| American University
|
AU_logo.jpg
American University logotype
|
| Motto
| Pro deo et patria
(For God and Country)
|
| Established
| 1893
|
| School type
| Private
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| President
| Benjamin Ladner
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| Location
| Washington, District of Columbia, USA
|
| Campus
| Urban
|
| Enrollment
| 5,870 undergraduate,
3,579 graduate
1,652 law
|
| Faculty
| 577 full time
475 adjunct
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| Mascot
| Eagle
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| Study Abroad
| 470 programs
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| Homepage
| www.american.edu
|
American University is a fully accredited university located at Ward Circle in northwest Washington, DC. It currently has roughly 5,000 undergraduate students, and approximately the same number of graduates.
It is served by the Tenleytown-AU station on the Washington Metro, which is located roughly a mile from the main campus, and is located in and around the neighborhood of Tenleytown.
AU has recently entered the first tier of US News & World Report's college and university rankings guide.
History
AU traces its history back to a letter written by George Washington, in which he expressed a desire for a "national university" to be located in the nation's capital. AU was chartered by an act of the United States Congress in 1893, nearly a century after Washington's death, and ground was broken in 1896. After some difficulties with funding, the first degrees were given out in 1916, and the first undergraduates were admitted in 1925.
During both World War I and World War II, the university allowed the U.S. military to use some of its grounds for testing. In WWI especially, chemical weapons were tested on the grounds; this led to a major cleanup effort in the 1990s.
American took over the previously unaffiliated Washington College of Law in 1949, and added a business school and an international relations program in the 1950s.
Public Radio Broadcasts
American University also operates a pubic radio station, WAMU, broadcasting at 88.5 mHz on the FM band. The commercial free station is affiliated with National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International. The station began broadcasting as the student radio station, but is now professionally staffed. Original programming includes the Diane Rehm Show (http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/index.php) and the The Kojo Nnamdi Show (http://www.wamu.org/programs/kn/04/12/23.php).
Washington Semester Program
American University also offers a "Washington Semester" program to subscribing colleges and universities nationwide. The purpose of the program is to bring students from various backgrounds together for a semester of study combining access to Washington DC insiders in a variety of different fields ranging from political science to journalism and the arts. Students enrolled in this program are also expected to find and hold an internship in their field of study during the 3-4 month program.
Organization
- College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
- Department of American Studies
Department of Anthropology
Department of Art
Department of Biology
Department of Computer Science, Audio Technology, and Physics
Department of Chemistry
Degree Completion Programs
Department of Economics
Department of Education
Department of Environmental Studies
Department of Health and Fitness
Department of History
Department of Jewish Studies
Department of Language and Foreign Studies
Department of Literature
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Department of Multimedia Design & Development
Department of Performing Arts
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Department of Psychology
Department of Sociology
Department of Women's and Gender Studies
- Kogod School of Business (KSB)
- Department of Accounting
Department of Finance
Department of International Business
Department of Management
Department of Marketing
Department of Information Technology
- School of Communications (SOC)
- Department of Film and Media Arts
Department of Journalism
Department of Public Communication
- School of International Service (SIS)
- School of Public Affairs (SPA)
- Department of Government
Department of Justice, Law, & Society
Department of Public Administration
- Washington College of Law (WCL)
- Washington Semester Program (WSP)
- WAMU 88.5AM American University Broadcast House
Professors of American University
- Akbar S. Ahmed
- Richard Berendzen Department of Physics
- Julian Bond
- Max Cleland (former professor)
- Christine DeGregorio Department of Government
- Ofield Dukes (former professor)
- Lincoln Furber (Retired professor of broadcast journalism, CBS Anchor, Anchor of Washington Week in Review)
- Valerie French Department of History
- Lesley Gill Department of Anthropology
- Robert Griffith Department of History Chair
- Alan Kraut Department of History
- Jane Hall School of Communications
- Susan Hammond Department of Government
- Peter J. Kuznick Department of History
- Harvey Lieber Department of Public Administration
- Karen O'Connor Department of Government
- Edward C. Smith Department of American Studies
- Ben Stein (former professor)
Notable Alumni
- Abdulwahab A. Al-Hajjri Ambassador of Yemen to the United States
- Shaikh Khalifa Bin Ali Al-Khalifa Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States
- Ghazi al-Yawar, Interim President of Iraq
- Hatem Atallaj, Ambassador of Tunisia to the United States
- Robert Byrd, United States Senator from West Virginia, WCL '63
- Alice Paul, WCL '22
- Goldie Hawn
- Donald Manzullo, United States Representative from Illinois, SPA '67
- James McGovern, United States Representative from Massachusetts, CAS '81, SPA '84
- Star Jones
- Robert Kogod, President of the Charles E. Smith Companies, KSB/BSBA '62
- Barry Levinson, SOC '64
- Willard Scott
- Salvador Stadthagen, Ambassador of Nicaragua to the United States, KSB/BSBA '83
- Paul Strauss, United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia, SPA '86, WCL '93
External links
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