Letter from the President
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope you all are continuing to stay safe and healthy as we inch closer to the end of this crazy year! Despite the ongoing disruptions of COVID-19, the dedication of our staff and Board members has been invaluable in helping us continue our work in this ever-changing landscape. It has been inspiring to see how many members of our community stepped up with contributions to emergency funds that have helped students across the System continue their educational journeys in the face of the many hardships that the pandemic has brought to them.

On November 17, the Foundation Board held its second-ever virtual Board meeting. The online meeting space has allowed many Board members and staff to join the meeting who may otherwise not be able to due to distance or schedules. It was great to see everyone and to engage in a productive discussion about the recent Presidential election with faculty from the University of Maryland, College Park. Further on in this newsletter, you will find a full recap of the Board meeting.
In other Foundation news, for the first time ever, we have transitioned our annual report to an entirely online environment. Click here to see our FY20 financial statements, investment report, a video interview with Chancellor Perman and more.
The USM Foundation's first-ever digital annual report
Earlier this fall, Foundation Board Chair Bonnie Stein participated in the Shop Maryland Tax-Free Virtual Scholarship Presentation. The scholarships were presented to students who went above and beyond to help small businesses in Maryland stay afloat during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bonnie introduced second-place winner, Kyle Fritschi, a student at the University of Maryland, College Park. Kyle is a childhood cancer survivor who has been employed at Brooke Grove Retirement Village in Sandy Spring, Maryland since 2017. When the pandemic hit, Kyle took on extra shifts at the retirement home while juggling the transition to online classes. He made calls to residents of the retirement home to conduct welfare checks and helped prepare and package meals to deliver to resident's doorsteps while some of his coworkers were unable to work due to positive COVID tests. During the presentation, Bonnie announced that the USM Foundation would match the scholarship prize money Kyle received. Bonnie was so moved by Kyle’s story that she also committed a match, as did the University of Maryland, College Park Foundation. Congratulations, Kyle!
Bonnie Stein presents the Shop Maryland Tax-Free Scholarship
Finally, I would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. Please stay heathy and as always, please contact me at raley@usmd.edu with any questions or comments. 

Sincerely,

Leonard R. Raley
Foundation Board Meeting Recap

On November 17, the USM Foundation Board held its second-ever online Board meeting.

The Board engaged in an informative panel discussion led by University of Maryland, College Park faculty members Dr. Gregory F. Ball, Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development; Dr. Stella Rouse, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement; and Dr. Michael Hanmer, Professor and Research Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement. The panel discussed a variety of topics related to the recent 2020 Presidential election, including how young people and minorities voted, voter turnout, attitudes on voting methods and future election reform, the perception of the polls prior to the election, and an evaluation of how the polls performed.

Chancellor Jay Perman’s report was full of news about how our campuses have handled the unprecedented challenges of operating in a pandemic. Since the last Board meeting, the USM decided that its institutions would be allowed to return to campus during the fall semester with detailed de-densifying plans that would accommodate hybrid and in-person learning. Chancellor Perman explained that a number of students rely on in-person interaction because they need experiential learning for their areas of study or because they are unable to learn at home due to a lack of access to safe spaces or technology. Since the start of the fall semester, every institution had a backup plan that would allow them to pivot to an entirely online environment if needed, which a few campuses have implemented. Overall, Chancellor Perman is happy with the System's decision and commends the staff, faculty, and students across the USM for implementing and complying with their campuses' guidelines. Chancellor Perman noted that the fiscal impacts of COVID - decreased revenues and the costs of readying campuses for in-person learning - has led to deficits for both FY20 and FY21 and that it may take some years for full fiscal recovery.

Investment Committee Chair Larry Boggs gave a positive investment report and thanked Chief Investment Officer Sam Gallo and his team for preparing the Foundation for a worst-case scenario such as COVID. To conclude the meeting, Board Chair Bonnie Stein applauded Board member Fran Soistman's historic $5.3 million gift to Towson University, the largest gift to the university from an alumnus ever (more information below). She also thanked the Board members, Board committees, and Foundation staff for all of their hard work over the past year.
The Foundation's November 17 Board meeting, held on Zoom
Spotlight on Staff - Sapna Varghese

Sapna Varghese serves as the director of prospect research in the USM Office of Advancement and has been with the System office for the past 16 years. She holds an undergraduate degree from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park and a master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
 
Q: Please describe your role. Overall, what are your responsibilities? What is a typical day like for you at work?  

A: I oversee prospect research services provided by the System office to those institutions within the USM that need assistance with research for fundraising purposes. During a typical day at work, I attend meetings with team members, provide data management support, prioritize and work on requests received from clients, coordinate vendor relationships, verify information on research products, work on special projects for leadership, and scan through daily publications to stay on top of trends and technologies related to fundraising and philanthropy.
 
Q: What have you enjoyed most about working within the Foundation and USM so far? 
 
A: Working at USM over the years has offered me the opportunity to grow professionally and personally. I have been fortunate to work with passionate leaders and team members who really share values that create a positive and caring work environment.
 
Q: Tell me something interesting about yourself! What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

A: I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling to new places, and being active in volunteer roles in the community.
Gifts Across the System
USM Foundation Board member and Towson University alumnus Fran Soistman recently gave the university its largest gift in history from an alumnus. The $5.3 million gift will benefit athletics, the College of Health Professions, the College of Business and Economics, and programming aimed at advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion. Fran's first gift to TU in the late 1980s was followed by many contributions to the school, including volunteer roles within the TU Foundation and the university's Board of Visitors.
Towson University President Kim Schatzel and Fran Soistman
In October, Towson University received a $1 million gift from retired physics professor and former department chair Eddie Loh. The gift is the largest planned faculty gift in the university's history and will fund scholarships for physics students at TU.

Bowie State University recently received two significant gifts. The first gift of $50,000 from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, in partnership with the AKA Educational Advancement Foundation, will establish an endowed scholarship to support students at Bowie State University. The gift was a result of the third annual HBCU Impact Day, during which more than $1.5 million was raised in support of HBCUs. The second gift of $100,000 comes to BSU from Truist Financial Corporation to provide emergency aid for students who are in need of financial support in order to continue their education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An anonymous Frostburg State University graduate, who completed his degree during the beginning of the pandemic, donated the value of tuition for two, seven-week classes in the school's MBA program in order to help someone who would not otherwise be able to return to the program.
In September, Salisbury University alums Bob Clarke and Glenda Chatham announced a $1.5 million planned endowment to benefit the SU Honors College, which will be named after them. Their contribution supports "We Are SU: The Campaign for Salisbury University," the largest fundraising effort in the school's history.
Robert G. Clarke and Glenda Chatham (left) with SU President Charles Wight
The founder of UMBC's statistics department, Professor Bimal Sinha, pledged $750,000 in 2015 to create the Dr. Bimal Sinha Professorship in Statistics. This summer, the total endowment stood at $900,000. In late October, the Maryland E-nnovation Initiative Fund announced it would match the amount currently pledged to the endowment with an additional $900,000, bringing the total endowment of the professorship to $1.8 million.

UMES received a $10,000 gift from ASRC Federal, a government services contractor, to support the engineering and aviation sciences program. UMES plans to use the contribution to fund scholarships for aviation science students.

UMGC alumna Bonnie Broh-Kahn and her husband, Jere, established endowment funds through a $1 million bequest to the school in early November. The gift will provide funding for scholarships, support for student emergency funds, the school's Pillars of Strength program and more.
USM News Briefs
The Bowie State University and the University of Maryland, College Park have launched the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance. The alliance will create opportunities to deepen learning and engage in direct action on social justice issues. The alliance honors the memory of Lt. Richard Collins III, a Bowie State University student who was killed on the UMCP campus by a student in 2017.

In late November, UMBC announced that Sam Patterson '21 became the second student in the university's history to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. Patterson will receive his bachelor of science degrees in math and statistics and a bachelor of arts degree in economics this spring from UMBC and will pursue an M.Sc. in the Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance program at Oxford University. Patterson is a Meyerhoff Scholar and a member of the Honors College at UMBC.

Towson University was one of ninety universities nationwide to receive a 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award. The award measures a college or university's level of achievement and intensity of commitment to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus.

In October, Google, in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, announced that it would provide 20,000 students from HBCUs access to digital training through a program that offers online skills training and custom workforce readiness workshops at career centers of 20 schools. The ultimate goal is to offer the program at every HBCU by fall 2021. The first four schools in the program are Bowie State University, Winston-Salem State University, Southern University A&M College, and Virginia State University.

In September, The Baltimore Sun named UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski to its 2020 Business and Civic Hall of Fame. The 2020 honorees are the fifth group to be recognized for their achievements in business, philanthropy, public service, education, and the arts.
Dr. Lawrence Leak was named interim president of the University of Maryland Global Campus in September, following the retirement of President Javier Miyares. Leak came to UMGC in 2003 as vice provost for academic affairs and professor and later served as interim provost and chief academic officer.

Across the System, our institutions continue to make great advancement in COVID research and outreach:
President Freeman Hrabowski participates in vaccine trial
(photo from the Washington Post)
Dr. Anne Khademian Named Executive Director of The Universities at Shady Grove
In October, Dr. Anne Khademian began her tenure as executive director of USG. Dr. Khademian comes to the System from Virginia Tech's Research Center, where she served as a Presidential Fellow. While in this role, Khademian supported the implementation of Beyond Boundaries initiatives and worked to support organizational innovation and growth. At Virginia Tech, Khademian also served as director of the School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. She has spent more than 20 years in higher education and is a nationally recognized scholar and author in areas such as inclusive leadership and organizational change. Khademian is the successor to Stewart Edelstein, who served as executive director of USG since 2002 and retired this fall.
Dr. Eileen Abel Named Executive Director of the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland
On December 1, Dr. Eileen Abel will begin her tenure as executive director of the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM). Currently, Dr. Abel serves as vice president of academic affairs at the College of Southern Maryland, which is a top provider for students seeking certificates, associate degrees, and credits for transfer to four-year institutions. While at the College of Southern Maryland, Abel was a key part of overseeing college-to-work pathways, developing internship support for students participating in research at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory at UMCES, and creating an early college academy at the college's Leonardtown campus. USMSM became the System's third regional center in spring 2019 and offers degree and certificate programs from Bowie State University, Salisbury University, Towson University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Maryland Global Campus, as well as 50 additional degree and certificate programs from non-USM institutions.
Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, Named President of University of Maryland, Baltimore
Dr. Bruce Jarrell became president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore on September 11, after serving as interim president of the school since January 2020. Dr. Jarrell has been part of the UMB community since 1997, when he became chair of the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine. Prior to becoming interim president, Jarrell served as executive vice president and provost. Under his tenure at UMB, Jarrell promoted the school's education, research, and clinical care agendas and oversaw UMB's prominent institutional relationships such as the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State. He succeeds Jay Perman as president of UMB.