INSPIRATION A N E W S L E T T E R F OR S U PP ORT E R S OF T H E U N I V E R S I T Y OF M A RY L A N D / M A RC H 2 0 17
TO TRANSFORM THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE / BOLDNESS TO TURN IMAGINATION INTO INNOVATION CURIOSITY TO DISCOVER NEW KNOWLEDGE / PASSION TO INSPIRE MARYLAND PRIDE
1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
ENDURING VALUES
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 R e0f u0g e 1e F0r o 1m V0i e1t n a0m 1W h0o 1R o 0s e 1I n 0I T 1F i e0l d1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 P a0s s1e s1 A l0o n1g G0i f 1t O0f E1d u0c a1t i o1n 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 E N D U R I N G 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 V A L U E S 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 ACTOR-TURNED-LAWYER'S GIFT
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 S 1U P P0O R T1S T0H E A1T R 0E G R1 A D0S T 1U D E0N T S1 / 1P G0. 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 A0L U M1 G 1I V E 0S T O1 H E0L P 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 FIRST-GENERATION TERPS / PG.6
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2 / INSPIRATION
ONE OF THE GREAT JOYS OF WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IS THE TREMENDOUS ENERGY THAT PULSES ACROSS CAMPUS. Every day, thousands of students stream up and down our sidewalks as they hustle from classroom to lab, from dorm to internship. We take seriously our commitment to transform the student experience for this vibrant and motivated group. We seek to provide unparalleled out-of-classroom learning opportunities, dramatically increase financial aid, and offer internships with private and public partners that augment their education. In this issue, I am pleased to share some stories of the people and programs that are helping us to transform the student experience. Friends who are passing on the gift of education through endowed scholarship support. Corporate partners who are helping us to “Do Good.� Alumni who are supporting new and innovative facilities. We believe that a university is hub of diverse ideas and life-changing experiences that will help shape the next generation of global leaders: citizens who will do well for themselves and their families, and who will do good for their communities. I would like to thank everyone for their generosity in helping us to provide engaging and compelling opportunities for our students. You are making a tremendous difference in the lives of these outstanding men and women. Go Terps!
Peter Weiler Vice President University Relations
INSPIRATION / 3
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE—INCLUDING THE COURTROOM Actor-Turned-Lawyer, Husband Make Bequest to TDPS By Sala Levin ‘10
THROUGHOUT HIS 29-YEAR CAREER AS A LITIGATOR,
Randy Lord ’77 has never lost a jury case. He may not have realized it when he was playing Rolf in “The Sound of Music” or the Emcee in “Cabaret,” but Lord’s early acting career—and the education he received while studying theater at the University of Maryland—set the stage for his success in law. “I really did feel when I was conducting a case in a courtroom, especially in front of a jury, that I used all the skills I learned in theater: thinking on your feet, improv skills and especially understanding people’s motivations, which is what acting trains you to do so well,” says Lord (above, left, in a 1976 UMD production of "The Wizard of Id"). Now, Lord ’77 and husband Steve Fessler are helping young people learn those crucial skills by making a $1.5 million bequest to support a graduate assistantship in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). The bequest is intended to support graduate students “who are serious in their career so that they get out with less debt,” says Fessler, who studied vocal
performance at the University of South Florida, where the couple has made a similar gift. “What it’s going to do is allow us to stabilize our graduate program,” says Leigh Wilson Smiley, director of TDPS. “We rely entirely on fundraising to make sure that we have our graduate programs, so this gift is extremely impactful in a serious way.” Fessler, who met Lord 35 years ago in the lounge of the Actors’ Equity Association in New York City, continues to work in the performance field. “Nothing teaches you more about communication than theater,” says Fessler. “I always say Randy never got out of theater, he just became a better-paid actor.” Through their bequest, Lord and Fessler are pledging their belief in the performing arts’ unique ability to touch people, says Smiley. “Performing arts are enormously important to individuals as well as to society because they hold a mirror up to the nature of human relations and who we are as human beings. I think Randy and Steve really understand that and want that to be passed forward.”
1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
ENDURING VA LU E S
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1
0Refugee 1 0 1 0from 1 0 1Vietnam 0 1 0 0 Who 1 0 Rose 0 0 1in0 IT1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1Field 0 1 Passes 0 1 1 0 Along 1 1 0 Gift 1 0 1of1 Education 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0
By Chris Carroll
1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1
1KIMMY 0 1 DUONG 1 0 0 knew 1 0 the 1 0fighting 1 0 north 1 0 of 1 Saigon 0 1 0had1 0 1talented 1 0 1students 0 0 1who 0 couldn’t 0 0 1 otherwise 0 0 0 1afford 0 1a 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
1been 0 going 1 0 badly, 0 1 0but1 not 1 how 1 1 badly 0 0until 1 1a shocking 0 1 0 1 1 0University 1 0 1 of 1 Maryland 0 1 0 1education, 0 1 0 says 1 1 Bruk 1 0Berhane, 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 radio announcement on April 29, 1975, abruptly inter-
Clark School director for undergraduate recruitment and
0rupted 1 0 a 1card 0 game 1 0 with 1 0 her 0 parents: 1 0 1 The 0 1city0 would E N D U Rscholarship I N G 1programs. 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 fall within hours to North Vietnamese forces, and all “Although we are committed to providing resources to remaining U.S. personnel were ordered to evacuate. students to help them fund their education, a great many 1 As 1 a0programmer-analyst 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 for0 the 1 iconic 1 0 American 1 0 1 1 0 0 1of0our0undergrads 1 0 1 0still 1 have 0 0 financial 1 0 1 need,” 0 1 he 0 says. 0 1 1 0 computing firm IBM, her future in communist-ruled While Kimmy Duong graduated from the University of 1Vietnam 0 1 0would 1 1 be0 grim. 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0Saigon, 1 1 0the0five1 nieces 0 0 and 1 0nephews 1 0 1 she 0 found 0 1 herself 0 1 0 1 1 “I1 dropped 1 1 0 my 1 cards 1 0 and 0 1ran,” 0 she 1 0said 1 on 0 a1 recent 0 1 day 0 1 0caring 1 0 for 1 in 1 1975 0 1today 0 0are1all0Terps 0 0with 1 0engineering 0 0 1 0or 1 in the offices of Pragmatics, a government IT services computer science degrees. 1firm 0 in 1 Reston, 0 0 1Va., 0 where 1 1 1she0serves 1 1 as 0 vice 1 0chairman 1 1 0 1 1 0Vietnam 1 0 1was 1 in0 chaos 1 1 that 0 1spring, 0 1 with 1 0 the 1 South 0 1 0 1 0 0and1 chief 0 1 financial 0 1 0 officer. 1 0 Her 0 1 husband, 0 1 0 Long 1 0 Nguyen, 0 1 0 0 1Vietnamese 1 0 1 0military 0 1 0disintegrating 0 1 0 1 and 0 1panicked 0 1 0 civil1 0 1 is the company’s CEO and founder. ians fleeing before advancing communist forces. Amid 0 She 1 0still1 remembers 0 1 0 1 those 0 1 who 0 0helped 1 0 her 0 along 0 1 her 0 1 0 0the1bloodshed 0 1 1 0and1 confusion, 0 1 0 1her0 sister 1 1 and 1 brother-in0 1 1 0 0 path to success—such as the American military driver law had disappeared. 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 who let her onto a bus for evacuating U.S. citizens, or Their five children, ages 7 to 14, became Duong’s respon1a local 1 0 IBM 1 1manager 0 1 0at a1 refugee 1 0 1camp 1 0in 1Guam 0 1who 1 0 1 1sibility. 0 1 She 0 1packed 1 0 each 1 0a small 1 0 backpack 1 0 1 1and 1 two 0 1bags 1 0 handed her a $100 bill—and the possibilities she found for herself: a suitcase for an orderly departure, and a 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 in the United States. small survival pack to grab if she had to run for her life. 1 “No 0 1other 1 0country 0 1 in 0 the 1 0world 1 0can1 give 0 1the0immigrant 1 0 1 0 1 In 1 late 0 1April, 0 0the1missing 0 0 0couple 1 0 was 0 able 0 1to0sneak 1 0out1 1 the opportunity that America can,” Duong says. “It is of the occupied city where they’d been trapped and took 0important 1 0 1 for 0 us 1 to 0 show 1 0 our 0 appreciation 1 0 1 0 1for0the0 most 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1generous, 0 1 0 kind 0 1and 0 caring 1 0 country 0 1 0 in1 the 1 world.” 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 Duong has pledged $2 million through the Kimmy 0Foundation 1 0 1 0to 1establish 0 1 0three 1 0endowed 0 1 0and 0 three 0 1 cur0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1rent-use 1 0 1scholarships 1 0 1 0 for 1 Maryland 1 0 1 1in-state 0 1 0freshmen 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 and transfer students enrolling in the A. James Clark 1School 0 1 of0 Engineering 1 1 0 1 and 1 0Robert 1 0 H.1 Smith 1 0 School 1 1 0of 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 Business with financial need and merit. 1 “My 0 1 husband 0 0 1 always 0 1 says 1 1 there 0 1 are 1 three 0 1 kinds 0 1 of 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1people: 1 1 some 1 0 who 1 0 do1 not 1 grab 0 1 opportunities, 1 0 1 0 1 some 1 0 who 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 grab opportunities, and those who create their own 1opportunities," 0 0 1 0 0Duong 1 0 says. 1 0 “I1want 0 0the1scholarship 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 recipients to grab this opportunity, then create their own 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 opportunities later. This should only be a first step for 1them 0 1in 0long 1 and 1 0productive 1 0 1 0careers.” 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 Scholarships are crucial to help recruit and retain
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 V A L U E S 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 0
0 0 0 1 0
0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 0 1 0 0
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0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0
0 1 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 1
0 1 0 1 0
1 0 1 1 0
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0INSPIRATION 0 1 1 0/ 5 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1
0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
1 1 back 0 0 the 1 children. 0 0 1 One 0 1 day 0 before 1 0 0South 1 0 1 was 0 1working 0 0 0as a1 senior 0 1 programmer-ana0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 “She 1 0set1a high 0 0bar1 for 0 us0 to1reach,” 1 0 he 1 1 Vietnam’s April 30 surrender, Duong fled
lyst at IBM in Bethesda. (She retired from
says. “Hopefully there’s something I can
0 1 solo, 0 1 grabbing 0 0 1 only 0 1her0 small 1 0 bag 1 and 0 1 0 1 IBM 0 1 in01994.) 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0do 0to carry 1 0 on 1 with 0 1 the 1 foundation 0 0 1 0 work 1 0 Long Nguyen, a former faculty member she started, and I look forward to it.” climbing into an American military bus at Georgetown University, introduced The scholarships support one of her in desperation. 1“In0my1 broken 0 1 English, 0 1 0 I 0said1 I didn’t 0 0 have 0 1 0 Duong 0 0 1and1 her 0 sister's 1 0 0children 1 0 0to1the0 1 0 family’s 1 0 1 core 0 1values—education—while 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 University of Maryland, which he knew opening the doors to careers in technolany papers,” she recalls. “And the gen1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 was strong in the engineering and comogy, which provide economic stability tleman said, ‘It’s okay. At this time, I don’t think 0 1 they’re 0 1 1checking 0 1 1papers 0 1 anymore.’” 0 1 1 0 1 1puting 0 1 fields. 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 while 0 0 also 1 0shaping 1 0 1society, 0 0 she 1 1says. 1 0 1 Nephew Dien P. Nguyen ’90, M.S. ’93, now Much as she mentored her own nieces A helicopter carried her to a ship, 1 0then 1 she 1 0spent 1 0several 1 1 months 0 1 1 at0 a 1 0 1director 1 0 1of financial 1 0 1 systems 0 1 1 at 0 Pragmatics, 1 0 1 0 1 and 0 1nephews, 1 1 0 Kimmy 1 1 0Duong 0 1 plans 1 1 to0 1 and refugee 0 0 1facility 0 0 on 1 Wake 0 1 Island. 0 1 0Once 0 1she0 1 fled 0 1in 01985 0 aboard 0 1 0a boat 1 0that 1 was 0 1chased 0 0 1 encourage 0 1 0 1 the 0 recipients 0 1 0 0to have 1 1 a0strong 1 1 and shot at by Vietnamese troops. A damwork ethic and contribute back to society, arrived in the U.S., IBM quickly rehired 0 1But1 her 0 thoughts 0 1 0 were 1 0 with 1 0 her 1 fam0 1 0 aged 1 0 engine 1 0 1gave 1 out, 0 1and0 the 0 vessel 1 0 drifted 0 0 1 0including 0 0 1 by0helping 1 0 1future 1 0generations. 0 1 0 0 her. ily in Vietnam. 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 before 1 0 1finally 1 0 making 1 0 1it to 1 Indonesia. 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 “It’s 1 1exciting 1 0 to 1 see 1 0how 0 technology 1 0 0 1 has 0 Duong did all she could to help him— transformed the world with the internet, Facing discrimination as the children of 0 1 Vietnamese 0 1 0 1 military 0 0 1 officer, 0 1 the 0 1 0 the E Nonly D requirement U R I N Gwas1 that 0 he 1 dedicate 0 1 0 1 social 0 1 0media 1 0and 1 nanotechnology,” 0 0 1 0 1 0 she 1 0 a1South himself to work just like she did, he says. says. “I hope these scholarship recipients five nephews and nieces in the early- to 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 V A L U E S 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 She wants the same for the students the can apply technology to improve society mid-1980s made treacherous journeys to escape 1 0 1Vietnam 1 0 1and 0 reach 1 1 Duong, 0 1 1 who 0 1 0 new 1 1 scholarships 0 0 1 0 will 0 1help. 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0and1 our 0 country.” 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
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0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0I WANT 0 1 THE 0 1SCHOLARSHIP 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 RECIPIENTS 1 0 1 0 0TO 1GRAB 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1
0 0 1 0 1 0 1THIS 0 1OPPORTUNITY, 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0THEN 1 1 CREATE 0 1 1THEIR 0 1 OWN 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
OPPORTUNITIES LATER.
0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 – KIMMY DUONG
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1
0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1
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0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
6 / INSPIRATION
A MATTER OF JUSTICE AND EQUALITY Gift Funds First-Generation and Underrepresented Students By Liam Farrell
growing up in baltimore, Tuesday Barnes ’13, Ph.D. ’19 saw how hard it was for her mother to pay for her private high school tuition. She never wanted to carry that burden into college, so she worked. She worked while in school and earned scholarships to graduate from umd with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and without loans. What allowed her to continue onto graduate school was the McNair Graduate Fellowship program, which supports students who are the first in their family to attend college or come from underrepresented populations. Barnes is overjoyed to add her voice to the research community. “All my life there has been this notion of who gets to define knowledge,” she says. “You are writing a history and a memory—this little black girl from Baltimore, who multiple people believed in.” Students like Barnes will get more of these opportunities, thanks to a new $100,000 gift from Ashok V. Kulkarni Ph.D. ’76 and his wife, Ranjana A. Kulkarni, that will create the Kulkarni Foundation Endowed Award for McNair Scholars. “I want to really see what I can do to help the disadvantaged in this country,” he says. “It’s a matter of justice and equality.”
The award will increase support from the Graduate School for McNair Graduate Fellows who have reached the candidacy phase of their doctoral program, allowing them to focus on completing their dissertations rather than seek more funding. The Graduate School awards up to 10 McNair Graduate Fellowships annually to outstanding incoming doctoral students who are alumni of a McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program at their undergraduate institution. Kulkarni earned his doctorate in computer science at umd and is a senior director at kla-Tencor, a leading company in the field of semiconductors, led and other nanoelectronics. Originally from India, he attributes his success to a family that emphasized the importance of education. “I think I owe the things I got in life to that background,” he says. “It’s unfortunate that more people don’t get a chance. If they get an opportunity, they could do great things.” Moriah Willow Ph.D. ’18, who grew up in Oregon and is from a low-income family, says he wasn’t aware of his academic potential until he went to college and had active mentorship. With the McNair fellowship, Willow, who is also pursuing a doctorate in sociology, reaches out to students who might find themselves in a similar place. “Having that lined up, I definitely feel a responsibility to try and help other people in their own journeys,” he says. “I’ve struggled in my life. I’ve been in poverty and I am not ashamed of those things. I see it as an asset.” More broadly, he says, programs like McNair create a vibrant and diverse academic atmosphere. “It just opens up a whole new pool of talent,” Willow says.
INSPIRATION / 7
BUILDING BLOCKS OF ENGINEERING A. James Clark’s Fab Lab Will Offer Hands-On Learning By Sala Levin ‘10
ARCHITECT'S GIFT TO "TIP THE SCALES" Fellowship to Attract Grad Students By Charlie Wright ‘17
when stephen parker, faia enrolled at the University of Maryland in 1966, tuition and fees totaled $366 a year. Parker, who later co-founded the prominent Maryland architecture firm Grimm + Parker, was able to pay his way over six years by working for a local architectural firm. But he understands that the financial landscape has changed since then. Parker ’72 and his wife Catherine Parker ’78 have bequeathed approximately $112,000 to the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation to endow a new fellowship for graduate students in its architecture program. “The school gave me a place to start my career,” he says. “We want to give young people not unlike myself the opportunity to have a college education.” The Parkers previously funded an endowment for undergraduate students as well as an annual travel grant for students studying abroad. This new gift will help the school attract premier talent, says Brian Kelly, professor and director of the architecture program. “It gives me more leverage when I sit down to make an offer to a graduate student, to be able to give some sort of support at the end of the day that will tip the scales,” Kelly says. Parker credits his Maryland education for his success, which includes three offices in the region with more than 100 architects. “In my very first lecture…I just got inspired,” Parker says. “My life completely changed in one direction, thinking about what I could do to help our communities here in architecture.” Parker, who recently retired after 44 years at Grimm + Parker, sits on the Board of Visitors of the School of Architecture. He hopes that his new endowed fellowship will lead to similar success for future architects. “It’s such a rewarding profession—you do things that affect the lives of those around you. I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to work my way through school and go to such a terrific place like the School of Architecture at Maryland. I want to be able to help the next generation.”
ENGINEER RON LOWMAN ’67 always knew he wanted to build things, and he went on to oversee engineering, design and construction of power plants in Maryland and 11 other states. Soon, UMD engineering students who share his building aspirations will be able to sharpen their skills in the Ronald and Karen Lowman Instructional Fab Lab in the nearly completed A. James Clark Hall. In the lab’s 933 square feet, students in the A. James Clark School of Engineering will use new mills, grinders, saws, lathes, drill presses and other tools funded through the Lowmans’ $100,000 gift to transform their designs into reality. The fab lab will be “an integral part of the new building,” says Ron Lowman. Michael Ohadi, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Smart and Small Thermal Systems lab, says the fab lab represents a major advancement in engineering design fabrication at Maryland. “Fabrication is at the heart of any new development,” says Ohadi. “A well-equipped fabrication shop allows our students and faculty to model, build, test and verify their design concept. It is a boost to encouraging innovation and product development.” Throughout his 35-year career at Baltimore Gas and Electric and his tenure as president of Constellation Generation, Lowman put into practice the skills he learned at UMD. Karen Lowman, a corporate communications director, was a graduate student at Maryland, giving the school a place of significance in the couple’s life together. “We owe a lot of what we have to our education,” says Lowman. “Certainly the University of Maryland provided the tools that allowed us both to be successful. We are proud to contribute to one of the finest engineering programs in the country.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING A. JAMES CLARK HALL BY CONTACTING LESLIE BORAK, ASSISTANT DEAN FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS IN THE CLARK SCHOOL, AT LBORAK@UMD.EDU OR 301.405.0317.
University Relations Office of Marketing and Communications 2101 Turner Hall, 7736 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20742
WHY WE GIVE
BY GARY CHRISTIAN M.S. ’62, PH.D. ’64 AND SUE CHRISTIAN ’62
had a B.A. degree in English and a good start toward becoming a citizen of the world.
Gary and his twin brother were the first in their family to attend college. Their parents never graduated from high school, but they were leaders in their farming community in Oregon and very supportive of education. They were proud when both of their sons achieved Ph.D. degrees in chemistry. Sue grew up in a small town on the Eastern Shore and was also the first in her family to go to college. The University of Maryland was a big step for her, someone who had seldom traveled outside of Salisbury. Gary entered graduate school at Maryland to pursue an M.S. degree en route to becoming a high school chemistry teacher, but his research professor, Bill Purdy, convinced him to continue for a doctoral degree. He received excellent training and skills from every chemistry professor, and he left Maryland well prepared for a long and rewarding academic career. Sue came to Maryland with—shall we say— less focus. The careers open to women in the late 1950s were mainly teacher, nurse or secretary. None of those excited her passion, so she registered for any classes that sounded interesting, from phonetics to algebra to beekeeping. Four years later, she
The University of Maryland provided us each with priceless knowledge and skills, very different but equally valuable. Education changed our lives, and we try to share that opportunity as broadly as we can. We have provided educational support over the years for children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, and to the University of Maryland. We are pleased that our gift a few years ago to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry continues to help deserving students. This convinced us to make a new $100,000 gift establishing an endowment to support the department’s teaching laboratory in the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, opening later this year. It will help buy new instruments, replace any equipment that breaks and fund more sophisticated and expensive experiments. It is rewarding to know that our support for the Gary and Sue Christian Teaching Laboratory will benefit students in perpetuity, and we hope this encourages others to be a part of this exciting venture.
Gary Christian is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington, and Sue Christian is retired from ownership in an analytical chemistry instrument company.