A professor, graduating senior and medical student were honored for their contributions to the George Washington University community with the prestigious George Washington Award at the Commencement ceremony on Sunday.
Edward McCord, associate professor in the Elliott School of International Affairs; Samantha Margulies, a rising third-year medical student in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences; and Jane Wallis, who graduated from the Milken Institute School of Public Health on Sunday, were recognized with the 2014 GW Award on the National Mall.
“The students and faculty who receive the GW Award have each, in his or her own way, shaped our university, making it the outstanding institution it is today,” Provost Steven Lerman said.
The award recipients were nominated by members of the university community and selected by the Joint Committee of Faculty and Students for their academic and extracurricular achievement, integrity and goodwill and investment in the university community.
Dr. McCord, a 20-year faculty member, former associate dean of the Elliott School and director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the Taiwan Education and Research Program, said that he was honored to join the long list of outstanding faculty who have received the award in the past, but that his true reward comes in the classroom.
“It is a thrill when a student is excited about the subject that you are teaching,” Dr. McCord said. “On another level, there is the satisfaction of seeing a student improve over the course of a semester or hearing from students years later about how their education at GW really helped their careers and lives.”
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Dianne Martin, who nominated Dr. McCord, said that his perspective on the university as a historian and long-time faculty member has been invaluable, informing his service on the Mount Vernon College Committee, the University Honors Advisory Committee and selection committees for the Fulbright Scholar Award, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and the Luce Scholars Program.
“One important part of my GW experience has been seeing the university grow and improve over time,” Dr. McCord said. “It has been great to watch the university’s transformation and to feel like I have been part of it.”
For Ms. Wallis, a NCAA Division I student-athlete and captain of the women’s soccer team, coming to GW meant finding a home that she calls “a special community of amazing people.”
“There are so many worthy of this award, and I'm humbled to have even been nominated,” Ms. Wallis said. “To me ‘being GW’ is about diversity. The athletic department at GW has shaped my experience here, and I've met some of my best friends and biggest role models.”
Associate Director of Athletics for Educational Support Services Karen Ercole commended Ms. Wallis for her leadership abilities as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and volunteer for Grassroots Colonials, a program that provides education about HIV/AIDS to youth through sports.
Grassroots Colonials was a perfect fit for Ms. Wallis, who completed more than 100 hours of community service through the program during her senior year. She will pursue her passion through the Master of Public Health program at the Milken Institute SPH.
“Each time one of the middle school students remembers a key message or asks a poignant question, I feel proud of the our program and of the volunteers,” Ms. Wallis said. “I also love training other student-athletes to volunteer and working to inspire people to be passionate about the program in the same ways that I am.”
A passion for service was also at the heart of Ms. Margulies’ experience at GW. She served as the director of fundraising for the GW Healing Clinic, a student-run organization that aids uninsured residents of D.C. and Prince George’s County by offering services from medical student volunteers.
Ms. Margulies’ nominator, Divya Venkat, a medical student, said that Ms. Margulies’ leadership led to a successful 5k walk/run in fall 2013 that raised $25,000 for the clinic and attracted 170 participants.
She was also instrumental in creating and teaching the pilot SMHS Educational Leadership Track program, a pre-matriculation program for incoming nontraditional medical students, which will be integrated into the fall 2014 SMHS curriculum.
“I remember visiting the university and buying my first GW Medicine T-shirt,” Ms. Margulies said. “I could not have imagined what representing GW would mean and how much it has impacted my life.”
“GW values volunteering and expanding academic horizons as much as I do,” she said. “I have found my place here and cannot wait to spend the next two years furthering my medical education at the GW Hospital and in the D.C. area.”