A Matter of Degrees: USM Leading the Way in Degree Completion
At a gala
dinner on May 13, the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents
honored USM Chancellor William E. "Brit" Kirwan for receiving the prestigious
2009 Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The
award, which includes a $500,000 grant, recognizes the Chancellor's efforts to
ensure student access to a high-quality education.
The
dinner was a critical step in raising additional private support to ensure that
as many Maryland students as possible are prepared to attend college and
succeed once admitted.
The
Carnegie grant, funds from the dinner, and other fundraising efforts will
support A Matter of Degrees: USM Leading
the Way in College Completion, a focused effort to increase Maryland's
college-educated population from 41.1% to 55% by 2020.
As
of mid-May 2010, an additional $1.84 million has been raised for the Matter of Degrees campaign, putting
total funds for the effort in excess of $2.3 million.
A Matter of Degrees has three goals: 1)
to build a strong pipeline of students prepared to attend college, particularly
among Maryland's growing population of minority and disadvantaged students; 2)
to increase opportunities for student success after admission; and 3) to
support degree completion for those who have left school due to financial need.
For
further information about Matter of Degrees and how to support the initiative,
please contact the University System of Maryland Foundation (http://www.usmf.org/usmf/) at
301.445.1941.
The
May 13 dinner, held at the Riggs Alumni Center at the University of Maryland,
College Park, brought together leaders from all USM institutions, strategic
corporate partners of the system, and friends from the community-at-large.
Gov.
Martin O'Malley and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer delivered tributes during the formal
program. Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County, served as master of ceremonies.
"The
Academic Leadership Award is indeed a prestigious honor, reflecting the power
of Brit's leadership and the quality, impact and accessibility of the USM
across the state," USM Board of Regents chair Clifford Kendall told the
audience. "In many ways, what is just as impressive is Brit's desire to see to
it that the USM-through the Board of Regents-was able to capitalize on the
award in a way that advanced our goals, making it much more than a personal
accolade."
In
his remarks, Chancellor Kirwan called the Matter
of Degrees campaign "a very important step toward our goal of making
Maryland number one in the proportion of its population with a college degree."
Periodic
updates regarding the campaign can be found at http://www.usmf.org/usmf/.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
