GW to Cross 250,000 Alumni Milestone at May 2012 Commencement

Video + Infographic Feature Alumni Community Highlights

Click to enlarge - 250K GW Alumni

This May’s GW Commencement will mark a milestone in the lives of the class of 2012, and for the university at large. May 20, 2012 will mark the first time that the university community includes more than a quarter million living alumni.

As the video and infographic that accompany this story illustrate, it is not just the quantity of alumni – 250,000+ – but the quality and interconnectedness of this community that makes GW such a dynamic institution.

Glenn Geelhoed, SMHS Res. ’75, ESIA MA ’91, SMHS MPH ’93, CCAS MA ’95, CCAS MPhil ’02, GSEHD EdD ’09, is the only  alum to have have earned six degrees from GW and one of only two individuals to hold five or more GW degrees.

“I think learning and life are pretty much synonymous,” said Dr. Geelhoed, a professor of surgery and international medical education at GW. “I don’t want to be in a position where I say ‘ok, I’ve got that down, I don’t need to learn anything more on that subject.’”

Dr. Geelhoed is joined in the five-or-more-degrees club by George McCullars, CCAS MS ’71, CCAS MPhil ’74, SMHS MD ’75, CCAS PhD ’76, SMHS Res. ’77.

Dr. McCullars, who is now in private practice in Mobile, Ala., reveled in the opportunity to interact with leading GW faculty as a student. Among his faculty mentors were Nobel Prize winner Julius Axelrod, CCAS PhD ’55, NIH investigator William Jacoby, Chairman of Neurology Sean O’Reilly, and Chairman of Biochemistry Carleton Treadwell.

“It was worth all the effort…I didn’t do this for the earning capacity, I did it for the learning experience afforded me at GW,” recalled Dr. McCullars. “Every single day was exciting.”

As it turns out these two prolific learners have a personal connection – as a GW medical student Dr. McCullars’ professor of surgery was none other than Dr. Geelhoed. “To know Dr. Geelhoed is to understand academic excellence at GW,” Dr. McCullars added.

Dr. George McCullars
Dr. George McCullars
Geelhoed
Dr. Glenn Geelhoed

“I’ve crossed a lot of finish lines – I’ve run 138 marathons – and I can tell you the final tape isn’t why you run the race,” Dr. Geelhoed noted. “I’ve crossed quite a few podiums at GW too, and that isn’t the finish of your education, it just provides you the tools to start. That’s why they call it commencement, it’s a beginning, not an end.”

Dr. Geelhoed and Dr. McCullars are among a select group of approximately 100 GW alumni who have earned four or more degrees from the university.

Get a printable version of the infographic in PDF here.

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