If home is where the heart is, then this year’s 2023 President’s Circle Celebration was an evening of coming home.

The annual celebration and award ceremony recognizes American University’s most generous donors and dedicated advocates. For the nearly 200 AU 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 who’ve made AU a home to so many and for so long.

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

This year’s occasion was especially poignant amidst an era of “finals.” In her remarks to the audience, President Sylvia M. Burwell acknowledged her final year as president of AU and the final phase of the Change Can’t Wait campaign—both defined by a mission of moving the university forward. The evening, Burwell said, was a “tribute” to the people at the beating heart of Change Can’t Wait and the impact of their philanthropic support.

Many of those who’ve led Change Can’t Wait to new heights were present in the audience, including: Robert and Arlene Kogod—among the most generous donors in AU’s history;  Amy and Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA ’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 ’76.

Speaker Charlie Lydecker, SPA/BA ’85, vice chair of the AU 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, “It’s always so nice to be home. It’s so nice to be among you.”

A recurrent joke throughout the evening referenced the literal imprint of alumni friendships upon AU’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 ’77).

“As I thought about [making the gift], I said—‘Well, you know? To get to Alan Meltzer’s Center for Athletic Performance, you’re going to have to drive on Lydecker [Way],’” said Lydecker, drawing laughter from the audience. “And you have to drive on that street to get to Jack Cassell’s dormitory, also.”

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 AU chairman emeritus, Cy Ansary—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 AU, and who make significant accomplishments, either in service to AU or for the benefit of the community.

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

“You 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 American University through your leadership and your philanthropy,” Adams told him.

Ambassador Bernstein’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 AU, his endowed scholarships have fueled student’s futures for 40 years. He also served as vice chair of AU’s Board of Trustees, chaired his 50th Reunion, and founded AU’s real estate fraternity Rho Epsilon.

Most recently, Ambassador Bernstein helped transform the AU campus through the East Campus development—a gift he co-initiated with his mentee and friend Marc N. Duber, Kogod/BSBA ’81, former chair and current member of the Board of Trustees.

As he accepted the medal, the ambassador reflected tenderly on his AU home. He invited the audience to join him “for a trip down memory lane” to recount his “love affair with American University.” 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.

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