Dear Colleagues,
As the new semester begins, I wish you all a great start to the 2026-27 academic year. I hope that you have had time to recharge this summer, and that you are bringing renewed enthusiasm to the important day-to-day operations and longer term-projects of your teams.
As I am new to GW, I am going to take this opportunity to offer a longer than usual message, to give you a sense of how I am getting up to speed. Since beginning as GW Provost in July, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the campus and the talented faculty, staff, and students whose dedication and ingenuity make this such a compelling destination for research and education. And I am grateful to the many dedicated staff members who have taken time to orient me to the many offices and processes that support the university’s core academic missions.
As President Granberg said in her start of semester message, American higher education continues to face strong headwinds. Those challenges, however, present GW with a generational opportunity to engage with new ideas and collaborate as we adapt to quickly evolving circumstances around student demand, research funding, and the issues confronting the world, the United States, and our neighboring communities. We will soon be moving to implement the Strategic Framework that GW adopted last year. Staff will be playing essential roles in bringing the ambitious goals of that Framework to fruition, whether they concern affordability, expansion of avenues for interdisciplinary research, improved advising, greater opportunities for experiential learning, or efforts to take even greater advantage of our location in Washington, D.C.
I am committed to working closely with all GW constituencies as we make the university stronger than ever: a better place to learn, research, engage, work, and equip students at all levels to make a difference as citizens, community members, innovators, and resilient leaders. I wish you the very best for a productive and fulfilling semester. And as I make my way across campus (it will be happening at least twice most days), please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and say hello.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Balleisen
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of History