This is the third part in an ongoing series intended to promote conversation and debate about GW’s presidential search.

This University is hardly an isolated island of scholarly pursuit – an important fact for GW’s incoming president, whomever that might be, to understand.

GW is physically intersected by the streets of D.C. and culturally penetrated by this city’s music, museums and other institutions. This environment contributes to a unique campus culture that affects many aspects of institutional operations and has implications beyond just what type of musical acts the Student Activities Center should bring to campus. GW’s next president must understand the campus culture and have the personality to adapt to and modify GW culture for the better.

Perhaps one of the most noticeable effects of GW’s location is a culture of disconnect among the student body. While the District is full of exciting events and programming, these elements can often draw people off campus. Coupled with a lack of student-friendly spaces that are accessible to students at odd hours and during high-profile events, this characteristic results in a low campus-wide spirit.

While students’ limited affinity for their own campus may seem to be a trivial problem, it carries real consequences. Alumni who do not feel a strong connection to their alma mater are less likely to be strong financial givers in the future. On a more immediately noticeable level, participation in campus events and activities suffers from this lack of spirit.

While the problem of school spirit and a feeling of connection to the institution are somewhat abstract, GW’s next president must recognize and address these issues. One way to effectively begin such an initiative would involve transforming the Marvin Center into a true student union. Students often cite the lack of a true 24-hour, student-oriented social space on campus as a severe obstacle to developing cohesive student body. Addressing this in the beginning of his/her term would give the new president immense capital with the student body while actually mitigating what many students see as a festering problem.

GW’s proximity to various internship and other professional and cultural opportunities also provides the unique opportunity for classroom pursuits to be coupled with real-world experiences. While the GW admissions department frequently espouses the unique benefits of such experiential education, there is currently a lack of cohesive policy on how to integrate city and classroom. This results in student learning experiences in the District that do not add to the academic quality of the school, further widening the disconnect between students and the University.

While select classes include learning experiences in the city, many do not, and this may confuse students who have been primed to put more value on experiential opportunities in the city. The new president should ensure that all departments capitalize on the unique resources of the district in a way that builds a bridge between GW and the city – instead of just pushing students away from campus into the District.

In addition to addressing the culture of disconnect, the University’s next president must also understand the perceptions and realities about cultural and ethnic diversity at GW. With the highest tuition in the country, the University is often accurately perceived as an institution with a wealthy, mostly white student body from Northeastern states.

Statistics from recent years have indeed shown low yield rates for minority students. While a high-tuition may be responsible in part for this phenomenon, the University’s environment itself may also be an aspect of the problem by self-propagating its population. The new president should lead an investigation into whether GW is fostering a culture that discourages diversity and make a real effort to reverse such a course.

GW’s position within a vibrant and bustling city, and resulting culture, are simultaneously a boon and a hindrance to the mission of the school. As such, it is important for the presidential search committee to choose a leader who will be able to expand and build on aspects of the GW culture that aid the University while working to minimize the lack of diversity and culture of disconnect.