BOLDNESS 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 / J U N E 2 0 18
TO TURN IMAGINATION INTO INNOVATION / CURIOSITY TO DISCOVER NEW KNOWLEDGE PASSION TO INSPIRE MARYLAND PRIDE / INSPIRATION TO TRANSFORM THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
VI
NG
AN
AS
SI
Pl g t en ed im t ge e u t o –A $ 2 m t d C a hl 1 . 2 S r et 5m up ee e t p o r s s T o H rt r e / e a P n l rs G .4 s p it io n
GI
n
u
d
Lo
St
/ PG.6
ST
UMD LAUNCHES UNPRECEDENTED $1.5 BILLION CA M PA IGN
ON MAY 11, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAUNCHED FEARLESS IDEAS: THE CAMPAIGN FOR MARYLAND WITH AN EXCITING AND INSPIRING CELEBRATION OF THE UNIVERSITY’S SUCCESSES AND ASPIRATIONS. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, WE WILL RAISE $1.5 BILLION IN SUPPORT OF OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY ACROSS CAMPUS, WHO WILL IN TURN USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, PASSION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD. Our supporters, like Barry and Mary Gossett, are crucial to creating an environment in which our students can thrive. The Gossetts’ new gift of $21.25 million (pages 4–5) will create new opportunities—through mentoring, programs and fellowships—for student-athletes to prepare for successful careers. The School of Public Health’s founding dean, Robert Gold, and his wife, Barbara, have also generously given to create the Gold Public Health Innovation Awards (page 8). The winners of the inaugural competition, held in March, were doctoral candidate Ivy Benjenk for her Patient Personal Assistant, which uses Amazon Lex technology to improve hospital patients’ experiences, and Theresa Tassey M.P.H. ’18, who seeks to expand the presence of the opioid overdosereversing medication Naloxone in Baltimore. Terps are innovating in the classroom, too. Ishaan Parikh ’19 and Sashank Thupukari ’20 started the StudentInitiated Course program with the backing of the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It gives undergraduate students, with faculty guidance, the chance to create and teach courses such as “Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies.” We find the chance for even more creativity in the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s annual Alumni Cup competition. In it, engineering students create elaborate contraptions designed to complete simple tasks as convolutedly as possible. This year’s winner, the team from Electrical and Computer Engineering, incorporated toy cars and a pool cue to pull off a one-meter putt. This is an exciting time for the University of Maryland. Thank you for joining us in this monumental journey. Together we will make the fearless ideas of the University of Maryland a reality.
Sincerely,
Jackie Lewis Vice President for University Relations President, University of Maryland College Park Foundation
BOLDNESS / 3
KEY SUPPORT Gift From Former Piano Professor Will Strengthen Teaching, Performance and Recruitment By Chris Carroll
have seen retired Professor of Piano Cleveland Page play, but vast numbers have felt his influence in the performances of famous musicians as well as those of friends and relatives studying piano. Instead of focusing on live performance, Page—who taught from 1992 to 2017 at the University of Maryland, including more than a decade as chair of the School of Music’s piano division—is a renowned expert in piano pedagogy, or teaching methods, and the creator of a widely used piano method. He has made a number of highly regarded recordings as well, some of which are available on YouTube. Page’s legacy also continues through a recent $500,000 gift to the university, establishing the Cleveland Page Piano Faculty Endowed Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching, Performance and Recruitment as well as a current-use fund for the coming academic year. It will help keep the University of Maryland at the forefront of piano teaching by supporting his former colleagues beyond their studios. “I’m especially interested in providing funds to help them record, to play recitals and to send members of the piano faculty to audition students around the country and recruit them to the University of Maryland,” says Page, who recently moved to the San Francisco Bay area. “When I left, I was determined to do something for the School of Music and the piano division, and so I thought about what would have improved the situation that I had lived.” It’s a profile-raising gift, says the current piano division coordinator, Professor Larissa Dedova, who has known Page for decades and applied for a UMD faculty position at his suggestion while teaching at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Relatively few piano faculties nationwide have similar resources to help fund faculty activities, she says. “I’ve known Cleveland for many years; he’s an amazing person and a great musician and pedagogue with an immense dedication to music and to the profession,” she few classical music lovers
In addition to his $500,000 gift, retired Professor of Piano Cleveland Page is donating to UMD a sculpture, “Conversations,” by noted regional artist Nancy Frankel. It previously adorned the front yard of Page’s former Foggy Bottom townhouse, and is planned for installation in the School of Music courtyard at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
says. “As for this gift, it’s a big thing for us and we’re still kind of stunned. We hope we’ll soon have some results in the realization of projects, and that he’ll be happy and proud of us.” The gift is “transformative,” says Jason Geary, director of the School of Music. “It will ensure that the long tradition of excellence and visibility among the piano faculty at the School of Music continues well into the future, and it will provide faculty with resources to help recruit the best possible students,” he says. “We are tremendously grateful for his generosity and forward-looking vision.” Page is reaching out to former students in the United States and abroad to help grow the endowment, which generates spendable income yearly through appreciation. He hopes his gift sparks a movement of the piano division into the top ranks of such programs around the world. Added Dedova, “This opens a whole new horizon for us, and possibilities to think more freely and creatively than ever before.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC BY CONTACTING LAURA BROWN, ASSISTANT DEAN OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES, AT LWBROWN@UMD.EDU OR 301.405.6339.
GIVING AN ASSIST Longtime UMD Supporters Pledge $21.25M to Help Student–Athletes Transition to Careers By Lauren Brown
when terps quarterback Jordan Steffy ’08, M.R.E.D. ’10 suffered the concussion that ended his football career, and the agents and media stopped calling, Barry and Mary Gossett didn’t. They encouraged Steffy to think about how the qualities that helped him on the field—competitiveness and a team spirit—could help him beyond it. A few years later, when Steffy was trying to triple the size of his nonprofit after-school program, the Gossetts welcomed him into their home to talk about his vision and how to realize it. “If this was just about football, our relationship would have ended a long time ago,” says Steffy, who created
the Children Deserve a Chance Foundation as a student. “My interactions with Barry and Mary were never about me as a college athlete. They were about me as a person.” Mentorship of student-athletes—from enrolling at Maryland through transitioning to careers—is at the heart of a new initiative funded through a $21.25 million legacy gift from the Gossetts, longtime supporters of the university. The Barry and Mary Gossett Center for Academic and Personal Excellence will significantly enhance and expand programming offered through what’s now called the Academic Support and Career Services Unit in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA). Highlights will include more paid internships and stipends, workshops on topics such as job interviews and financial literacy, and a major focus on connecting alumni student-athletes with current ones as mentors. “It seems like so many of these youngsters that come in that want to be athletes are not prepared with life skills, and they haven’t had
BOLDNESS / 5
the opportunity to do a lot of things other than play ball,” says Gossett, a University of Maryland System regent and former chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. “So we were drawn to the idea of when they come in as freshmen to have somebody put them under their wing and help them through some of the life experiences of what to expect and how to manage their time.” Sue Sherburne, senior associate athletic director for academics and student development at UMD, says research shows that student-athletes delay their career preparation. One reason is that workouts, practices and games limit their free time and prevent them from getting valuable internship experiences. Some may also be laser-focused on going pro, and feel like they can’t take their eyes off that goal, while others are overwhelmed by the prospect of juggling career planning with other responsibilities. “No matter what field you go into—the professional world of sports or another career—you still have to interview and have EQ (emotional intelligence) and self-awareness,” she says. “You have to walk into a room, shake hands and articulate your elevator pitch. And they need more reps on that. They need more practice. The Gossetts’ gift will enhance our ability to provide these types of professional development opportunities to our student-athletes.” Barry and Mary Gossett have seen that need firsthand over their decades of involvement with the university. Gossett grew up in Riverdale, a bike ride away from Maryland, where as a Boy “THE GOSSETTS’ GIFT Scout he was an usher at the WILL ENHANCE football stadium. He enrolled OUR ABILITY TO in 1958—he never considered PROVIDE THESE TYPES going anywhere else—and OF PROFESSIONAL majored in engineering (not DEVELOPMENT very successfully, he says OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR self-effacingly) for two years. STUDENT-ATHLETES.” But when his father, a brickSUE SHERBURNE, SENIOR ASSOCIATE layer, died, Gossett withdrew ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR ACADEMICS from UMD in order to support AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
his mother and two younger brothers. He became a CPA, and was hired in 1969 by A.V. Williams, Class of 1917, who owned a construction firm that pioneered the use of mobile offices, construction trailers and commercial modular buildings. Gossett, Williams’ right-hand man, worked there until 2002 and ultimately became CEO and chairman of the company, then of Baltimore-based Acton Mobile Industries, from which he’s now retired. Williams, a Terrapin Club member, convinced Gossett to join in 1971. Mary and Barry Gossett have supported ICA ever since as season ticket holders in football and basketball; as donors, including a gift to renovate what’s now called the Gossett Football Team House; and as mentors to countless student-athletes. Increasing mentorship for and among this group is central to their new gift, which builds upon ICA programs such as the Interpship Academy. The Gossett Center will provide personal, leadership and career development to Maryland’s 500 student-athletes, along with mentorship from alumni. Fifty will be selected as Gossett Fellows to receive paid summer internships and graduate stipends, and the center will track their progress in their careers for the next decade. Steffy, co-founder and CEO of Xylem, a mobile app that enhances and measures the success of mentoring relationships, will create an online networking platform to connect former and current Terp athletes and to encourage alumni—particularly Gossett Fellows—to pay it forward by providing advice, helping to place interns and financially supporting the program. That way, the Gossetts say, the fellows will have some skin in the game. “These kids now have the opportunity and the ability to make something really significant happen,” he says.
A THREE-POINT PLAN The Barry and Mary Gossett Center for Academic and Personal Excellence will support all student-athletes from their arrival on campus to well after graduation:
THE PATH: FOUR YEARS OF UNDERGRADUATE SUPPORT Develop personal, leadership, career goals Design, implement career plans Compete for Gossett Fellowships Enhance skills through service learning THE BRIDGE: TRANSITION TO LIFE AFTER GRADUATION Prepare for job interviews, grad school or mission work Complete Gossett Fellowship, receive financial award Participate in educational sessions to help current student-athletes THE HORIZON: POST- GRADUATION INVOLVEMENT Become mentors to student-athletes Assist in internship placement, support Stay connected through online Terps Career Network Pay it forward through mentoring, financial support
FEARLESS IDEAS: THE CAMPAIGN FOR MARYLAND LAUNCHES $1.5 Billion Effort to Support Academics, Research, Faculty and Facilities B
T HE WORLD NEEDS ALL OF T HIS: CURIOSIT Y. PAS SION.
INSPIR ATION. BOLDNE S S. T HE WORLD NEEDS FE ARLE S S IDE AS. T HE WORLD NEEDS YOU.
EDUCATION HAS THE POWER TO IMPROVE THE LIFE OF E VERY PERSON ON E ARTH. Compelled by a mission to serve the state and nation, the University of Maryland confronts the most pressing challenges of our time through an unparalleled academic and research enterprise. We integrate science and technology with the arts and humanities to develop the next generation of global citizens who will do good for our communities. We vigorously pursue the discovery of new knowledge and apply it for the advancement of all. This is not merely a campaign for the University of Maryland, it’s a campaign for humankind.
THAT IS OUR FEARLESS IDEA.
BOLDNESS / 7
On May 11, the university kicked off the campaign with a celebration of fearless ideas from faculty, students and alumni at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. More than 500 UMD supporters turned out for an evening of inspiring talks, interactive presentations and musical and dance performances.
CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP the $1.5 billion Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland will support the following fouR priority areas:
Alma G. Gildenhorn '53 Philanthropist
Barry P. Gossett '62 Principal Gossett Group
CURIOSITY TO DISCOVER NEW KNOWLEDGE Through bolstered endowed professorships and graduate fellowships and new research frontiers and facilities, we will solve daunting problems facing the nation and world to help people live better lives.
Brendan Iribe Co-founder
Oculus VR (Honorary Co-chair)
William E. “Brit” Kirwan
PASSION TO INSPIRE MARYLAND PRIDE
Chancellor Emeritus University System of Maryland
Major campus projects with local and national impact, student-athlete scholarships and alumni programs will
Karen B. Levenson '76
harness the passion at the core of the university to drive economic prosperity and improve the human condition.
Educator
Kevin A. Plank '92
INSPIRATION TO TRANSFORM THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE Students will find their passion and purpose, thanks to scholarships, new and smarter facilities, unforgettable
Founder, CEO and Chairman Under Armour (Honorary Co-chair)
study abroad programs and other outside-the-classroom experiences.
Michelle Smith
BOLDNESS TO TURN IMAGINATION INTO INNOVATION
Craig A. Thompson '92
We will nurture students’ and faculty’s commitment to create the next game-changing technology, artwork, invention or business through pioneering programs in entrepreneurship, art and design.
President Robert H. Smith Family Foundation Partner Venable LLP
University Relations Office of Strategic Communications 2101 Turner Hall, 7736 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20742
W HY W E G I V E
BY ROBERT S. AND BARBARA GOLD
Bill Foege, one of the most impressive people and big problem solvers we have known, is an epidemiologist and one of the architects of the global strategy to eradicate smallpox. His innovation was the concept of “ring containment theory,” modeled on what he learned fighting forest fires in the Pacific Northwest. This strategy involved inoculating only 15 percent of the population when others thought everyone needed to be vaccinated, and it worked.
We are the children of Depression-era parents and were both educated in public schools and universities. We place a high value on affordable, high-quality education for all and on innovative thinking. Bob’s career, which included being the founding dean of the School of Public Health, has been marked by his interest in the innovative use of technology to improve the human condition. Barbara has been very supportive of Bob’s penchant for the early adoption of new technologies beginning in the 1970s when he bought one of the first Apple II computers, not only for personal use, but for its role in public health applications. We recently created the Gold Public Health Innovation Competition through a $100,000 endowment gift to encourage students to apply new and emerging technologies to address public health problems and reward them with money to help launch the idea. The return to us is knowing that we are supporting ongoing student innovation in the pursuit of solving big problems.
He often said that we are in the 99th percentile of the world’s population in terms of wealth and educational attainment. Our greatest debt in life is to the society that has invested millions of dollars in our education—a society that has been preparing for generations for what we are now able to do. We should do what we can to ensure this continues.
robert s. gold serves as director of educational innovation for the school of public health. two winners were announced march 28 at the inaugural gold public health innovation competition. ivy benjenk ph.d. ’19 received $3,000 for “patient personal assistant with amazon lex technology,” and theresa tassey m.p.h. ’18 received $2,000 for naloxone smart kits.