The GW Student Association

This past Saturday, July 25, Julie and I had the opportunity to join the Alumni Association in their annual, day-long retreat right here on the GW campus. The retreat gave us some great insight into the many things the Alumni Association is doing for the past, present and future GW student community, and we were proud to represent the student perspective to a group of Alumni Association board members who graduated anywhere from months ago to decades ago. In addition to the Alumni board members, this retreat gave us an opportunity to meet with members of the Board of Trustees, who we have found to be very receptive to the student opinion, and passionate about improving student life on a day to day basis.

In our small group meetings during the retreat, we discussed many of the same issues members of the Student Association wrestle with everyday: what is the best way to outreach to the GW community? How can we use alumni as better resources for students? How do we quantify and improve that “school spirit” element that so many students feel can be improved upon?

There are a number of great resources the Alumni Association already offers the GW community-at-large, such as the “How do I become a…” speaker series, Alumni Dinners, and the Career Advisor Network. What else would you like to see the Alumni Association offer?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, GW!

Full Board of Trustees meeting today. Had the wonderful opportunity to introduce our core values of the Student Association to the Board. They were received very warmly and I look forward to working with them to push forward our initiatives over the course of the next year. After that I attended the Baccalaureate Ceremony. The student speakers were wonderful and truly made a great point about faith and our education. The keynote speaker, Rory Pullens, head of school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts was just absolutely incredible. That is one partnership that should make GW proud.

Attended the Board of Trustees Committee on Student Affairs meeting today. I think it went really well. Admissions numbers are remaining steady despite the economic climate, which means many new and incredible colonials! Financial aid is also a huge issue that was talked about. If you are having any issues with your financial aid please, let us know! Student space, the GPS program, and other community building activities were also discussed. If you ever want to talk about what goes on in those meetings please email me at Julie@gwstudentassociation.com and I’d love to chat!

Getting ready to address the Board of Trustees this week. What do you want them to know about student affairs here at GW? Feel free to comment below!