GW Impact, Summer 2011

summer 2011

Report on Philanthropy

Donors and the GW Community Celebrate Charles E. Smith Center Transformation, page 8 Âť

2

Report on Philanthropy

Table of Contents Knowledge In Action

2

GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute Examines US “Resiliency” Thanks to ICF Gift

Elliott School of International Affairs Receives $3.15 Million Gift to Support Research and Policy Engagement Efforts An Institution for Research $4.5 Million Kuwait Gift to Support Global Resource Center and Elliott School Institute

The Student Experience Trustee Funded Jewish Literature Live Course Brings Renowned Author to Campus

7

Donors and the GW Community Members Celebrate Charles E. Smith Center Transformation Gift of Historic Collection from Co-Founder of DC Landmark Eatery Given a Home at Gelman

Editor: David L. Garofalo Assistant Editor: Gray Turner

Power & Promise

15

GW Alum and Wife Pay it Forward Celebrating Power & Promise Scholarships

Former Trustee Donates $8 million to Create Scholarship Program

20

The Gift of Giving to GW: A Donor’s Perspective Women’s Rights Advocate Leaves $100,000 Bequest to Women’s Studies

GW News

22

GW Business Plan Competition

Helping the Underserved

2011 Alumni Outstanding Service Awards

Unparalleled Collection of Washington, DC History to be Housed on GW Campus

2011 Spring Heritage Society Luncheon

Albert H. Small Decorated with Highest University Award

Economics from an Expert Women and Philanthropy

Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations: Michael J. Morsberger Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations: Karen L. Greene Assistant Vice President of Development Communications: Patricia Danver

2011 Senior Class Day Celebration

Smart Investment

President of the University: Steven Knapp

Photographers: Jessica McConnell Burt William Atkins Dave Scavone Julie Woodford Dawn Miskell GW Impact is published by the Division of Development and Alumni Relations, The George Washington University, 2100 M Street NW, Suite 310, Washington, DC 20037.

Please send change-of-address notices to us online at www.gwu.edu/~alumni/update/, via email to alumrecs@gwu.edu, or by post to Alumni Records, 2100 M Street NW, Suite 310, Washington, DC 20037.

Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the university.

The George Washington University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

GW Graphic Design G50176

Knowledge

In Action

“ICF’s support of our Preparedness, Response & Resilience Task Force will enable us to delve into resilience policy issues heretofore not considered.

I am convinced that the task force is well positioned to serve as a thought leader on these issues.”

–Daniel Kaniewski, co-chair of HSPI Preparedness, Response & Resilience Task Force

Keith Stefanelli, graduate student in the GW Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and liaison between HSPI and ICF, with Daniel Kaniewski, assistant vice president and deputy director of the GW Homeland Security Policy Institute.

Visit the Homeland Security Policy Institute at www.gwumc.edu/hspi

GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute Examines US “Resiliency” Thanks to ICF Gift A $100,000 grant from ICF International will support a special task force at the GW Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI). The HSPI Preparedness, Response & Resilience Task Force, a group of 14 emergency experts, will offer specific policy recommendations for making the government and the public more resilient.

Response & Resilience Task Force will enable us to delve into resilience policy issues heretofore not considered,” said Daniel Kaniewski, co-chair of the task force and assistant vice president and deputy director of HSPI. “I am convinced that the task force is well positioned to serve as a thought leader on these issues.”

Resiliency is defined by the White House as the ability to adapt to, prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from disruptions from terrorism, natural disasters, large-scale cyber-attacks, and pandemics. This includes everything from a building’s ability to withstand an earthquake to a community’s recovery from natural or man-made disasters. The tsunami in Japan and the effects of storms in the US Midwest are just two examples of why the issue of resiliency is becoming a prominent topic for government officials.

“ICF’s support of our Preparedness,

A professional services firm that partners with government and commercial clients to provide strategy, policy analysis, program management and evaluation, ICF International is a longtime sponsor of GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute. John Paczkowski, ICF vice president, believes his organization’s support for HSPI will benefit the entire homeland security community.

2

“We are committed to advancing the cause of national resilience and a wholeof-nation approach to homeland security.

ICF shares HSPI’s commitment to candid

In addition to holding meetings with government officials about the nation’s preparedness and resiliency, the task force will publish a series of policy papers and host public events such as the May announcement of Presidential Policy Directive 8 on National Preparedness. On May 16, the task force released its first report, which urges the nation to develop more policies surrounding resiliency in all levels of government.

and unbiased analysis of homeland security issues and its unwavering support to our nation’s elected leaders and policymakers as they address merging threats to the homeland,” he said. “We are very proud of our relationship with the George Washington University and in particular the Homeland Security Policy Institute.”

Philanthropy as Partnership

The gift provides support in three main areas:

Elliott School of International Affairs Receives $3.15 Million Gift to Support Research and Policy Engagement Efforts

• Research and project support:

“Philanthropy is an investment and a partnership,” says the anonymous donor who recently contributed $3.15 million to the Elliott School of International Affairs.

“It is more than just writing a check,” he adds, noting that it took several months of conversations with university and Elliott School leadership to determine how his philanthropy could best achieve his aspirations as well as those of the school.

Elliott School Dean Michael Brown agreed, saying “a gift of this magnitude is based on a true partnership between the individual and the institution. Our donor believes in the mission of the Elliott School, he shares our aspirations, and he is tremendously supportive of our strategic plans and initiatives. It is very gratifying to work with someone who shares our commitment to studying critical global issues and to making the world a better place.”

The gift, says Dean Brown, is a complex one that will fund research and policy engagement and will substantially enhance the Elliott School’s work in international security, international economics and development, and global women’s issues. “This gift will have a tremendous impact because it is multifaceted and interconnected. This gift will substantially strengthen the Elliott School’s academic capacities and raise our institutional profile across a range of key international issues. This will be good for the Elliott School, good for GW, good for America, and good for the world. This is a win-win-win-win proposition.”

G W I mp a c t

Funds will support institutional, faculty and student research projects; new courses; and special events, workshops, and conferences sponsored by the Elliott School’s Institute for International Economic Policy, Institute for Security and Conflict Studies, and Global Gender Initiative.

• Institutional capacity-building:

The gift will provide for the creation of four new associate director positions at the Elliott School, who will support the school’s research and programmatic initiatives through project development, fundraising, and external relationship-building.

• Outreach:

The Elliott School of International Affairs

The donor applauds the involvement of university, as well as Elliott School leadership, calling the gift, “a tribute to Chairman Ramsey, President Knapp, and Dean Brown that they took an active role in our conversations to help us come to a successful conclusion that resulted in the funding of these particular areas, achieving their goals and mine.”

This gift, the donor said, “is a clarion call to other philanthropists to roll up your sleeves and get involved in your philanthropy — don’t be afraid to tackle the complicated problems. Take an interest in a partnership that will provide a solution bigger than any one person.”

The gift expands the Elliott School’s Web Video Initiative, a global educational resource that disseminates many of the Elliott School’s signature events to audiences around the world via the school’s website.

“This extraordinary gift will enhance the capacity and profile of GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs as a global leader in the study of several of the most important issues facing humanity in the 21st century” –Michael Brown, dean of the Elliott School

S u m m e r 2 011

3

Knowledge

In Action

An Institution for Research Carnegie Classification Reflects New National Status Improving the George Washington University’s research status has been a main focus of President Steven Knapp’s since his arrival in 2007. Thanks to the university’s renewed commitment to research, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching — a nonprofit research foundation dedicated to supporting education — named GW an institution with “very high research activity” earlier this year, placing the university among the top schools in the country for research. According to Leo Chalupa, vice president for research, the classification recognizes that the university has increased its research volume and repertoire.

4

“Our status has changed,” he says. “It’s clear that the word has gone out that our aspirations are to be a premier research institution, and we have attracted some substantial grants that have made the news. Those call attention to our status.”

Chalupa adds that the university is fostering a culture of research, attributing the improvement in the Carnegie classification to the faculty’s efforts. In just the past six months, GW faculty and student researchers have played a leading role in a NASA mission using a “nanosatellite” to help study life in the universe, revealed how Neanderthal diet and food preparation was more sophisticated than previously thought,

and found an autism-linked gene sensitive to hormones. Many of these researchers were given the opportunity to come to GW thanks to the generosity of donors.

With the start of construction on the new Science and Engineering Hall planned for later this year, expectations for the continued growth of research at GW are high. The new complex will provide top-of-the-line teaching and research facilities, which will help attract the toptier students, researchers, and faculty who have helped propel GW to the top tier of schools in the Carnegie Foundation’s 2010 Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.

GW Researcher highlights: James M. Clark, Ronald B. Weintraub Professor of Biology Biological Sciences Professor James Clark — who is here thanks to a generous endowment established by the late Professor Robert L. Weintraub — has contributed to one of the planet’s biggest collaborative science initiatives, the Smithsonian’s Tree of Life.

This extraordinary project maps the evolutionary relationships among all 1.7 million species on earth. Clark, along with one of his doctoral students, was also part of an expedition to China that uncovered a new beaked, bird-like dinosaur that offers new evidence about how the threefingered hand of birds evolved from the hand of dinosaurs. ,

“It’s clear that the word has gone out that our aspirations are to be a premier research institution, and we have attracted some substantial grants that have made the news. Those call attention to our status.”

–Leo Chalupa, vice president for Research

G W I mp a c t

Gary Simon, Walter G. Ross Professor of Clinical Research On August 29, 1981, GW’s Gary Simon, Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, diagnosed the first recognized HIV/AIDS patient in Washington, DC. More than a quarter century later, Simon and other GW faculty members helped create the GW HIV/AIDS Institute — now part of the District of Columbia Developmental Center for AIDS Research (DC D-CFAR) — to focus on research, clinical care, and collaboration among those in the medical community. In addition to serving as the director of the Clinical Trials Unit, Dr. Simon’s current HIV/AIDS research activities include the metabolic complications of antiretroviral therapies, an active investigation in the use of new antiretroviral agents and new combinations of agents, and collaboration with basic science investigators in both immunology and virology.

The clinical research performed by Dr. Simon and other members of the DC D-CFAR is as important as ever due to the continued public health challenge the HIV/AIDS epidemic poses both locally and internationally. Washington, DC, has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS among major metropolitan areas in the United States.

Dr. Simon’s clinical research at GW is possible thanks in part to the generosity of the Walter G. Ross Foundation, which established the Walter G. Ross Professorship of Clinical Research in 2006,

under the guidance of Dr. Lloyd Elliott and Eugene Bernard, JD ’51. Dr. Simon is the first Walter G. Ross Professor of Clinical Research.

Rakesh Kumar, Catharine Birch and William McCormick Endowed Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A leading cancer researcher, Rakesh Kumar was recruited to the George Washington University in 2009. The Catharine Birch and William P. McCormick Endowment Fund was established in 1994 by Dr. Catharine B. McCormick to support genetics research by the Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The GW Medical Center was able to recruit Dr. Kumar because he wanted a university setting where he could teach and interact with students yet continue to pursue original research at a prominent medical center. Since accepting the position two year ago, Dr. Kumar has worked to stimulate research in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, and bioinformatics.

S u m m e r 2 011

5

Knowledge

In Action

$4.5 Million Kuwait Gift to Support Global Resource Center and Elliott School Institute The State of Kuwait, through the generosity of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, presented the George Washington University with a $4.5 million gift as an endowment for GW’s Institute for Middle East Studies and for the Global Resources Center’s Middle East and North Africa Research Center at the Gelman Library.

The government of Kuwait previously supported the Institute for Middle East Studies with a gift of more than $1 million in 2008.

“I am deeply grateful to the Government of Kuwait and His Highness the Amir for their continued support of the George Washington University,” said GW President Steven Knapp. “This latest gift will further our efforts to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the Middle East, both through

the Elliott School’s Institute for Middle East Studies and through our special collections in the Gelman Library.”

The Global Resources Center (GRC), which is housed at GW’s Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, supports international and regional studies as emphasized through courses and programs currently available to GW’s undergraduate and graduate students. The GRC focuses primarily on the political, socio-economic, historical, and cultural aspects of countries and regions around the globe from the 20th century onward.

The Elliott School’s Institute for Middle East Studies is a nonpartisan, scholarly institute located near some of the most important US, international, and nongovernmental organizations in the

world. The institute defines its scope in broad, inclusive terms: geographically, it examines the entirety of the greater Middle East; academically, it draws on multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, history, language and literature, and politics. The institute sponsors an array of teaching, research, policy, and special event programs on issues ranging from security and conflict to politics and governance to economic development, energy, and environmental challenges.

“A deep understanding of the Middle East is essential to understanding international affairs in the 21st century,” said Elliott School Dean Michael Brown. “This gift will enable the Elliott School to expand its research, education, and policy engagement efforts related to this vital region.”

GW Global Forum Seoul

March 16-17, 2012 Global Growth and Innovation Grand Hyatt Seoul

This special gathering will bring together expert faculty, alumni and renowned international leaders to discuss timely global issues. Join prominent GW graduates, parents, students and friends to network and share insights with members of the University’s worldwide community.

6

Visit alumni.gwu.edu/globalforum for more details

Helping the Underserved

$1.75 Million Gift from RCHN-CHF to Support Research and Scholarship on Community Health Centers and Medically Underserved Populations The RCHN Community Health Foundation recently made a $1.75 million gift to the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The gift, in support of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy in the SPHHS Department of Health Policy, builds upon a 2007 gift from the foundation that established the program as part of an effort to support research and scholarship related to community health centers and the populations they serve.

The Geiger Gibson/RCHN Research Collaborative has conducted extensive policy research addressing the role of health centers in reaching medically underserved populations; the achievements of health centers in improving the quality of patient

“We are able to continue this important work, thanks to the continued support and partnership with the RCHN Community Health Foundation.”

–Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services

care and the health of medically underserved communities and populations; and the continued need for community-based care, providing essential evidence for the investment in community health centers as part of the Affordable Care Act and other national initiatives.

“The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy has had a major impact on national policy which will strengthen community health centers, enabling them to provide care to those most in need,” said Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services. “We are able to continue this important work thanks to the continued support and partnership with the RCHN Community Health Foundation.”

The multifaceted collaborative also supports, in addition to policy research, master’s and doctoral training and graduate student research assistantships in policy issues; a Distinguished Visitors Program that brings leading figures in the health center movement to the school community; the annual Geiger Gibson Symposium in Health Policy and Emerging Leader Awards to young professionals recognized for their contributions to health center clinical, administrative, and policy advances; and collaboration on the Chronicles Project, a multimedia website that tells the story of health centers and the communities they serve.

“This gift has added immeasurably to the department’s growth, success, and respect, and we are so deeply grateful for the foundation’s ongoing generosity.”

–Sara Rosenbaum, Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and chair of the Department of Health Policy

“The collaborative’s work has been instrumental in the policy arena, and has both complemented and helped drive the foundation’s programs in support of health centers. We look forward to continuing this important partnership with GW,” said Sara Rosenbaum, Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and chair of the Department of Health Policy.

“This gift has added immeasurably to the department’s growth, success, and respect, and we are so deeply grateful for the foundation’s ongoing generosity.”

To learn more about the School of Public Health and Health Services and how you can support its programs and initiatives visit sphhs.gwumc.edu

To learn more about how corporations and foundations can support GW visit gwu.edu/connect/corporationspartners G W I mp a c t

S u m m e r 2 011

7

The Student

Experience

From left: President Steven Knapp, Robert Kogod, GW Trustee Randy Levine, Clarice Smith, David Bruce Smith, Michelle Smith, and GW Trustee Mark Hughes

Honoring a GW Landmark Donors and the GW Community Celebrate Charles E. Smith Center Transformation Supporters of the Charles E. Smith Center gathered at the GW landmark on the evening of May 3 to celebrate the center’s multimillion-dollar transformation and the benefactors who made it possible. At the celebration, GW President Steven Knapp announced that more than $21.1 million had been raised for the athletic complex. Fundraising efforts began in 2008 with a $10 million challenge from the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, the Charles E. Smith Family Foundation, and Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod. The gift, a one-to-one challenge match, was the catalyst for 8

donors to contribute more than $11 million to the project.

Renovations to the signature building in the heart of campus include a refurbished arena, renovated locker rooms and training and sports medicine facilities, an on-site academic center, and new box office, refreshment areas, and Colonials Club. Designed by architectural firm Gensler and managed by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, the transformed Charles E. Smith Center will set a new architectural and aesthetic standard for future university buildings.

“I’m very delighted to welcome you to this fabulous celebration of a truly marvelous project at the George Washington University,” said President Steven Knapp. “As you can see around you tonight, the transformation has yielded spectacular results.”

Current and former GW trustees — including New York Yankees President Randy Levine, BA ’77; Mark Hughes, BA ’69, MS ’77; David Bruce Smith, BA ’79, grandson of the center’s namesake Charles E. Smith; and Tad Lindner, BA ’51 — joined President Knapp and Senior Vice Provost and Vice President Robert

go.gwu.edu/charlesesmithcenter Chernak to unveil donor plaques and recognize the past and future of GW athletics. Among those honored were Robert and Arlene Kogod, Clarice Smith, widow of Robert H. Smith, and their son, David Bruce Smith.

annually hosts the university’s Freshman Convocation and individual school Commencement celebrations as well as popular entertainers that have included Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Jimmy Fallon.

Named after the late Charles E. Smith, a GW trustee and honorary degree recipient who provided the initial gift to build the facility in 1975, the Charles E. Smith Center houses GW’s Department of Athletics and Recreation, which supports 22 NCAA teams, club sports and recreational activities, and related academic programs. The complex

During the celebration, the audience enjoyed a video chronicling the transformation of the GW landmark and heard from members of the GW community that included student leaders and athletes, coaches, Associate Athletic Director for Facilities Jason Wilson, BS ’96, and Foggy Bottom community representative Theo Shepard.

The GW Athletics Hall of Fame at the newly renovated Charles E. Smith Center

From left: David Bruce Smith, Clarice Smith, Robert Kogod, Michelle Smith, President Steven Knapp, Diane Robinson Knapp, Lauren Lamb, and Michael Liss at the unveiling of the Smith family plaque.

G W I mp a c t

The transformed Charles E. Smith Center will set a new architectural and aesthetic standard for future university buildings.

Although fundraising efforts for the project are not yet complete, the funds raised to date are the most ever raised for a single project at GW.

S u m m e r 2 011

9

The Student

Experience www.gelman.gwu.edu/collections/exhibits

Gift of Historic Collection from Co-Founder of DC Landmark Eatery Given a Home at Gelman Thanks to the generosity of Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, artifacts from one of the District’s most famous eateries will have a permanent home at the George Washington University.

In a special ceremony at the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library on February 16, original pieces from Ben’s Chili Bowl that included the original 1963 menu and payroll books from the early years of the business were turned over to GW President Steven Knapp to be put on display at the GW University Libraries’ Africana Research Center.

President Knapp thanked the Ali family for entrusting the remarkable collection to GW, calling the collection a “rich educational and scholarly resource” that will, “link the university more strongly than ever to the life and history of Washington, DC.” Ben’s Chili Bowl was founded in 1958

by Virginia Ali and her late husband,

“I couldn’t imagine this ever happening to this little chili bowl. We opened it to make a living in 1958 and here we are. It’s just a wonderful feeling to know your history is being preserved.”

–Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl 10

From front: Sage Ali, Virginia Ali, Vida Ali, and Sonya Ali view the display case holding pieces from the Ben’s Chili Bowl collection at the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library

Ben Ali, and has become a landmark in DC’s U Street neighborhood. The restaurant, which is still family owned and operated, has been serving the area for more than 50 years, drawing locals as well as famous patrons that include comedian Bill Cosby, jazz greats Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole, and President Obama.

Dr. Meredith Evans Raiford, director of the GW Special Collections Research Center, called the exhibit the “first major collection” in African-American business at the Africana Research Center, which also includes the papers of abolitionist leader and social reformer Frederick Douglass, scientist Benjamin Banneker, and records from organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. “The exhibit is

for Ali family fans and scholars alike,” Dr. Raiford said. “It truly reflects the history of African-American culture, a successful black family and business.”

The exhibit features business records, photographs of the restaurant and its diners, one of the original 6,000 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. calendars that Ben Ali distributed to patrons in honor of Dr. King following his assassination, as well as other memorabilia from Ben’s Chili Bowl’s 53-year history.

“I couldn’t imagine this ever happening to this little chili bowl,” said Virginia Ali. “We opened it to make a living in 1958 and here we are. It’s just a wonderful feeling to know your history is being preserved.”

“I don’t know where else students have an opportunity to meet with a series of authors in such an intimate setting. Truly, this is a literature course of a lifetime, and GW students are very fortunate to have such an unforgettable experience.”

–Faye Moskowitz, professor of English

Award-winning author E.L. Doctorow reads from his new book, All the Time in the World

Trustee-Funded Jewish Literature Live Course Brings Renowned Author to Campus GW President Steven Knapp welcomed an audience of more than 200 to Funger Hall on April 7 for a special event featuring renowned author E.L. Doctorow who read from his new book — All the Time in the World — and spoke about his artistic process. The award-winning Doctorow was on campus as a part of professor of English Faye Moskowitz’s Jewish Literature Live course, which gives students the opportunity to read novels or short story collections by living authors and then pose questions to the authors when they visit. Students in the course had read Mr. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel.

“The most important benefit for student and professor alike is the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the author,” says Moskowitz. “We are able to ask questions about the author’s intent, inspiration, and influences on the spot without an intermediary.”

Among those in attendance was trustee David Bruce Smith, BA ’79, who funds the course. Mr. Smith and his family are longtime GW benefactors. He has established two scholarship funds for undergraduate students at the university and provided support for other GW initiatives such as the Cancer Institute and the President’s Fund for Excellence.

G W I mp a c t

“Thanks to the generosity of David Bruce Smith, some fortunate GW students — and their equally lucky professor — will encounter the work of established, as well as emerging, Jewish-American writers and then have an opportunity for face-to-face dialogue with those writers,” Moskowitz said.

In addition to Doctorow, the course brought five other Jewish literature authors to campus during the spring semester, including poet and literary critic Adam Kirsch and novelist Steve Stern. Previous authors featured in the class include Pulitzer Prize-winners Michael Chabon and Art Spiegelman.

According to Moskowitz, there is no other course like this in the country, particularly because it is expensive and requires generous funding.

“I don’t know where else students have an opportunity to meet with a series of authors in such an intimate setting,” she says. “Truly, this is a literature course of a lifetime, and GW students are very fortunate to have such an unforgettable experience.”

S u m m e r 2 011

11

The Student

12

Experience

Unparalleled Collection of Washington, DC History to be Housed on GW Campus Thanks to the generosity of Albert H. Small, one of the nation’s foremost collectors of historic documents, a museum documenting the rich history of the nation’s capital will soon be established on GW’s Foggy Bottom campus. A third-generation Washingtonian, the prominent real estate developer spent the past 60 years amassing one of the world’s most significant private collections tracing the city’s transformation from swamp to a thriving seat of national government.

In February, the passionate collector and philanthropist announced that he is donating the extensive archives — containing historical documents, letters, rare books, maps, drawings, prints, and photographs of the capital city — to the George Washington University to benefit future generations of students, scholars, and citizens.

“This collection, which will be open to the public, will provide unparalleled opportunities not only for current students and scholars, but also for future generations to study the history of our nation through the study of this nation’s capital,” said GW President Steven Knapp.

Mr. Small pledged an additional $5 million to assist in the transformation of the 156-year-old Woodhull House at 21st and G streets, NW, and an adjacent lot, into a permanent museum that will be open to the public. The new portion of the building will feature a dedicated

gallery housing permanent and rotating exhibits of collection pieces, as well as related academic and scholarly activities. The entire project — including renovations to the Woodhull House and the digitization of the collection for the Internet — is slated to be completed by 2014.

“The collection tells the story of the development of Washington and what it took to get the city off the ground,” said Mr. Small, who researches each potential acquisition and participates actively in DC’s historical community.

Mr. Small’s gift to GW ensures that his remarkable collection endures as a national treasure.

“The collection that Albert Small is donating to GW will be a center of knowledge about the federal city — how Washington was planned by the Founding Fathers, how it evolved socially, physically, and economically, and the trials and tribulations it endured along the way,” says Robert Perry, BS ’70, chairman and president of the National Trust for the Humanities and a trustee of the George Washington University. “The university is deeply honored to be the recipient and guardian of such an historic collection.”

A veritable treasure trove of Washingtoniana, the unique collection

features items ranging from a 1790 manuscript map of the region before the establishment of the nation’s capital, to George Washington’s 1791 letter to Congress outlining the 10 square miles that would ultimately become the US capital. The archive even includes views of Washington that never came to be, such as a colored lithograph of the proposed site of the World’s Exposition of 1892 on the Mall; Washington ultimately lost out to Chicago as host of the event.

“The collection tells the story of the development of Washington and what it took to get the city off the ground” –Albert H. Small

Mr. Small’s myriad contributions to the humanities are matched by his lifelong commitment to excellence in real estate, which has helped shape the regional landscape. His company — Southern Engineering, for which he serves as president and CEO — has developed millions of square feet of office space in Washington as well as apartment communities and single-family homes in the DC Metropolitan area, Baltimore, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News. (continued, page 14)

3Aquatint engraving of the north view of the White House. Henry and James Stone, 1826. From the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection G W I mp a c t

S u m m e r 2 011

13

The Student Throughout the years, he also has found time to serve on numerous civic and cultural boards, including the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Gallery of Art, and the Foundation for the National Archives. Bricks and mortar pale in comparison to the satisfaction he derives from preserving and sharing America’s heritage with future generations through his prized collections.

“I’m glad that my Washington history collection will be the centerpiece of a broad range of

Experience studies and symposia at GW, where it will get excellent exposure and help people better understand and appreciate an important part of America’s history,” Mr. Small said. “Every year, several thousand new students arrive at GW, who will be able to see and experience the history of our nation’s capital through the museum. Young people are carrying the ball for the future of our country and many know very little about our history. I hope that the museum helps turn that around.”

“Plan of the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia.” A rare handkerchief map of the city of Washington based on the Samuel Hill engraving of Andrew Ellicott’s plan. Printed in red ink on cotton cloth.

See more images from the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana collection at go.gwu.edu/washingtoniana

Albert H. Small Honored with Highest University Award University and his dedication to preserving national history.

From left: GW Trustee Robert Perry, BS ‘70, Albert H. Small, and President Steven Knapp

“Albert Small’s extraordinary contribution as a collector and preserver of our national heritage will educate countless generations of students, scholars, and citizens about the history of our nation and of this great capital city,” said President Steven Knapp at the medal ceremony, which was held at 1957 E Street.

Albert H. Small was honored June 7 with the President’s Medal, the highest award the university president can bestow, for the contribution of his Washingtoniana collection to the George Washington

At the award ceremony, historian James Goode, PhD ’95, who has been Mr. Small’s longtime curator of the collection, discussed the significance of some of the most noteworthy items

14

included in the gift. One of these items is a hand-drawn map made by a Prince George’s County surveyor in 1790 showing the land that would eventually make up the capital city; one of only two known to have been made. Mr. Small’s collection also includes the last known letter that George Washington wrote, only four days before his death in 1799.

“Receiving the George Washington University’s President’s Medal is a tremendous honor,” Mr. Small said.

“I hope that my collections will offer today’s students and future generations the opportunity to study the history of this great country and its national treasures.”

GW

Power & Promise www.gwu.edu/give/powerandpromise

GW Alumnus and Wife Pay it Forward

Jackpot-Winning Couple Donates $1.1 Million to GW Power & Promise Fund and Yellow Ribbon Program When Gilbert Cisneros, BA ’94, first came to the George Washington University to study political science, he felt like he had entered an unknown world. When he graduated four years later, he knew he’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime.

Now Mr. Cisneros and his wife, Jacki, are making sure that future students have that same opportunity. Winners of the $266 million California Mega Millions Jackpot last spring, the couple is taking their good fortune and paying it forward by donating $1 million to support the GW Power & Promise Fund and another $100,000 to the Yellow Ribbon Program.

“This is something that I always dreamt of being able to do if I got the chance,” says Mr. Cisneros. “It’s great to be able to give some students a chance that I had, the chance to study politics in the heart of the nation’s capital.”

Thanks to the couple — whose $1 million gift will establish the Cisneros Scholarship Fund — two incoming freshmen in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences will receive $25,000 apiece in financial aid.

The scholarships will fund study in political science, Mr. Cisneros’ major at GW, with preference given to Hispanic students from California. The scholarships can be renewed each year, enabling students to obtain $100,000 in financial aid over the course of their four undergraduate years.

The couple says that they feel blessed to have the opportunity to give back to the causes that mean the most to them — especially education. Jacki Cisneros adds that their gift to GW reflects not only the couple’s priorities, but also their heritage.

G W I mp a c t

“It’s great to be able to give some students a chance that I had, the chance to study politics in the heart of the nation’s capital.”

–Gilbert Cisneros, BA ’94

“My husband is Hispanic and I’m halfHispanic, so we wanted to help create more opportunities for those students,” she says. “We had always talked about the stuff that we would do if we ever could, and it seems fitting to give back now that we’re able to. For us it’s about being able to make a real difference.”

The couple’s $100,000 gift to the Yellow Ribbon Program, which supports veteran education, was inspired by Mr. Cisneros’ military service. He received a scholarship to GW through Navy ROTC and served in the US Navy for 10 years as a Supply Corp officer. Mr. Cisneros says it feels good to give in support of veterans and their education and adds that if the cards had not fallen right, he may have never been able to come to GW himself.

“I had a great time at GW and got a good education,” says Mr. Cisneros. “It was definitely an experience I wouldn’t change for anything.”

The couple has visited GW several times in recent years and have noticed all the great changes and improvements to campus since Mr. Cisneros’ time as an undergraduate, including the newly

Jacki and Gilbert Cisneros

renovated Charles E. Smith Center and the plans for the Science and Engineering Hall. Mr. Cisneros most recently returned to campus in April for his first meeting as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council on Arts and Sciences, which he joined because he saw it as another opportunity to give back and make a positive contribution to the GW community.

The couple plans to continue their support of education in the future through the newly established Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation, which aims to improve the chances of students attending college by reaching out to students at the junior high level. For the Cisneroses, their support of the GW Power & Promise Fund and the Yellow Ribbon Program represent just the start of their efforts.

“These gifts are just part of an ongoing process,” they say. “We’ve had this great gift bestowed upon us and we feel blessed to be able to turn around and help others. Education can be a life-changing experience that no one should miss.”

S u m m e r 2 011

15

GW

Power & Promise

Vice chair of the GW Board of Trustees, Nelson Carbonell, BA ‘85, (right) and his wife, Michele, attended the GW Power & Promise dinner to meet with one of their scholarship recipients, Andrew Vasko, BS ‘13

Celebrating the GW Power & Promise Fund for Student Aid Recipients Personally Thank Donors at Seventh Annual Celebration More than 150 George Washington University students had the opportunity to thank the donors who helped fund their education at the GW Power & Promise Celebration of Scholarships and Fellowships dinner on April 1. Held this year at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC, the annual event celebrates the generous donors who establish and contribute scholarships and fellowships to students at GW. The evening unveiled the new GW Power & Promise 2011 video and featured a pinning ceremony for new endowed fund donors.

Among those present to receive their pins were former GW faculty member Ambassador Philip Kaplan and his wife, Barbara, and David Karlgaard, DSc ’74. Twenty-three newly endowed scholarships and fellowships have been created this year alone.

Dr. Karlgaard, the keynote speaker for the event, who along with his wife, Marilyn, endowed the Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. A member of the George Washington Board of Trustees, Dr. Karlgaard received a doctorate degree in electrical engineering and computer science.

16

For student scholarship recipient Nawa Arsala, a sophomore in the Elliott School of International Affairs, receiving the Cora and John H. Davis Scholarship means the chance to continue her education, an opportunity that many women in her native Afghanistan did not have for decades.

President Steven Knapp announced the creation of the GW Power & Promise Fund for student aid in 2008 to increase access and affordability for current and future GW students. Annual gifts for student aid have more than doubled since he arrived on campus in 2007.

Currently, three out of five George Washington students receive some sort of financial aid; many receiving assistance from the more than 400 donor-funded scholarships and fellowships.

GW’s Power & Promise Fund aims to ensure that qualified students, regardless of their financial situations, can take full advantage of a GW education, and reduce the loan burden of graduates. Annual gifts to the Power & Promise Fund rose to $1.3 million in 2010, which accounted for 22 percent of all annual giving.

www.gwu.edu/give/powerandpromise

2011 Senior Class Day Celebration They Lived Up to the Challenge

At a May 12 celebration in Kogan Plaza, surrounded by hundreds of members of the class of 2011, Senior Class Gift Campaign Coordinator Eric Thibault presented Board of Trustees Chairman W. Russell Ramsey, Board member Steven Ross, and GW President Steven Knapp with this year’s Senior Class Gift. Totaling more than $86,000, the 2011 Senior Class Gift surpasses the amounts raised in the previous four years of the Senior Class Gift campaigns, thanks in part literally, to a last-minute gift given anonymously at the check presentation ceremony pictured below.

More than 40 percent of the Class of

2011 — the highest giving rate ever — participated by giving to the school, program, organization, or other part of the university that meant most to them. The total included a matching gift from the Luther Rice Society that will be designated to the Ron Howard Emergency Scholarship Fund, which supports financial awards to full-time undergraduate students who are active in leadership or extracurricular activities at the university and who have emergency or other financial needs that are not met through traditional financial aid. The fund was chosen by the senior class earlier in the year.

“A tradition at GW since the 1980s, the Senior Class Gift is a way for each class to leave an imprint on the university,” Thibault said. “This year we had the unique opportunity to create a legacy as distinct and diverse as our class by giving back to the areas of the university and organizations of our choice.”

Editor’s Note: Since this article was written, the Senior Class Gift Campaign has received additional gifts bringing the campaign total as of July 15, 2011 to over $89,000.

Event w/ check presentation to be held 5/12; filler language until that date.

GW Board of Trustees Chairman W. Russell Ramsey, President Steven Knapp, Eric Thibault, CCAS ’11, and Board member Steven Ross at the 2011 Senior Class Celebration

G W I mp a c t

S u m m e r 2 011

17

GW

18

Power & Promise

www.gwu.edu/give/powerandpromise

Enhancing Engineering

Clark Professor Investiture

Former Trustee Donates $8 million to Create Scholarship Program GW is poised to educate the world’s next generation of leaders in engineering thanks to an $8 million gift from trustee emeritus A. James Clark, HON DSc ’10, CEO and chairman of the board of Clark Enterprises Inc. Mr. Clark’s donation will establish the A. James Clark Engineering Scholars program for top undergraduate engineering students.

“I am very excited about the Clark Engineering Scholars program,” said Mr. Clark. “Education is the key to our nation’s future and this program, coupled with a GW education, will provide an excellent foundation for a lifetime of opportunity, enjoyment, and contributions to society.”

Housed in GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the program will award an annual merit-based scholarship, renewed each year based on academic standing. Scholars will also participate in a professional “boot camp” led by successful SEAS alumni, receive summer internship opportunities, and take part in a semester abroad experience. In the future, Clark Engineering Scholars will lead the boot camp.

The first five GW Clark Engineering Scholars will be selected by July for

“Education is the key to our nation’s future and this program, coupled with a GW education, will provide an excellent foundation for a lifetime of opportunity, enjoyment, and contributions to society.” –A. James Clark

the 2011-12 academic year, and five new scholars will be selected each year until a cadre of 20 is in place by August 2014. The first boot camp will be held this August.

“The School of Engineering and Applied Science is extraordinarily grateful to Mr. Clark for his vision and generosity,” said SEAS Dean David Dolling. “His gift to establish the Clark Engineering Scholars program gives the school a signature program that will attract the most talented and ambitious young men and women to SEAS, and it provides an exceptional mix of student leadership training and experiences that very few programs across the country offer.”

To learn how you can support the GW Power & Promise Fund for student aid, contact Matt Banks at mbanks@gwu.edu or 202-994-5125.

A ceremony celebrating the investiture of George Washington University Provost Steven Lerman as the prestigious Clark Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering was held on May 9 at the university’s 1957 E Street building. Also in attendance were Mr. Clark and his wife, Alice; Gideon Frieder, the first Clark professor; David Dolling, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science; and GW President Steven Knapp.

The A. James Clark Professorship of Civil and Environmental Engineering was endowed in 1986 by A. James Clark, who received an honorary doctorate of engineering from GW at the university’s 2010 commencement ceremony.

“This afternoon, we’re delighted to continue this tradition with the installation of Dr. Lerman as the second A. James Clark Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering” –Steven Knapp, GW President

3A. James Clark, HON DSc ’10 G W I mp a c t

S u m m e r 2 011

19

Smart

Investment

The Gift of Giving to GW: A Donor’s Perspective

by Les and Kathy Megyeri

Facing one’s mortality and undertaking estate planning are difficult topics to consider, but it is imperative that individuals choose their directives while they are still capable of making intelligent and meaningful decisions. Our recent commitment to make the George Washington University the beneficiary of our estate came about after a recent automobile accident, but our long affiliation with the school dates back to the late 1950s.

Les, a refugee to this country following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, came to the US with an expectation of a free education as it is in Hungary, an assumption he quickly discovered was not the case. After being turned away from a nearby university because he could not afford tuition, Les sought financial aid from then GW Treasurer Morris Hartfield. Somehow, the university arranged the necessary financing and Les enrolled at GW as an undergraduate in economics. In 1962, I met Les in Professor Hennigen’s speech class in the basement of Lisner Auditorium. He was working part time as a waiter (luckily, this provided him with two meals a day, albeit at 5 pm and midnight) and I later supported him through law school on my yearly salary of $4,700.

After we married, the two of us continued to amass five degrees at GW, so the school has been an intricate part of our lives for half a century. Les’ first legal position, a clerkship in the US General Accounting Office, resulted from a conversation with GW Law Professor John Cibinic, a government contracts expert who took an enormous amount of pride in placing his students in law firms and government agencies city-wide. The encouragement 20

and involvement of this professor set my husband’s career in motion.

As Les and I approach 70 years of age, we recognize the extent to which GW has impacted our lives and want to remain a part of the institution even after we pass away.

We also appreciate the direction that GW is taking to establish itself as a nationally renowned school of research and we hope to contribute to its success. For these reasons, we decided to make GW the beneficiary of our estate through a revocable trust and will.

The utmost latitude was given to us Kathy and Les Megyeri recently became members of GW’s in regards to our gift. We discussed Heritage Society, a group that recognizes donors of planned gifts. a number of worthy initiatives including scholarships, faculty and librarian positions, facility upgrades, and our attorney, Frank S. Baldino, who and deans’ funds. In other words, the each provided superb guidance to ensure myriad of giving opportunities guarantees our wishes were properly documented and that one’s desires for a lasting legacy will witnessed. be met and reflect one’s own unique circumstances and charitable objectives.

And what have we gained? We now have peace of mind that should we, God forbid, Eventually, we decided on two initiatives not survive our next automobile accident, that hold particular meaning to us: first, our estate matters have been settled and we established an endowed chair in our charitable wishes met. The university Government Procurement Law and, second, will benefit from the fact that, not only did we contributed to the existing Nash-Cibinic we meet at GW, but we were both able to Professorship, which honors John Cibinic, make a comfortable life together from the the professor who made such an impact education we received there. Additionally, on Les’ life. It must be noted that the entire we gained membership into the Heritage process was directed with ease and utmost Society, a group of like-minded individuals respect for our desires. The paperwork who have chosen to leave a legacy at GW consisted of no more than a will being through their estate planning. We’ve been drawn and a confirmation of our asset truly blessed by the school, its leadership, portfolio. We worked with Rick Robertson, and its scholarship, and now it’s our turn to a member of GW’s Planned Giving staff, say “thank you” through our planned giving.

go.gwu.edu/plannedgiving

Women’s Rights Advocate Leaves $100,000 Bequest to Women’s Studies Program After a lifetime of advocating for women’s rights, the legacy of Clara Schiffer, MA ’39, will continue after her passing at the age of 97 thanks to a $100,000 bequest to the Women’s Studies Program in the George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. Her planned gift creates The Clara Schiffer Project on Clara Schiffer, MA ’39 Elder Women and Health Care Policy, and will support a visiting scholar as well as a Clara Schiffer Fellow each year for three years.

A longtime supporter of GW’s Women’s Studies Program, Ms. Schiffer earned a Master’s in economics from GW’s Columbian College in 1939, a time when economics was a male-dominated field and few women pursued advanced degrees. In addition to her planned gift, her past generosity made possible the Women’s Studies Program’s “Making a Difference Award,” which is presented

Return, Reconnect, Reminisce September 15-18 All GW alumni and their families are invited to Alumni Weekend 2011!

Visit alumni.gwu.edu/aw for more details.

annually to exceptional students who have written original research papers about women’s legislative and policy issues.

In 2000, Ms. Schiffer’s funding helped bring together activists, academics, researchers, health care personnel, and community advisors to GW’s Mount Vernon Campus for the Women and Aging Conference, a collaborative effort that discussed the economic, cultural, and political concerns of women and aging.

The success of the conference led to the creation of a women and aging course within Women’s Studies, which is one of only a few offered by universities across the US. “Her gift will make it possible for our students and scholars to continue making a difference in the lives of women and girls,” said Daniel Moshenberg, director of the Women’s Studies Program and associate professor of English. “That was Clara’s daily ambition and it is a part of her legacy. She was a woman of unwavering determination and compassion in the area of social and legal rights for women — a true change maker.”

GW

News

GW Business Plan Competition

LeadDriver, a start-up providing personalized brochures for car dealerships and their customers, beat out a record 112 teams to win first prize and $25,000 at the 2011 GW Business Plan Competition on April 15. The LeadDriver team — Anthony Shop, Thomas Sanchez, and Daniel Zaslavsky — celebrated with Jim Chung, director of GW’s Office of Entrepreneurship; John Rollins, director of the GW Business Plan Competition; Annette Scott, competition sponsor; Edward R. Barrientos, GWSB MBA ‘90, recipient of GW’s 2011 Annual Entrepreneurship Award; and competition judges Mario Cardullo and Bill Wilson.

2011 Alumni Outstanding Service Awards 2011 Alumni Outstanding Service Award Winners from left: Gary Gabel, GSEHD EdD ‘94, founder of Great Lakes Strategies, Infinite Learning and Human Strategies; Sean Walsh, SEAS BS ‘76, senior principal naval architect at Gibbs & Cox, Inc.; Steven Knapp, GW president; Diana Henriques, ESIA BA ‘69, senior financial writer for The New York Times; Howard Rubin, GWSB BBA ‘81, co-founder and managing partner of Tara Hill Capital Management; and Jack Summer, SMHS GME ‘81, GW assistant clinical professor of medicine and lead physician for GW Medical Centersponsored missions to Haiti.

22

President Knapp speaks at the Heritage Society Spring Luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC, on May 10.

2011 Heritage Spring Society Luncheon The Heritage Society honors alumni, friends, faculty and staff who support the George Washington University through a bequest intention, charitable gift annuity, charitable trust, or other planned gift. In gratitude for that generosity, the university recognizes Society members at special events, including a luncheon in their honor each May. This year’s luncheon was held at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC, and featured a presentation by professor of English Thomas Mallon.

G W I mp a c t

Left: Carol Shaffer Smith and Kristine Morris enjoy a moment at the Heritage Society Spring Luncheon.

Right: Mrs. Ruth Perlin, Mr. Seymour Perlin, and guest speaker Professor Thomas Mallon discuss Professor Mallon’s presentation.

S u m m e r 2 011

23

GW

News

Economics from an Expert

Real Estate Billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman Shares His Insights on the Economy at GW’s Real Estate and Wall Street Symposium in New York Real estate billionaire and editor-in-chief of US News and World Report Mortimer Zuckerman shared his insights on the economy at GW’s third annual Real Estate and Wall Street Symposium in New York City on May 4. In an interview with senior New York Times financial writer and GW board of trustees member Diana B. Henriques, BA ’69, Mr. Zuckerman discussed the impact of the budget deficit on markets, the outlook for residential and commercial real estate, and how to move the economy forward in front of an audience of GW alumni, trustees, faculty,

students, and partners. Among those in attendance were GW trustees Steven Ross and George Wellde, GW School of Business Dean Doug Guthrie and Alan Miller, chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Health Services Inc., which operates GW Hospital. Held at the Paley Center for Media, the symposium was sponsored by the Luther Rice Society — the university’s oldest philanthropic society — and its Financial Services Alliance, a network of Luther Rice Society members working in all facets of the financial services industry.

Mortimer Zuckerman and Diana B. Henriques, BA ’69.

Thank You for supporting the GW Power & Promise Fund! As a student aid recipient, I know first-hand the impact your contribution makes on the lives of current GW students. Without support from thousands of alumni, parents, and friends every year, I would not be able to experience all that this great university has to offer.

As my four years at GW conclude, it’s important to continue giving to the Power & Promise Fund so that future students can have the same amazing opportunities.

— Eric Thibault, CCAS BA ’11

24 DAR1089

Women and Philanthropy

Speakers, panelists, and university leaders gather before the GW Women and Philanthropy Forum. From left: Norma Ramsey, co-chair, Women and Philanthropy Host Committee and director, The Ramsey Family Foundation; Michael Worth, GW professor of nonprofit management; Susan Rose, GW Parent ‘12, playwright, Motherhood Out Loud; Stacy Palmer, editor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy; Julianne Malveauz, president, Bennett College for Women; Steven Knapp, GW president; Rebecca Powers, GW Parent ‘12, founder, Impact Austin; H.R.H. Princess Fay Jahan Ara, president, RACH Charity Foundation; and Cynthia Steele Vance, MVC BA ‘79, co-chair, Women and Philanthropy Host Committee and member, GW Board of Trustees.

Ellen Malcom, GWSB MBA ‘84, founder and chair of the Board of EMILY’s List, delivers the keynote address at the 3rd Annual Women and Philanthropy Forum.

G W I mp a c t

S u m m e r 2 011

25

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE MERRIFIELD, VA PERMIT NO. 2657 The George Washington University The Division of Development and Alumni Relations 2100 M Street NW, Suite 310 Washington, DC 20037

Cert no. SW-COC-001551

Do You Own Property?

Yes, I'm Interested.

JU ST

GI FT ED

GW accepts gifts of all types of real estate.

For information on how you can turn your property into a lasting legacy at GW, return the coupon on the right.

Please send me more information about gifts of Real Estate I am interested in giving a gift of Real Estate Approximate Value: _____________

Name: _____________________ Address: ___________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ Phone:_____________________ E-Mail: _____________________

For more information, please contact: Chase Magnuson, Director of Planned Giving for Real Estate 202-994-4979 or chasem@gwu.edu or visit http://go.gwu.edu/realestate

Clip & Mail to: The George Washington University Office of Planned Giving – Real Estate 2100 M Street, NW, Suite 310 Washington, DC 20037