Friday, May 15, 2009 12:11 p.m.
The Board of Trustees approved a measure Friday morning to rename New Hall as Philip Amsterdam Hall in honor of a prominent GW trustee and donor who passed away last year.
The renaming request was made by Amsterdam’s son and approved by the Board of Trustees Friday at the governing body’s spring meeting. Amsterdam, who died in March of 2008, left a $5 million bequest to the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, established the Hortense Amsterdam House on G Street, and made several gifts to the President’s Fund for Excellence, according to a Board of Trustees memorandum.
New Hall, which was built in 1997, is located on H street between 23rd and 24th streets. Trustee Nelson Carbonell, the Board’s vice chairman, said the University was pleased to rename the building.
“New Hall was not named after Mr. and Mrs. New, believe it or not,” Carbonell said. “It was named by [Executive Vice President and Treasurer] Lou Katz’s creative real estate team.”
Friday, May 15, 2009 11:18 a.m.
Frank Sesno. Hatchet file photo.
Professor Frank Sesno has been approved as the new director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, Russell Ramsey, chairman of the Board of Trustees, announced Friday at the governing body’s spring meeting.
Sesno was chosen by a committee of three SMPA professors and supported by a unanimous vote from the SMPA faculty after current director Lee Huebner announced in April that he would not renew his contract in July.
Sesno then had to be approved by Peg Barratt, the dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Barratt was not immediately available for comment Friday morning.
“I very much look forward to my position as director of The School of Media and Public Affairs,” Sesno said at Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Friday, June 20, 2008 11:56 a.m.
Randy Levine, the current president of the New York Yankees, was elected to the Board of Trustees yesterday. A 1977 graduate of the Columbian College, Levine was elected to the Board along with George M. Coelho, MBA ‘77, and Steven C. Roberts.
As president of the Yankees, Levine is overseeing the construction of the team’s new stadium, set to open in time for the 2009 season. Prior to joining the Yankees, he was New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Planning and Administration. As a labor negotiator for Major League Baseball in 1996, he negotiated the league’s landmark labor agreement between owners and players.
W. Russell Ramsay, chairman of the Board of Trustees, praised the three new members.
“These accomplished individuals bring an entrepreneurial and global business perspective, as well as cultural diversity, to our board,” he said. “As the university moves forward with its research and sustainability initiatives, they will add depth and dimension to these endeavors.”
Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:35 p.m.
The big news at this time last year was that GW surpassed $50,000 in tuition and mandatory costs. It was a huge national story, symbolizing for many media outlets the growing cost of higher education. Additionally, we took an in-depth look last spring into how the sticker price was affecting prospective applicants.
So here we are, a year later, and the board just announced a 3 percent increase in tuition (right). Yet there was no mention in the University news release — or, admittedly, our coverage — of the new “sticker price.” This includes room and board, or “mandatory” costs.
University spokesperson Tracy Schario said this week that the current number is $52,577, though this does not yet take into account the student fee increase. Also, if someone receives one of the 1,000 cheaper rooms announced at the board meeting, the cost would be $50,342. This number is also somewhat reflected on the University’s new admissions page.
For anyone who wants to see how these figures have increased per year, take a look at the GW Institutional Research page on tuition. I also expect this year there will be other schools surpassing $50,000, and I will try to reflect that news on this blog.
