With the kickoff of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, newfound success on the basketball court and a sharper focus on student mental health, 2014 was marked by a series of landmarks for GW.

Many moments brought national attention – both welcomed and unwanted – to the University. Others stayed within the Foggy Bottom boundaries, but reverberated to all corners of campus.

Here are some of those highlights from the last year.

Acquiring an arts school

The University announced it would take over the neighboring Corcoran College of Art + Design in February, setting off a wave of questions about how it would absorb a financially failing institution.

Over the summer, University President Steven Knapp said GW would spend more than $80 million renovating the Corcoran’s 17th Street building over the next several years.

For Corcoran students, the transition to GW hasn’t always been smooth, and many have voiced concerns that they will lose the sense of closeness that defined their college careers before the merger. And eventually, Corcoran students will pay the same tuition as GW students – which is thousands of dollars more than the tuition at the Corcoran.

Record-breaking gifts set the stage for fundraising campaign

Last spring, billionaires Michael Milken and Sumner Redstone gave a combined $80 million to the public health school, renaming it the Milken Institute School of Public Health and setting GW up for the launch of its first $1 billion campaign in June.

The University also changed the name of Ivory Tower to Shenkman Hall after trustee Mark Shenkman donated $5 million to GW’s career services, the largest-ever gift from a sitting trustee.

Student deaths shape focus on campus mental health services

Eight GW students died in 2014, shaking close-knit communities like the University Honors Program, Greek life, the GW Law School and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

After three suicides last semester in West Hall, the Mount Vernon Campus started offering its own counseling services.

This fall, another student survived a suicide attempt at Shenkman Hall, which bonded together community members who donated thousands of dollars to help pay for her recovery.

Student Association President Nick Gumas has made mental health a key focus of his tenure, and he pitched his idea for a peer counseling program to the Board of Trustees in October.

Saying farewell to top administrators

A string of top administrators announced they’d step down from their positions or leave GW this fall, starting with Michael Brown, the dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs, who announced he’d step down at the end of the academic year. He is the last dean to be appointed by former University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.

GW’s fundraising chief, Michael Morsberger, abruptly resigned for personal reasons, just a few months after launching the public phase of the University’s capital campaign. And University Police Department Chief Kevin Hay announced his retirement last month, leaving UPD without a permanent leader.

Jean Johnson, the founding dean of the School of Nursing, will officially end her tenure Wednesday, leaving the school under the direction of an interim dean until its permanent leader is announced.

A taste of March Madness for the first time in seven years

Basketball fans had something new to cheer about this year: The Colonials made it to March Madness for the first time since 2007, falling to Memphis 71-66 in the second round of the tournament.

So far this season, the Colonials (10-3), beat Wichita State, who went 35-0 last year.

Weathering an enrollment decline

Like other universities, GW’s graduate enrollment has dropped, leaving the University in a financial pinch and about $20 million in the red last year.

GW’s deans and department chairs were asked to cut back on hiring and make other budget cuts in the coming year.

A new look at sexual assault on campus

Knapp and other top administrators made their way to the White House this fall for the kickoff of the national “It’s On Us” campaign to prevent sexual assault. GW also hired a new Title IX coordinator after a nearly year-long search.

A month earlier, former University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg drew harsh criticism for his public comments correlating female drinking to sexual assault.

Employees rally to bring attention to benefits

Faculty and staff brought health care and tuition benefits to the top of the University’s agenda this year.

After a new faculty group convinced administrators to put more money toward employees’ health care benefits, staff members rallied to restore tuition benefits, which were cut back in September.

José Andrés solidifies role in campus culture

After inspiring students at Commencement on the National Mall in May, one of D.C.’s most sought-after chefs announced he’d open a veggie-based restaurant in the Science and Engineering Hall.

Andrés wowed graduates with a video starring A-list celebrities. The Washington Post called his speech one of the “most memorable” college graduation addresses of the year.

Marijuana legalization passed, then negated

D.C. voted for marijuana legalization in November, which would have allowed those 21 and over to possess up to two ounces of weed and cultivate up to three plants at home. But when Congress passed its budget to fund the federal government, it included a provision that blocked the measure.

Plus: Alumnus Vincent Gray is out as D.C.’s mayor. Muriel Bowser will take over next month.

Officials pull back from China expansion

Months after former business school dean Doug Guthrie was fired last year, GW announced it wouldn’t move forward with plans to build a campus in China.

Instead, Provost Steven Lerman said the University would focus on study abroad opportunities in China, and he has asked the Deans Council to look closely at each school’s strengths internationally.

And the global degree program for undergraduates is making a comeback. But faculty who are working to revamp the program have kept details under wraps.

Experience is key for anyone trying to be a GW dean

Linda Livingstone took over the GW School of Business, and Blake D. Morant is at the helm of the GW Law School. Both had served as deans for 10 and seven years, respectively, and were next-in-line to take over major organizations in their fields when they arrived at GW.

Most social Greek life chapters face sanctions

GW released a list last May of 15 social Greek chapters facing sanctions.

Greek leaders are looking to reform how student organizations are punished and have pushed GW to include more details about hazing cases on its list.

After more than half the students who signed up for fall rush ended up not joining a fraternity, the Interfraternity Council voted to add a 16th chapter to campus. Meanwhile, members of Alpha Epsilon Pi tried to recruit new brothers even though the chapter had lost recognition from the University.

This fall, a sexual assault was reported at the Phi Sigma Kappa townhouse, which was at least the fifth report of a sexual abuse in a Greek townhouse over the last two years. The incident helped set off a conversation in the Greek community about sexual assault.

Students join city-wide protests after Ferguson decision

GW students were among the first at the White House after a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson.

Protesters led chants and hymns from U Street to the White House, and students also organized a “die-in” in Kogan Plaza to protest the decision.

Colbert takes a victory lap at GW

Students didn’t have a usual finals week this fall. Stephen Colbert announced he would film one of the last episodes of “The Colbert Report” at Lisner Auditorium, and only GW students would be able to win tickets through an online lottery.

Colbert surprised campus days later, saying he would have a very special guest: President Barack Obama. The day of the taping, those who won tickets stood in line for hours to enter the auditorium.

And Obama wasn’t the only special guest to visit the Foggy Bottom area that day. Prince William gave a speech about wildlife trafficking at the World Bank just a few blocks from campus, and Katie Couric filmed a PBS special at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.