2023 Moments of Change
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January
AU’s Center for Media and Social Impact received $1.73 million in new grants to expand comedy and social justice initiatives.
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February
Change Can’t Wait: Miami
Change Can’t Wait returned to the Sunshine State, gathering Eagles and friends of AU in Miami for an event on media and social good.
Meet Our 2023 #AUSweethearts
SIS alumni Josh and Junko Pierry still share a love of “international everything” 25 years after meeting on campus.
March
The Elevate Scholarship Initiative
The Elevate Scholarship Initiative launched with a $25 million goal and matching university investment to fund more scholarships for undergraduate students—helping to ensure every AU student has the financial resources they need to reach graduation.
Change Can’t Wait headed to Philadelphia with experts for an important conversation, “We Are How We Eat: Why Food Policy Matters.”
April
Progress on the Student Thriving Complex—the largest investment in student thriving in AU’s history, which has received significant philanthropic investments during Change Can’t Wait—entered a new phase as President Burwell announced plans and initial renderings of the three-hub project.
Read the Announcement
National Geographic Society Gifts Monumental Sculpture
Elyn Zimmerman’s Sudama—her reimagined grouping of 450,000-pound granite boulders originally installed at the National Geographic Society headquarters—was gifted by the organization and unveiled on campus behind Kay Spiritual Life Center.
AU announced the Shahal M. Khan Cyber and Economic Security Institute, made possible by a generous $5.3 million gift from Shahal Khan, SIS/BA ’95, to advance cyber and economic security.
CIS Turns 25—Renamed
AU announced the center’s renaming to the Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies in recognition of a multi-million-dollar commitment from Amy Meltzer and Board of Trustees member Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA ’21, and AU friends Jaime and Andrew Schwartzberg.
May
Alumni Awards
Nearly 300 members of the AU community came together to celebrate the Alumni Association’s six 2023 Alumni Award winners for their changemaking achievements in government, healthcare, education, and service.
Fotis Family Distinguished Professor
Professor Erdal Tekin was named the inaugural Charles W. Fotis, Sr. and Dorothea G. Fotis Family Distinguished Professor in Health Policy, a gift made possible by the Fotis family to honor Charles’s legacy.
The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, graced AUWCL’s May commencement ceremony as an esteemed guest speaker.
June
Change Can’t Wait: Boston
Thank you, Boston! Change Can’t Wait gathered in Beantown for a conversation on tech policy and cybersecurity.
Airlie Berkshire Farm—a 2016 gift from the Airlie Foundation—launched a community-supported agriculture program to make fresh, local produce available to the AU community.
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July
Change Can’t Wait closed Fiscal Year 2023 on a high, having raised more than $414 million toward our $500 million campaign goal.
August
Part of the new Student Thriving Complex project, the Tunnel reopened with new and renovated dining and retail venues that are enriching the AU student experience.
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September
Change Can’t Wait: Chicago
Change Can’t Wait traveled to Chicago for a compelling conversation about race and equity in the marketplace.
A monumental $15 million gift from Robert and Arlene Kogod established three endowed chairs in the Kogod School of Business—one each in finance, marketing, and sustainability.
October
The Multicultural Alumni Reunion
AU’s annual Multicultural Alumni Reunion united alumni and students for a weekend of conversations, networking, and celebrations.
AU Museum Receives Keating Directorship
AU Museum Director and Curator Jack Rasmussen, CAS/MFA ’75, MA ’83, PhD ’94, was named the inaugural C. Nicholas Keating and Carleen B. Keating Director, a position made possible by Carleen Keating, CAS/BA ’64, in memory of her late husband Nick Keating, SIS/BA ’63, MA ’64.
Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship
AU dedicated the , made possible by a substantial gift from the Veloric family, including Kogod Advisory Council member Gary Veloric, Kogod/BSBA ’82, and welcomed nearly 3,000 attendees for a concert featuring Flo Rida through the Gary and Nancy Veloric Event Fund.
Sine Institute Celebrates 5 Years
The Sine Institute of Policy & Politics—launched with a campaign gift from Jeff Sine, SIS/BA ’76, and Samira Sine—celebrated its 5th anniversary with a gathering and panel “Reimagining the American Dream” attended by over 850 AU community members.
November
The President's Circle Celebration
Nearly 200 of AU’s most generous and dedicated advocates attended the annual President’s Circle Celebration, which honored trustee emeritus and University Campaign Committee member Ambassador Stuart A. Bernstein, Kogod/BS ’60, with the Cyrus A. Ansary Medal for his extraordinary commitment and leadership to AU.
AU installed Professor Sonya A. Grier as the Arlene R. and Robert P Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing, marking a milestone fourth endowed faculty position installed through Change Can’t Wait.
December
Change Can’t Wait soared to the $450 million milestone with no signs of slowing down.
Alumni Give Back through Scholarships
Will Cooper, Jr., SIS/BA ’25, Jill Black, SOC/BA ’83, and Derek Jones, CAS/BA ’79 are bold changemakers who are creating opportunities for the next generation of Eagles.
