Enter your email Address

Giving To Mason Giving To Mason-Stacked
  • Vision
      • gmu-arrowVision
      • Make Your Difference
        • Students
        • Research
        • Campus
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • Impact
      • gmu-arrowImpact
      • Impact Stories
        • Faster Farther Recap
        • Donor Recognition
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • How To Give
      • gmu-arrowHow To Give
      • Giving by School
        • Athletics
        • College of Education and Human Development
        • College of Health and Human Services
        • College of Humanities and Social Sciences
        • College of Science
        • College of Visual and Performing Arts
        • Hylton Performing Arts Center
        • Honors College
        • Antonin Scalia Law School
        • Schar School of Policy and Government
        • School of Business
        • Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
        • University Libraries
        • University Life
        • College of Engineering and Computing
      • Corporate Giving
        • Overview
      • Make A Planned Gift
        • Overview
        • Explore More
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • Connect
      • gmu-arrowConnect
      • Ways to Connect
        • Contact Us
        • Alumni Engagement
        • George Mason University
          Foundation, Inc.
        • Impact
      • Questions?
        • FAQ
      • Policies
        • Donor Bill of Rights
        • Administrative Fee Policy
      • Contact Our Team
        • Contact University Advancement And Alumni Relations Staff
        • Contact School, College, And Unit Advancement Staff
  • Visit
    Gmu.Edu
  • GiveNow
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
Featured

Making Philanthropy Visible

08/03/2016
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
Picture

As a fundraiser and a university leader, I’m always interested when philanthropy is in the news. So I’m pleased to note that in the past few months we at George Mason University have made more than our fair share of news, including extraordinary gifts that have led to the renaming of Mason’s school of public policy and the renaming of our law school after Justice Antonin Scalia. We are incredibly grateful to each of the donors involved for their leadership and their generosity.

Mason is a young university, and we are fortunate that many of the generation who have built and shaped this institution—philanthropists as well as public servants—are still with us. We recently honored former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton, for example, by naming a prominent plaza on the Fairfax Campus in his honor. And we will continue to look for similar opportunities to recognize such leaders, as universities public and private always have. At Mason we are creating our own traditions, and proudly writing our own history, as we speak.

As we honor our past, we also must foster private philanthropy to secure our present and our future. Though George Mason is a public university, taxpayer dollars amount to just a small portion of the funds our students and faculty need. Last year, state funds covered only 17% of Mason’s total operating expenses. That percentage has been declining for years; increasing private philanthropy is essential to cover the gap. That’s why we encourage every alumnus to give, at whatever level he or she feels appropriate. It’s how we give back—so that the next generation of students and strivers can write their own chapter in Mason’s history. And it’s why we seek out, and celebrate through naming, extraordinary gifts that can fund scholarships, raise buildings, and leave a legacy for generations.

In May we announced a gift of $10 million from businessman and philanthropist Dwight C. Schar, a new high point in his three-decade history of commitment to George Mason. In his honor, Mason’s public policy school will now be known as the Schar School of Policy and Government. All 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the school will directly benefit from this gift. It is an extraordinary legacy that befits a man who has long been a builder in every sense of the word. Thank you, Mr. Schar. You are making a difference that will be visible for decades to come.

janetbingham20160606finalsig

Janet E. Bingham, PhD
Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations
President, George Mason University Foundation

Summer 2016 / reprinted from Spirit, the magazine for the George Mason University community

Tags: Faster Farther, Foundation, giving, Janet Bingham, schar

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail

Related Posts

Featured
03/28/2022

George Mason University Foundation Donates $50,000 for Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial

The memorial will be dedicated during a public ceremony on April 4, 2022.
/by Rob Riordan
Featured
09/24/2021

Number of Donors to Mason Sets a New Standard

More than 13,000 donors supported the university over the past fiscal year, giving a total of more than $100 million...
/by Rob Riordan
Featured
07/01/2021

George Mason University Foundation Appoints New Board Members for 2021

The George Mason University Foundation announced the appointment of 13 new members to its Board…
/by Rob Riordan
Featured
08/24/2020

Donor Support Remains Strong in 2020

Mason recorded its second-highest fundraising total in FY2020, with nearly $118.1 million in gifts and pledges received...
/by Rob Riordan
Giving To Mason Giving To Mason-Stacked
  • Vision
  • Impact
  • How to Give
  • Connect
  • Visit
    Gmu.Edu
  • GiveNow
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
Giving to Mason

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university, located in one of the most important political, economic and intellectual hubs in the world. Our mission is to help students succeed, enrich our community, and contribute to solving the most complex global problems.

Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations

4400 University Drive, MS 1A3
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
703-993-8850

Copyright © 2022 George Mason University | www.gmu.edu

Privacy Policies | Sitemap

Scroll to top