College of Education and Human Development

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CEHD & The Campaign for George Mason University

September 25, 2015

In a splashy kick off, dignitaries and many others celebrated George Mason University's extraordinary growth as well as the university's bold plans for the future.

The September 12 event was the launch for the public phase of the university's $500 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest ever for Mason.

Ángel Cabrera, president of George Mason University, noted that in little more than 50 years, the university has gone farther than anyone expected, catching and surpassing peers with lengthier histories and deeper resources.

"This is only the beginning of what Mason hopes to achieve," said Cabrera. "The campaign is our rallying cry for Mason's future."
 

President Cabrera, together with NBC4 news anchor Angie Goff and Doc Nix, kicked off the launch of George Mason University's largest ever capital campaign.

 

Each academic unit within the university, including the College of Education and Human Development, is seeking philanthropic support for three critical university priorities:

  • STUDENTS — Improving access to higher education and supporting student success;  
  • RESEARCH — Supporting Mason's stellar faculty and enabling them to lead groundbreaking research; and
  • CAMPUS — Adding to the dynamic Northern Virginia region's intellectual and cultural life with new and renovated facilities.

"This is a moment of great opportunity for the college and all we serve," said Mark R. Ginsberg, dean of the College of Education and Human Development.

"Education and human development are the very foundation of a great society," noted Ginsberg. "Our college prepares students to transform the lives of people in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond through the quality of our academic programs and the impact of our research."
 

Dexter Odin (left), founding member of the Reston law firm Odin, Feldman and Pittman, and Mark Ginsberg, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, were among the audience at Mason's $500 million campaign kick-off event.

 

Major gifts to support the College of Education and Human Development's campaign priorities already exceed $10 million. Highlights include $3.3 million in endowment funding from alumni, faculty, and friends; $5.3 million from corporations and foundations for faculty research projects; and $1 million in capital projects investment from parents and foundations.

The College of Education and Human Development now seeks approximately $15 million in philanthropic support for the following transformative opportunities:

  • Funding for endowed professors of practice positions, graduate fellowships, and undergraduate scholarships in support of academic programs with projected high enrollment growth and service impact;
     
  • Capital improvement support to ensure that all intellectually disabled students in the Mason LIFE program have access to on-campus residential housing and for the renovation of three state-of-the-art classrooms; and
     
  • Multi-year funding to launch major faculty research initiatives of national and statewide consequence.

"Private philanthropy will help the college realize its considerable potential," said Ginsberg. "Resources will strengthen the college's capacity to enhance its academic programs, support a diverse student population, and heighten faculty research."

"Together with our loyal alumni, faculty, families, and friends, we can build on the college's remarkable trajectory of achievement to advance the well being of our full community," he added.

To learn more about the campaign, please go to fasterfarther.gmu.edu or watch the campaign video below.
 

 

To make an online gift to the College of Education and Human Development, please go to the donation form and choose "College of Education and Human Development Dean’s Fund" as your chosen area of impact.

To explore gift opportunities and to plan gifts in ways that meet your philanthropic goals and ours, please contact Rob Johnson, Director of Advancement, at 703-993-2005 or via email at rjohns224@gmu.edu.

 

Rob Johnson (left), director of advancement for the College of Education and Human Development, speaks with Kurt and Katherine Thompson at the launch of "Faster Farther," the campaign for George Mason University.


 

About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE, and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. George Mason University, located just outside of Washington, DC, is Virginia's largest public research university.

For additional information:

Follow CEHD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD or Twitter at @MasonCEHD.