By James Irwin
Last year, as one of the first steps of a collaboration among the George Washington University Board of Trustees, the university faculty and the administration to review the faculty code, Nelson Carbonell, B.S. ’85, chair of the board, met with more than 750 faculty members. Those conversations were fruitful in developing ideas to shape future governance policies at the university.
They also left Mr. Carbonell inspired.
“What I realized is that GW is more than just a place—it’s really about the people,” he said Wednesday at the university’s annual faculty and staff donor reception. “I came to this conclusion that without the people, GW was really just some real estate and a place that people spent time—that it was you that really made the difference.”
In order to reach the $1 billion goal of its Making History campaign, GW will need the support of its employees, Mr. Carbonell and Provost Steven Lerman said as the university kicked off its annual faculty and staff giving campaign with an event to thank donors.
That support, they said, will come in many forms. More than 1,400 faculty and staff donors contributed more than $6 million in gifts to the university in the last fiscal year. Since 2009, faculty and staff have donated nearly $30 million to GW.
“This is one of these areas where you have to lead from the front,” Dr. Lerman said. “I’d like to thank each of you as people who have led from the front, who are committed to the university through your work and also philanthropically.”
Making History, the $1 billion campaign that will bring GW into its third century, launched publicly in June and is focused on three core areas: breaking new ground, enhancing academics and supporting students. Through late October, the university had raised $614 million.
“We have an ambitious goal,” Dr. Lerman said. “It’s a very big number. But in fact, we are a large university, and our aspirations and needs are great.”
School of Engineering and Applied Science senior Alix Cohen addresses the crowd at Wednesday's faculty and staff donor reception. "As individuals and donors we are part of something bigger," she said. "Philanthropy is one way this campus and community leaves a legacy."
As she nears the halfway point of her senior year in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Alix Cohen reflected on an experience made possible by the generosity of others.
“Philanthropy is one way this campus and community leaves a legacy,” said Ms. Cohen, a leader of the senior class giving campaign. “I’ve had an extraordinary experience at GW. I studied abroad in Korea. I led a service trip to Nicaragua. I interned and did a capstone project with the [American] Red Cross. I’ve been part of a department, within a school, within a university that has given me, a female engineer, the tools to be successful and the confidence to succeed. These experiences aren’t typical for every college student, but at GW they are. My GW experience is possible because of donors.”
Mr. Carbonell, who in recent years established with his wife, Michele, the Nelson and Michele Carbonell Engineering Endowed Scholarship and the Carbonell Family Professorship in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, encouraged employee donors to continue their philanthropic efforts.
“As our donors that are the insiders, who know this place better than anyone, it’s you who can inspire the rest of us to support this campaign and a terrific institution,” he said
