TALK SHOW HOST LARRY KING ENDOWS $1 MILLION TO GW'S SCHOOL OF MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Gift Will Fund Scholarships for SMPA Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

WASHINGTON --CNN talk show host and author Larry King has committed $1 million to GW's School of Media and Public Affairs. The gift will grant scholarships to SMPA students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the first awards slated for the fall 2000 semester.

"These scholarships will greatly help the School of Media and Public Affairs expand opportunities for many students who wish to enter the media industry," said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. "We are delighted to have a gift from Larry King, a man so well respected in the field."

It was a sentiment echoed by SMPA Director Jean Folkerts. "The generous endowment from Larry King comes at an exciting time of growth for SMPA," said Folkerts. "We will be proud to announce the first King Scholars when our new building opens in Fall 2000." SMPA, a division of the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences, houses GW's interdisciplinary graduate program in Media and Public Affairs and undergraduate programs in Electronic Media, Journalism, and Political Communication.

Dubbed the "Master of the Mike" by Time magazine, Larry King hosts CNN's highest-rated program, "Larry King Live." With more than 30,000 interviews to his credit, King is one of the most esteemed personalities in the industry. In addition to his talk show, Larry writes a weekly USA Today column and has penned 11 books.

King's gift is part of GW's ongoing Centuries Campaign. Formally announced during the University's 175th anniversary in February 1996, the Centuries Campaign is a university-wide program to secure $300 million by the year 2000 for support for endowment, current programs, equipment and facilities. By October 1998, more than 75 percent of the original goal had been achieved and the Board of Trustees increased the goal to $500 million, extending its completion date to 2003. Commitments to the Campaign now exceed $300 million, representing 60 percent of the new goal. During the 1998-1999 fiscal year, philanthropic support of GW reached new records in all categories with more than $70 million added in commitments to the Campaign. Campaign gifts have established 288 endowed funds, including 29 endowed chairs and professorships. Campaign gifts also have supported new facilities, including the Mid-Campus Quadrangle, the Health and Wellness Center, the Media and Public Affairs Building and Marvin Center renovations.

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