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a GRaduatioN
SeNd oFF
Commencement
2010 included two
Columbian College
Celebration ceremonies
at the Charles e. Smith
Center. The celebration
recognized the 1,150
undergraduates and 600
graduate students receiving
degrees in the arts and
sciences in 2009-10. Dean
Peg Barratt encouraged
each graduate to continue
to “think big, act boldly, and
change lives. …i look to you,
with anticipation and pride,
for innovations, creativity,
discovery, leadership, and
service. … Congratulations
and all the best!”
www.columbian.gwu.edu learning page 12
coLumBiaN
coLLeGe douBLeS
adviSiNG StaFF
Columbian College
under-graduates now
have access to 18 professional
advisors, double the number
available in previous years.
They are on hand to answer
questions, offer counsel, and
ensure academic goals are met.
“The increased number of
staff will ensure that students
receive timely and accurate
information,” said Associate
Dean of undergraduate
Studies Paul Duff. “They’re
a talented group and are
bringing fresh expertise and
energy to our advising office.”
The additional staff includes
an allied health adviser for
those interested in dentistry,
veterinary medicine, physical
therapy, or nursing; an
internship adviser for students
seeking to enrich their
education with practical
experience; and a graduate
school adviser for disciplines
outside of health and law.
learning
A classroom to
dorm experience
lively debate is common in university
classrooms, but Columbian College’s Politics
and Values Program takes it to the next level. The
intensive living and learning experience for a select
group of 32 freshmen sparks candid exchanges of
ideas on political theory and practice—discussions
that spill beyond the classroom and onto the
ninth floor of Thurston Hall, where students in
the program live.
“These are some of GW’s brightest,” said Professor
of Political Science Steven kelts, who teaches the
program’s year-long, 12-credit set of courses. “The
curriculum requires clear, reasoned thinking and,
by the end of the year, writing at the master’s level. I
tell my students that it will be a colossally difficult
experience but also one that is exciting and
memorable because of the bonds forged.”
“We feed off of each other’s thoughts and ideas,”
said Schyler turrin, who was enrolled in the
program last year. “Since we all live together, it is
easier to ask for help or just bounce ideas off of
each other. Also, by having roommates in the
program, we push each other to get our work
done and not procrastinate.”
“It’s like boot camp,” added fellow student Broc
exposito, “where we bond over ‘common trauma.’”
Selected through a competitive process, students
in the program spend five hours in lectures and about
two hours a week in discussion—all with Kelts.
Political theory and American politics are taught
in the fall, comparative politics and international
relations in the spring. Students begin the year
reading Aristotle, exploring concepts of liberty
and democracy in ancient political thought. They
progress to Niccolò Machiavelli, John locke, Alexis
de Tocqueville, and James Madison’s Federalist
Papers. The year concludes with a look at modern
democratic values and a 25-page thesis.