Washington DC is obviously our nation's capitol, but seldom is it considered a cultural center and certainly not in the same breath as New York City, Los Angeles, or even Boston. It is firmly entrenched in our collective American psyche as the capitol and little else. This in unfortunate as our nations capitol is home to some of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world. These include Georgetown University, the American University, and perhaps most famously George Washington University.
The university began as a mere notion championed by our first president himself. Though he was never able to convince Congress to appropriate the land necessary to build a national university during his lifetime, he did will fifty shares of his Potomac Company towards the establishment of the university. The Congressional charter he was seeking was not realized until 1821, under the tenure of President James Monroe. With a stroke of his pen, George Washington University was brought into being.
The first graduation ceremony took place three years later and was marked by the invitation of such luminaries as John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and the Marquis de Lafayette among others. Indeed this ceremony in and of itself shrouded the university in a cloak of prestige few other institutions have enjoyed. Though the university enjoyed a robust enrollment for many years, it was forced to close when the Civil War broke out. For the duration of the war it was used as an Army barracks and hospital.
The university was cleared to resume its charter after the Civil War and has since evolved into a leading worldwide institution of higher learning. A principle component of the university is its involvement in and with Freemasonry. As indeed a large proportion of the Founding Fathers were avowed Freemasons, its symbolism and ethos were incorporated into the universitys iconography and charter.
Now a private, coeducational, non-sectarian institution George Washington University is renown for its international affairs curriculum, as well as its international affairs, political science, and political communications programs. Furthermore, its graduate and doctoral programs in engineering, international affairs, medicine, and law rank amongst the most well regarded in the county.
The university began as a mere notion championed by our first president himself. Though he was never able to convince Congress to appropriate the land necessary to build a national university during his lifetime, he did will fifty shares of his Potomac Company towards the establishment of the university. The Congressional charter he was seeking was not realized until 1821, under the tenure of President James Monroe. With a stroke of his pen, George Washington University was brought into being.
The first graduation ceremony took place three years later and was marked by the invitation of such luminaries as John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and the Marquis de Lafayette among others. Indeed this ceremony in and of itself shrouded the university in a cloak of prestige few other institutions have enjoyed. Though the university enjoyed a robust enrollment for many years, it was forced to close when the Civil War broke out. For the duration of the war it was used as an Army barracks and hospital.
The university was cleared to resume its charter after the Civil War and has since evolved into a leading worldwide institution of higher learning. A principle component of the university is its involvement in and with Freemasonry. As indeed a large proportion of the Founding Fathers were avowed Freemasons, its symbolism and ethos were incorporated into the universitys iconography and charter.
Now a private, coeducational, non-sectarian institution George Washington University is renown for its international affairs curriculum, as well as its international affairs, political science, and political communications programs. Furthermore, its graduate and doctoral programs in engineering, international affairs, medicine, and law rank amongst the most well regarded in the county.
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