To help start our first full week of GW’s fall semester, sharing this note of thanks from GW’s senior leadership as both a heartfelt thanks for all the great work each of you did this summer and an encouragement to continue this outstanding level of customer service throughout the 2024-25 academic year.
Dear Members of our GW Move-in Team,
We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for your exceptional efforts during this year’s move-in. Welcoming thousands of new and returning GW Revolutionaries onto our campuses in just a matter of days is an incredible feat, and we know a lot of work goes into preparing for this.
Throughout the weekend, we consistently heard from students and families how impressed they were with the ease and efficiency of the entire process. Your hard work, dedication, and attention to detail did not go unnoticed, and we want to thank you for your remarkable planning and execution.
Your actions have set a positive tone for our entire community as we embark on a new academic year at GW. Thank you for your commitment to excellence and for helping to make our university community so welcoming.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Ellen M. Granberg President
Christopher Alan Bracey Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor of Law
Bruno Fernandes Executive Vice President, CFO, and Treasurer
Colette Coleman Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Baxter Goodly Vice President for Safety and Operations
In case you missed it. President Granberg shared a warm and insightful message to the GW community.
Dear Members of the George Washington University Community,
Welcome to the fall 2024 semester!
As we embark on a new academic year, we welcome thousands of new Revolutionaries to our GW family and welcome back our returning students, faculty, and staff. This is always an exciting time, and it is wonderful to see our campuses come alive with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead.
In just a matter of days, new and returning students will once again be learning alongside our nation’s leaders while being educated by a remarkable and highly talented faculty. On our fields and court, in our pool, on our stages, and in our studios, GW athletes and artists will compete and create, embodying the passion, dedication, and excellence that defines the Revolutionary spirit. In our classrooms, labs, and more than 60 centers and institutes, our community will engage in world-changing research, drive social change, and become the next generation of leaders and changemakers. This year, there is so much to look forward to.
This semester is particularly special for our community as we find ourselves on the doorstep of a pivotal moment in both the history of our university and our nation. In just a few weeks, we will announce the next phase of our strategic framework process, which will chart a new course for our university now and into the future. At the same time, our nation is embarking on its next presidential election. At times like these, our location in the heart of the nation’s capital isn’t just a point on a map—it’s an invitation to participate in history. We all know the GW community is one of the most active and engaged in the world, and we look forward to seeing our campuses come alive with the spirit of democracy. After all, Democracy is in our DNA, and this shared identity helps unite our community across differences.
Embracing this spirit of engagement also means acknowledging the lessons learned during the last academic year and thinking deeply about how we, an educational institution with a renowned faculty and a community of passionate and committed advocates, engage with one another productively and respectfully. To that end, over the summer, the university reflected and planned for the academic year ahead.
This work was guided by three core commitments: fostering a safe campus environment, respecting the GW community’s right to free expression, and maintaining the operation of our education and research programs with minimal interruption.
While each of these commitments is essential, we recognize they exist in tension. Balancing them has required thoughtful consideration and sometimes difficult decisions. To inform the community of our fall plans and support you in making your voice heard, we are pleased to share the next iteration of GW’s Plan to Strengthen our Community. This website provides important information for the fall, including university safety and security measures, resources for expressive activities at GW, and links to applicable policies and codes. It also describes new initiatives designed to enhance our community engagement and conflict education. As we continue to share these plans with leadership from across the university, including our deans, the Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association, and the Staff Council, we want everyone to have a chance to share their thoughts and questions.
At GW, we are more than just students, faculty, and staff. Whether conducting research that pushes the boundaries of knowledge, participating in internships that shape life-changing policy, making your voice heard through advocacy and activism, or transforming lives through patient care and community service, you are a part of the GW community, and you belong here. We hope you will engage in robust and respectful dialogue this academic year and pursue your passions and ideals rigorously and enthusiastically. As you embrace these pursuits, remember that our strength as a community lies in our commitment to supporting and understanding one another as we face challenges and celebrate triumphs in the year ahead.
Welcome back to GW. Here’s to another year of growth, discovery, and impact.
Sincerely,
Ellen M. Granberg President
Christopher Alan Bracey Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of Law
Colette Coleman Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Baxter shared a heartfelt thank you to DSO for all of their hard work during move-in in weekend. So nice we’ve shared it twice.
Team,
As we approach the final days before all of our students return to campus, I want to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for this year’s move-in efforts. Your dedication throughout the summer and especially in the last week has been instrumental in making this the most successful move-in I’ve witnessed.
This success was not just a stroke of luck—it was the result of outstanding leadership, meticulous planning, seamless collaboration with our campus partners, tireless hard work, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Each of you played a vital role in this achievement, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together. Well done!
The academic year ahead will undoubtedly bring its challenges, but I have complete confidence that the DSO Team, united and resilient, will continue to deliver exceptional service to our community.
With several significant changes happening within the division, we wanted to share this message that Vice President for Safety and Facilities, Baxter Goodly, wrote to the newly named DSO Division.
Dear Teammates:
I am writing to share a number of important organizational updates for our Division.
As you know, over the last several months I have acted in the capacity of Interim Vice President for Safety & Facilities. At the request of EVP CFO & Treasurer, Bruno Fernandes, I am humbled and excited to take on this position permanently.
I also want to share with you exciting news regarding the expansion of our Division. The Office of Real Estate (ORE), led by Associate Vice President Karen Zinn, officially joins our team effective immediately. Karen and her team will be joining us in the Support Building later this month. ORE has always been a critical partner with regard to campus development and retail management, and I am confident that this will be a smooth transition. I welcome Karen as a senior member of my leadership team.
In addition, as you may be aware, the Office of University Events and Venues, led by Associate Vice President Paul Hegarty, had been operating within our Division on a temporary basis. I am pleased to share that Events and Venues will now be a permanent part of our team. Officing at 2000 Penn, Paul’s team joins us coming off of a very successful Commencement 2024 and will soon be gearing up for the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. I am very pleased to have Paul become a permanent member of my senior leadership team.
Finally, given the expansion of responsibilities and service areas, the Division of Safety & Facilities will be rebranded as the Division of Safety & Operations (DSO). In addition, the Business Integration Group will now be known as the Office of Administration, Communication and Training (ACT). Work will begin immediately to refresh and update these name changes accordingly.
I know this is a lot of information but it is all good news that supports our trajectory to be a more efficient and effective service organization. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence and dedicated service to GW. Your work truly makes a difference for the entire GW community; I am truly blessed to be a part of this incredible team and I look forward to the journey ahead.
Interim Vice President of Safety & Facilities Baxter Goodly sent a note to the division after three team members passed away over the span of a week. Please see the email in your inbox if you need access to Employee Wellbeing Resources. The Staff Council has also established an In Memoriam page on its website.
Dear Teammates,
Over the last week, our hearts have been saddened by the loss of three extraordinary colleagues who graced our lives with their presence for decades – Jeff Dean, Donald Gibson, and Calvin Williams. Jeff, Donald, and Calvin were true friends who loved the university and cherished the many GW friendships they cultivated during their years of service. Their values of dedication, humility, and kindness will continue to inspire us all to be better versions of ourselves, as they inspire me. As we mourn their deaths, let’s also celebrate the countless ways in which they touched our lives, and strive each day to honor them by embracing the values they held dear.
Experiencing this much sorrow in such a short span can be difficult to navigate alone. This is a time to come together to lean on and support each other. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support.
Interim Vice President for Safety & Facilities Baxter Goodly sent the following message to staff earlier this month.
Happy New Year, Team!
I trust your time away from campus gave you a chance to recharge and that you’re ready to tackle 2024’s fresh challenges.
We had a very productive 2023 – and I do mean productive. Our Facilities team completed over 23,000 service call phases since August. That’s a big number indicating all the hard work our staff is doing each and every day, but I actually want to focus on the decrease we’ve seen since implementing zones in Facilities Buildings and Grounds. During the 2021 Fall Semester when we were still primarily operating as individual shops, we had almost 2,500 more service calls. More impressively, the average time it took to complete service calls dropped from 10.59 days in November 2021 (the month we began the shift to zones) to 4.23 days in November 2023. I attribute these decreases to both the preventive maintenance and the increased teamwork that have resulted from moving to zones.
FBG accounts for the majority of our staff, but we can’t forget about the tremendous contributions from the rest of FPCM.
Transportation and Logistics expertly transitioned us to a new shuttle provider with little disruption and completed almost 1,600 phases between trash removal, furniture projects, and relocation services.
Utilities, Energy, and Engineering modernized elevators in several buildings and got to work on a cogen optimization project. They also had high profile achievements like the approval of the Southland Energy project expected to save us 1.5 million dollars in the first year and an energy management pilot program at Smith Center now expanding to more buildings on campus. Construction Management and Campus Planning earned notable publicity as well from renovations at the Smith Center, the solar system now operating at Thurston, and prominent renovations in Duques.
These accomplishments leave no doubt we’re well prepared to take on all the projects we have slated for the Spring Semester. FBG has begun work on a strategic plan for the next two years that will involve input from many on the team. Across Foggy Bottom, we have HVAC work scheduled, including refurbishing systems in both Ross Hall and Academic Center, replacing the heating and cooling systems in Amsterdam, and restoring building services in certain parts of Gelman.
Finally, we are continuing our efforts to refresh AiM and FixIt. These systems touch every part of FPCM, meaning successful completion of this project is critical. Once we’ve reached the finish line, we’ll have created a system that better empowers our customers, increases technician productivity, helps managers improve operations, and strengthens our ability to collect and report on data and trends. We’ve already spent over 650 hours on this project already and I thank all those who have helped ensure we stay on schedule and on budget.
Your participation in these projects and our daily operations is essential. Without you, we can’t serve GW, let alone continue our journey to improve our processes. Thanks for everything you’re doing and here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
FPCM Senior Associate Vice President Baxter Goodly sent along the following message to FPCM staff for the holidays.
Team,
We’re coming to the end of 2023 and I can say with confidence that another Fall semester filled with service improvements and major projects has earned all of you a restful Winter Break. These last several months at GW have been marked by significant events, including the introduction of a new university president, the initiation of a substantial effort to revitalize AiM, and the execution of one of the most well-organized move-ins in recent memory.
Your dedication and hard work have truly charted our course for the year, making it a period of transformation and unparalleled productivity (a claim I’m proud to report is backed up by the numbers). Each of you has played a crucial role in the success of our endeavors, and I am immensely proud to be part of such a dynamic and committed team.
As we reflect on the achievements of 2023, I am filled with optimism about the future. The challenges we faced were met with resilience and collaboration, setting the stage for a promising New Year. Looking ahead to 2024, I anticipate more impressive milestones to come, many of which I can’t predict as they will be the result of your own creativity and planning in the face of unexpected circumstances. Together, we will continue to enhance the campus environment and provide the best possible support for our university community.
Many of you will be on campus during the break, ensuring the smooth operation of our facilities and the well-being of our students. I acknowledge your dedication and hard work, and I hope that amidst your responsibilities, you find moments of joy with your loved ones.
Wishing you all a safe and rejuvenating break. Be well, stay safe, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all in 2024!
Thanksgiving is a special holiday for me. It is a time to reflect on and celebrate life’s many blessings. And one of those blessings is to be a member of this incredible team that does so much to improve the lives of the entire GW community.
And it is a time to express my sincere appreciation for all that you do to make GW a truly great university. Your hard work over the past year has been instrumental in elevating our standards of customer service and creating a positive and safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. I couldn’t be prouder of your efforts and I am grateful for your dedication and commitment to excellence. You are making a difference!
As we gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, let us take a moment to cheer our shared successes and recommit ourselves to our mission: Fostering an inviting campus environment through exemplary delivery of facilities services.
Enjoy this well-deserved break, celebrate the fruits of your labor, and anticipate the exciting opportunities that lie ahead!
Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer Sharon Reich Paulsen and FPCM Associate Vice President Baxter Goodly both sent out messages honoring all GW staff who have served as part of our armed forces. You can read both messages below.
As we observe Veterans Day, I would like for each of us to treat this occasion as more than a fleeting acknowledgment. It should be a reminder to us all of the unwavering commitment those in our armed forces have made to the safety and freedom of our nation.
Veterans, the valor and selflessness that define your service inspire all of us at GW. I am truly proud to have you on our team. Our institution is privileged to have individuals of your caliber associated with us.
Please accept my thanks and the thanks of us all for your service.
Sincerely, Sharon Reich Paulsen Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer
Today on Veterans Day, I’m extending my heartfelt gratitude to all the brave individuals who have dedicated themselves to the service of our nation in the armed forces. I am immensely proud to have individuals like you as part of our team, and I want you to know that our appreciation for your service goes far beyond this single day. Your dedication, courage, and selflessness are a constant source of inspiration, and we are deeply thankful for your contributions in ensuring our freedom and security.
As part of the launch of our brand new FPCM Employee Guidebook, FPCM Senior Associate Vice President Baxter Goodly sent along the note below. You can always view the guidebook at go.gwu.edu/fpcmguidebook.
FPCM Team,
I am pleased to share with you a new and revised FPCM Guidebook. This document provides information specific to FPCM policies and procedures and should routinely be used as a reference tool for all employees. It does not replace university issued policies but does serve as a general guideline for multiple areas within our organization. As the need arises, this guidebook will be updated and changes will be communicated accordingly.
Please take the time to become familiar with the pertinent information contained herein.
