Quantcast GW Hatchet
College Media Network

Stories in SJT Retirement

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Special Retirement Coverage

This special section of www.gwhatchet.com was developed to centralize our coverage of University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg's retirement from his post, effective July 2007. As the current longest-serving leader of a D.C. university and the third-longest-serving president at GW, Trachtenberg not only departs his job but ends an era as well. After nearly two decades of news emanating from his office, there is plenty of fodder for reporting on the University's outgoing leader, which you'll find in the following news and feature pieces.

Trachtenberg to leave presidency in July 2007 after 19-year tenure

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, the erudite Brooklynite who has left his imprint on every facet of The George Washington University, announced Tuesday night his retirement effective July 2007, when his contract expires. By that time he will have been president for 19 years, making him the third-longest-serving leader in the University's history.

"I just felt like it was time," Trachtenberg, who was contemplating retirement for the last year, told The Hatchet late Tuesday night.

GW to establish president search committee by semester's end

The University's Board of Trustees plans this semester to establish a search committee responsible for choosing the replacement of President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. Board of Trustees Chairman Charles Manatt said the board has been conversing with Trachtenberg for more than a year about his plans for retirement, and that the decision was made final about three weeks ago.

In deciding to depart, SJT displays signature traits: confidence and humor

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg got a lot of advice from his food Tuesday. On the day he announced his retirement from GW after nearly 20 years, his soda cap told him "You're doing the right thing." A late dinner at a local Chinese restaurant yielded a fortune cookie that said, "Overlook not your own opportunity." Trachtenberg didn't need the ironic one-liners for reassurance.

Faculty has mixed reaction to SJT's resignation

The announcement of President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg's 2007 retirement drew mixed reactions from faculty, who have differing opinions on the way he has pushed his initiatives. Professors cited Trachtenberg's academic transformation of GW as perhaps the most positive aspect of his legacy. He is credited with helping the University earn a national and international reputation.

SJT's relationship with Foggy Bottom was a tumultuous one

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will step down as someone who put GW on the map institutionally. But others see him more as someone who altered the Foggy Bottom map detrimentally. In the 18 years that Trachtenberg has stood at the helm of GW, he has transformed Foggy Bottom from a quiet residential area to a booming center of activity, to the dismay of many residents.

From James Madison to George Washington

While many will look ahead toward new leadership at GW with about a year left of a Stephen Joel Trachtenberg presidency, some will find themselves looking back, examining who exactly this man was who reshaped the character and reputation of the University - and how he got to where he did. Anyone asking Trachtenberg about the greatest factors affecting his formative years would hear mention of one particular influence: James Madison High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

SJT goals still on track

GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg's announcement of retirement Tuesday means he will step down before some of his major goals are accomplished. Three of Trachtenberg's major goals include getting the endowment to pass the billion-dollar mark, embarking on a 20-year campus development plan and creating a degree-seeking language translation program. One administrator said it's possible that Trachtenberg will reach his goal of pushing the endowment over $1 billion before he steps down.

Trachtenberg Photo Slideshow

Click to start the slideshow.

More SJT content


>>Read The Hatchet's staff editorial on Trachtenberg's legacy.

>>Read a column by Trachtenberg written before he announced his retirement.

>>Read Trachtenberg's "Letter to the GW Community."

>>Check out the results to our informal Web poll about reactions to Trachtenberg's departure.