Press Release - USM Vice Chancellor John K. Martin Receives CASE Award

May 7, 2002

USM Vice Chancellor John K. Martin Receives CASE Award

John K. Martin, vice chancellor for advancement for the University System of Maryland (USM) and president of the University of Maryland Foundation (UMF), has been named a winner of a 2002 Commonfund Award, one of three being given by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the single largest nonprofit education association. Martin will receive the Professional Leadership Award for a foundation with assets over $100 million during the annual CASE Conference for Institutionally Related Foundations, taking place May 8-10 in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Professional Leadership Award is part of the 2002 CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Awards. The awards were established to honor individuals who have made "extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality, and effectiveness of their foundations and organizations and to the community of institutionally related foundations as a whole," according to CASE. Institutionally related foundations are private nonprofit corporations dedicated to the support of individual colleges, universities, and university systems. They raise and manage private resources to support the missions of the institutions with which they are affiliated.

Under Martin's guidance, the UMF endowment has grown twentyfold, outperforming the Standard & Poor's Register for the last 10 years and ranking in the top three percent among all university endowments for investment performance.

Currently serving as treasurer of CASE, Martin has served in many other positions as a CASE trustee. He has chaired the National Committee for Institutionally Related Foundations and has served as chair and faculty for numerous CASE and Association of Governing Boards (AGB) conferences.

A veteran of 33 years of higher education management, Martin is responsible for USM development, governmental affairs, and public relations. As president of the UMF, he guides an independent corporation with assets of $450 million that was established to receive gifts and manage property and endowment funds for the USM institutions. The UMF is currently involved in a $700 million capital campaign to advance the academic goals of the USM, doubling its endowment.

In a letter supporting Martin's nomination, James Copeland, president of the Medical Foundation of North Carolina, notes Martin's well-known expertise in fundraising and the "magnificent increases in giving and support he has secured" for the USM.

Regarding Martin's leadership within the profession, Copeland said, "John Martin has set an example for advancement professionalism throughout the institutionally related foundation community."

Richard Legon, executive vice president of the Association of Governing Boards (AGB), characterized Martin as a national voice and change agent.

"Working with both CASE and the Association of Governing Boards, John has contributed to the development of an extensive portfolio of services focused on the continuing education needs of foundation CEOs and volunteers who serve on affiliated foundation boards," Legon said.

Martin's other professional and community leadership roles include membership on the CASE Board of Trustees, the CASE Investment Committee and Marketing Committee; and chairmanship of the CASE National Committee of Foundations. He also has led the Steering Committee for the AGB Leadership Forum for Public University Foundation Executives, and served as a board member at the House of Ruth in Baltimore.

According to CASE President Vance T. Peterson, "Recipients of this year's awards all share a profound commitment to the highest levels of professional service, accountability, and organizational performance. They also share a firm belief in the pivotal role that foundations play in continuing the strong tradition of private support for educational institutions."

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organizations for advancement professionals at all levels who work in alumni relations, communications, and development. CASE's membership includes more than 3,000 colleges, universities, and independent elementary and secondary schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and 42 other countries. It serves more than 38,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 23,500 professional members on its roster.

The CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Awards are supported by Commonfund, which provides fund-management services and investment advice to educational institutions, hospitals, foundations, and other nonprofit
organizations.

Contact:

Chris Hart
Phone: 301/445-2739
E-mail: chart@usmd.edu