Editing American University (section)

==History==
===Founding===
[[File:American University Glover Gate.jpg|thumb|The front gate at American University]]
[[File:American University in 1916.jpg|thumb|American University in 1916]]
American University was established in the District of Columbia by an [[Act of Congress]] on December 5, 1892, primarily due to the efforts of Methodist bishop [[John Fletcher Hurst]], who aimed to create an institution that could train future [[public servants]]. Hurst also chose the university's site, which was in the rural periphery of [[Washington, D.C.]]

After more than three decades devoted principally to securing financial support, the university was officially dedicated on May 15, 1914. Instruction began in October 1914 with 28 student enrollees, 19 of whom were graduates and the remainder special students not candidates for a degree.

===20th century===
American University's first commencement was held on June 2, 1915.

[[File:AU McKineyHall ACC.jpeg|thumb|Birthplace of Army Chemical Corps]]
During [[World War I]], the university allowed the [[U.S. military]] to use the university's grounds for testing. In 1917, the U.S. military divided American University into two segments, [[Camp Leach]] and [[Camp American University]]. Camp Leach was home to advanced research, development, and testing of modern camouflage techniques. Camp American University was an experiment station that became the birthplace of the United States' chemical weapons program and the site of chemical weapons testing.<ref name="Gordon">{{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Martin K. |url=https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Portals/63/docs/SpringValley/AUES_Report_June_1994.pdf |title=Final Report: A Brief History of the American University Experiment Station and U. S. Navy Bomb Disposal School, America University |last2=Sude |first2=Barry R. |last3=Overbeck |first3=Ruth Ann |last4=Hendricks |first4=Charles |date=1994 |publisher=U. S. Army Corps of Engineers |access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Gross">{{cite journal|last1=Gross|first1=Daniel A.|title=Chemical Warfare: From the European Battlefield to the American Laboratory|journal=Distillations|date=Spring 2015|volume=1|issue=1|pages=16–23|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/chemical-warfare-from-the-european-battlefield-to-the-american-laboratory|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> A major cleanup effort began in the 1990s to remove chemical weapon remnants, particularly a cache of over 200 mustard gas shells buried beneath the campus.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-23 |title=American University Once Had A Chemical Warfare Center |url=https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/11/18/american-university-chemical-weapons |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Architect of the Capital |language=en-US}}</ref> Additional material was located in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Restoration plans persist in cleanup of former World War I chemical weapons manufacturing site - The Eagle |url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2024/12/restoration-plans-persist-in-cleanup-of-former-world-war-i-chemical-weapons-manufacturing-site |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=www.theeagleonline.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Spring Valley Monthly Update February 2025 |url=https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Home/Spring-Valley/Monthly-Update/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District}}</ref>   

Instruction was first offered only at the graduate level, in accordance with the vision of the university's founders. This changed in 1925 with the establishment of the College of Liberal Arts (subsequently named the [[American University College of Arts and Sciences|College of Arts and Sciences]]), which offered undergraduate degrees and programs. What is now the [[American University School of Public Affairs|School of Public Affairs]] was founded in 1934,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spa.american.edu/pages.php?ID=12 |title=The School of Public Affairs at American University |publisher=Spa.american.edu |access-date=July 23, 2012}}</ref> partly to educate future federal employees in [[public administration]].

AU's relationship with the U.S. government continued during [[World War II]], when the campus hosted the U.S. Navy Bomb Disposal School and a [[United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve)|WAVE]] barracks. For AU's role in these wartime efforts, the [[Victory ship]] [[SS American Victory|SS ''American Victory'']] was named in its honor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mission & History |url=https://www.americanvictory.org/about/mission-and-history/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=American Victory Ship |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:President Kennedy American University Commencement Address June 10, 1963.jpg|thumb|President [[John F. Kennedy]] delivers the [[wikisource:A Strategy of Peace|commencement address at American University]], on June 10, 1963]]
The post-World War II period saw considerable growth and restructuring of AU. In 1949, the university merged with the [[Washington College of Law]], which had been founded in 1896. Shortly after that, three departments were reorganized as schools: the School of Business Administration in 1955 (subsequently named the Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod College of Business Administration and in 1999, renamed the Kogod School of Business); the School of Government and Public Administration in 1957; and the [[School of International Service]] in 1958.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

In the early 1960s, the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] operated the [[Federally funded research and development centers|FFRDC]] [[Project Camelot|Special Operations Research Office]] as a think tank at American University. AU's political involvement was furthered by President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s Spring 1963 [[American University speech|commencement address]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/BWC7I4C9QUmLG9J6I8oy8w.aspx |title=Commencement Address at American University, June 10, 1963 |date=June 10, 1963 |website=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> In the speech, Kennedy called on the Soviet Union to work with the United States to achieve a nuclear test ban treaty and to reduce the considerable international tensions and the specter of nuclear war during that juncture of the [[Cold War]].

From 1965 to 1977, the College of Continuing Education existed as a degree-granting college responsible for on- and off-campus adult education programs. The Lucy Webb Hayes School of Nursing provided an undergraduate study in Nursing from 1965 until 1988. In 1972, the School of Government and Public Administration, the School of International Service, the Center for Technology and Administration, and the Center for the Administration of Justice (subsequently named the School of Justice) were incorporated into the College of Public and International Affairs.

The university bought the Immaculata Campus in 1986 to alleviate space problems. This would later become Tenley Campus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flanagan |first=Neil |last2= |title=Moving AU law school could revitalize Tenleytown |url=https://ggwash.org/view/5269/moving-au-law-school-could-revitalize-tenleytown |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Greater Greater Washington |language=en}}</ref>

In 1986, construction on the Adnan Khashoggi Sports and Convocation Center began. Financed with $5 million from and named for Saudi Arabian Trustee [[Adnan Khashoggi]], the building was intended to update athletics facilities and provide a new arena, as well as a parking garage and office space for administrative services. Costing an estimated $19 million, the building represented the largest construction project to date but met protest by both faculty and students to the university's use of Khashoggi's name on the building due to his involvement in the international arms trade.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/01/11/american-u-donation-stirs-debate/a8487a86-1788-4a79-ab8f-16e02c03df43/ |title=AMERICAN U. DONATION STIRS DEBATE |last=Isikoff |first=Michael |date=January 11, 1987 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref>

In 1988, the College of Public and International Affairs was reorganized to create two free-standing schools: the School of International Service and the School of Public Affairs, incorporating the School of Government and Public Administration and the School of Justice. That same year, construction of the Adnan Khashoggi Sports Center was completed while the [[Iran–Contra affair|Iran–Contra Affair]] controversy was at its height, although his name remained on the building until after Khashoggi defaulted on his donation obligation in the mid-to-late 1990s.

[[File:Tenleytown aerial 2019.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the American University campus, with [[Tenleytown]] in the background, in 2019]]
[[File:AmericanUniversity.jpg|thumb|American University]]In 1997, [[American University of Sharjah]], the only coeducational, liberal arts university in the [[United Arab Emirates]], signed a two-year contract with AU to provide academic management. This contract has since been extended multiple times through August 2009. A team of senior AU administrators relocated to [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]] to assist in the establishment of the university and guide it through the [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]] accreditation process.

===21st century===
In fall 2005, the [[Katzen Arts Center]] and [[American University Museum]] opened, funded by a donation from Washington, D.C. [[philanthropists]] Dr. Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-15 |title=The Katzen Arts Center: A Legacy |url=https://www.american.edu/cas/news/katzen-arts-center-legacy.cfm |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref> The center continues to exhibit the Katzen's art collection and focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katzen Arts Center |url=https://www.american.edu/cas/katzen/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref>

[[Benjamin Ladner]] was suspended from his position as president of the university on August 24, 2005, pending an investigation into possible misuse of university funds. University faculty passed votes of no confidence in President Ladner the following month.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/26/AR2005092601801.html |title=AU Faculty Members Vote No Confidence in Ladner |last1=Kinzie |first1=Susan |last2=Strauss |first2=Valerie |date=September 27, 2005 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> One month after the faculty vote, the board of trustees decided that Ladner would not return to American University as its president.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/education/president-of-american-university-agrees-to-resign.html |title=President of American University Agrees to Resign |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |date=October 25, 2005 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> According to ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'',<ref>Page B10, November 16, 2007</ref> Ladner would receive total compensation of $4,270,665 in his final year of service, the second-highest of any university president in the nation. 

[[Cornelius M. Kerwin]], a long-time AU administrator, was then appointed interim president. On September 1, 2007, Kerwin was appointed to the position permanently after two applicants declined an offer from the board of trustees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.american.edu/president/new/biography.html |title=President-Elect Cornelius M. Kerwin biography| author=American University |year=2007 |access-date=July 20, 2007}}</ref>

Ground was broken for the new [[American University School of International Service|School of International Service]] building on November 14, 2007, and completed in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American University School of International Service |url=https://mcdonoughpartners.com/projects/american-university-school-of-international-service/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=William McDonough + Partners |language=en-US}}</ref> At the building's opening, a speech was given by then-Hawaiian Senator [[Daniel K. Inouye]].

In 2015, American University began offering an accredited, accelerated online [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] program.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-university-kogod-school-of-business-to-offer-accelerated-one-year-online-mba-program-300152411.html|title=American University Kogod School of Business to Offer Accelerated One-year Online MBA Program|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=June 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://onlinebusiness.american.edu/mba/|title=Online MBA - Earn your MBA from Anywhere|access-date=June 21, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

In May 2017, Kerwin retired as AU's president.<ref name="reedretire">{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2016/03/28/american-university-president-neil-kerwin-to-step.html |title=American University President Neil Kerwin to step down |last=Reed |first=Tina |date=March 28, 2016 |work=Washington Business Journal |access-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref> In June, shortly after leaving her position as [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|HHS secretary]], [[Sylvia Mathews Burwell]] was tapped to become the 15th president and the first woman to serve in that role.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Rebecca Adams |date=2017-01-26 |title=Burwell to Lead American University as President |url=https://rollcall.com/2017/01/26/burwell-to-lead-american-university-as-president/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Roll Call |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Taylor Dumpson]] became AU's first Black female student body president. In her first full day in office, bananas were found at three places on campus, hanging from noose-like ropes, and marked with the initials "AKA," the initials of the [[Alpha Kappa Alpha]] sorority. The university considered the incident to be racist, with outgoing president Kerwin calling it a "cowardly, despicable act."<ref>Larimer, Susan (May 2, 2017) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/05/02/a-cowardly-despicable-act-american-u-president-responds-to-banana-incident-on-schools-campus/ "Man who harassed black student online must deliver 'sincere' apology, renounce white supremacy"] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref><ref name="larimer" />

In May 2018, Dumpson would file a lawsuit against several people, including [[Andrew Anglin]], the founder of the [[neo-Nazi]] website ''[[The Daily Stormer]]''. She accused Anglin of doxing and organizing a racist and sexist trolling campaign against her.<ref>{{cite news|title=School's First Black Student President was the Target of a Racist Attack. Now she's Suing Over the 'Troll Storm' That Followed|url=http://fox40.com/2018/05/05/schools-first-black-student-president-was-the-target-of-a-racist-attack-now-shes-suing-over-the-troll-storm-that-followed/|access-date=May 17, 2018|agency=CNN|publisher=Fox 40|date=May 5, 2018}}</ref> A federal judge ordered the defendants to pay more than $101,000 in compensatory damages, $500,000 in punitive damages, and more than $124,000 in attorney's fees, and granted Dumpson a restraining order against Anglin. In December 2018, Dumpson sued another man who had harassed her. The man was required to apologize, to renounce [[white supremacy]], to stop trolling and [[doxing]] online, and to cooperate with authorities in the prosecution of white supremacists.<ref name="larimer">Larimer, Sarah (December 21, 2018) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/12/21/man-who-harassed-black-student-online-must-deliver-sincere-apology-renounce-white-supremacy/ "Man who harassed black student online must deliver 'sincere' apology, renounce white supremacy"] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref>

In 2019, the [[American University School of Education|School of Education]] (SOE) split from the [[American University College of Arts and Sciences|College of Arts and Sciences]] (CAS).<ref name="theeagleonline.com">{{Cite web|title=School of Education separates from the College of Arts and Sciences|url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2019/06/school-of-education-separates|access-date=August 20, 2020|website=The Eagle|language=en}}</ref> According to then dean of SOE Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy the move was made to "encourage more students to pursue careers in education."<ref name="theeagleonline.com" /> Areas of study that students can pursue within the school include: teacher education, special education, education policy and leadership, and international education. The school is home to the Institute for Innovation in Education and the Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success.<ref>{{Cite web|title=School of Education {{!}} American University, Washington, DC|url=https://www.american.edu/soe/|access-date=August 20, 2020|website=American University|language=en}}</ref><ref name="theeagleonline.com" />

On April 22, 2020, AU announced that it had [[Fossil fuel divestment|divested]] its endowment of [[Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]], becoming one of the first universities in the United States to completely divest of both direct and indirect fossil fuel holdings.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 22, 2020|title=American University Eliminates All Public Fossil Fuel Investments from Its Endowment|url=https://www.american.edu/media/news/20200422-divestment.cfm|access-date=December 27, 2020|website=American University|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BREAKING: AU announces full financial divestment from fossil fuel stocks|url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2020/04/breaking-au-announces-full-financial-divestment-from-fossil-fuel-stocks|access-date=December 27, 2020|website=The Eagle|language=en}}</ref> Following a student [[referendum]] in favor of divestment, the AU board of trustees voted against divesting the endowment in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Respaut|first=Robin|date=November 21, 2014|title=American University rejects divesting its fossil-fuel assets|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-university-fossilfuel-idUSKCN0J52C120141121|access-date=December 27, 2020}}</ref> The decision to divest in 2020 came after extensive student campaigning from groups like Fossil Free AU and the undergraduate student government.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Lu|first=Mark|date=April 22, 2020|title=Fossil Free AU & AUSG: the unlikely pair that secured fossil fuel divestment|url=https://www.americanagora.org/single-post/2020/04/22/ffau-ausg-the-unlikely-pair-that-secured-fossil-fuel-divestment|access-date=December 27, 2020|website=americanagora|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> In 2020, Fossil Free AU pushed for a second student referendum on the subject, and the student government released a report on divestment, presented to the board of trustees by student comptroller Robert Zitzmann.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=February 1, 2020|title=Fossil Fuel Divestment: Environmentally Sustainable, Financially Responsible|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gCj2nr5qcWy1fQobPyWcCaslZarEQsCt/view|website=American University Student Government}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=SG referendum supporting divestment from fossil fuel industry passes|url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2020/04/sg-referendum-supporting-divestment-from-fossil-fuel-industry-passes|access-date=December 27, 2020|website=The Eagle|language=en}}</ref>

In early August 2023, Burwell announced she would be stepping down as AU's 15th president but would continue working for American's Sine Institute for Policy and Politics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Nick |date=August 8, 2023 |title=American University president to step down after the coming school year |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/08/american-university-sylvia-burwell-resign/ |access-date=March 19, 2024 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A Changemaking Presidency |url=https://www.american.edu/magazine/article/a-changemaking-presidency.cfm |access-date=July 4, 2024 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref> On July 1, 2024, [[Jonathan Alger]] became AU's 16th president.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcing AU's 16th president |url=https://www.american.edu/trustees/presidentialsearch/ |access-date=March 18, 2024 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref> Alger would name Matthew Eynon, former Associate Vice President of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT), to lead AU's University Advancement and Strategic Planning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcing our new Vice President of University Advancement |url=https://www.american.edu/president/announcements/march-24-2025.cfm |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref>

In November 2024, it was reported that AU was considering restructuring its [[American University School of Education|SOE]], potentially merging it back into the [[American University College of Arts and Sciences|CAS]] or even dissolving the [[American University School of Education|SOE]] altogether, due to budget concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NAICU - Amid Budget Cuts, American University May Restructure School of Education |url=https://www.naicu.edu/news-events/member-news/2024/11/amid-budget-cuts-american-university-may-restructure-school-of-education/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.naicu.edu}}</ref> In February 2025, longtime finance professor H. Kent Baker made an undisclosed donation, the largest individual gift in AU's history, in honor of his late wife, Linda. The Board of Trustees recognized his transformative gift by renaming the school [[American University School of Education|the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of Education]], a move that ultimately preserved the school's independent status.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frank {{!}} |first=Adrienne |date=2025-02-11 |title=The Enduring Legacy of an AU Love Story: Lifelong AU Connections Inspire Historic Gift to Name the School of Education (SOE) |url=https://www.american.edu/news/The-Enduring-Legacy-of-an-AU-Love-Story-Lifelong-AU-Connections-Inspire-Historic-Gift-to-Name-the-School-of-Education-SOE.cfm |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=American University |language=en}}</ref>