The university announced Wednesday that Michael Morsberger, vice president for development and alumni relations, will leave GW at the end of the month for personal reasons. Mr. Morsberger has led the Division of Development and Alumni Relations since 2010.
“Mike reorganized our development operation in preparation for an unprecedented philanthropic endeavor,” said George Washington President Steven Knapp. “Working closely with me and the entire administration and faculty, as well as trustees and hundreds of other volunteer leaders, Mike and his team synthesized the university’s strategic plan, marketing initiative and fundraising efforts into a unified vision.”
After a three-year “silent phase,” the university publicly launched a $1 billion campaign, “Making History,” in June with $530 million already secured, including two of the largest gifts in the university’s history.
Under Mr. Morsberger’s leadership, the university brought in a record 26 gifts of $1 million or more last year, including record-breaking gifts from the Milken Institute, the Sumner Redstone Foundation and the Milken Family Foundation. The university also raised more than $35 million for student aid through the Power & Promise initiative last year, over double the amount raised the previous year.
“I am so grateful to so many who have made my family and me part of the GW community,” said Mr. Morsberger. “In Development and Alumni Relations, we have taken George Washington’s credo, ‘deeds not words,’ as our own.”
The university is immediately starting a national search for Mr. Morsberger’s replacement. In the interim, Senior Associate Vice Presidents David Anderson, B.J. Davisson II and Dwight Dozier will oversee the operations of the Division of Development and Alumni Relations under the overall direction of Vice President and Secretary Aristide J. Collins Jr.
