Steven Knapp became the 16th president of the George Washington
University in August 2007. His priorities include enhancing the university's
partnerships with neighboring institutions, expanding the scope of its
research, strengthening its worldwide community of alumni, enlarging its
students' opportunities for public service, and leading its transformation into
a model of urban sustainability.

Dr. Knapp serves on the boards of directors of the Economic Club of
Washington; the Greater Washington Urban League; the World Affairs
Council - Washington, DC; and the National Symphony Orchestra and the
boards of trustees of the Washington National Cathedral Foundation and Al
Akhawayan University in Ifrane, Morocco. He also serves on the senior
advisory board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the executive
committee of the Council on Competitiveness, and the education committee
of the Federal City Council.

A specialist in Romanticism, literary theory, and the relation of literature to
philosophy and religion, Dr. Knapp taught English literature at the University
of California, Berkeley before serving as dean of arts and sciences and then
provost of the Johns Hopkins University. He is a fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Modern Language Association. He earned his
doctorate and masters degrees from Cornell University and his Bachelor of
Arts degree from Yale University.

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