The newest senior members of the George Washington University community outlined their upcoming plans at Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting, which also included remarks from President Steven Knapp and an update on the Making History campaign.
Board of Trustees Chairman Nelson Carbonell provided a brief welcome and announced that the university’s Making History campaign has reached a new milestone of $809 million.
Dr. Knapp followed Mr. Carbonell’s introduction with another record: The university compiled 655,192 service hours in the last academic year.
Dr. Knapp introduced for brief remarks Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II, the new dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs; Sanjit Sethi, the inaugural director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design; Chief of Police RaShall M. Brackney; and Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations Matt Manfra.
Dr. Brigety presented the STEP strategy he shared with the GW community on his first day as dean. The objective of STEP is to showcase the Elliott School’s quality scholarship, while using specific programs in teaching and applied ethics to help students develop the practical skills they will need in the field of foreign affairs.
“We are here to build leaders—to build leaders for the world. I very much look forward to working with all of you as we implement this vision to take the Elliott School to the next level,” he said.
Mr. Sethi thanked the board for welcoming him to GW and listed several of the questions that will guide planning for the future of the Corcoran School. He said that he is thinking about what the Corcoran means at GW and on a broader international level, and how a groundbreaking art and design school can address the most critical issues of today.
He added that he is also examining how to educate the next generation of “global cultural citizens who embrace critical thinking and community-based problem solving.”
Ms. Brackney said that she and her team of approximately 100 officers are looking forward to engaging more actively, openly and transparently with the GW community. She mentioned that already, she has had several conversations with board members and other stakeholders about how to use resources on campus to address safety concerns.
Mr. Manfra and Alumni Association President Jeremy Gosbee, B.A. '98, M.B.A. '02, provided an update on alumni news and events. Mr. Manfra said that last month’s Alumni Weekend saw record attendance and increased by 15 percent compared to last year.
Mr. Gosbee added that the Alumni Association is in the process of selecting candidates to serve as alumni trustee.
He announced a new Colonials Helping Colonials endowed fund, designed to provide stipends to students participating in unpaid internships through the Knowledge in Action Career Internship Fund. Mr. Gosbee said the new initiative is an excellent reflection of alumni reaching out to one another.
The meeting also included updates from Charles Garris, chair of the Faculty Senate executive committee on the work underway with the board to improve faculty governance and a recent Faculty Senate resolution regarding health benefits.
Student Association President Andie Dowd briefed the board on the university’s new peer support program, “GW Listens,” which is currently recruiting volunteers and will launch next fall, and on efforts underway to create a new app for 4-RIDE.
She also explained that the Student Association is focused on ensuring confidentiality for students who utilize the Colonial Health Center through a consistent check-in process for both mental health services and student health services. Mental health and wellness progress this year has included expanding services to the Mount Vernon Campus and printing safety resources on the back of GW ID cards.
Ms. Dowd said that with construction of District House, the Student Association will be working to ensure students have affordable dining options. She also noted that the SA will advocate for community-building common spaces and for the Marvin Center to be better utilized as a communal area moving forward.
“It’s essential that students have a place to get to know one another and really flourish during their time at GW,” she said.
Mr. Carbonell shared several executive committee actions, including the naming of the Honey Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service and the Max Ticktin Professorship for Israeli studies and Hebrew language and culture. He also highlighted the recent gift from Trustee George Wellde and his wife, Patricia, to support the inaugural GW Fellows Program at the Partnership for Public Service.
The open session concluded with an update from the committee on finance and audit. Committee Chair Ellen Zane explained that the university’s financial statements received the highest opinion available from auditors Pricewaterhouse Coopers this fiscal year.