Dive Summary:
- After going from local commuter school to name brand, George Washington University (GWU) is fighting back against its "rich kid" reputation and reform itself as an academically prestigious research institution, starting with a rebranding campaign this fall.
- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, GWU's president from 1988 to 2007, catapulted the school into the limelight by way of tuition increases and campus expansions to the point that wealthy students were subsidizing their high-performing, low-income classmates.
- According to some students and parents, the result is a culture of excess and privilege, creating a noticeable tension on campus between the students who have and those who have not.
From the article:
"... About 55 percent of GW students receive need-based aid, but its tuition is so high experts say that’s not the best barometer of a student body’s economic diversity — as many middle- and even upper-middle-class students get institutional aid. A better marker is the percentage of students receiving federally funded Pell grants. That number is 14 percent, less than half the national average but on par with nearby institutions such as Georgetown and American universities.
Knapp said this academic year is a pivotal one for the school, which launched a high-profile rebranding campaign in the fall and a 10-year vision plan that could cost more than $110 million. ..."
