George Washington U Sells Satellite Campus in Virginia

George Washington University has sold its Virginia Science and Technology Campus, President Ellen Granberg announced Friday, though she did not disclose details about the buyer or the price “due to confidentiality provisions in the sales agreement.”

Launched in 1991, VSTC, located about 25 miles northwest of GW’s main campus in Washington, D.C., has supported research in engineering, physics and chemistry and housed other academic programs and administrative services.

The sale agreement gives GW the option to maintain programs at VSTC for up to five years “while we plan thoughtfully and deliberately for the future,” Granberg wrote in her message to the community.

She described the move as part of a “broader strategy to strengthen GW’s long-term financial health and to invest more deeply in our academic mission and community.”

According to a resolution passed by the GW Board of Trustees, a large share of the sale’s proceeds will be used to establish a new endowment, intended to support advances in research and teaching as well as to increase student financial aid.

Some funds will also be used to provide a one-time bonus for employees “to recognize and thank our faculty and staff for the extraordinary work they continue to do in the face of the many challenges facing GW,” Granberg wrote.

In recent months, GW has sought to address its financial shortcomings by pausing admissions to five Ph.D. programs, among other measures.