Former CTAM CEO and George Washington University alumna Char Beales and her husband, Howard, a professor at GW’s School of Business, have pledged $3.2 million to the GW School of Media and Public Affairs, the latest example of the former cable executive’s longtime support of the school.
The bequest commitment from the Beales estate will fund an endowed professorship for accountability in journalism and is the largest single gift ever to SMPA.
Beales retired in 2013 after 21 years, establishing The Char Beales Fund at GWU that same year. She also serves as chair of the National Council for Media and Public Affairs, an advisory body to the school.
“SMPA is on a trajectory to be a top-tier media school, and more support will make that happen more quickly,” she said in a statement. “We want this gift to inspire others to join us in supporting the university and SMPA.”
Said SMPA director Frank Sesno, a former longtime CNN anchor: “The Beales Professorship is a tremendous expression of Char’s deep commitment to the future of journalism, GW and the School of Media and Public Affairs. It is an investment in the country itself because holding the powerful to account is a pillar of journalism and central to our democracy.”
