Community Engagement
Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, the George Washington University received approximately 47,000 points of feedback from the university community about the direction and development of the new moniker.
Initial activities to engage the full GW community in the development of the university’s new moniker included the GW Moniker Feedback Form, an engagement booth during Alumni and Families Weekend, and multiple student-athlete town halls.
In addition, all members of the GW community were invited to provide their naming suggestions for GW’s new moniker from January 18-31, 2023. This was followed on February 16 with the university’s launch of “Moniker Madness,” a series of activities that provided the GW community an opportunity to give their feedback on a shortlist of moniker options during the Spring 2023 semester.
The first round of activities, which ran from February 16 through March 6, was called “First Impressions.” This round included an online slider activity to rate the initial set of ten moniker options, a random sample 15-minute survey to seek community perceptions of the moniker options and the distribution of pennants that represented each moniker name during the March 4 men’s basketball game.
On March 20, the university launched a second round of activities for its “Try It On For Size” phase. During the “Try It On For Size” round, students, faculty, staff and alumni were given the chance to rate hype videos, each representing of the four finalists. The GW community also had an opportunity to select giveaways representing the final four moniker options at various athletics games and student events. The “Try It on for Size” round ran through the end of April 2023.
View the images and quotes below that capture the spirit of our community engagement activities and the feedback.
How do you describe the spirit of GW?
“I am proud to be part of the GW community because I feel I am part of something bigger, a place that forges the next leaders of our country!”
—Student
“I am proud to be part of GW because of its connection to our nation’s founding and the closeness to the world’s most important institutions.”
—Alum
“Students come here because they want to do something meaningful. They're not passive recipients of education, or passive participants in the knowledge production enterprise. These people aspire to do amazing things.”
—GW Leadership
“I do believe this is a community driven largely by individuals who seek answers for complex problems for the betterment of our world and society. I’m proud to be a part of a community of doers and go-getters.”
—Student
“I chose this. I chose GW because it was in D.C., and because it is directly in the heart of the nation's political capital.”
—Student
“I was watching the movie Frost/Nixon and it starts with archival footage. And there is my academic advisor on the screen, in archival footage. Where else could you say that you had that experience?”
—Alum
“We’re taking our ideas further. We’re pushing the envelope.”
—Alum