Letter from the President
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Since I last wrote, the USM and the USM Foundation have been hard at work advancing education throughout the state. We focused on much of this work at our full Foundation Board meeting on June 8, which you can read more about later in this newsletter.
Chancellor Jay Perman and Bonnie Stein
This meeting was Bonnie Stein’s final as Foundation Board chair. I simply can’t thank Bonnie enough for her commitment to the Foundation. Under Bonnie’s leadership, the Foundation's total assets under management have grown from $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion. As chair of the Governance Committee and then as Board chair, she helped diversify the Board and has stressed the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), establishing a DEIJ working group with broad representation from the Board. In addition, Bonnie has strengthened the Foundation's focus on service to our USM campuses. Bonnie helped to allocate $300,000 to our campuses and regional centers for emergency-use funds for students in the spring of 2020. We are so grateful for her leadership and for her guidance these past years. I now look forward to working with our next Board chair, Don Scheeler, who has served as a director on the Board since 2015.
Bonnie Stein and Don Scheeler
Across the USM, our campuses are having a great fundraising year, surpassing a System-wide goal of $322 million at the end of March. Gifts and pledges across the System stand at roughly $390 million in June. Nearly all of our campuses are at or over goal. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County received the largest gift in the school’s history – a $21 million donation from the Sherman Family Foundation – in February. The gift will expand the impact of UMBC’s K-12 and early childhood education efforts and will provide funding for the Betsy & George Sherman Center to advance excellence in urban schools. You can read more about the wonderful gifts our campuses have received later on in this newsletter.
 
Lastly, I am excited to welcome two new presidents to the System. Valerie Sheares Ashby joins UMBC on August 1 and comes to Maryland from Duke University where she has served as dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. She will succeed Freeman Hrabowski, who has served as president of UMBC for the past 30 years. We also welcome Carolyn Ringer Lepre to Salisbury University. She comes to SU on July 15 from Radford University and succeeds Chuck Wight who has served as president since 2018. You can read more about our two new presidents later on in this newsletter.

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

Sincerely,
Leonard R. Raley
USM Foundation Board Meeting Recap
The full Board of Directors met on June 8 at Hidden Waters.

The meeting kicked off with an update from Chancellor Jay Perman. Chancellor Perman thanked Chair Bonnie Stein for her service on the Foundation Board and spoke to how she has encouraged financial stewardship, helped diversify the Board of Directors, committed to providing excellent service to our USM campuses, and more. Chancellor Perman gave a positive update about the State's funding for the System. Next, Chancellor Perman spoke about the challenges facing higher education and how the USM is addressing them with solutions that are student- and outcome-focused with global impact in mind.
David Mister, Glen Hannah Cole, Hugh Cole, Harry Johnson, Alan Cason
Governance Chair Harry Johnson presented the Governance Committee report and the Board approved the election of the new Directors.

Investment Committee Chair Larry Boggs presented a positive investment report, despite the uncertainty facing the world.

The meeting concluded with the passing of the gavel from past Chair Bonnie Stein to new Chair Don Scheeler.
Nicholas Johansson, Crystal Watkins Johannson, Alicia Ritchie
Bonnie Stein passing the gavel to Don Scheeler
Meet the New Foundation Board Directors
Hugh Breslin, Member of the USM Board of Regents

Hugh J. Breslin, III recently retired after a 41-year TV broadcasting career, most recently in a senior management role for Nexstar Media Group, the largest TV broadcasting company in the United States. Currently, he does media consulting for HJB3 Media. Hugh is a 1977 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and has served as an active member on many boards. He currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Fletcher Foundation, and is serving on the Finance Committee of the Meritus Medical Center.
Sara Fernández Cendón, Global Content Producer McCormick & Company

Sara Fernández Cendón leads global communications and campaigns for McCormick & Company. As a senior producer, she is responsible for directing in-house and external content creation to promote the products, services, and initiatives of the largest spice company in the world. Sara has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia, School of Journalism, and an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. She currently serves on the Board of the Baltimore Chapter of ALPFA, the Association of Latino Professionals for America.
Brian Meenaghan, Senior Vice President Atlantic Union Bank

Brian Meenaghan is a senior vice president on Atlantic Union Bank’s Mid-Corporate Banking team. Prior to joining Atlantic Union Bank, Brian held key leadership and relationship management roles at BB&T in commercial banking. Brian is a 2005 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park from the Smith School of Business. He is a long-time active member of the Maryland alumni community having served on various boards in support of the university, including the Robert H. Smith School’s Alumni Chapter Board and the UMD Board of Governors.
Crystal Watkins Johansson, M.D., PH.D., DF-APA Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health MedStar Harbor Hospital

Dr. Crystal Watkins Johansson became the first female Meyerhoff Scholar from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, to earn a medical degree and doctorate (M.D./Ph.D.) and one of only a few African-American women to earn a doctorate in molecular and cellular neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During her career, Crystal has been honored as Physician of the Year and recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100-Women by the Daily Record, and was named the Johns Hopkins University Young Alumna of the Year and the UMBC Aluma of the Year in Mathematics and Science. In March 2021, Crystal was named a Distinguished Fellow by the American Psychiatric Association, one of the highest honors given by the organization.
Foundation Board Director News
Bonnie Stein was named to the Daily Record’s 2022 Power 30 Higher Education list, which honors those in Maryland who are leading colleges and universities, charting courses for the future, striving to improve access and equity, and those on the cutting edge of research and liberal arts. Read more about the other USM honorees later in this newsletter.

Gregory Abel, CEO of Abel Communications, a PR firm in Baltimore, has launched a podcast called What's the Big Idea? Business leaders, innovators, and marketing professionals join Greg each week to discuss big ideas in business and life. Past guests include, Chris Heck, president of the 76ers; Shantell Roberts, founder of Touching Young Lives; and Adam Lindquist, vice president of programs and environmental initiatives at the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. Click here to learn more.

Barry Gossett received an honorary degree at the University of Maryland, College Park's commencement ceremony in May. Click here to read more.

Frank Islam also received an honorary degree from Maulana Azad University, in northwestern India at the university's second convocation ceremony. Click here to read more.

Robert Neall was selected to serve on the Maryland Environmental Service Board of Directors.

Creig Northrop was named to the Daily Record’s 2022 Power 30 Business, which honors those who have helped build the state's rich business environment.

Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation was recognized as a 2022 Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Giver. According to Ana Marie Argilagos, President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy, “HIPGivers represent aspirational Latines who show us what’s possible when you fuel our communities with resources and opportunities. We chose Toni especially because he understands the urgency and ingenuity that’s required to generate the next generation of changemakers.”

Ali von Paris was named a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Mid-Atlantic Award by Ernst and Young (EY). According to EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed.

Lastly, Leonard Raley and Ali von Paris attended a Maryland Senate hearing in March, at which they discussed the Governor’s nomination of Leonard to a second term on the Maryland Public Private Marketing Corporation Board of Directors. In addition, Board member Ali von Paris was being introduced by her sponsoring Senator to the Senate Nominations Committee.
Spotlight on Staff
Win Maw serves as IT Programmer Analyst within advancement services at the University System of Maryland.

Please describe your role. Overall, what are your responsibilities? What is a typical day like for you at work?  
I am responsible for reporting on the Advancement Business Intelligence (ABI) platform, which our USM partner campuses use to track and analyze fundraising goals and progress. A typical day for me starts with checking on the status of our nightly processes to make sure that the nightly data refreshes within the system were successful. By doing this, we make sure our users receive up-to-date data through reporting. If processes break, I make sure that they get fixed. Then, I ensure all the email reporting deliveries are sent out and that the systems are up. I also work on new developments and review requests based on priority from our campus partners.
 
What have you enjoyed most about working within the Foundation and USM so far?
Based on my work responsibilities, I need to work individually most of the time and sometimes collaboratively. I enjoy that I have been able to work successfully within this set up. 
 
Tell me something interesting about yourself! What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy reading and surfing the net. I also enjoy spending time with family, recreational cooking, and going out and about. During the pandemic, I made walking a habitual part of my routine.
Gifts and Grants Across the System
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute pledged $1.5 billion to support scientists of color in university laboratories and will sponsor up to 150 early-career scientists in the next decade. The program is named after Freeman Hrabowski, to honor the work he performed at UMBC to advance students of color in engineering and science. The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program will cover salaries, research budgets, equipment, and other costs for these scientists.

UMBC received the largest gift in the university’s history in February from the Sherman Family Foundation. The $21 million gift will help UMBC expand the reach of their K-12 and early childhood education work. In addition, the gift will launch the Betsy & George Sherman Center as a national model to advance excellence in urban schools and will aid UMBC’s work in teacher preparation, school partnerships, and applied research focused on early childhood education and improving learning outcomes for Baltimore’s students.
Betsy and George Sherman
In late February, UMES and Salisbury University received approximately $3.3 million from the estate of George E. Miles, who spent his adult life in the Salisbury area and was an employee at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Miles valued higher education and his gift will benefit students through scholarships and financial aid.

Bowie State University’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services raised $25,000 to honor Barbara Lynch Freeman, who taught as a lecturer for 28 years at the university, and to establish a scholarship in her name. The endowment will assist sociology students with their financial needs.

Troon, a golf course and resort management company, has committed to investing $75,000 over the next three years to underwrite scholarships and make internships available for UMES students at Troon-managed properties around the world. The investment is part of a Black History Month initiative to help underrepresented hospitality and professional golf management majors with college expenses.

In May, the Universities at Shady Grove announced a new scholarship program created by Sophia Parker, owner of DSFederal. The DSF-IDEA Foundation Scholarship will cover two full tuition scholarships each year for students in programs at USG who face financial need. One scholarship will go to a student in an information technology program and one will go to a student in a public health program.
USM News Briefs
In late March, CSU President Anthony Jenkins met with students at the former Andrew Jackson Elementary – now the Fanny Jackson Coppin Elementary School – in South Philadelphia. Jenkins announced that students at the school would have their full tuition covered, so long as they complete high school and attend Coppin State University. 

BSU's College of Business has launched a philanthropy fellowship program to prepare students for careers in non-profit management. Student fellows are required to maintain a minimum six-credit course load during their fellowship year and they will be mentored by a C-suite executive. In addition, fellows must attend monthly BSU Philanthropy Fellowship Seminars.
Nine Salisbury University students and alumni were chosen for Fulbright awards, which is the most in the school's history. In addition, four Towson University students and recent alumni have been chosen for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program – the most in the university’s history.

The University of Baltimore is launching Space Tech Camp, for students in their sophomore and junior years in Baltimore City Public Schools. The Camp is supported by a grant from NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project and its Precollege Summer Institute. The program will have students use augmented reality technology to make the NASA Artemis program’s needs achievable.

Dr. Anthony Fauci served as commencement speaker at UMB’s first in-person university-wide commencement ceremony since 2019. Fauci also received an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from UMB.
Myles Frost in MJ: The Musical
Bowie State University student Myles Frost was awarded best lead actor in a musical at the 75th Tony Awards on June 12 for his role as Michael Jackson in MJ: The Musical. The 22-year old became the youngest solo winner in the category. Click here to read more.
The USM Welcomes New Presidents at UMBC and Salisbury University

Valerie Sheares Ashby and Carolyn Ringer Lepre
The Board of Regents has appointed Valerie Sheares Ashby as the next president of UMBC and Carolyn Ringer Lepre as the next president of Salisbury University.

Sheares Ashby joins UMBC on August 1 and comes to Maryland from Duke University where she has served as dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Prior to Duke, Sheares Ashby was on faculty at UNC since 2003 and chaired the chemistry department from 2012 to 2015. As dean at Trinity College, Sheares Ashby was deeply committed to supporting students, elevating research, and prioritizing teaching and learning. She helped increase the prominence of the humanities and social sciences through investing in students and faculty. She succeeds Freeman Hrabowski who has served as president of UMBC for the past 30 years.

Lepre joins Salisbury University on July 15 and comes to the USM from Radford University where she served as interim president and as university provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to Radford University, Lepre served for eight years at Marist College in a number of positions. At Radford, Lepre helped develop programs geared toward working adults and launched the Academic Success Center, which connects students with advisors and mentors. Lepre succeeds Chuck Wight, who served as president of Salisbury University since 2018.
Jay Perman, Bonnie Stein, Linda Gooden, Among other USM Honorees Named to Power 30 Higher Education

In late April, the Daily Record released their 2022 Power 30 Higher Education list, which include a number of honorees from the USM. The list includes people in Maryland who are leading colleges and universities, charting courses for the future, striving to improve access and equity, and those on the cutting edge of research and liberal arts. The following names represent those on the list with a connection to the USM:

Bonnie Stein, Chair, USM Foundation
Kurt Schmoke, President, University of Baltimore
Kim Schatzel, President, Towson University
Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland, College Park
Jay Perman, Chancellor, University System of Maryland
Ronald Nowaczyk, President, Frostburg State University
Teng Li, Professor, University of Maryland, College Park
Jennifer King Rice, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Maryland, College Park
Anthony L. Jenkins, President, Coppin State University
Bruce E. Jarrell, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Linda Gooden, Chair, University System of Maryland Board of Regents
Gregory W. Fowler, President, University of Maryland Global Campus
Aminta Breaux, President, Bowie State University 
Joann Boughman, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, University System of Maryland
Bob Bartlett, Associate Professor, Theater, Bowie State University
Heidi M. Anderson, President, University of Maryland Eastern Shore