June 2007

Thank You, President Trachtenberg, for Your GW Legacy

As the Trachtenberg era winds to a close, the GW community salutes President Trachtenberg for his manifold contributions over the past 19 years. During his tenure, he has transformed the GW campus and propelled the University to international acclaim.

Under Trachtenberg’s leadership, academic excellence has risen to a new level, the size of the full-time faculty has expanded by 25 percent, the number of endowed chairs for faculty members has more than doubled, and scholarly research has flourished, with the University’s sponsored research enterprise quadrupling. Academic programs have grown in number and stature and student selectivity has soared, with GW now admitting just 36 percent of undergraduate applicants each year—compared to 78 percent of applicants when Trachtenberg arrived in 1988. The number of women faculty members has increased by 90 percent and the number of minority faculty members by 175 percent.

GW’s physical infrastructure has improved as well over the past two decades, with the University opening or renovating nearly a dozen buildings, including five new residence halls in Foggy Bottom, and adding two new campuses.

President Trachtenberg has made financial aid for students a priority. Today, the University offers $118 million in financial aid annually—compared to
$14 million in 1988. He also has left his mark on athletics, catapulting GW’s basketball program to a new level.

As President Trachtenberg “steps up” to teaching after nearly two decades at the
University’s helm, we remember his GW journey through the photos on these pages.


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