Letter from the President
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This fall was a busy season for the USM and the USM Foundation. In November, the Foundation Board’s new chair, Don Scheeler, led his first full Board meeting. Don Scheeler has served as a director on the Board since 2015 and he currently serves as president at The LEARN Academy. You can read more about Don and the meeting in this newsletter.

The Foundation’s annual report recently went live on our website. You can access the report by clicking here. It includes a letter from myself and former Board Chair Bonnie Stein, and a letter from Chancellor Jay Perman, as well as our financials from the past fiscal year.
Across the USM, I am happy to report a fair share of good news regarding philanthropy. In FY22, the USM surpassed its $323 million fundraising goal because its institutions raised a remarkable $431 million. This year, the USM has set a $383 million goal and is on track to meeting that goal. You can read more about some of the recent gifts and grants our institutions received later in this newsletter.

As always, the Foundation staff has been hard at work supporting our colleagues across the System and the work of the USM. The Foundation provides professional development programs for advancement and alumni relations colleagues across the USM. Since April 2020, the Foundation has offered 60 programs with more than 1,700 colleagues in attendance. As in-person events become the norm again, they also have returned to the System. Our events team has helped host nearly 30 events since this spring, which is about equal to the number of events hosted annually pre-Covid.
 
I also want to mention another project that the Foundation is leading. As some of you know, the Foundation owns and financially supports the alumni/donor database that is used by most of our USM campuses. The database platform is becoming obsolete and it’s clear that we will need a new platform. We are currently sponsoring a comprehensive needs assessment that will help determine the future direction of Advancement database needs across the System—a great benefit to every campus and essential to moving forward thoughtfully with the project.

As always, please reach out to me with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Leonard R. Raley
USM Foundation Board Meeting Recap
The USM Foundation Board met on November 17 at Towson University in the University Union.

TU President Kim Schatzel welcomed the Board to the university and noted that the University Union is one of a few newly completed capital projects on campus. In addition to the Union, TU also recently opened a new Center for Interdisciplinary & Innovative Cybersecurity and an Academic Commons in the library. TU looks forward to opening a new College of Health Professions building in 2026, which will bolster TU’s robust program which graduates more health care professionals than any other university in the state. President Schatzel told the Board that TU is one of 80 higher education institutions in the nation (and one of two in the state of Maryland – University of Maryland, College Park being the other) to earn the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

Next, the Board heard from Dr. Sidd Kaza, Associate Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, Department of Computer and Informational Sciences (pictured above). Dr. Kaza explained the importance of cybersecurity and spoke to the Board about TU’s highly-regarded cybersecurity program. The program, which has eight programs focused on cyber security, has received a number of difficult to obtain designations. TU’s new Center for Interdisciplinary & Innovative Cybersecurity is a leader in interdisciplinary and inclusive education research and innovation. Additionally, Towson University offers students studying cybersecurity a number of scholarship opportunities.

Chancellor Jay Perman spoke to the Board about the USM’s enrollment rates and growing retention rates, which is the key to future stability and growth of the System. Chancellor Perman also spoke to the Board about the USM’s new strategic plan, “Vision 2030,” which you can read more about later in this newsletter.

The Board elected a new ex-officio director, Ed McDonald, who serves on the USM Board of Regents. He is a TU alumnus and formerly served on TU’s Board of Visitors and the TU Foundation Board. Following the election of Ed McDonald, Investment Committee Chair Larry Boggs gave a positive investment update. Audit Committee Chair Linda Ellen Jones informed the Board that the Audit Committee is working hard to standardize the Foundation’s policies and procedures guide and is continuing to ensure that the Foundation is compliant and is minimizing risks.

Lastly, Leonard Raley spoke to the Board and he gave them a number of updates, many of which you can read about in the opening letter of this newsletter, and provided a positive System-wide fundraising update and congratulated the USM’s institutions for their hard work. 
Foundation Board Director News
President Joe Biden named Board member Frank Islam to the Commission of Presidential Scholars. The commission consists of 21 members and will select 161 Presidential Scholars. The commission members are selected from across the U.S. and represent the fields of education, medicine, law, social services, business, and more.

Creig Northrop was named a 2022 Most Admired CEO by The Daily Record. The honorees represent talented business CEOs, higher education leaders, and nonprofit directors across the state for their leadership and vision. The honorees were chosen based on their professional accomplishments, community service, and letters of reference. Creig was recognized in the category “Private Company with 150-499 Employees.” Additionally, Creig was named to The Daily Record's Power 100 list, which you can read more about later in this newsletter.

Bonnie Stein was named to The Daily Record’s 2022 Icon Honor awardee list, which recognizes Maryland business leaders over the age of 60 for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership both within and outside their chosen field. Bonnie will be recognized at a ceremony in December.

Stacey Ullrich, vice president of communications and marketing at BGE, was featured in a Forbes article, “Don’t Ask For Permission and Other Career Advice From Women Leaders Who’ve Been There," along with Dawn Moore, philanthropist and community organizer. The two women shared advice on finding mentors, taking risks, and making professional progress.

Alicia Wilson, former vice president for economic development and community partnerships at Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System, became the managing director and head of North American regional philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in January.
Meet Board Chair Don Scheeler
An Interview with USM Foundation Board Chair Don Scheeler
(This interview originally appeared in the USM Foundation's Annual Report.)
 
Don Scheeler joined the USM Foundation Board as a director in 2015, becoming chair of the Budget and Finance Committee in 2017 and Board chair in 2022. He currently serves as President at The LEARN Academy (a division of LEARN Behavioral).

Q: Please describe your relationship to the USM and your
current professional role.

I graduated from UMD with business degrees and my father is also a business school alumnus. My parents met at the Francis King Carey Law School, I met my wife at UMD, and her parents met at Maryland– her father played on the ’53 national football championship team. Both of my kids went to Maryland. We have a long and strong interest in the state of Maryland, Baltimore, education, and the USM. I believe education is an important aspect of a knowledge-based economy. Without an education, it’s difficult to navigate the economy and to fulfill your potential. Immediately after college, I worked at Citibank in the credit card division, and then I moved to Sylvan Learning – I worked on the institutional side, where we
provided after school and full-day tutoring for Title I students. I’ve been in education and supporting the underrepresented in some aspects for close to 30 years now.

Currently, I am president of The LEARN Academy. We support education for special needs students. We
provide a full spectrum of special needs support for school districts. Additionally, we have several schools that provide services for emotionally disabled, autistic, and other special education-related needs. We are a division of LEARN Behavioral, one of the country’s largest providers of autism services.

Q: You have been a director on the Board since 2015. What initially drew you to serving on the Board? What aspects of serving on the Board have you most enjoyed?

Primarily giving back – I have a deep history at UMCP and have experience in education. My background in education and my passion for Maryland and the Maryland school system is what initially drew me to the Board. What I enjoy most about serving on the Board are the interactions with other Board members and having an impact on the USM.

Q: How do you see the Board evolving within the next couple of years? What initiatives do you hope to develop or expand on?

I absolutely want to continue the initiatives Bonnie Stein started, such as allocating emergency-use funds to the USM’s campuses and regional centers in the spring of 2020. We need to figure out how to do more of that—many students don’t graduate because they are short on funds and can’t get a degree. You could have 3.8 years of credits but if you don’t get that college degree, all the “degree” required positions are now off limits to you, even though you have all of that knowledge and you’re almost there. The financial impact to you and your family is life-changing. We need to try to get more funding for students in those situations. We need to be able to give back more money to our partner schools as we continue to grow the Foundation. The Foundation has grown so dramatically over the last couple of years under Bonnie’s tenure and we need to make sure all of the pieces of the Foundation are there – that we are best in class in compliance and things of that nature. As we grow, we need to make sure there is a strong infrastructure and that the Foundation can continue to grow from the great things that Bonnie has done.

Q: How would you describe your leadership style?

I consider my leadership style very collaborative; I believe you find the best answers by getting all the ideas and thoughts onto the table and then working through them as a professional group. There are no bad ideas and having a collaborative group ensures that we think about every aspect, resulting in the best solution. By bringing everyone together, I think we put our best foot forward.

Q: In your opinion, what makes a great Board director?

Being a great board member starts with leaving your ego at the door. A great board member needs to understand their fiduciary responsibility. You have to put your wants and needs behind and focus on what’s best for the Foundation. Making sure the board comes first is most important – you have to understand that it’s not about you, it’s about the decisions that make the board better. Great board members also have a passion for the foundation or any nonprofit board they are on.

Q: When you are not at work or volunteering on boards, what do you do in your spare time?

My personal time is mainly centered around my family and Maryland sports. We all go to Maryland football, basketball, and lacrosse games together and we enjoy traveling. The number one job in life is to leave the world a little better than you found it, and my best example is through my kids.
Gifts and Grants Across the System
In September, UMCP alum Stanley R. Zupnik ’59, made a $25 million commitment to his alma mater. The majority of the commitment will go toward long-term support for academic programs and the remainder will help fund a new building that will house the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as Mechanical Engineering and the Quantum Technology Center. Zupnik is a generous alum of the institution and his contributions have created the Stanley R. Zupnik Fellowship Fund for graduate students, the Stanley R. Zupnik Endowed Scholarship for undergraduate civil engineering students, the naming of the Stanley R. Zupnik Lecture Hall, and the Stanley R. Zupnik ’59 Forum.
Stanley R. Zupnik
The Adobe Foundation selected Bowie State University to receive $1 million as part of an effort to make digital learning skills more equitable and to enable success of diverse students from underinvested communities. In addition to BSU, San José State University and Winston-Salem State University will also receive $1 million. The gift will help expose students to careers in technology and equip them with creative and digital skills, as well as allow the institutions to invest in students through scholarships, facilities, mentorship, and more.

Bowie State University will also receive $500,000 as part of a $2 million commitment by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to four HBCUs that will allow the institutions to expand access to its student venture and entrepreneurial skill-building program – Blackstone LaunchPad. In addition to BSU, students from Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T University, and North Carolina Central University will benefit.

Additionally, NBA star Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation committed $500,000 to Bowie State University towards renovations to the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex, which include installation of a new basketball court, expansion of seating capacity and upgrades to the press box area. The gift will also provide financial support for men’s and women’s basketball and university athletics programs and will establish a scholarship for Durant Center College track students.

This summer, Coppin State University received a $50,000 gift from Northwestern Mutual in order to launch an Insurance Learning Laboratory. In addition, the gift will support career readiness, academic, and community outreach initiatives through the College of Business.

Additionally, Coppin State University received a $3.7 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant for its teacher-training program, Pathways to Professions, from the U.S. Department of Education. The program aims to increase teacher diversity and student success in urban and rural schools across the state.

UMCES received a $7.5 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will establish the U.S. Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technology Incubator. The Incubator is the first of its kind and will help develop harmful algal bloom control technology projects.

UMES is a recipient of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Driving Change Initiative Award and is the first HBCU to receive this grant. The $2.5 million grant will help UMES launch STEM STARS (Students Achieving Results in Science), a living-learning program.

Salisbury University received a $125,000 gift from the Draper Holdings Charitable Foundation, which will establish the Thomas H. Draper Scholarship. Applicants for the Thomas H. Draper Scholarship should have an interest in broadcasting and media. Tom Draper was influential in broadcasting throughout the Delmarva area.
USM News Briefs
Our USM institutions were recognized in national and global rankings that commend their excellence in teaching, value, innovation, and more. Of particular note, The Princeton Review named Salisbury University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland, College Park among its best colleges. Additionally, the USM’s HBCUs were named among the Top 35 of the U.S. News & World Report 2023 “Best Colleges” list for HBCUs. Click here to read a comprehensive list of the rankings.
Frostburg State University added three new sports: men’s and women’s wrestling programs, and women’s rugby. FSU is one of 23 NCAA Division II schools that offer women’s wrestling. Click here to read more.

The University of Maryland, College Park Health Center was designated as a LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). The Health Center received a maximum score in the following areas – Foundational Policies and Training in LGBTQ+ Patient-Centered Care; LGBTQ+ Patient Services and Support; Employee Benefits and Policies; and Patient and Community Engagement – which HEI uses as benchmarks for evaluation.

Dr. Lawrence Weill was named interim executive director of the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown in August, succeeding Mark Halsey who retired this summer. Weill comes to the USM from the University of New York – Sullivan where he served as interim vice president for academic and student affairs.
Dr. Lawrence Weill
In January, the University of Maryland Global Campus will offer in-person classes at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida. This is the university’s first contract to teach at a Space Force base. This year, UMGC signed another contract with Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, where they hope to continue expanding the university’s offerings.
Towson University President Kim Schatzel to Become University of Louisville President
After seven years as president of Towson University, Kim Schatzel is set to leave TU to become the next president of the University of Louisville. Her tenure at Louisville will begin on February 1. Under Schatzel's leadership, Towson University has become more diverse and now consists of the second-largest population of students of color in the state. Additionally, growth of the university's campus soared under her leadership and was funded with $1 billion of state support, the largest capital investment in TU's history. Under Schatzel's leadership, TU's StarTUp hub for innovation and entrepreneurship was named North America's best university-based economic development initiative. TU also won APLU’s Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation for its dedication to nurturing human talent for a dynamic workforce; growing the economy through entrepreneurship and technology development; and enriching Towson as a “place of choice” through public service and community outreach. Finally, in the fall, the Board of Regents approved Schatzel's plan to seek Carnegie R2 Classification, which signifies that a university has reached high research activity. A search for her predecessor will launch soon.
USM names Mike Ravenscroft Director of Maryland Momentum Fund

Mike Ravenscroft
The USM has named Mike Ravenscroft as the managing director of the Maryland Momentum Fund. Launched in 2016, the Maryland Momentum Fund is a USM initiative that provides late seed investment funding to technology ventures that come from any of the USM institutions, research parks, or students, faculty, and graduates. Ravenscroft comes to the USM from Dreamit Ventures where he worked with digital health and medical device startups and managed a network of enterprise healthcare partners and venture funds. Prior to Dreamit, he founded re:Founded and served as a venture associate for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at UMCP. As managing director of the Maryland Momentum Fund, Ravenscroft will continue to grow the USM’s investment portfolio while defining and implementing strategies to meet the Fund’s dual objectives of investor returns and economic development.
UMCP Launches Terrapin Commitment Program

The University of Maryland, College Park launched the Terrapin Commitment program, a new investment in need-based financial aid providing up to $20 million annually for students from the state of Maryland. This program is the largest single-year investment in need-based scholarships in the university’s history. The goal of the program, which is set to begin in January 2023, is to reduce the gap between a student’s total financial aid package and the cost of an education. It will ensure that tuition and fees are fully covered for Pell eligible, in-state students who are enrolled full time and have financial need. Students who submitted the FAFSA form for the academic year and who meet the eligibility requirements are automatically enrolled for consideration.
USM Launches Strategic Plan Vision 2030

The USM launched a new 10-year strategic plan “Vision 2030: From Excellence to Preeminence.” The strategic plan focuses on the needs of students and learning outcomes while also aiming to drive economic growth and serve the state and nation. The plan has five priorities: academic excellence and innovation; access, affordability, and achievement; workforce and economic development; research; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Led by Regent Geoff Gonella, a seven-member Board of Regents work group collaborated with Huron Consulting and more than 25 internal and external stakeholder groups for 18 months. Stakeholders included advisory councils, leaders from the Maryland State Department of Education, the K-12 community, the Greater Baltimore Committee, business leaders throughout the state and many others. Click here to read more.
USM Leadership Recognized

UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby was named Technologist of the Year by Women of Color Magazine. In addition to receiving the award, Sheares Ashby was featured on the cover of Women of Color Magazine and in an article where she recounts her life and career. Sheares Ashby received recognition for the award at a ceremony in Detroit at the Women of Color STEM DTX Conference in October.

Additionally, TU President Kim Schatzel was named a 2022 Most Admired CEO by The Daily Record in the category of higher education. The honorees are business CEOs, higher education leaders, and nonprofit directors across the state for their leadership and vision and were chosen based on their professional accomplishments, community service, and letters of reference.
Sheares Ashby accepting Technologist of the Year award
Lastly, in late December, a number of USM leaders were recognized and named to the Power 100 list by The Daily Record. According to The Daily Record, the list celebrates "the people who play an outsized role in the culture, lifestyle, civic conversation and economic fortunes of Maryland." From the USM, six leaders are named:

  • President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Bruce Jarrell
  • USM Foundation Board Member, Creig Northrop
  • USM Chancellor, Jay Perman
  • President of the University of Maryland, College Park, Darryll Pines
  • President of TU, Kim Schatzel
  • President of UMBC, Valerie Sheares Ashby