Editing American University (section)

===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>