George Washington U.'s President to Step Down Next Year

Steven Knapp, president of George Washington University, will not seek to renew his contract when it expires next year, the university announced on Tuesday.

Mr. Knapp was named the university’s president in 2007, and during his tenure he made priorities of enhancing partnerships with neighboring institutions, strengthening the community of alumni, expanding the university’s scope of research, and increasing student opportunities for service, according to the university’s statement. He also oversaw the university’s largest fund-raising campaign.

“Nearly 10 years ago, the Board of Trustees made a transformational decision to hire Steve Knapp to lead the George Washington University,” said Nelson Carbonell, the board’s chairman, in a written statement. “He has served ably with integrity and foresight, and has forever changed the university’s trajectory.”

Mr. Knapp will continue to serve as president through the coming academic year, while the university searches for his successor.

Two years ago, a District of Columbia judge approved a controversial merger plan under which the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s art-and-design college became a part of the university. Recently, however, the university laid off more than half the faculty of its Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, citing enrollment projections and a changing curriculum.