to know that there is an engineering school at GW, and using ‘GW Engineering’ on our website, communications and promotional materials will help with that,” Lach said in an email.

The school’s website will change from seas.gwu.edu to engineering.gwu.edu, and the school will create a ‘standards and usage guide,’ an outline explaining how the branding will apply to “media and promotional items,” to ensure the change is consistent for all branding.

“This new brand identity reflects what our school is, what we stand for and what we aspire to be,” Lach said. “Engineering at GW is special, and we want the world to know that.”