American University (AU) is a premier private, federally chartered doctoral research university (Carnegie R1) situated across 90 tree-lined acres in the distinguished Spring Valley and Tenleytown neighborhoods of Northwest Washington, D.C. Established by an Act of the United States Congress on December 5, 1893, at the urging of Methodist Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, AU was explicitly conceived to train public servants, diplomats, and ethical leaders at the center of American power. Today, AU educates over 14,300 students representing all 50 U.S. states and more than 120 countries across its eight renowned academic divisions. The university is internationally famous for the School of International Service (SIS)—one of the world's preeminent diplomatic training grounds; the School of Public Affairs (SPA); the Washington College of Law (WCL); the School of Communication (SOC); and the Kogod School of Business (the oldest accredited business school in Washington, D.C.). AU students, celebrated culturally as policy "wonks", lead the nation in prestigious internships across Capitol Hill, the White House, federal departments, embassies, and the World Bank. The campus is a designated National Arboretum and stands as the first urban university in the United States to achieve carbon neutrality.

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