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Ward Circle

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Statue in Ward Circle, Washington, DC
Statue in Ward Circle, Washington, DC

Ward Circle is a traffic circle at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues in Northwest, Washington, D.C. The circle, totaling 30,243 sq ft (2,809.7 m2), is owned and administered by the National Park Service through its Rock Creek Park unit. On three sides is the campus of American University, while the fourth is occupied by the Nebraska Avenue Complex, a U.S. government facility. The circle was constructed and landscaped in the 1930s to display the 27.5-foot (8.4 m) bronze, memorial statue of Artemas Ward. Ward was the first Commander-in-Chief in the American Revolutionary War. Sculptor Leonard Crunelle created the statue over a three-year period, while the base and pedestal were built by J. F. Manning Co. The pedestal is made from Stony Creek granite.The president and fellows of Harvard University donated the $50,000 to cover the cost of the statue. The donation fulfilled the terms of the will of Artemus Ward, an alumnus of Harvard and the great-grandson of Maj. Gen. Artemus Ward. The statue was unveiled on November 3, 1938, by Mrs. Wesley Feick, the great-great-granddaughter of Maj. Gen. Ward. Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring spoke at the unveiling.Located on the west side of the circle, the home of American University's School of Public Affairs was named for and is still sometimes known as Ward Circle. In 2017, the official name of the building was changed to Kerwin Hall after former university president Cornelius M. Kerwin. On the North side of the circle is American University's Katzen Arts Center.

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Ward Circle
Ward Circle Northwest, Washington

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Latitude Longitude
N 38.937777777778 ° E -77.085833333333 °
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Ward Circle Northwest

Ward Circle Northwest
20016 Washington
District of Columbia, United States
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Statue in Ward Circle, Washington, DC
Statue in Ward Circle, Washington, DC
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Statue of Artemas Ward
Statue of Artemas Ward

General Artemas Ward is a bronze statue of American Revolutionary War general Artemas Ward. It is sited in the center of Ward Circle, which was specifically made for the statue, at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenue in the American University Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The 10-foot (3.0 m) statue of Ward was completed in 1936, but was not unveiled for two years. Ward was the first Commander-in-Chief of colonial forces during the Revolutionary War and served in a number of government roles, including as representative to the United States House of Representatives. Congress authorized the installation of a statue in 1928. Sculptor Leonard Crunelle from Chicago was chosen to create the statue. The pedestal was made from granite from Stony Creek, Connecticut. The president and fellows of Harvard College donated the funds to cover the cost of the statue. The donation fulfilled the terms of the will of Artemus Ward, an alumnus of Harvard and the great-grandson of Major General Artemus Ward, who donated $5,000,000 to the university. The statue was unveiled on November 3, 1938, by the great-great-great-granddaughter of Ward. Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring spoke at the unveiling and accepted it on behalf of the president and the nation. The figure of Ward is wearing a Revolutionary War general's uniform, with a hat and gloves in his left hand, and a cannon ball at his feet. The Ward statue is one of 14 American Revolution statues in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. They were listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year.

American University
American University

The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893 at the urging of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst, who sought to create an institution that would promote public service, internationalism, and pragmatic idealism. AU broke ground in 1902, opened as a graduate education institution in 1914, and admitted its first undergraduates in 1925. Although affiliated with the United Methodist Church, religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission. American University has eight schools and colleges: the School of International Service, College of Arts and Sciences, Kogod School of Business, School of Communication, Professional Studies and Executive Education, School of Public Affairs, School of Education, and the Washington College of Law (WCL). It has over 160 programs, including 71 bachelor's degrees, 87 master's degrees, and 10 doctoral degrees, as well as JD, LLM, and SJD programs. AU's student body numbers over 13,000 and represents all 50 U.S. states and 141 countries; around a fifth of students are international. American University is among the top three feeder schools to the Department of State. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".The university owns National Public Radio's flagship capital affiliate, WAMU, which has been a source of nationally and internationally distributed programming such as The Diane Rehm Show and the more recent 1A, styled as "the 1A", as in "the 1st Amendment".

American University Nuclear Studies Institute

The Nuclear Studies Institute was founded in 1995 at American University in Washington, D.C. as a component of the American University College of Arts and Sciences. The purpose of the Institute is to educate American University graduate and undergraduate students, as well as the general public, about the key points of nuclear history, nuclear culture in the United States, and the threats still posed by nuclear weapons in the modern world.Under the direction of Dr. Peter Kuznick, the Institute runs during the University summer session, offering on-campus classes dealing with American nuclear culture and also a two-week study trip to Japan. In Japan, American University students, along with other American and Canadian students, travel and study alongside Japanese students, mainly from Ritsumeikan University as well as other universities in Japan and the region. The study tours the cities of Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, where the students hear lectures, visit landmarks, and attend the memorial ceremonies for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as their respective peace museums, in an effort to foster closer ties on both sides of the Pacific. The 2010 Nuclear Studies Institute trip to Japan was covered by NHK, Japan's national broadcasting corporation, and broadcast on Japanese television and featured on the NHK program “Japan Seven Days.”The Institute provides participants to hear many stories of the hibakusha (被爆者, literally “explosion-affected people"), including those of Koko Kondo, peace activist, American University graduate, and daughter of Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who figures heavily in John Hersey’s Hiroshima. Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima and president of the Mayors for Peace organization, also regularly meets with the participants during their study in Hiroshima. The Institute participates in the Nuclear Education Project; a worldwide effort to improve access to teaching and learning materials regarding the history of the nuclear arms race and the ongoing movement to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Education Project was founded in 2004 by Dr. Peter Kuznick, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, Dr. John W. Dower of MIT and Dr. Mark Selden.