OneGW Summit Highlights Power of Dialogue, Leadership and Community

November 12, 2026

Authored by:

Lisa Conley-Kendzior

When Bakari Sellers was elected to the South Carolina legislature at 22, he found an unlikely ally in one of the state's most powerful lawmakers.

Sellers-a civil rights attorney and political commentator whose father was a prominent civil rights activist-came from a vastly different background than Glenn McConnell, a Republican lawmaker who owned a Civil War memorabilia store that displayed a Confederate flag. Despite their differences, the two developed a friendship. Sellers recalled how McConnell helped him secure support for a new public library in his hometown of Denmark, S.C.

It was a fitting example for the George Washington University's OneGW Summit, which took place Oct. 28-30 under the theme "Many Voices. OneGW." Produced by a cross-university steering committee of staff, faculty, alumni and students, the event brought together members of the GW community to discuss how actively listening, meaningful collaboration and shared responsibility can strengthen the university.

Now in its 11th iteration, the summit was aligned with GW's Strategic Framework and featured discussions, over 50 community-led workshops and activities focused on engaging across differences and putting ideas into action.

GW President Ellen M. Granberg opened the plenary session, "Delivering on Our Promise: Higher Education, Public Trust, and the Work Ahead," by reaffirming the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Acknowledging that those terms have become increasingly contested, Granberg emphasized that GW remains committed to following the law while upholding principles that shape its teaching, research and service.

She recalled her experience as provost at Rochester Institute of Technology, where the intentional integration of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, faculty and staff demonstrated how inclusion could become part of an institution's everyday culture.

"Inclusion [is] not just an initiative that gets implemented or that [is] passed down from the administration," Granberg said. "It's a community ethos that is strong because of widespread commitment by individuals to enact that value every day."

Granberg said she has sought to foster that same spirit at GW, including by expanding her cabinet to bring more perspectives into university decision-making.

She also recalled a story about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA and asking a custodian what he did there. The custodian replied that he was helping put a man on the moon.

For Granberg, the story illustrated the spirit of OneGW: that the university's mission is advanced through the collective efforts of every member of its community, and that each person's role is essential to its success.

Rebuilding public trust in higher education

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, discussed the challenges facing higher education amid declining public confidence in colleges and universities.

Pasquerella shared how access to education changed the course of her own life. Neither of her parents graduated from high school, and she expected to return to factory work after graduation. Instead, financial assistance allowed her to attend a community college before transferring to Mount Holyoke College and eventually earning a doctorate in philosophy from Brown University.

As families question the affordability and value of a college degree, Pasquerella argued that institutions must do more than point to their accomplishments.

"Building trust requires more than better communication," she said. "It requires demonstrating trustworthiness."

That means listening to students and families, addressing barriers to educational opportunities and ensuring that institutional practices reflect stated commitments, she said.

Pasquerella also emphasized the importance of academic freedom and open inquiry, arguing that universities have a responsibility to prepare students to engage with different perspectives.

"A university should be a place where disagreement becomes an opportunity for learning," she said, "where people can challenge one another's ideas without denying one another dignity and where belonging doesn't require intellectual conformity."

During a question-and-answer session, Jordan Shelby West-GW's associate vice provost for community, culture and inclusion and senior adviser to the president for inclusive excellence-asked how universities can balance their commitment to inclusion with academic freedom, particularly when certain viewpoints may cause harm.

Pasquerella acknowledged the tension, arguing that universities must encourage difficult conversations while respecting the dignity of every individual. Doing so, she said, also requires a willingness to consider that even deeply held beliefs might be mistaken.

Finding common ground

During the summit's keynote session, "Leading Boldly Through Difference," Sellers encouraged the GW community to embrace differing perspectives and challenge their assumptions. In a conversation moderated by Emily Hammond, GW's vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of law, he emphasized the importance of intellectual debate and engaging with viewpoints that differ from one's own.

He also challenged conventional measures of leadership, arguing that its success should be reflected in the opportunities it creates for others rather than the number of followers a person attracts.

"True leadership begets other leaders," he said.

For faculty and staff, that includes listening to students and recognizing the challenges they've navigated, from political upheaval to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than expecting students to follow the same paths as previous generations, Sellers encouraged educators to meet young people where they are.

When West asked how people can engage with those whose views differ sharply from their own, Sellers returned to the importance of personal relationships.

He suggested starting with simple questions about someone's children or where they planned to eat lunch, rather than immediately debating political beliefs.

"Sometimes those simple ideals and questions can build community a lot quicker than people's political ideals," he said.

However, Sellers acknowledged that finding common ground does not require compromising one's core values, particularly when another person refuses to recognize someone's humanity.

As the summit moved into its final day of community action projects, West encouraged participants to put what they had learned into practice, drawing on the speakers' calls for greater understanding, collaboration and shared responsibility.

Many voices

Among the plenary sessions and keynotes, many other members of the community contributed to the knowledge creation and celebration of the summit. Faculty, staff, alumni and students presented research posters and led interactive sessions, both in-person and virtual, with themes ranging from international and transnational journeys to belonging to student and faculty perspectives on AI in the classroom.

Professor of English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Kavita Daiya, who led a panel on international and transnational journeys to belonging, shared the importance of treating the GW community's global dimension as a lived experience that shapes how belonging is built, challenged and sometimes withheld, or as central to questions about inclusion.

"International students and transnational perspectives are central to the life of a global university," Daiya said. "Grounded in pluralistic storytelling, the panel highlighted the importance of listening to international students' experiences, as well as those of faculty and staff working on GW's global education mission, in all their complexity and diversity. By holding space for those perspectives, the dialogue affirmed that we are all responsible for taking steps that foster inclusion and belonging for international students in our GW community."

Day one of the Summit wrapped up with a lively Community Festival in Columbian Square, filled with music, food, and performances that brought both Summit presenters and participants together. Powerful remarks on community and inclusion were shared by Ganiyat Adeduntan, GW Women's Basketball Head Coach, with the whole team present and engaged. Several attendees had the opportunity to learn games deeply connected to particular cultures, while others sat alongside Granberg to learn how to crochet.

The Summit's final day was themed "In Action Together as OneGW." On the third floor of the University Student Center, community members worked side by side in action projects aimed at having a direct impact on the GW and DC community. Participants assembled basic needs bags for Bread for the City, engaged in human design thinking with SEAS faculty and staff to address challenges impacting GW, partnered with EMeRG to learn CPR training and donated clothes to The Loop with SustainableGW, among others.

Forging connections across campus

During the summit's closing plenary, "Beyond Silos: Connecting Ideas, People, and Possibilities for Change," GW Provost Edward J. Balleisen emphasized the importance of fostering a sense of belonging while encouraging students, faculty and staff to engage with unfamiliar perspectives.

"Universities are at their best when people experience differences and disagreement," he said, arguing that productive debate requires curiosity, humility and a willingness to learn from others.

In a conversation moderated by Student Government Association President MJ Childs, Balleisen also discussed opportunities to strengthen collaboration across academic departments and administrative divisions, a priority reflected in GW's Strategic Framework.

Childs emphasized the importance of students having a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their university experience.

"A lot of students really do want to make sure that, although they may not be the ones who have the final say…their concerns, opinions and thoughts are being taken into heavy consideration," Childs said.

Balleisen pointed to regular meetings with student leaders and opportunities for informal conversations as ways to incorporate student perspectives into university decisions. He also identified expanding experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration as priorities.

As a final challenge, the provost encouraged attendees to venture beyond their familiar corners of campus.

"Pick some part of GW that you don't know-some community, some club, some course that's totally outside of your comfort area, and engage with it," he said. "Learn something really interesting about all the vitality that's on this campus…and be willing to ask questions and engage in conversation."

The summit concluded with the second annual GW Community Impact Awards, whose recipients were selected by a university-wide committee. The awards recognize members of the GW community who turn the values of diversity, inclusion, civic engagement and service, and community into meaningful action.

GW senior Jacob Brittingham, a political science and human services and social justice major in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, was on the awards committee and said that this year's awardees each demonstrated a commitment to making GW a more inclusive, welcoming, and supportive community.

Although their work and contributions varied, he said, they shared a common understanding that building inclusion takes intentional effort and a willingness to recognize the different experiences and perspectives that make up the GW community.

"What I found particularly meaningful was seeing how these individuals and groups translated GW's values into meaningful action," Brittingham said. "Their work reminds us that inclusion is something we must actively practice through the ways we support one another, create opportunities and strengthen our community."

2026 GW Community Impact Award Recipients:

Undergraduate Student Community Impact Award
Maryam Khadim

Graduate Student Community Impact Award
Leslie Briseño

Student Organization Community Impact Award
Alianza

Faculty Community Impact Award
Madison Brumbaugh

Staff Community Impact Award
Chanté Clarkson

Alum Community Impact Award
Dr. Arik King
Dr. Regina Banks

DC Community Partner Community Impact Award
Latin American Youth Center