51³Ō¹Ļ

If home is where the heart is, then this yearā€™s 2023 Presidentā€™s Circle Celebration was an evening of coming home.

The annual celebration and award ceremony recognizes 51³Ō¹Ļā€™s most generous donors and dedicated advocates. For the nearly 200 51³Ō¹Ļ community members gathered in Katzen Arts Center on November 9, many of whom have supported the university for decades, the ever-treasured event was about reconnecting with the friends and colleagues whoā€™ve made 51³Ō¹Ļ a home to so many and for so long.

The perennial purpose of the Presidentā€™s Circle Celebration is one of gratitude. Members of the 51³Ō¹Ļ Presidentā€™s Circle fuel the university through their philanthropy. Their annual support launches scholarships with transformative potentialā€”often with great personal meaning, as shared by current 51³Ō¹Ļ Student Government President Edwin Santos, SPA/BA ā€™24, MPA ā€™25, in his opening remarks. It creates faculty positions, propels capital projects, and mobilizes others to give to 51³Ō¹Ļ. In sharing thanks to these community leaders, the celebration toasts the change made possible only by their generosity.

This yearā€™s occasion was especially poignant amidst an era of ā€œfinals.ā€ In her remarks to the audience, President Sylvia M. Burwell acknowledged her final year as president of 51³Ō¹Ļ and the final phase of the Change Canā€™t Wait campaignā€”both defined by a mission of moving the university forward. The evening, Burwell said, was a ā€œtributeā€ to the people at the beating heart of Change Canā€™t Wait and the impact of their philanthropic support.

Many of those whoā€™ve led Change Canā€™t Wait to new heights were present in the audience, including: Robert and Arlene Kogodā€”among the in 51³Ō¹Ļā€™s history; Ā Amy and Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA ā€™21, whose campaign gift toward student thriving will create the brand-new Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance; and Sine Institute of Policy and Politics establishing donors Samira and Jeff Sine, SIS/BA ā€™76.

Speaker Charlie Lydecker, SPA/BA ā€™85, vice chair of the 51³Ō¹Ļ Board of Trustees, touched on Eagle camaraderie and the palpable sense of legacy on campus. Having flown in from Florida for the celebration, Lydecker told the audience, ā€œItā€™s always so nice to be home. Itā€™s so nice to be among you.ā€

A recurrent joke throughout the evening referenced the literal imprint of alumni friendships upon 51³Ō¹Ļā€™s campus topography. Alluding to an upcoming street naming in his honor, Lydecker playfully boasted that visitors will have to take Lydecker Way to access both the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance and Cassell Hall (named for a generous gift from Jack Cassell, SOC/BA ā€™77).

ā€œAs I thought about [making the gift], I saidā€”ā€˜Well, you know? To get to Alan Meltzerā€™s Center for Athletic Performance, youā€™re going to have to drive on Lydecker [Way],ā€™ā€ said Lydecker, drawing laughter from the audience. ā€œAnd you have to drive on that street to get to Jack Cassellā€™s dormitory, also.ā€

Among a celebration punctuated by stories of community, no moment better encapsulated the Eagle spirit than the awarding of the Cyrus A. Ansary Medal to Ambassador Stuart A. Bernstein Kogod/BS '60.

The Cyrus A. Ansary Medal was created in 1990 to honor alumnus and 51³Ō¹Ļ chairman emeritus, Cy Ansaryā€”a member of the Board of Trustees for 27 years and its longest-serving chair. It is awarded to individuals who display extraordinary dedication and leadership, both professionally and to 51³Ō¹Ļ, and who make significant accomplishments, either in service to 51³Ō¹Ļ or for the benefit of the community.

Presenting the medal to Ambassador Bernstein, Board of Trustees chair Gina Adams, SPA/BS ā€™80, applauded his 60-year legacy of generosity.

ā€œYou have long dedicated your life to giving back to the organizations and groups that contributed to your success, and we are tremendously grateful for your unwavering commitment to 51³Ō¹Ļ through your leadership and your philanthropy,ā€ Adams told him.

Ambassador Bernsteinā€™s impact globally spans decades in roles including real estate developer, Commissioner of the International Cultural and Trade Center, and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. At 51³Ō¹Ļ, his endowed scholarships have fueled studentā€™s futures for 40 years. He also served as vice chair of 51³Ō¹Ļā€™s Board of Trustees, chaired his 50thĀ Reunion, and founded 51³Ō¹Ļā€™s real estate fraternity Rho Epsilon.

Most recently, Ambassador Bernstein helped transform the 51³Ō¹Ļ campus through the East Campus developmentā€”a gift he co-initiated with his mentee and friend Marc N. Duber, Kogod/BSBA ā€™81, former chair and current member of the Board of Trustees.

As he accepted the medal, the ambassador reflected tenderly on his 51³Ō¹Ļ home. He invited the audience to join him ā€œfor a trip down memory laneā€ to recount his ā€œlove affair with 51³Ō¹Ļ.ā€ Reminiscing about classes with his wife Wilma Estrin Bernstein, CAS/BA '60, unforgettable professors, and his friendships with Ansary and Duber, Ambassador Bernstein articulated the shared gratitude within the room.

ā€œI think you can see that this institution that I love so much, has played an integral and significant part in my life,ā€ he said in his closing remarks, summarizing the sentiment of the evening.