26 May 2023
WASHINGTON — Drum roll please, George Washington University officially has a new nickname. Say hello to the Revolutionaries.
After months of community engagement efforts that included focus groups, random sample surveys, and opportunities to rate moniker options, the university announced its new moniker on Wednesday.
As described when first introduced, officials say the Revolutionaries moniker represents GW community members because they “are not afraid to break boundaries and change the game. The GW Revolutionaries go beyond what’s conventional or expected to focus on shifting mindsets and creating a new future for ourselves and our world.”
In January, the university first asked community members to submit proposed names for the new GW moniker
George Washington University received around 8,000 moniker suggestions, and from there, developed a set of guiding principles to narrow that list to 10 names that best reflected the school.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni were then invited to rate the 10 names, helping the advisory committee to narrow the options down even further.
The Revolutionaries was ranked as the top option out of the four finalists: Revolutionaries, Blue Fog, Ambassadors and Sentinels.
The Moniker Advisory Committee solicited feedback at every phase of the development process.
“To have 47,000 points of feedback from the GW community is a testament to the pride people have in this institution, and we are proud to offer them a new moniker that will propel us as we move ahead in our third century,” said Vice President for Communications and Marketing Ellen Moran.
The full adoption of the Revolutionaries moniker will be implemented during the 2023-24 academic year. Over the coming months, GW will begin the process of bringing it to life on athletic uniforms, campus signs and merchandise.
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