George Washington University
EN-13: Community Stakeholder Engagement

The 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan (Zoning Commission for the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Order NO 06-11/06-02) requires that the University shall work with community representatives to form an Advisory Committee for the purpose of fostering consistent communication between the University and the Foggy Bottom and West End communities, discussing issues of mutual interests and proposing solutions to problems that exist or arise in implementing the approved Foggy Bottom Campus Plan. Development sites called for under this plan are presented to the Advisory Committee in advance of public presentations to community stakeholders outlined below.

The 2010 Mount Vernon Campus Plan (Zoning Commission for the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Order 09-19) requires the university to maintain a community liaison program consisting of representatives of the University, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D, and the neighborhood.

GW endeavors to include and engage community stakeholders in a variety of regular meetings, events, and communications. All the activities listed below are publically noted and open to the public. This entails posting ads in local newspapers as well as online, sending e-mail invitations to community listservs, hosting the meeting after normal business hours and on weekends to ensure greater community availability, and hosting the meeting in open access buildings (no ID required) that are near public transportation.

• Campaign GW Presentations to Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni several times a year. Campaign GW is the student arm of the Division of Operations (the department on campus responsible for construction, campus planning, facilities management, etc.), which presents information to university stakeholders on campus development projects. Attendees have an opportunity to ask questions about construction on campus, the two university campus plans, and sign-up for monthly updates to receive more information.
• Mount Vernon Campus Plan Quarterly Meetings hosted by GW (4 times a year) where university officials meet quarterly with community members to discuss and respond to issues of concern ranging from student behavior, to sporting events, to campus development. Often issues are raised at one meeting and the university works to resolve these issues before the next quarterly meeting.
• Foggy Bottom Campus Plan Advisory Committee Meetings hosted by GW (4 times a year) where university officials meet quarterly with community members to discuss and respond to issues of concern ranging from student behavior, to sporting events, to campus development. Often issues are raised at one meeting and the university works to resolve these issues before the next quarterly meeting.
• Monthly FRIENDS Meetings/Community Events hosted by GW. FRIENDS is the name GW assigned its community engagement group in which attendees meet monthly to discuss concerns with the university and learn about engagement opportunities like speakers, course auditing, and sporting events.
• Monthly Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANCs) Meeting Attendance by GW Staff. ANCs are the hyper-local governing bodies of neighborhoods in DC consisting of elected “Commissioners” that meet monthly to discuss regulatory matters and community concerns. University staff attend to present on matters that the ANC has purview over and also attend to stay abreast of broader community concerns unrelated to the university. This is often a good time to meet with city administrators and other elected officials to share information about what GW is doing in the community.
• Quarterly Foggy Bottom Association (FBA) and Bi-Annual West End Citizens Association (WECA) Meeting Attendance by GW Staff. The FBA and WECA are the two civic associations that include the GW Foggy Bottom campus, and university staff attend their meetings to hear and respond to concerns related to the university as well as other community related news. Attendees at these civic association meetings don’t always attend ANC and other GW hosted meetings so it’s important to attend to hear from other members of the community.
• Monthly Advertisements in DC Current Newspapers (delivered to 32,000 households in Northwest Washington, DC).
• Bi-Annual Mailings to zip code 20037 (nearly 9,000 households) that include news stories related to the universities community engagement.
• Large-Scale community invents including a fall “Block Party”, winter “Holiday Social” and “Spring BBQ” where neighbors are invited to the university for an afternoon of fun that allows them to engage with university staff, students, and faculty in an informal setting.

Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumni of GWU
Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) 2A and 3D
DC City Council
West End Citizens Association (WECA)
Foggy Bottom Association (FBA)
FRIENDs Group
Local Churches including St. Mary’s Church, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, Western Presbyterian, the United Church, and St. Paul’s Parish
Local Government/NGOs including World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and State Department
Local Institutions including Kennedy Center, GWU Hospital and United Health Services Inc.
ONE DC

Milken Institute School of Public Health – July 25, 2011; Zoning Commission Approval 4-0-1.
GW Museum and the Textile Museum – June 25, 2012; Zoning Commission Approval 4-0-1
Square 75 – February 25, 2013; Zoning Commission Approval 5-0-0 and subsequent City Council Alley Closing Unanimous Approval
Square 77 – July 25, 2013; Zoning Commission Approval 5-0-0 and subsequent City Council Alley Closing Unanimous Approval

http://neighborhood.gwu.edu/sites/neighborhood.gwu.edu/files/downloads/2007%20Foggy%20Bottom%20Campus%20Plan%20Order%20of%20Approval_0.pdf

http://neighborhood.gwu.edu/files/downloads/2010%20Mount%20Vernon%20Campus%20Plan%20Order%20of%20Approval.pdf