The Campaign for Mason Students
Changing lives through opportunity
“We are dedicated to educating, encouraging, and engaging students—to challenging their minds and making their experience at Mason a great one. The Campaign for Mason Students will help strengthen our efforts.”
—University President Alan Merten
In debt and living paycheck to paycheck as she struggled to make her way through college and pursue her dream in modern dance, Mason student Ina Brunette was at her wits’ end.
“As my debt began to grow, I became consumed with overdue bills and payments and was unable to find any enjoyment in my college experience,” says Brunette. “I felt as though I was about to fall apart.”
But then she received a phone call from Mason’s financial aid office that proved to be life changing: she had been chosen to be the first recipient of the William A. Hazel Family Scholarship, providing her with not only the funds to stay in school, but also much-needed hope and encouragement.
“I couldn’t believe it! I was so incredibly grateful and proud,” says Brunette.
Brunette is now well on her way to graduating in 2008 with a degree in fine arts. Her dream to become a professional dancer is very much alive, and she’s added a new dimension—opening her own studio to help train and inspire the next generation of promising dancers.
The Heart of the Campaign
Encouraging academic achievement and personal growth in individuals such as Brunette is at the heart of the Campaign for Mason Students. The initiative began its planning phase in 2004 with an initial goal to raise $8 million in endowment and current use funds by 2008 to help bridge the $17 million gap in annual unmet financial need at Mason. The campaign seeks to accomplish the following:
- Increase the number of merit- and need-based scholarships
- Create additional opportunities for student–faculty collaborative research
- Enhance the University Libraries’ collections
- Strengthen the honors and study-abroad programs
- Expand outreach services
“To date, the campaign has raised $7.3 million, and we are now looking to raise at least $10 million, especially with the number of alumni providing key support through gifts of all sizes,” says Jimmy Hazel, JD ’84, the campaign committee’s chair. “Even the most modest gift can help change lives when joined together with other contributions.”
Investing in Dreams
Ken Budd, BA English ’88 and MA English ’97, and his wife, Karen, MSN ’97, are among those alumni who have recently stepped forward. They and their family and friends have committed $25,000 to create the Robert M. Budd Memorial Scholarship Endowment to assist qualified undergraduates in memory of Ken Budd’s father.
“At critical points in my father’s life and career, people saw something in him, supported him, and took a chance on him,” explains Ken Budd. “That is the goal of this scholarship: to take a chance on those with dreams and drive, support those who lack not intellect but resources, and help provide the opportunity for a college education.”
For more information about the Campaign for Mason Students, call 703-993-8850 or visit www.gmu.edu/development/invest.html.
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On November 18, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Mason students will be dancing in Dewberry Hall to raise money for student scholarships. To sponsor a dancer, contact 703-993-8614 or [email protected].
| Graduate Fellowship | $200,000 |
|---|---|
| Graduate Scholarship | $100,000 |
| Graduate Professional Scholarship | $50,000 |
| Undergraduate Scholarship | $25,000 |
| Library Fund | $10,000 |
| Gifts to the endowment are invested in perpetuity by the George Mason University Foundation to ensure a steady source of income over time. | |
Jimmy Hazel speaks to donors at a recent luncheon of appreciation.
William A. Hazel Family Scholarship recipient Ina Brunette, left, and Ruth Hazel Little
Alumnus Gives $1 Million to Law School
Diane and Bob Levy
Robert Levy, JD ’94, and his wife, Diane, recently committed $1 million to the School of Law—a powerful example of how alumni and friends are making a difference in the success of the nationally ranked school. In recognition, the atrium in the school’s John T. Hazel Jr. Hall has been named the Robert A. Levy Atrium. Levy is a former George Mason University Foundation trustee and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board. In 1995, he became the first alumnus to ever contribute $1 million to the university, creating the Robert A. Levy Endowed Fellowships in Law and Liberty.
Also providing recent leadership support through gifts of $1 million were the following donors:
- Barbara and Mark Fried, for scholarship endowment
- Carolyn and Milton Peterson and family, for music scholarships
- Bernard Osher Foundation, for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Mason
Joined with other gifts, including contributions from a record 7,100 alumni, this level of support pushed the total raised during the fiscal year ending June 30 to $23.2 million, a new high.
Go Proud Patriots!
Members of the Proud Patriot Society are creating a new tradition of giving, providing a broad base of annual support for Mason’s students, faculty, and programs. According to Annual Giving Chair Tammy McBride, BSN ’99 and MS Health Systems Management ’06, the society recognizes alumni who give $10 or more every year for five or more years. For more information, call the Office of Annual Giving at 703-993-8688.
Dwoskin, Anzilotti Re-elected to Foundation Leadership
Recently re-elected chair and vice chair, respectively, of the George Mason University Foundation Board of Trustees were Albert Dwoskin, CEO and president, A. J. Dwoskin and Associates Inc., and Michael Anzilotti, MBA ’83 and LHD ’03, president, Virginia Commerce Bancorp Inc. The Mason Foundation generates, manages, invests, and administers private support on behalf of the university. Of the 40 trustees, 9 are Mason alumni.