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Goal One of our strategic plan, People: Expanding Community, is defined as "fostering an accessible and inclusive community of lifelong learners among our students, alumni, faculty, and staff." This goal closely aligns with three of our college's six core values: Community, Access & Inclusivity, and Respect.
These values also underpin the creation of a supportive and diverse environment that encourages continuous learning and growth for all members of our college community. Key initiatives include our reimagined student attraction system, podcast launches, signature events, and the increase in our talented faculty and staff base.
Goal One of our strategic plan, People, is defined as fostering an accessible and inclusive community of lifelong learners.
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To increase enrollment, we engaged new creative, production, and media-placement agencies to develop comprehensive branding and promotional materials at the college and program levels.
We also identified and established new partnerships to enhance our top-of-funnel efforts and developed industry-leading strategies. This included building new marketing strategies for GSPM and CPS, collaborating with key influencers and professionals, and retooling our "Mastering the Room" podcast. We also hired creative partners Humble & Wallop and Media Works to launch what is now known as our award-winning Catalyst Campaign.
We also invested in a new website buildout, resulting in enhancing data acquisition, increasing leads, and driving web visits.
The result: substantial growth in prospective and committed student engagement and applications, year over year. This surge reflects the impact of our strategic initiatives and underscores the strength of our new campaigns.
Undergraduate and Graduate GSPM/CPS Degree Programs Fall 2024 Compared to Fall 2023:
• All Started Apps +7%
• All Submitted Apps +23%
• All Offered Apps +23%
• All Committed Apps +18%
• Total New Student Registered +22%
These key initiatives have been integral to the College's overall strategy and a notable area of growth over the past year.
Our enhanced efforts are reflected in increased participation in the University's alumni and donor relations activities, including the development of an improved Giving Day strategy. They also strengthened engagement with the CPS and GSPM Boards of Advisors, among other initiatives.
As a result, we have seen a substantial boost in financial contributions from the College community — an approximately 124% increase — further supporting our mission and strategic goals.
We made significant strides with key initiatives like the launch of a comprehensive college event calendar and the hiring of a dedicated Operations & Events Manager to oversee all aspects of event coordination.
The events calendar simplifies and centralizes the management and promotion of events, allowing us to enhance the quality of these experiences and drive greater interest an attendance among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners. Check out the calendar here.
Podcasts
We have thoughtfully developed and refined our podcast offerings to create meaningful opportunities for student engagement, both inside and outside the classroom. Our podcasts are designed to meet the diverse interests of our dynamic community while driving greater awareness of our programs and thought leadership. All while amplifying our brand voice through the voices of our hosts and guests.
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Live Chief Influencer: This podcast and program are produced in collaboration with Social Driver, the Communications Board, and CPS. Chief Influencer's aim is to introduce leaders and executives to diverse perspectives, improve communication skills, and share ideas.
The podcast features interviews with successful leaders from various industries, including:
The Professionals: To enhance community engagement and showcase the value of continued education, we launched The Professionals Podcast, co-hosted by Amanda Gillespie and Luke Kasim. The Professionals delves into the critical role of upskilling and lifelong learning in shaping the careers of adult learners and contributing to societal progress. Each episode features in-depth discussions on a range of topics, including emerging fields like cybersecurity applied politics, publishing, paralegal studies and much more. The podcast is designed for a wide audience, from students and professionals seeking to expand their expertise, to those passionate about making a meaningful impact in their industries and communities. Through The Professionals Podcast, we aim to highlight the transformative power of education in today's rapidly evolving world.
This year's podcast featured several guests from the college community — experts in the field, students and alumni, and respected partners — including:
One Humanity Lab: Fostering an accessible and inclusive community of lifelong learners, the College of Professional Studies is proud to highlight the work of The Center for Excellence in Public Leadership through its podcast, The One Humanity Lab Podcast: Into an Ecology of Wholeness. This podcast, rooted in the e-Co Leadership Coaching program, explores the transformative power of coaching through a holistic lens.
The program emphasizes the development of inner capacities—creativity, intuition, and connectivity to people, communities, and nature—as essential steps toward serving others. Through rich conversations with diverse voices in and beyond the coaching field, the podcast serves as a platform for continuous learning and growth, reflecting our values of Community, Access & Inclusivity, and Respect.
This initiative not only nurtures our internal growth but also connects our college to a broader community of learners dedicated to making a positive impact.
GSPM’s Mastering the Room podcast welcomed a new host, Professor Casey Burgat, who helped reimagine the program, bringing in a fresh voice and guests including elected officials, authors, analysts, and media personalities.
In less time than the average morning commute, listeners gain smarter insights on today’s issues with information and perspectives not found elsewhere.
True to the university's mission to spark intellectual friction, the podcast challenges guests to move beyond typical talking points and offer a deeper understanding of polarizing topics, discussing points of view rarely heard before. Whether listeners agree with the guests or not, they will encounter unique arguments from surprising new angles. Packed with influencers, experts, and familiar names in DC and beyond, Mastering the Room offers a podcast experience with access, connections, and proximity to power.
The newly revamped Mastering the Room podcast brings together political experts, news commentators, and key voices in the national conversation. Notable guests have included:
Subscribe to Mastering the Room wherever you get your favorite podcasts, including:
GW Business & Policy Forum is a partnership between CPS and the GW School of Business.
At this year's event we curated our own panel titled "AI at the Intersection of Cybersecurity." This panel featured experts in the field who will provided in-depth insights and discussions on the latest developments and challenges at the nexus of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
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Professional Access Roundtables create an opportunity for students, alumni, and employers to connect and network while discussing current hot topics within their professions and disciplines. These small-group, semi-structured conversations are designed to catalyze an exchange of ideas and experience to enhance students’ professional development and build community.
Pizza with the Dean: Over the past year, the CPS Dean's Office has made a concerted effort to engage with faculty, staff, and students in a more relaxed and informal setting. To foster this connection, we hosted several "Pizza with the Dean" events, bringing the college community together at our locations in Foggy Bottom, Arlington, Alexandria, and VSTC. These gatherings provided an opportunity for open dialogue and strengthened the sense of community within our college.
The Frank J. Fahrenkopf - Charles T. Manatt Endowed Lecture Series is a premier annual event where we bring to campus a national political leader or commentator who presents a major address to a broad cross-section of the GW community.
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The Paul O'Dwyer Forum is an annual endowed event focused on ensuring students and the GW community continue to emphasize the role of ethics in politics.
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The Mark Penn Presidential Pollsters welcomed expert political analysts Dr. Christopher Arterton and Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of Stagwell todiscuss the latest polling on the state of US politics and democracy.
Sponsors of the Congressional Baseball Game put GSPM on the map at this years Congressional Baseball Game. As a sponsor for the event, GSPM hosted a table at the game offering an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and alumni to network — and allowed our recruitment team to meet prospective students at the game.
The Cafritz Awards program is part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive and engaged community, the College of Professional Studies, through the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, proudly partners with the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation to recognize exemplary public servants in the DC government.
This annual program celebrates the contributions of individuals and teams who embody the spirit of public service, often working behind the scenes to improve the quality of life in our city. Each year, five individual winners receive a $7,500 cash prize, and one outstanding team is awarded a $15,000 cash prize. This initiative not only highlights the importance of public service but also strengthens our community by acknowledging those who work tirelessly for the public good.
In addition to our college-sponsored events, which are both program-specific and college-wide, CPS serves a diverse learner population and offers programming focused on reaching students from diverse and underrepresented groups. Examples include DEI workshops integrated into orientation programming, the newly created LGBTQIA+ affinity group, and collaborations with organizations like Natives Rising. These efforts reflect our commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students.
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To enhance and diversify our team, the College of Professional Studies and the Graduate School of Political Management welcomed both new faculty and staff over the past year. These new hires include replacements for previous positions as well as individuals in newly created roles, all designed to support our mission and advance key strategic priorities.
The College of Professional Studies and the Graduate School of Political Management welcomed Lesley Lopez as the new Director of the Public Relations and Communications master’s degree program.
Throughout the past year, the college welcomed several new staff members. By bringing these talented individuals on board, we are positioning the college for continued growth and success while continuing to drive forward our academic and institutional goals.
Josh Adamek
GSPM Academic Advisor
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Samantha Fast
CPS Program Associate for Curriculum & Learning
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Barbara Breckenridge
CPS Faculty Affairs Specialist
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Samantha Cropper
CPS Dir. of Constituent Engagement & Annual Giving
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Pia Fermin
CPS Admissions Officer
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Matthew Hernandez
Program Coordinator for Academic Operations
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Jessica Hyland
CPS Events & Operations
Manager
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DeJah Robinson
CPS Admissions Officer
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Stacy Simon
CPS Deans Office Administrative Assistant
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Over the past year, we have significantly expanded our external engagement activities across various avenues. This included launching the College of Professional Studies Dean's Advisory Board as well as establishing a number of BOA strategic committees to support enrollment, recruitment, and partnerhips.
For the first time in the college's history, we have formed the College of Professional Studies Dean's Advisory Board. Guided by the principles of Work, Wealth, and Wisdom, the GW College of Professional Studies Dean’s Board of Advisors is dedicated to enhancing our institution. In terms of Work, board members will serve as ambassadors for CPS within their personal and professional networks. Under Wealth, they will provide philanthropic support by making financial contributions during their three-year term. Finally, through Wisdom, they will offer recommendations to advance our professional education, programming, and research initiatives.
Current Membership
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Jose Carlos Linares
CEO - IG Digital
Peter Eck
Associate Partner - Cybersecurity Service - IBM Consulting
Adam Glaser
Managing Director at KPMG
Matt Hayden
Vice President of Cyber Client Engagement
at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)
Dmitry Korolev
Principal, Security Risk Management at Verizon
Scott Smith
Principal, Government & Public Sector - Cybersecurity Technology Consulting Practice Lead at Ernst & Young (EY)
Mike Uster
Chief Information Officer & Chief Technology Officer, Sr. Vice President at ManTech
Leveraging our current GSPM Board of Advisors and putting our nearly 20 board members expertise to use through committee work the CPS Deans Office created two committees:
The college also reimagined how to best leverage our GSPM board's expertise and influence in various areas, including advertising, classroom involvement, and co-curricular activities. This holistic approach has maximized the board's impact and enriched our educational environment. The results are evident in the enhanced learning experiences and opportunities now available to our students.
