American University was chartered by an Act of Congress in at the urging of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst , who sought to create an institution that would promote public service , internationalism , and pragmatic idealism.
Although affiliated with the United Methodist Church , religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission. AU's student body numbers over 13, and represents all 50 U. American University is among the top three feeder schools to the Department of State. American University was established in the District of Columbia by an Act of Congress on December 5, , primarily due to the efforts of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst , who aimed to create an institution that could train future public servants.
Hurst also chose the university's site, which was in the rural periphery of Washington, D. After more than three decades devoted principally to securing financial support, the university was officially dedicated on May 15, Instruction began in October with 28 students enrollees, 19 of whom were graduates and the remainder special students not candidates for a degree.
American University's first commencement was held on June 2, , though no degrees were awarded. Its second commencement was held the following year and saw the awarding of American University's first degrees: one master's degree and two doctorates. Shortly after these early commencement ceremonies, classes were interrupted by war. During World War I , the university allowed the U. In , the U. Camp American University became the birthplace of the United States' chemical weapons program and the site of chemical weapons testing; [ 9 ] this required a major cleanup effort in the s.
Camp Leach was home to advanced research, development, and testing of modern camouflage techniques. As of [update] , the Army Corps of Engineers was still removing munitions debris. Instruction was first offered only at the graduate level, in accordance with the vision of the university's founders.
