To celebrate the inauguration of George Washington University President Granberg, a symposium was held to mark academic excellence. Provost Pamela Norris interviewed Alexa Alice Joubin, Mary Ellsberg, Chet Sherwood, and Ekundayo Shittu to address the significance of interdisciplinary research, risk taking, and what excellence means in different fields. Joubin addressed, among other important topics, the implications of generative AI on our society.