The university is organized into 14 colleges and schools, including the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Elliott School of affairs, the GW School of Business, the college of Media and Public Affairs, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, the GW grad school and therefore the Corcoran School of the humanities and style. George Washington's main Washington D.C. Campus is found within the heart of Washington, D.C., with the International fund and also the UN agency located on campus and also the White House and also the U.S. Department of State within blocks of campus. GWU hosts numerous research centers and institutes, including the National Security Archive and therefore the Institute for International policy. GWU has two satellite campuses: the residence Campus, located in D.C.'s Foxhall neighborhood and therefore the Virginia Science and Technology Campus. it's the most important institution of upper education within the District of Columbia.
George Washington, the primary President of the us, advocated the establishment of a national university within the U.S. capital in his Diamond State of the Union address in 1790 and continued to push this concept throughout his career and until his death. In his will, Washington left shares within the Potomac Company to endow the university. However, thanks to the company's financial difficulties, funds were raised independently. On February 9, 1821, the university was founded by an Act of Congress because the Columbian College, making it one among only five universities within the us with a Congressional charter.