by Mary Ellen McIntire | Assistant News Editor

Issue: January 26, 2014 | News

Donations to the GW School of Business have shrunk by about one-third over the last year after a sudden firing of its dean and public clashes over a wide budget shortfall.

The schools first decline since hiring Doug Guthrie in 2010 is a key loss just months away from the Universitys largest-ever fundraising campaign.

Media Credit: Photo courtesy of GW Media Relations

Fundraising has slipped under interim business school dean Chris Kayes, who took over in September.

Guthrie, who had boasted double-digit increases during most of his three-year tenure, was fired in August after he failed to resolve $13 million in overspending with top officials. But GWs fundraising chief Michael Morsberger said gifts to the school will bounce back after it hires a permanent leader over the next few months. He said interim leaders who cant present long-term goals often struggle to attract new donors.

Generally, whenever there is a dean change, [fundraising] goes down. Even in the best case scenarios, it will go down, because your biggest donors want to meet with the dean. They want to know the vision, where are we going, Morsberger said.

Professors attributed the decline to a mix of the schools temporary leadership as well as its reputation for unstable finances that spread last fall.

Robin Tarpley, an associate professor of accounting, said Guthries well-publicized firing, which was reported by national news outlets including the Washington Post, may have turned off potential donors.

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After dean firing, business school fundraising drops by a third