Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the original college of George Washington University and one of the oldest colleges in the United States. It was created as a Baptist institution by Reverend Luther Rice, and officially founded as the Columbian College on February 9, 1821 by an act of Congress signed by President James Monroe. Originally, the college consisted of two departments: the Theological Department and Classical Department, with individual professors covering other subjects such as mathematics and anatomy. The college's first class graduated in 1824, where the president presented each of the three graduates with their degree in the presence of the Marquis de Lafayette and college president William Staughton. With the dawn of the Civil War in 1861, the majority of the students left the college to fight for the Confederacy, and the campus buildings were used as a hospital and barracks. In 1873 the college becomes Columbian University and in 1904 the George Washington University was established by an Act of Congress, with Columbian College and its Graduate School being integrated in the Department of Arts and Sciences. In 1962, Columbian College changed its name to the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. . ==Facilities==

The College contains many research centers and institutes, including the Biostatistics Center. Its main facilities are located at George Washington University's Foggy Bottom campus. == Organization and administration ==

The college is managed by a team of administrative staff currently led by Interim Dean Paul Wahlbeck and Vice Dean Eric Arnesen. The leadership is also supported by the National Council for Arts and Sciences, which is composed of national and international alumni and others associated to the college, and serves a volunteer advisory board. Other affiliated advisory councils are the Corcoran Strategic Advisory Council, the National Council for Media and Public Affairs and the Trachtenberg School Advisory Board. == Academics ==

, located across The Ellipse from the White House The Columbian College houses 42 academic departments and programs. CCAS is also host to three distinct schools: • School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) • Corcoran School of the Arts and Design • Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (SPPPA) It offers a total of 61 undergraduate minors, 58 undergraduate major, 51 master's degrees and 33 combined degree program's (bachelor's and master's). The College offers degrees in the main fields Arts & Design, Clinical Programs, Humanities, Mathematics & Statistical Analysis, Natural & Forensic Sciences, Policy & Public Affairs and Social & Behavioral Sciences. The college also offers different engaged learning programs, an extensive on- and offline summer school program, 16 graduate certificates and more than 30 doctoral degrees. The college has an international network of partnering universities and schools. For students there are currently more than 300 study and exchange programs in 50 countries available. Graduates to the College are awarded a commencement medal depicting the College's seal that is worn during the commencement ceremony. The original seal was designed by James Peale when the Columbian College was founded in 1821. The seal originally depicted a biblical lion laying down with a lamb under an open book with Greek text that translated to "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." The design of the seal was changed in 1873, and completely replaced by George Washington University in 1905. The College still uses the seal today but with the Greek text omitted. ==Rankings==

In the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities, Columbian ranks in the top 76–100 schools of social sciences in the world. In 2019, Intelligent ranked the College's Department of Forensic Science as 6th in The Best Master's in Crime Scene Investigation Degree Programs from an assessment of 443 education programs compared from 159 colleges and universities. == Research ==

The College is home to 28 research centers and institutes with an average annual research expenditure of $18.6 million. Research is supported by internal funding and external grants from institutions like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. It also offers different undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral student research fellowships and programs. == Notable people ==

File:Mrs Kennedy in the Diplomatic Reception Room cropped.jpg|Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis ('51) – First Lady of the United States File:DanWeiss photo (cropped).png|Daniel H. Weiss ('79) – President & CEO the Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Eric Cantor, official 113th Congress photo portrait.jpg|Eric Cantor ('85) – Former House Majority Leader File:Mark Warner 113th Congress photo.jpg|Mark Warner ('77) – Current U.S. Senator and former Governor of Virginia File:Anwar Gargash.jpg|Anwar Gargash ('81, '84) – Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates File:Mayor Vincent Gray Talks About Consumer Protection (6918837914) (cropped).jpg|Vincent C. Gray ('64) – Former Mayor of the District of Columbia File:Steve Israel 113th Congress.jpg|Steve Israel ('81) – Former Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee File:Huma Abedin DNC 2016 Pre Hillary Clinton Speech at Democratic National Convention (July 28, 2016).jpg|Huma Abedin ('97) – Former chief of staff to Hillary Clinton File:Carl Lutz fortepan 105824.jpg|Carl Lutz ('24) – Swiss diplomat who saved over 62,000 Jews during World War II File:David Lynch Cannes 2017.jpg|David Lynch – Artist and director File:Glenn Greenwald 2014-01-20 001.jpg|Glenn Greenwald – Journalist File:Rhee Syng-man 1948.jpg|Syngman Rhee – 1st President of South Korea File:Elizabeth Warren, official portrait, 114th Congress.jpg|Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts File:Kerry Washington in (2024) (cropped).jpg|Kerry Washington ('98) – Time 100 and Emmy Award-winning actress ==Notes==