On the evening of April 1, more than 150 George Washington University students had the opportunity to thank the donors that helped fund their education at the GW Power & Promise Celebration of Scholarships and Fellowships. Held this year at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C., 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, D.Sc. ’74. Twenty-three new endowed scholarships and fellowships have been created this year alone.
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.
Dr. Karlgaard, the keynote speaker for the event, with his wife, Marilyn, endowed the Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2010. A member of the George Washington Board of Trustees, Dr. Karlgaard received a doctorate degree in electrical engineering and computer science from SEAS in 1974.
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.
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.