CAS Inside and Out

The College of Arts and Sciences is a vibrant and diverse community of scholars, students, and staff from all 50 states and over 150 countries. Our faculty includes nationally and internationally noted artists, scholars, and teachers committed to innovative approaches to instruction and excellence in research and creative endeavors. Your experiences inside and outside of the classroom will create the broad vision and understanding you will need to be successful in your future career and to become an educated and responsible citizen of the world.

Living in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., is a city unlike any other in the United States. Beyond its status as the focal point for national and international governance, D.C. is a thriving artistic, scientific, and technological mecca with unparalleled opportunities for internships, research, and entertainment. From the Dulles technological corridor to the eclectic and artistic Adams Morgan, you’ll find D.C. to be a city of unique and fascinating character.

Located at the top of Embassy Row in prestigious northwest Washington, American University’s campus is a safe and liveable 84-acre home base. Students have easy access to public transportation using the nearby Tenleytown Metrorail (subway) station, the AU shuttle bus, or one of the numerous Metrobuses (bus) with routes near the AU campus.

Weather
Summers are warm and humid; highs average in the 80's and average July temperatures are 87/64. Winters are mild; lows average in the 20's and average January temperatures are 41/22. Annual rainfall = 40+ inches. Annual snowfall = 15+ inches.

Outdoor Recreation
Nearby Rock Creek Park and C&O Canal, along with the National Zoo and numerous national historic sites, contain trails for walking, jogging, and other outdoor pursuits. Over a dozen regional parks offer tennis, walking and jogging, picnicking, horseback riding, etc. Approximately 100 golf courses, several marinas, and pleasure boating and fishing on the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay are available. Washington has professional teams in football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey, two annual professional tennis tournaments, one golf tournament, and professional baseball and horse racing.

D.C. Resources

Libraries: Please see our On-Campus Resources section immediately below.

Metro: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority runs the public transportation (subway and bus) system in Washington, DC. The nearest Metrorail station to the campus is Tenleytown/AU. The AU shuttle bus runs free shuttles from campus to the station every 15 minutes.

Smithsonian Institution : The Smithsonian Institution contains the Air and Space Museum; Hirschhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden (contemporary art and sculpture); Renwick Gallery (American design); Museum of African Art (traditional and contemporary); Museum of American Art; Museum of American History; Museum of the American Indian; Museum of Arts and Industries; Museum of Natural History; and others.

Washington Post

Washington Times

Airports: Reagan National, Dulles International, Baltimore-Washington International

On-Campus Resources

Libraries
In addition to our main Bender Library and the Pence Law Library, AU participates in the Washington Research Library Consortium and offers easy access to the Library of Congress, the US National Archives, and virtually infinite US government and NGO resources available nowhere else on earth!

Parking on campus
There is an annual parking fee for full-time students and those who wish to park on campus before 5:00 p.m. Vehicles parked on campus during the day must be registered with the Public Safety office. Some metered parking is available. Parking on campus is free after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends.

Shuttle Bus to/from Metro
AU’s shuttle buses run between the main campus and the Tenleytown Metrorail station, the Washington College of Law, and the Park Bethesda apartment building. A shuttle schedule is available.

Katzen Arts Center
Opened in 2005 and winner of an American Institute of Architecture "Grand Honor" award, the Katzen combines performance spaces, the AU Museum, and the Departments of Art and Performing Arts into a collaborative nexus.

Jacobs Fitness Center
The fitness center is a state-of-the-art facility, opened in 1998, for the AU community. The facility has standard exercise equipment such as treadmills, stairmasters and elliptical machines, plus an Olympic sized lap pool and fitness classes such as yoga, aerobics, tai chi, and cycling.

Kay Spiritual Life Center
The Kay Spiritual Life Center serves the university community as a center for religious life and spiritual growth. In keeping with AU's commitment to inquiry, diversity, service, and involvement, the Kay Center is an interfaith house of worship and a home to a rich array of faith communities as well as a crossroads where people of conscience, intellect, and spirit find a place for their questions and life struggles. Catholic, Muslim, Unitarian, Jewish, and Hindu/Vedic are just some of the denominations with regular services in the worship chapel.

Computer labs and EagleNet wireless network
Since being named one of the 50 most wired campuses in the nation in a 1997 Yahoo! survey, American University has continuously invested in its campus network of infrastructure for the benefit of its students. Computing resources are delivered via a fiber optic network providing over 7,000 connection points throughout the campus. There are over 20 different computer laboratories on campus offering a variety of personal computer and Macintosh systems, as well as high-speed laser printing.

In 2003, the university set a new networking standard by becoming the most “unwired” campus in the nation. By means of wireless cards and a distributed antenna system implemented throughout campus, you will have wireless network access in all buildings and out on the Quad for personal computers and handheld devices, as well as enhanced coverage for cellular telephone service on the Cingular network (which is available at a discount to AU students) inside of campus buildings.

CAS Graduate Student Council (CASGSC)
CASGSC is dedicated to improving the College of Arts and Sciences graduate students' social, cultural, and intellectual lives at American. The Council provides a forum for concerned students to discuss important issues and acts as a liaison between administrators, faculty, and students. CASGSC has various programs that promote graduate professional development and academic excellence as well as provide opportunities for social gathering. Please contact Aaron Tobler, President, at casgsc@american.edu for further information.