Northwestern University Gets Dragon-Sized Gifts From ‘Game of Thrones’ Creator

• Totaling $5 million, George R.R. Martin's gifts to Northwestern will be split between two programs.
• A $3 million gift will establish the George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop.
• A $2 million gift will establish an endowed professorship, the George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling.

Acclaimed author George R.R. Martin is giving $5 million to his alma mater to help educate the next generation of great storytellers.

Northwestern University and Martin this week announced the gifts, which will be split between two new creative-writing programs in the Medill School of Journalism: $3 million will establish the George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop, while $2 million will establish an endowed professorship, the George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling.

"The George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling and the Summer Intensive Writing Workshop will enable us to recruit, retain and host recognized authors and storytellers for the benefit of Northwestern students and writers from around the country," Charles Whitaker, dean of Medill, said in the press release.

“These initiatives will help aspiring writers across myriad literary genres to make their mark on the world, as George has done.”

"These initiatives will help aspiring writers across myriad literary genres to make their mark on the world, as George has done."

Martin is the author of the bestselling "A Song of Fire and Ice" novels. He also co-produced the Emmy Award-winning TV series "Game of Thrones." He earned a bachelor's degree in 1970 and a master's degree in 1971, both in journalism. from Northwestern's Medill School.

He was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2015 and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2021.