Board of Trustees records

The management, direction, and government of George Washington University is vested in a Board of Trustees. Pursuant to the by-laws of the University, the Board consists of the President as an ex officio member, three alumni or alumnae members elected to the Board at each annual meeting for terms of three years; with one alumni Trustee being a "recent graduate" who serves for one term of three years and two Alumni Trustees serving for a maximum of two terms of three years; and the balance of not less than thirty nor more than forty-five persons, each elected to the Board for three year terms. Trustees elected after January 1, 1992 may not serve more than three consecutive terms without stepping down for a minimum of one year, after which they are eligible for reelection. Persons are qualified to serve as Trustees regardless of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, or place of residence. With the exception of the President, no person who is an officer, professor, lecturer, teacher, tutor, student or employee of the University, or is 75 years of age or older, is eligible to serve as a Trustee. The Executive Committee is responsible for taking all actions and exercising all powers of the Board, except that it may not elect Trustees, amend the by-laws or approve the merger of any other corporation with the University. The Executive Committee consists of the Chairman of the Board, as chairman, the President, and at least eight Trustees appointed by the chairman for a one year term.

The University operates under a charter granted by an Act of Congress on February 9, 1821 to the Columbian College in the District of Columbia. In 1873, the name was changed to Columbian University and in 1904 to The George Washington University.

From 1872 to 1900 the Board of Trustees was known as the Board of Overseers. The Board approves curriculum, tuition, faculty hires, etc. The Board appoints various committees which are empowered to act between meetings of the full Board. These include the Executive, Academic Affairs, Financial Affairs, Audit, Buildings and Grounds, Compensation, Medical Center, Development, Student and Alumni Affairs, Trusteeship, External Affairs, Investments, and University Trusteeship Committees.

Former prominent members represented in this collection include: Luther Rice, John Quincy Adams, Peter Force, Joseph Henry, William Corcoran, Amos Kendall, Edward Gallaudet, Alexander Graham Bell, Gilbert Grosvenor, Ulysses S. Grant III, and J. Edgar Hoover.

N.B. This history note was written in 2005