Governing Documents
Mission Statement
At the March 2026 Board Meeting, GW’s Board of Trustees approved a new mission statement developed by a university committee, with input from the entire GW community. The new mission statement celebrates GW’s unique location and honors the university’s deep history and enduring commitment to the public good.
Since its founding in the earliest days of the nation, the George Washington University has prepared graduates to lead with integrity, resilience, and purpose. GW takes full advantage of its location in the heart of the nation’s capital to bring together diverse communities of scholars, practitioners, and professionals in service to the public good. Global in outlook and revolutionary in spirit, GW cultivates a civic-minded community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni whose work sparks creativity, advances discovery, and makes a lasting impact in their communities and around the world.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on March 19, 2026
The University Seal
The seal of the George Washington University identifies and endorses diplomas and other official documents.
The current university seal was instituted in 1905 with a design and inscription adopted from the original seal of Columbian College.
Two inches in diameter, it bears an image of George Washington based on a well-known portrait by Gilbert Stuart. An open Bible shows a verse in Greek from the Gospel of St. John, chapter I, verses 1-4. The inscription on the left-hand page reads, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The right-hand page reads, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." The words inscribed on the background are in Latin, “Deus Nobis Fiducia,” or, "God is our trust." The seal is encircled with a double ring, in azure, carrying the words, “THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY - 1821.”