Alumni Leadership Gift Phase Draws Record Support

Success sparks launch of Alumni Campaign's Spirit Phase

By Denise St. Ours

The Leadership Phase of the Alumni Campaign prompted a record 287 alumni to make President's Circle ($1,000 and above) commitments totaling more than $1.1 million during the fiscal year ending June 30. Compared with the previous year, the number of graduates contributing at this level more than doubled, exceeding the goal of 250 donors.

"Alumni stepped up to the challenge to commit gifts and pledges at a new and historic level," says Alumni Campaign Steering Committee Chair Edward J. Newberry, B.A. Communication '84 and B.S. Business Administration '84. "This unprecedented response sends a very clear message: Alumni are excited about what is happening at George Mason and want to be part of its future success. Through this initiative, we are establishing what older institutions have long taken for granted—a strong foundation on which to build a new tradition of giving. That is the legacy of the Alumni Campaign."

Donors who responded with a leadership commitment during this phase of the Alumni Campaign will be recognized on a special plaque that will be displayed in the newly renamed Alumni Atrium in Mason Hall on the Fairfax Campus.

The Alumni Campaign is an integral component of The Campaign for George Mason University. To date, almost $103 million has been raised in faculty, scholarship, facility, community outreach, and unrestricted support.

Catch the Spirit!

On the heels of the Leadership Phase's resounding success, the university has launched the Spirit Phase of the campaign to increase the number of alumni giving at every level. George Mason graduates are invited to "catch the spirit" and support and strengthen the university's emerging national reputation. The Spirit Phase will be launched officially on October 17 at the Patriot Center during Midnight Madness, the annual celebration of the opening of the basketball season.

Commitment Creates ICAR Chair

Recent major gifts include a magnanimous commitment from the Catalyst Fund, which has established and endowed the James H. Laue Chair in World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). The gift will also create a new center in that same field.

The new faculty chair is named in memory of Laue, who was the Vernon M. and Minnie I. Lynch Professor of Conflict Resolution from 1987 until his death in 1993. Known for his work nationally and internationally, Laue served as a mediator and trainer in a range of major policy conflicts. Marc Gopin will be the Laue Chair's inaugural holder and direct the center. He comes to George Mason from the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

For more information about The Campaign for George Mason University, call (703) 993-8850 or e-mail [email protected].