INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
This is a short story of a gift from the Ministry of Higher Education of Iran to the George Washington University (GW) in 1974, which
inexplicably evaporated into thin air some 45 years later in 2019 and after that unbelievely reappeared in 2022
The management and status of the Aryamehr-Iran Endowment at George Washington University need to be investigated and reported to hold GW
responsible to the government of Iran, acknowledge the generosity of the Iranian people and assistance Iranian education.In 1974, the
Ministry of Higher Education of Iran made a gift to GW, creating an endowment to support Iranian education (the 5-page contract was signed
by Irans Ambassador to the U.S.)
It was the very first endowed chair at the GW School of Government and Business Administration and the largest university chair at GW
This endowment remained in part established due to the fact that the Shah and the president of GW (Lloyd Elliott) were Free Masons and
This gift was so essential to GW that President Elliott took a trip two times to Iran to secure this endowment of $1 million, which was more
than 5 percent of GWs overall endowment in 1974, a huge transformational gift and if purchased the S&P 500 with the dividends reinvested
would have totaled up to over $100 million today.The first faculty beneficiary of this endowment was Professor Phillip Grub (a Free Mason)
The endowment afforded him a stipend on top of his university salary, a full-time secretary, various research assistants, travel assistance
When he retired, GW used income and even a few of the principal from the endowment to money unassociated endeavors during 1992-1998
Teacher Hossein Askari accepted the chair in 1998
He redirected his research toward areas of interest to Iranians and lectured on finance in Iran, in order to satisfy the goal of the
Aryamehr Endowment for the very first time considering that its inception
Around 2002, the federal government of Iran wanted the name of the endowment altered from Aryamehr to Allawi, so Askari consulted with the
GW president to discuss the matter
Noteworthy is the racist way in which the president welcomed Askari as he entered the space, particularly, Do I require bodyguards? In the
end, the president decided to rename the endowment Iran due to the fact that he stated that Iran would constantly exist, while routines
modification and have different ideologies
The Iranian government did not object.As holder of the Iran Chair Professor Askari got regular monthly expenditure reports on the endowment
for about 8 or two years and at the end of each year he would be informed the quantity that would be available to him (these figures did not
reflect GWs prospective misuse of funds or the annual income that was being contributed to the principal of the endowment) so that he might
submit a monetary report with the executive vice president for scholastic affairs (the chief academic officer of the university)
Disrupted by the management of the endowment, Askari questioned GWs practices
After much back and forth and Askaris filing of a grievance, the executive vice president of GW consented to start a program for Iranian
fellowships, awarding a 50% tuition fellowship for five inbound graduate students (pursuing a masters degree in all fields except law and
medicine) each year, starting around 2006
The program was established with the full involvement of Professor Askari who, as holder of the Iran Chair, was entrusted with the
supervision of this initiative, picking student awardees, advising them, monitoring their development and reporting each year to the
The program prospered and helped numerous students get an education
The program did not involve any out-of-pocket costs for GW as much of the receivers would not have actually registered at GW without such
support and the fellowship was awarded by GW and not from the Iran Endowment
While this did not attend to most of the issues that troubled Professor Askari about GWs management of the endowment, it was a goodwill
gesture that Professor Askari appreciated and hoped would be broadened to benefit the education of Iranians.Things changed in 2010 with a
provost and associate provost
The inbound provost was very helpful of Professor Askaris work, on the other hand with the passage of time and without Professor Askaris
understanding, the brand-new vice provost suddenly cancelled the Iran Studies Fellowship Program
The cancellation was posted on GWs fellowship website and Professor Askari was made of this development by a student
Professor Askari was so disgusted that he decided to take early retirement from GW as soon as an early retirement plan ended up being
available.After Professor Askari took early retirement, GW did not designate a successor to the Iran Chair and the personality of the
Endowment ended up being even murkier
As the last holder of the chair, Professor Askari was contacted by the vice president of President of Iran to look into the matter-- to see
what was happening with the visit of a brand-new Iran Professor, to get an accounting of the funds and of the status of the Iran studies
The vice president of Iran (himself a GW doctoral graduate in economics and earlier noted by GW as one of its prominent graduates) wrote two
letters in 2019, asking the president of GW to fulfill Professor Askari and to supply him with an audit and details relating to the status
The president of GW would not meet with Professor Askari and wrote that Askari could rather meet the provost who earlier as vice provost had
actually ended the Iranian Fellowship Program.There was little point to such a conference as the provost informed Professor Askari in an
email that there was no endowment or chair and it had actually ended in 1977
How could this be? Teacher Grub had the chair for about 20 years! Professor Askari had held the chair for another 20 years! The name of the
endowment had even been changed from Aryamehr to Iran ! Teacher Askari had about 100 regular monthly monetary reports clearly marked for
The provost now stated the endowment and chair had ended in 1977! Why GW decided that the endowment had ended is something that GW MUST
answer.Although a popular attorney was introduced to Professor Askari, he decided to avoid a legal battle that might have unexpected
In 2022, GW designated an interim president who wrote a letter to all GW professors (Askari was and is still a faculty member as Emeritus
Iran Professor) about the significance of principles
In March 2022, Professor Askari composed an email to the GW President about the Iran Endowment
The GW President composed that he would look into the matter
He came back with the same story that was given earlier by the provost, who had actually considering that relinquished his function as
provost, with his vice provost becoming the brand-new provost
At that point the former executive vice president for academic affairs, a principled male, intervened in an email revealing his surprise
after he was copied in the email by Professor Askari
He had actually taken part in the name modification to Iran Endowment, authorized Iran Studies Fellowships and had kept an eye on the
programs performance through a yearly report that was provided by Professor Askari
How could the endowment have evaporated into thin air in 1977? Professor Askari notified a number of GW alumni about what had happened,
recommending that they may want to compose to the GW President and the chair of the board of trustees.Only then, as an outcome of the former
executive vice presidents intervention and the letters written by alumni, the GW President astonishingly discovered that the endowment did
still exist which he was grateful to Professor Askari for his persistence
This was followed by a 30-minute zoom call between Professor Askari, the GW President and the Provost
A variety of emails were also exchanged.On November 1, Professor Askari composed to the GW President with a copy to the provost: As you
have actually seen from my earlier emails, I have actually recommended three problems that should be addressed [( i) There can be no going
back to re-establishing the endowment without correct accounting or an equally agreed capitalization of the endowment going forward
(ii) The fellowship program ought to not just be restored, but it ought to be a focus of the endowment moving forward
(iii) The operational structure of the endowment should be codified
Do you agree that these are the 3 problems to be resolved through a discussion between us? I require to understand if you have made any
development on these and when we will talk about each of these problems to come to a friendly service? I have made it clear that I can
decline a one-sided unilateral choice, especially after all that has happened-- questions regarding the capitalization of the endowment in
2022, GWs unilateral termination of the fellowship program resulting in my decision to take early retirement and GWs claims that the
endowment had actually ended in 1977
Late on November 7, Professor Askari received an e-mail from the GW President asking for a call on November 8 for an upgrade
After exchanging more emails, on December 1, it became clear that GW would not accommodate the legitimate requests of its major donor--
Iran-- for an audit and cooperative discussion with Professor Askari, but would continue unilaterally with no input from Iran
Professor Askari wrote the following to the GW President: Needless to state, I am dissatisfied in your reply
You and I have been at this for seven months
You state that I have actually raised your and the provosts consciousness of a crucial opportunity for GW
I would say that I have actually raised your consciousness of a necessary duty and dutythat GW voluntarily put aside for numerous years
I say put aside, due to the fact that I repeatedly brought GWs financial obligation to Iran and to Iranian students to the attention of the
universitys administrators since GW callously cancelled the Iran Fellowship program and hid the endowment from view
It has taken over [3] years for GW to admit that yes there was and there is an endowment
Iranians and Iranian Americans have been played
You have not addressed the demand of the Iranian federal government to supply an audit of the account, a written demand that was sent to GW
You have not even told me what you declare to be the possessions of the endowment as of now, while you indicated earlier that you had a
number but might not remember it! Nor have you said whether you have added back funds that were diverted to non-related programs, of which I
I was naively pleased when you trumpeted the value of ethics at the time you presumed the post of interim president
Now we will have to let others choose just how much principles matter to you, to other GW administrators and more generally to GW when it
comes to this present that amounted to over 5% of GWs endowment when it was made by the individuals of Iran in 1974
Given the effort and time that I have dedicated to this matter and where we stand now, I can not support your plan moving forward for the
I will instead pursue other options to restore the rights of Iranian trainees
What has actually transpired need to be viewed as GWs inexplicable mismanagement of a present from the Iranian individuals to support
GW is welcome to have distinctions with the government of Iran, however not to conceal the legacy that was bestowed by the people of Iran
through the Ministry of Higher Education to benefit Iranian students
It is a matter of right and wrong
While Irans name has been so tarnished in the United States that anything goes when it comes to attacking Iran, however Iran and Iranians
will exist long after this GW fiasco.Why has GW done this? Only GW understands
However could GW be to use the cash (Professor Askari estimates that there should be more than $40 million if an accurate accounting is
done) for other purposes offered Irans standing in the U.S? Or could it be hatred of Iran and Iranians? Or could it have been to secure its
recent $20 million gift from Saudi Arabia? Whatever the reason, it is just plain wrong! And why did the new interim president of GW support
the unlikely story of the previous provost and vice provost for seven months? Teacher Askari has actually been client for over 3 years in
the hope of finding a friendly resolution to benefit Iranian trainees along with GW.In amount, GW has refused to treat the genuine demands
of a significant donor-- to supply an accounting of the income and expenses for the Iran Endowment, to fix all impressive problems with
Professor Askari, restore openness and place the endowment on a strong footing moving forward
GW continues instead to run behind a drape and choose matters unilaterally
Assisting Iranian trainees must be the centerpiece going forward, given that the initial goal of the endowment was to support Irans
instructional needs and that Iranians need support in the face of extreme financial sanctions
Provided GWs previous mismanagement of this endowment, can GW be depended be ethical without external oversight to bring back the
Aryamehr-Iran Endowment with correct accounting and a program that benefits Iranians after GWs claim that there was no endowment for over 3
years and its resistance for an independent audit? What would have taken place to this Iranian gift if it had been another country? Probably
What would have taken place to this present to the George Washington university if Professor Askari had not continued for 3 years? The
response is clear from the earlier communications of the GW President-- there would be no endowment and so the resources would clearly be
utilized for something aside from what was intended by the Ministry of Higher Education of Iran
It is a sad day for an American university when it acts so
American university endowments need government oversight to examine if universities are performing the wishes of their major donors, no
