WHEN THERE IS
plenty of economic
distress to
go around, it might seem
a bit easier to bear if you
can help someone who is
hurting even more than
yourself.
That's what alumni and
friends weathering the
recession are finding as
they respond to the Keep
Me Maryland initiative.
Support of the fundraising
effort, launched in
March, provides emergency
financial aid for students
struggling to stay in school.
A growing number of
Maryland families are
struck by unemployment,
lost homes and depleted
savings. One Terp parent
saw his salary cut by
$50,000; another was laid
off from an automaker
after 15 years; and another
found a new job after a
layoff but took a $32,000
pay cut. Many students are
considering putting their
education
on hold.
Maryland is determined to
avert that decision.
"These are tough times
for nearly everyone, but
for some members of
the Maryland community,
the situation is critical,
threatening the futures of
our students," says Brodie
Remington, vice president
for university relations.
"When the Maryland family
bands together, our collective
support can add up to
a big difference."
The university has
intensified the scholarship
fundraising efforts
already under way as part
of Great Expectations, The Campaign for Maryland
with a new focus on the
immediate needs of current
and incoming students
across all income levels.
All contributions to the
Keep Me Maryland Fund go
directly to support student
aid, meeting a need that
is expected to continue to
grow with the recession.
This year, the need
for more aid dollars is
especially critical because
investment returns on
many endowed scholarships
are insufficient to
make an award to students.
New scholarship contributions
to these funds for
immediate use can help
support students until the
investments recover.
Erin Callaway '05, one
of the first to respond to
the fundraising appeal,
says she recalls what it was
like to struggle to pay for
her education.
"As a student at
Maryland, I worked two
part-time jobs while also
maintaining a heavy course
load. It would have been a
great comfort to know that if
I needed assistance, it was
available," says Callaway.
"The Keep Me Maryland initiative
provides this security,
and any little bit that I can
contribute to help current
students is an investment
that I will never regret."
Maryland alumnion the Eastern Shore can now
support their alma mater with a swing of a golf club.
Allen & Rocks Inc., former owner of the Easton
Club in Talbot County, has donated the championship
18-hole course to the university, allowing proceeds
from memberships and greens fees to directly benefit
Maryland.
Robert D. Rauch '73, a civil engineer who designed
the facility and was a business partner in the Easton
Club, played a key role in the transfer of the $5 million,
180-acre golf complex to the university. It includes a
10,000-square-foot clubhouse and a 5,000-square-foot
pavilion overlooking the Tred Avon River, all amid a
community of 300 houses and about 200 town homes.
"I can't imagine having a better neighbor and business
interest in our community than the U niversity of
Maryland," Rauch says. "Any time you can bring an
entity with that presence, those resources and vision
into a community, it's just an exciting partnership."
Given the significant number of Maryland alumni
living on the Eastern Shore, Rauch notes, "it will be a
great venue for alumni activities, retreats, conferences
and promotional activities."
Jeff Maynor agrees. Director of the University of
Maryland Golf Course for the past 11 years, he is also
managing the Easton Club. "We get caught up in the
busy pace of the campus and I think there's a different
feeling there. And it gives us a fantastic opportunity
to connect with the Eastern Shore alumni on their own
turf," he says.
College Park and Easton Club golfers will have
dual memberships with access to either facility. "With
this reciprocal relationship, we're hoping to see a lot
more memberships being used in both places," says
Maynor.
-DCJ
And the Grammy for best compilation soundtrack goes to ... "Juno!" With those words
in February, Barry Louis Polisar '77 became a Grammy Award-winning songwriter.
"All I Want Is You," a playful love song written in 1977 as filler on his
second children's album, was featured in the opening credits of the popular
movie about an offbeat teenager facing an unexpected pregnancy.
Polisar's original recording is the first song on the soundtrack.
"This is extremely rewarding," says Polisar, known to teachers and librarians across the country for his ability to excite children with his
humorous, insightful music and books. "It brings a degree of mainstream
recognition that had been missing in my career. Now, everyone knows
this song, even if they don't know who wrote it."
Polisar renewed his connection with Maryland last year when
contacted by a student from the university's fundraising call
center, Tell-a-Terp. He later offered to donate selected
music and books from his extensive works to the
university's Center for Young Children. "Some of our
teachers had Polisar's recordings as children and are
delighted to have this collection to share with students
today," says Francine Favretto, center director.
Many children also met Polisar in the 1990s
through his Emmy Award-winning children's
program, "Field Trip," which aired nationally on
network television and public broadcasting stations.
It was later syndicated on cable networks in the U.S.
and overseas. Copies of Polisar's videos have come to
Maryland's National Public Broadcasting Archives in
Hornbake Library.
"This is a great addition to our collection," says Acting
Curator Karen King. "Children's broadcasts are a strong
part of our archive, and to have award-winning works
produced by an alumnus is
something special."-CR
