The George Washington University (GW), is a private, coeducational university located primarily in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia by Baptist ministers who were in part trying to fulfill the vision of George Washington for a institution of higher learning in the nation's capital. It has since developed into a nonsectarian research institution known especially for its social sciences, international affairs, medical and law programs.