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 Campaign Update
Great Expectations, The Campaign for Maryland pushed past the halfway mark of its $1 billion effort this spring, marking the milestone on March 31, the chronological mid-point of the seven-year campaign. A $6 million gift from long-time Maryland benefactor Robert H. Smith to support performing arts programs, put us over the top building on gifts from more than 80,000 other donors. As of May 18, the campaign total had reached $516,399,424 and the momentum continues to grow.
 Major Gifts, Major Impact
Fischell Fellow May Revolutionize Medicine with Handheld Device
Imagine a “medical lab on the palm of your hand.” Thanks to doctoral student Marc Dandin ’04, M.S. ’07, medical personnel who respond to emergencies or natural disasters may one day be able to quickly test if humans are exposed to life-threatening pathogens at an emergency site. For this and other innovative research, Dandin was awarded the prestigious 2008 Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering. The award is named in honor of Robert E. Fischell M.S. ’53, Honorary Doctorate ’96, benefactor of the new bioengineering wing that houses the newest department in the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
Helping Students Reach for the Stars
Pioneer Prepares a New Generation in Crisis Communications
“What I love about crisis communications is we’re given the choice to be a spectator or a protagonist to history,” says Richard Levick ’79, president and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications. “I love having an opportunity to be a protagonist.” Levick, a pioneer of the emerging field of crisis communications, leads a company that is ranked among the nation’s top firms in the business. Now he is ushering in the next generation of leaders with the Levick Crisis Communication Scholarship in the Department of Communication.
Biomedical Engineer by Day, Vocal Engineer by Night
He has invented life-saving biomedical devices including the implantable insulin pump, the rechargeable heart pacemaker and the flexible stent that holds coronary arteries open. Renowned alumnus Robert E. Fischell M.S. ’53, Honorary Doctorate ’96 now reinvents himself onstage in the boisterous, swashbuckling Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, “The Pirates of Penzance.” See him in a feature role in the June 7 benefit performance at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center that will raise money to support scholarships for Maryland students in music, theatre and dance.
Thanks for the Scholarships
Scholarship recipients are always grateful to the donors on whom they depend for philanthropic support. But for Lawrence Jackson ‘10, recipient of the Doris Patz Regents Scholarship, a simple thank you note was not enough. He decided to express his gratitude and admiration on the big screen with a video documentary that honors Patz and provides a glimpse of his student experience. The video was featured at the 11th Annual Celebration of Scholarships luncheon in April that brought together some 500 scholarship donors and recipients.
Volunteers Make the Difference
From Athletics to Board Member—No Limits for This Alumna
Whether it’s becoming a state basketball champ or graduating from law school with honors, former economics major Deborah L. Potter ’87, goes for the gold in just about every endeavor. One of the newest and youngest members of the University of Maryland College Park Board of Trustees, she is setting her sights on increasing the ever growing donor support to Maryland.
Building First-Class Learning Environments
Future Secured for Gateway Chemistry Lab
Protecting America’s borders from fraudulent entry sometimes means stopping a big truck, but sometimes it comes down to analyzing the miniscule elements in the chemical blueprint of ink on a passport or fiber content of the paper. That’s when Douglas K. Shaffer ’72, a forensic chemist at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security goes to work. Shaffer’s passion for unraveling the mysteries of materials was sparked as a student in the microanalysis laboratory at Maryland, a laboratory that he is now helping to maintain for today’s students with a new endowment.
On the Wings of Innovation in the Clark School
You may have heard, the Fischell Department of Bioengineering just moved into its brand new wing in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building. The new facilities will be home to researchers who are developing “the next generation of devices that will advance health care and improve human lives,” says Department Chair William Bentley. In addition to more multidisciplinary research in bioengineering, researchers in the department are teaming up with colleagues at the University of Maryland Baltimore’s medical, dental and pharmacy schools.
Retired Librarian’s Investment Yields
Happy Returns
Retired College of Information Studies librarian Bill Wilson knows quite a lot about giving and receiving. Philanthropy is a longstanding tradition in his family. Earlier this year, Wilson decided to make a gift that not only helps the college, but him as well. He funded a charitable gift annuity, a planned gift in memory of his favorite aunt, Bertha K. Wilson. The funds support the renovation of a former colleague’s office in Hornbake Library. The added good news is Wilson will receive annuity payments for life.
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