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American UniversityAmerican University is a fully accredited university located at Ward Circle, in the American University Park area of northwest Washington, DC. It currently has roughly 5,000 undergraduate students, and approximately the same number of graduate students. 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. A leader in global education, AU enrolls a diverse student body from throughout the U.S. and more than 160 countries and provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nations capital and around the world. AU is a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, allowing students to enroll in courses offered by other member institutions and students at other member institutions to enroll in courses at AU. 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 1917, the US military divided American University into two segments, Camp American University and Camp Leach. Camp American University became the birthplace of the United States' chemical weapons program, and chemical weapons were tested on the grounds; this led to a major cleanup effort in the 1990s. Camp Leach was the home to advanced research, develop and testing of modern camouflage techniques. During WWII, the campus was home to the US Navy Bomb Disposal School and a WAVE barracks. For AU's role in these wartime efforts, the Victory Ship SS American Victory was named in honor of the university. 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. In the 1960s, the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency operated a think tank under the guise of Operation Camelot at American University. The government abandoned the think tank after the operation came to public attention. Campus The university has two campuses: The main campus off Ward Circle and the Tenley Campus. The university also owns a few buildings in the Tenleytown area, as well as the Washington College of Law building in Spring Valley. Additionally, in cooperation with Capital Properties, the university operates Park Bethesda, a 258-unit luxury apartment complex in Bethesda, Maryland to house graduate and upperclass-standing undergraduate students. Main campus American University's main campus occupies 84 acres (340,000 m²) in a residential neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C., at the intersection of Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenuesthe top of Embassy Row. Highlights of the campus include a main quadrangle surrounded by several academic buildings, six residential halls, a 5,000-seat arena, and an outdoor amphitheatre. The major and notable buildings are: - Jack I. and Dorothy G. Bender Library and Learning Resources Center
- Mary Graydon Center, home to the main dining facilities, student organization offices, and the School of Communications. A history of the building
- Abbey Joel Butler Pavilion, administrative offices for the Office of Campus Life
- Sports Center: Bender Arena, Reeves Aquatic Center
- School of International Services, ground broken by President Dwight Eisenhower. A new building is slated to begin construction in 2006.
- Hurst Hall, ground was broken for this first building in 1896 for what was to be the College of History.
- McKinley Building, had its cornerstone laid by President Theodore Roosevelt. Slated to become the new home to the School of Communications.
- Battelle-Tompkins Building, formerly the library until 1977 and now home to the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Ward Circle Building, built in 1968 as a home for the School of Government and Public Administration (now the School of Public Affairs). The largest classroom building on campus.
- Kay Spiritual Life Center, a nondenominational place of worship built in 1963, it is the home to the University Chaplains and is used for speeches and performances.
- Kogod School of Business, formerly the home to the Washington College of Law. Is set to annex the now empty Experimental Theatre and Butler Instructional Center in 2006.
- Residences: There are 6 residence halls on the main campus, capable of housing approximately 3000 students. Anderson, Letts and Centennial halls make up the southern cluster of residence halls, and Leonard, McDowell and Hughes halls make up the northern cluster of residence halls.
Former buildings include: - Leonard Learning Center/Cassell Center
- Clendenen Hall
Tenley campus This campus, formerly the Immaculate School, is located half a mile east of the main campus, and was purchased by American University in 1987. During the academic year, Tenley Campus is home to the Washington Semester Program students, and during the summer, American University uses the residence halls for summer interns. Administratively, Tenley Campus is home to the Washington Semester Program, the Office of Development, University Publications, and Media Relations. - Capital Hall, the oldest and most ornate of the Tenley Campus buildings, it houses 170 students, a fitness center and the stained glass chapel that is used for dance and music recitals.
- Congressional Hall, with 156 students, contains the central reception desk for the Tenley Campus
- Federal Hall, housing 107 students, contains the mailroom and the cafeteria on its first floor.
- Dunblane House, a small administrative building.
- Constituion Building, an administrative building.
- A sports field used for intramural sport matches.
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 developed into a professionally staffed station when the administration spun off the student radio station. Original programming includes the Diane Rehm Show and Kojo Nnamdi Show. 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. Technology In 1997, American University was been included as one of the top 50 "wired campuses" in the United States by a Yahoo! survey. Since adding a campus-wide advanced wireless broadband network in 2001, American University has been classified as one of the most "unwired" campuses in the U.S. by Intel. Recently, American University has expanded its wireless precense by teaming with T-Mobile to first convert American University into the first HotSpot campus in 2004 and then again in 2005 when the Kogod School of Business became the first business school to integrate RSS data services with BlackBerry devices distributed to all graduate business students. 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)
- Department of Comparative & Regional Studies
Department of Global Environmental Politics
Department of International Communication
Department of International Development
Department of International Economic Policy
Department of International Peace & Conflict Resolution
Department of International Politics
Department of U.S. Foreign Policy - School of Public Affairs (SPA)
- Department of Government
Department of Justice, Law, & Society
Department of Public Administration
- Washington College of Law (WCL)
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- Washington Semester Program (WSP)
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- WAMU 88.5AM American University Broadcast House
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Notable professors Notable alumni - Abdulwahab A. Al-Hajjri, Ambassador of Yemen to the United States
- David Aldridge, ESPN Sportscaster and Columnist
- Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, SPA '92
- 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
- Heidi Bressler , Candidate on the first season of The Apprentice
- Robert Byrd, United States Senator from West Virginia, WCL '63
- Michael Chasen, CEO and Founder of Blackboard, Inc., KSB '76
- Kenneth Duberstein, Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan
- Achilles Exarchos, Ambassador of Greece to Nigeria, Permanent Representative of Greece to UN/FAO, WFP and WFC, SPA
- Patricia Harrison, Co-chair, Republican National Committee
- Goldie Hawn, Actress
- Cameron R. Hume, Ambassador of the United States to Algeria (1997-2000), South Africa (2001-Present), WCL
- Star Jones, Co-host, The View
- Jeffrey Jurgensen, Screenwriter, "Agent Cody Banks"
- Florence King, Writer
- Robert Kogod, President of the Charles E. Smith Companies, KSB/BSBA '62
- Clint Kreitner, President and CEO of The Center for Internet Security
- Matthew Lesko, Author on government grants
- Barry Levinson, Film Director, SOC '64
- Donald Manzullo, United States Representative from Illinois, SPA '67
- James McGovern, United States Representative from Massachusetts, CAS '81, SPA '84
- Howard Mills, New York State Assembyman, 2004 US Senate Candidate, SPA '88
- Longin Pastusiak, Marshal of the Senate, Republic of Poland, '62
- Alice Paul, Feminist, author of the Equal Rights Amendment, WCL '22
- Gary Pudles, CEO of AnswerNet Network
- Mohammed Sadiq, Cheif of Mission, Embassy of Pakistan in Washington
- Benjamin Salisbury, Actor, role of Brighton Sheffield on The Nanny
- Willard Scott, Performer, "Today" NBC
- Peter L. Scher, United States Special Trade Ambassador for Agriculture
- Bruce Scheier, Author, leading internet security advisor
- Carlos Quintanilla Schmidt, Vice President of El Salvador
- Edward Schrock, United States Representative from Virginia
- Judy Sheindlin, Judge Judy
- Alice Sheldon, Writer
- Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand
- 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
- William Tartikoff, Senior Vice President, Calvert Management
- Thirachai Vudhidhama, Board of Directors, Thai Airways International
- Kermit Washington, Professional basketball player
- Ed Whitfield, United States Representative from Kentucky
- Chris Wylde, Actor and game show host, "Taboo", TNN
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