Adjunct Assistant Professor, Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising
"I’ve always been oriented toward the nonprofit sector, but found I have a tremendous passion for teaching," explains Marian Stern, a 30-year fundraising veteran and an adjunct assistant professor at the George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at NYU-SCPS.
Stern brings her years of experience to the classroom, and uses it to provide students with a realistic view of what they will face as fundraisers. In turn, her students learn the "ins and outs" of the field, absorbing a wealth of practical skills and the expertise needed to succeed.
It is the focus on real-world practice, Stern asserts, that makes the M.S. in Fundraising and Grantmaking exponentially more valuable than many other academic programs of its kind. "All of our professors are active practitioners," she explains, "so we can contextualize what we’ve learned and place this practical experience in an academic framework." This shared industry experience also proves useful in the ever-important realm of networking. Stern regularly invites business colleagues to class, which allows students to form strong connections with important leaders in the field.
Much of Stern’s passion for education can be directly attributed to her students. "Master’s candidates are very special, and their seriousness of purpose is exciting," she asserts. "These are people who want to use their education to make a difference." Stern shares this desire and motivation to improve the world, and believes she provides Heyman Center graduate students with both the knowledge and the professional contacts necessary to become serious contributors to this ever-evolving field.