Stephen Joel Trachtenberg is a former President of The George Washington University and currently holds the title of President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service. He assumed this title on August 1, 2007. The Office of the President was assumed by Steven Knapp, former provost of Johns Hopkins University. The George Washington University (GW) is a private, coeducational university located in Washington, D.C., United States. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Steven Knapp has been a professor provost at Johns Hopkins University since 1996 and dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1994 to 1996. ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ...

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (center) during his last procession as The George Washington University's president

Trachtenberg also sits on the board of directors of Riggs Bank, where he has sparked controversey by opposing efforts to close the accounts of such Riggs clients as former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,600 × 1,200 pixels, file size: 370 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Image taken of Stephen Joel Trachtenberg at the George Washington Universitys 2007 commencement ceremony. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,600 × 1,200 pixels, file size: 370 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Image taken of Stephen Joel Trachtenberg at the George Washington Universitys 2007 commencement ceremony. ... Riggs Bank was a Washington, DC-based commercial bank with branches located in the surrounding metropolitan area and offices around the world. ...

Trachtenberg is a native of Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Columbia University in 1959, and earned the Juris Doctor from Yale University in 1962 and the Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1966. This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about the state. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... “J.D.” redirects here. ... Yale redirects here. ... Public Administration can be broadly described as the development, implementation and study of government policy. ... Harvard redirects here. ...

He is the author of numerous books including The Art of Hiring in America's Colleges & Universities, Thinking Out Loud, Reflections on Higher Education, and Speaking His Mind. A graduate of Columbia University, he began his career in higher education at Boston University and left to take the Presidency at the University of Hartford. From there he left for the George Washington University in Washington, DC. Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... For the similarly named institution in Chestnut Hill, see Boston College. ... The University of Hartford, often called UHA or UHart, was founded in 1877, and is a private, independent, and nonsectarian coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. ... The George Washington University (GW), is a private, coeducational university located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by Baptist ministers using funds bequeathed by George Washington. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

During his tenure as President of The George Washington University, the school has been the subject of national scrutiny for its hikes in tuition costs. Currently, the school charges the highest tuition fee in the U.S. [1], although it also gives the most need based financial aid in the country.[2]

Trachtenberg started a full scholarship program for DC public school students, increased the national profile of the University, and has fostered the observance of school traditions such as George Washington's birthday celebration. He also added new traditions such as an irreverent Hippo mascot, and recorded chimes of the GW Fight Song and the Alma Mater which sound from University Yard.

Trachtenberg is scheduled to retire as the president of The George Washington University. Although a selection committee was formed for the choosing of the replacement for Trachtenberg, a position which garnered over 100 applicants, Trachtenberg chose not to be involved in this committee, and therefore had no direct input in the choice of his successor.

The university renamed the public policy school for Trachtenberg, calling it the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, similar to when the university renamed the Elliott School of International Affairs for Lloyd Elliott, the outgoing president. Trachtenberg will hold an endowed chair of public service in the newly named Trachtenberg School when he becomes President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service on Aug. 1, 2007. The Elliott School of International Affairs is a division of the George Washington University located in Washington, D.C. specializing in foreign affairs and diplomacy. ...

According to an inscription on the reverse side of a bust of George Washington on the North Lawn of the House of the Temple (a Masonic temple in Washington,D.C.), Trachtenberg is also a 33° Freemason. The House of the Temple is a Masonic temple in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., which serves as the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. (Officially, Home of The Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Washington D.C... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ...

There is also one known instance in which Stephen Joel Trachtenberg's full name was utilized as a "safety word" during a sado-masochistic sexual encounter between two George Washington University students.

External links

• GW Hatchet coverage of Trachtenberg's retirement
• GW Hatchet article on Trachtenberg keynoting Commencement 2007 at GWU