The Impact of Philanthropy Summer 2023

The George Washington University and world-renowned chef, author and humanitarian José Andrés, HON ’14, announced in May a historic partnership to launch a premier Global Food Institute at the university, a transformative and unprecedented collaboration that will be the world leader in food system solution delivery.

GW is uniquely positioned to drive global progress in the food space, thanks to its location in the heart of the nation’s capital, depth of academic expertise across countless disciplines, track record of leading critical conversations in the public and private sectors and partnerships with global influencers from the White House to the World Bank.

“In The George Washington University’s third century, we are focused on accelerating the positive impact of our interdisciplinary scholarship on society, including through innovative partnerships with visionary leaders,” said GW President Mark S. Wrighton. “We are thrilled to establish in partnership with José Andrés the Global Food Institute—a center that will create new knowledge and shape national and international progress on food system issues.”

Driven by Andrés’ vision of changing the world through the power of food, the Global Food Institute at GW will work to transform people’s lives and the health of the planet, taking an interdisciplinary systems approach across three main pillars: policy, innovation and humanity.

The institute will enable faculty and students, industry leaders, policymakers and renowned experts to work and teach across these pillars, producing cutting-edge research to create and improve domestic and global food policies, incubate and engineer inventive new technologies and entrepreneurial spirit, and lead critical conversations about the impact of food on the human race.

“Our global food system is experiencing a crisis, brought on by systemic inequities, rampant hunger and poverty, the climate crisis, and deteriorating public health and nutrition,” said Andrés. “But food has the power to solve problems: It can rebuild lives and communities, heal both people and the planet and create hope for the future, but only if we think bigger. The Global Food Institute will reshape how we think about food, break down barriers across industries, politics and nations, and inspire and empower the next generation to develop systemic solutions that reshape the food system.”

Over a decade ago, GW and Andrés introduced the interdisciplinary course, “The World on a Plate: How Food Shapes Civilization,” forging an academic partnership that fueled ambitions for much greater impact.

During the worst of the pandemic, George Washington University parent Ulvi Kasimov knew he was not alone in feeling the anxiety rooted in isolation and fear for his family’s health.

“The pandemic negatively impacted everyone,” Kasimov said. “And there are not enough psychiatrists and psychologists in the world to address a problem of this magnitude.”

The prolific venture capitalist, passionate art collector and 2020 “Observer” Top 50 Most Influential Leader in the Art World decided to take a creative approach—literally—to improve wellness by supporting the growing need for credentialed art therapists. These mental health care professionals use concepts from psychology and counseling to engage patients through active artmaking as a means of communication and healing.

Support and promotion of art therapy globally is now the top corporate philanthropic initiative for .ART, the digital creative community hub and domain registry Kasimov founded with his wife, Reykhan. Launching their initiative with a $1 million endowment for graduate fellowships for students in GW’s Art Therapy Program, they recognized the critical need for financial support to attract and retain top students with a passion to serve.

“We are so grateful to the Kasimovs for this endowed fund that will support art therapy fellowships for generations,” said Heidi Bardot, director of the program. “The intense time commitment of classes and internships, plus their own personal creative development, doesn’t leave time for students to have outside employment to financially support their studies.”

Kasimov has big plans to multiply fellowship support for more students, explore opportunities for other partnerships leveraging his .ART community and interdisciplinary applications, and expand use of these therapeutic techniques into new settings such as refugee camps.

Last year, the Kasimovs made a $1 million donation to support bench-to-bedside medical research to help stem the spread of COVID-19.

“We appreciate the continuing support of the Kasimovs,” said President Mark S. Wrighton. “Scholarships and fellowships not only open doors to the transformative power of education to the individual recipient but also have ripple effects to their families and communities. This effect is particularly applicable to art therapists, who have great impact on their patients’ lives.”

Join GW in opening doors for talented students.

An April ceremony honored faculty members F. Scott Kieff, installed as the Stevenson Bernard Professor of Law; Dawn C. Nunziato, installed as the Theodore and James Pedas Family Professor of Intellectual Property and Technology Law; and Daniel J. Solove, installed as the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor of Intellectual Property and Technology Law.

“I’m thrilled to see each of these individuals recognized for their pioneering research, their policy work, their education and their service to the university,” GW Provost Christopher A. Bracey said. “When you receive an endowed professorship, it not only celebrates your past and present work and contributions but also anticipates transformative contributions to legal education, knowledge production and the world of ideas, and perhaps most importantly, a significant and impactful contribution to society.”

IP law is concerned with the “full spectrum of human creativity” that may range from books, films and music to medical or other technology, according to a definition from “Understanding Intellectual Property Law.” The field is rapidly evolving as technology becomes increasingly complex and innovation expands into virtual spaces.

“All three of our distinguished honorees are gifted scholars, teachers and internationally renowned leaders at the forefront of their disciplines, and all three have selflessly given up their time and talent to help propel our law school to great new heights,” GW Law Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law Dayna Bowen Matthew said.

Kieff served from 2013 to 2017 as commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission, having been nominated by President Barack Obama, recommended unanimously by the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Finance and confirmed by unanimous consent of the Senate. The Stevenson Bernard professorship is funded by the late Eugene “Gene” L. Bernard, J.D. ’51, and his wife, Barbara, and by the late Frederic C. Stevenson, B.A. ’34, J.D. ’38. Bernard served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and practiced intellectual property law for many decades in Washington, D.C. Stevenson served as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Bernards and Stevenson “were tremendous friends and generous supporters of GW Law,” President Mark S. Wrighton said at the event. “Upon their passing, their estates made a transformational gift, which has had an immediate impact on the school and intellectual property program. We want to extend our appreciation for them and their support for the university.”

Nunziato is an internationally recognized expert on free speech and the internet and the author of “Virtual Freedom: Net Neutrality and Free Speech in the Internet Age.” Donors and brothers Theodore and James Pedas, in whose honor Nunziato’s professorship is named, became involved in the motion picture business while attending GW Law. They founded the Circle Theatre company, which emphasized independent and foreign films, and Circle Films, whose production roster included early films by the Coen brothers. 

Solove is one of the world’s most cited experts in privacy law, the founder of TeachPrivacy, a privacy and cybersecurity training company, and the author of numerous books, several textbooks and even a children’s fiction book. Like the Stevenson Bernard professorship, the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard professorship is funded by the estate of Gene and Barbara Bernard.