Location
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-3695
www.gallaudet.edu 

Founded
Gallaudet University, the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students, was founded in 1864 by an Act of Congress, and its charter was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

President's Cabinet
Learn more about the President's Cabinet

• President—Dr. Alan Hurwitz
• Provost—Dr. Stephen Weiner
• Chief of Staff—Donald Beil
• Vice President for Administration and Finance—Paul Kelly
• Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations—Dr. Lynne Murray
• Vice President for Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center—Edward Bosso
• Special Assistant to the President, Board Liaison—Deborah DeStefano
• Deputy to the President, Associate Provost, Diversity and Inclusion—Dr. Angela McCaskill
• Chief Information Officer—Dr. Cynthia King
• Chief Enrollment and Management Officer (interim)—Charity Reedy-Hines
• Executive Director, Program Development—Fred Weiner

Academic Officers

• Provost—Dr. Stephen Weiner
• Deputy to the President, Associate Provost, Diversity and Inclusion—Dr. Angela McCaskill
• Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Technologies—Dr. Isaac Agboola
• Dean, Student Affairs—Dwight Benedict
• Dean, Graduate School and Professional Programs—Dr. Carol Erting
• Executive Director, Office of Academic Quality and Planning—Dr. Patricia L. Hulsebosch

Programs
Deaf and hard of hearing undergraduate students can choose from 39 majors leading to a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree. The University also admits a small number of hearing, degree-seeking undergraduate students--up to 5 percent of an entering class. Undergraduate students also have the option of designing their own majors, called "self-directed majors," in which they select classes from a variety of departments at Gallaudet or take courses offered at 13 other institutions of higher learning that are members of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Graduate programs, open to deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students, include a master of arts or a master of science degree, specialist degree, certificates, and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields involving professional service provision to deaf and hard of hearing people.

Gallaudet University offers exemplary educational programs to deaf and hard of hearing students at all learning levels. The Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) serves infants and their parents and continues service through the eighth grade. The Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) offers programs for students in grades nine through 12. Both of these schools are part of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, which has a federal mandate to develop and disseminate innovative curriculum, materials, and teaching strategies to schools and programs nationwide.

University Mission Statement
Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

The Vision of Gallaudet is to:

• Provide the highest quality liberal and professional education through undergraduate and graduate programs for deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students.
• Offer a welcoming, supportive, and accessible bilingual educational environment for teaching and learning through direct communication.
• Embrace diversity within the University community by respecting and appreciating choices of communication while guiding students through their process of linguistic and cultural self-actualization.
• Pursue excellence in research, pedagogy, scholarship, and creative activity.
• Lead the advancement of intellectual, social, linguistic, and economic vitality in deaf people through educational, outreach, regional, international, and leadership development programs.
• Preserve deaf history and use visual media to promote the recognition that deaf people and their signed languages are vast resources with significant contributions to the cognitive, creative, and cultural dimensions of human diversity.
• Position our community to reach its full human potential and assume its role as a progressive global entity committed to civic responsibility and social justice.

Enrollment
In the fall of 2010, 1,793 students were enrolled: 1,100 undergraduates, 433 graduates, 201 professional studies students, and 59 English Language Institute students. International students comprise six percent of the degree-seeking student body. Fall 2010 enrollment at the demonstration schools was 99 students at KDES and 140 at MSSD. Thus a total of 2,032 students were enrolled.

Alumni
Gallaudet University has more than 18,000 alumni around the world. The Gallaudet University Alumni Association, organized in 1889, has 53 chapters. According to a survey conducted by the University, 90 percent of Gallaudet undergraduate student respondents who graduated between December 2007 and August 2008 are either employed or furthering their education; 99 percent of the survey respondents who graduated with graduate degrees during the same time frame are either employed or furthering their education.

Employees
The University and its Clerc Center have 909 employees, 435 of whom are deaf or hard of hearing. A total of 234 employees are faculty members or teachers.

Annual *University Tuition and Fees (2010-2011)

	Undergraduate	Graduate
U.S. Students	$ 10,850	$ 11,930
International Students**	$ 21,700	$ 23,860
Room and Board	$ 9,860	$ 9,860
*No tuition is charged for students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School or the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. **Students from developing nations may apply for a reduction in the percent of tuition surcharge. Note: These numbers may have been updated since Fast Facts was published. The Finance Office maintains the most up to date fee schedule.

Funding
Total revenues and other support for FY 2010 were $176,850,705.

Endowment
As of the end of FY 2010, the University's endowment was $157 million.

Fundraising
Gallaudet welcomes tax-deductible contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations in support of University initiatives and priorities, including scholarships, program enhancements and development, and renovation projects. Please visit the Development Office website for more information about philanthropic support for Gallaudet, including opportunities to make a gift in memory or in honor of a loved one. More about fundraising at Gallaudet.

Community Impact
Gallaudet is one of the area's largest businesses, with direct salaries, wages, and benefits totaling $113.5 million in FY 2010. The University spent another $54.3 million on goods and services and $9.5 million on capital improvements. Since 1992, Gallaudet has constructed five buildings and renovated others. In 2003, the District of Columbia's Zoning Commission approved Gallaudet's Facilities Master Plan, the University's vision for campus development for 2002 to 2012. Gallaudet is in the process of submitting a new 10-year Facilities Master Plan to the Zoning Commission, expected to occur sometime in late 2011 to early 2012. More about Gallaudet's community impact.

Accreditation
Gallaudet University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Many of the University's professional preparation programs are also accredited by their respective nationally recognized, specialized professional association organizations. MSSD and KDES are dually accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Conference of Educational Administrators for Schools and Programs for the Deaf.

Technology
Gallaudet is a leader in the uses of technology for academics and administrative functions. Virtually all courses make use of the Gallaudet online learning system that includes Blackboard and other learning tools.  Many courses make extensive use of video, including classroom capture recordings, options for student and faculty video creation, and a video library (videocatalog.gallaudet.edu).  Prospective students can apply online, and current students manage their student records and finances online through the BISON Student Information Portal.

Students are encouraged, but not required, to bring their own computers to campus.  Students have access to both wired and wireless networks for online access across campus.  The University is joining Internet2 in Spring 2011, and the combined bandwidth for regular Internet and Internet2 is 400 Mbps.  Students enjoy a Cable TV system on campus that includes 103 channels, including 27 high-definition channels.  Students who belong to the BISON TV club produce video content for the campus cable system.  Various other video creation tools are also available, as video is a vital component of Gallaudet's bilingual learning environment.  The campus community can participate in the Dell discount program for buying personal computers and also can purchase Microsoft products at a discount. 

For students interested in technology careers, majors in information technology, graphic arts, digital media, computer science, and computer information systems are available. Students have access to two central computer labs, as well as more than 15 departmental computer labs. Virtually all classrooms are outfitted with computers, projectors, DVD/VCRs, and other technologies.

The Gallaudet community also uses video phones and video relay services (VRS) extensively.   Gallaudet Interpreting Service, in partnership with Sorenson Communications, offers Sorenson Video Relay Service (SVRS) to Gallaudet University and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. SVRS, with its state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled interpreters, is the most popular VRS provider today.

Research
Gallaudet has a unique obligation to contribute knowledge and scholarship likely to benefit deaf and hard of hearing people, especially in the areas of education and human services. Accordingly, the Gallaudet Research Institute conducts studies related to demographics and assessment of deaf and hard of hearing people in the educational system, as well as language and learning processes, and engages students in research, while stimulating and supporting work directed towards priorities consistent with Gallaudet's national mission and internal strategic objectives.

Research is a key component of Gallaudet's mission as a university. Faculty pursue a full range of research interests related to their own academic disciplines. Major grant support includes research, development, and training programs in visual language and learning, access to communication for deaf and hard of hearing people, genetics, and technology assessment.

Public Service
Last year, Gallaudet served more than 124,000 individuals through conferences, leadership institutes, professional studies and extension courses, sign language classes, American Sign Language (ASL)/English bilingual education, enrichment and youth programs, international programs, and its regional centers (Southeast-Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.; Midwest-John A. Logan College, Illinois; Northeast-Northern Essex Community College, Massachusetts; Pacific-Kapi'olani Community College, Hawaii; Southwest-Austin Community College, Texas; and West-Ohlone College, California).

In fulfilling its national mission role via training and technical assistance, information dissemination, and exhibits and performances, the Clerc Center served over 53,000 people and disseminated approximately 221,000 educational products in FY 2010.