Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The holidays have arrived and it was so nice to kick off the season with many of you at our Foundation Board meeting on November 27 at UMBC. In the beautiful Retriever Room at the Event Center overlooking the basketball court, we received a warm welcome from Greg Simmons, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at UMBC; heard from Chancellor Caret about the USM's goals for the coming year; and were treated to a presentation titled, "USM: Inspiring Innovation and Fostering Venture Creation" by Tom Sadowski, Vice Chancellor for Economic Development at the USM, and Kyparissia Sirinakis, Managing Partner at Epidarex Capital. Many Board members asked for Tom and Kyparissia's presentation materials. If you would like to access Tom's presentation, please click here and if you would like to access Kyparissia's presentation, please click here.

We also heard a positive Investment Committee report from Committee Chair Larry Boggs. We welcomed three new board members with the help of Governance Committee Chair Harry Johnson. Please read more about these new Board members in the section below. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our three Board members moving to honorary status--Bill Wood, Larry Letow, and Al Cornish. Their dedication to the Board has been unwavering and we appreciate the tireless support they have provided throughout the years. 

	Walter Fatzinger

Sadly, in November, we lost our former Board chair, Walter Fatzinger. As chair, Walter was a key player in helping the Foundation become what it is today. He stressed the importance of having a strategic plan and helped the Foundation develop its first plan. He also encouraged better board engagement, which led to the Board adding a third annual meeting.  Those of us who knew Walter remember him as a kind and intelligent man with a great sense of humor. We will miss him dearly.

Have a happy holiday season and as always, please contact me at raley@usmd.edu or 301-445-1941 with any questions or comments. 

Sincerely,

Leonard R. Raley

Lonnie R. Robbins, Esq. 

Lonnie serves as chief administrative officer for Howard County Government and has worked for Howard County since 1989. Prior to becoming chief administrative officer in 2007, Lonnie served as assistant county solicitor and senior assistant county solicitor where he advised and represented various county departments and agencies. Lonnie is a graduate of UMCP where he earned his B.S. in Business and Public Administration and is a graduate of UB's School of Law where he earned his J.D. 

Kimberly Stokes

Kimberly is a senior credit analyst in the fixed income division and is vice president of fixed income at T. Rowe Price. She covers the investor-owned utility and aerospace and defense sectors for the investment grade research team. Prior to joining T. Rowe Price in 2005, Kimberly served as associate director at Standard & Poor's. Kimberly has served on the board of the Bowie State University Foundation and has endowed a scholarship at BSU to honor her father, who was a professor there. 

Stacey Ullrich

Stacey is head of global philanthropy and community affairs at Under Armour (UA) and the  executive director of the UA Foundation. She is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of the company's global investments and community outreach programs, as well as oversight and management of the UA Foundation. Prior to joining Under Armour, Ullrich served in leadership positions at Constellation Energy, Feats, and the PGA TOUR. She holds a B.S. in Marketing from Missouri State University. 

USM News Briefs

	Richard Collins III

The state of Maryland has approved a scholarship program in honor of Richard Collins III, a BSU student who was killed on the UMCP campus in May 2017. The 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III Leadership with Honor Scholarship will be funded by the state with $1 million annually. Recipients must be a member of a Reserve Officer Training Corp and a member of an underrepresented group in ROTC. The scholarship will be split among three USM schools -- BSU, CSU, and UMES, as well as Morgan State University. Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Education released a "College Scorecard" that looked at colleges, universities, and technical schools across the nation. The Baltimore Business Journal explored the Scorecard and found that four USM institutions were ranked in the top eight of highest-earning alumni in Maryland. The data comes from the median earnings of former students 10 years after they are admitted to the university. The University of Maryland, Baltimore had the highest-earning graduates with a median salary of $89,700. The University of Maryland, College Park came in 5th with $62,900, followed by the University of Baltimore with $58,000. In 7th was UMBC with $55,000. Read the full article here.

Frostburg State University's students on the 2018 Homecoming Court raised $2,737 for regional and national charitable organizations. FSU's Student Government Association created a program that sponsored the students, who were subsequently supported by 10 FSU organizations that helped them raise money and awareness for a cause of their choosing. The students supported People to People, BURG Peer Education Network, and Together We Rise, among other charities. Read more here. 

	SU Students

FSU's students are not the only USM students fundraising -- Salisbury University's students  raised over $8,000 during the SU Student United Way's fifth annual Halloween 5K and 1-Mile Walk. The proceeds of the event benefitted the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore. More than 130 participants ran the race in October. Read more here.

UMCES' Chesapeake Biological Laboratory received $1,200 from The Chesapeake Garden Club in support of a mentoring project created by Assistant Professor Laura Lapham. The gift will allow Lapham's intern to continue working at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, work that began as a result of a grant from L'Oréal, the Changing the Face of STEM Mentoring Grant.  Read more here.

USM Partners Launch PROMISE Academy

	UMBC faculty and staff at the November meeting

On November 27, the PROMISE Academy Inaugural Leadership Meeting brought USM institutions and universities around the country together at  the Universities at Shady Grove. The PROMISE Academy serves all USM schools and is an extension of the state's PROMISE AGEP program, which stands for Maryland's Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and aims to offer community, academic, and emotional support, as well as professional development opportunities to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty across Maryland. The USM's PROMISE Academy aims to draw on expertise from universities across the country to recruit and retain a diverse group of faculty members in STEM fields. UMBC, UMCP, UMB, TU, and SU are partnering in these efforts.

UMB Launches JACQUES Initiative   Journey  Center 

In October, UMB held the grand opening of the JACQUES Initiative Journey Center, which is part of the JACQUES Initiative, a program of the Institute of Human Virology at UMB's School of Medicine. The JACQUES Initiative was established in 2003 and is named for Joe Jacques, a psychologist who helped establish the first HIV support group for vulnerable people living with HIV in Baltimore. The Center at UMB offers free services to the community in Baltimore, such as HIV and Hepatitis testing, peer support to HIV and Hepatitis-C prevention services, health education, support groups, LGBTQ+ community events, financial literacy courses, and more. 

USM Presidents named 2018 Icon Honorees

TU President Kim Schatzel, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski, and UMB President Jay Perman have all been named Icon honorees by The Daily Record. The award recognizes business leaders in Maryland over the age of 60 who have moved the state forward by growing jobs and community involvement. According to the Daily Record, the honorees were chosen for their long-standing commitment to business in Maryland and their significant professional accomplishments through innovation and leadership. They were celebrated on December 17 at a reception at The Center Club in Baltimore. 

Salisbury RISE Zone Approved

The Maryland Department of Commerce approved a Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise Zone (RISE) in Salisbury thanks to a partnership between SU and the City of Salisbury. The designation's goal is to encourage economic development by allowing businesses to move into the zone and benefit from property and income tax credits. According to SU Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Government and Community Relations, Eli Modlin, "This is a shining example of what we can accomplish when the state, communities and the University System of Maryland work together."

Alumni relations, communications, and annual fund professionals across the USM:

Join us on Tuesday, January 22 at Bowie State University for the
USM's 5th Annual Summit on Digital Engagement!

Click here for more information.