May 11, 1998

Prior to 1995, GW had no contingency plan for Commencement if the weather forced the ceremony off the Ellipse. “No one gave much thought to it,” said Director of University Special Events Lynn Shipway. “Our backup plan was to cancel Commencement.” So when a lightening storm descended on the District three years ago, the University […]

Former Sen. Robert Dole will draw on decades of public service and recent discussions with GW students when he gives the keynote address at the University’s Commencement Sunday. At the invitation of GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Dole met with students several Saturday mornings this year for informal discussions on current events and University issues. […]

Bob Dole delivered his fair share of speeches during his decades-long political career. Dole will bring those years of speaking experience to the Ellipse as the keynote speaker at GW’s Commencement ceremony Sunday. But students have mixed emotions about the University’s choice of speakers. “I’m excited because I think he’s a good speaker – he’s […]

Since GW’s Commencement was moved to the Ellipse in 1992, an assortment of famous speakers have stood behind the podium to deliver the ceremony’s keynote speech. From First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1994 to comedian Bill Cosby in 1997, GW Commencements have drawn high-caliber performances from celebrity speakers. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William […]

The last time Nettie Baldwin delivered a graduation speech was 1957. She was a high school senior. Forty years later, Baldwin will speak again to a group of graduating students and their guests as the student speaker at Sunday’s Commencement. She will be the first doctoral student in recent GW history to give the student […]

Mount Vernon College Commencement recognizes service D.C. Council Chair Linda Cropp addressed more than 100 graduates at the Mount Vernon College commencement May 10. Cropp was elected to an at-large seat on the council in 1990 and was re-elected in 1994. In 1997, she became the first woman to chair the council. At Mount Vernon’s […]

Sunday’s Commencement ceremony on the Ellipse, with the White House as a backdrop, will add a touch of grandeur to graduation memories. But individual school ceremonies held throughout Commencement weekend offer a hint of intimacy. The Columbian School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Elliott School of International Affairs, and School […]

GW will award six honorary degrees at Sunday’s Commencement to individuals who have been committed to public service and made outstanding strides in their fields. The recipients were selected from a dozen nominations received this year and 150 suggestions compiled over the past five years, University Marshall Jill Kasle said. This year, former Senate Majority […]

In their final days at GW, several graduating seniors reminisce about their college years: Q. What are your best or worst freshman residence hall memories?  “I remember being a freshman in Thurston Hall and a big group of us would gather every Wednesday night in my room to watch `Beverly Hills 90210′ and `Party […]