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December 7, 2005

$200,000 Given to Erickson School of Aging Studies

Donations to be Used for Student Scholarships

Contact Mike Lurie
UMBC News
410-455-6380
mlurie@umbc.edu


The Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), has been the happy recipient of $200,000 in donations from two prominent sources in the seniors housing and care industry.

The first $100,000 donation was made in honor of William E. Colson, president and CEO of Holiday Retirement Corp., by the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC). Colson had received NIC’s first Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual NIC Conference in Washington, D.C.

Colson, a recognized industry leader and innovator, recently matched the gift, bringing the total donation to $200,000. The gifts will be used to fund a new scholarship program for students attending the Erickson School of Aging Studies. It will be named The William E. Colson Scholarship Fund.

“These major contributions are just two examples of the senior living industry’s recognition of the importance of this new school,” said Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of UMBC. “NIC’s and Mr. Colson’s gifts will help us significantly in our efforts to educate the next generation of leaders, both in the seniors housing and care industry, as well as other services for the aging population.”

The first scholarships will likely be awarded in fall 2006, when the School is expected to debut its undergraduate program.

The Erickson School of Aging Studies currently offers a series of Executive Education courses in seniors housing and care, ranging from business and operations issues, to marketing and finance. To date, every course has sold out. The next one, “Risk Management of Seniors Housing and Care,” takes place on December 5-7 at the School’s campus, just outside of Baltimore, Md.

For more information about the Erickson School of Aging Studies and its educational tracks, visit www.umbc.edu/erickson or call (410) 455-3361.

About The Erickson School of Aging Studies
The Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC was established in April 2004 with a $5 million commitment from John Erickson, CEO and founder of Erickson, a national developer and manager of campuses for middle-income people more than 62 years of age. The school focuses on academic programs, credit and non-credit professional education, research, and policy in aging services and care.

The Executive Development Program at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC is presented in partnership with NIC, a nonprofit organization that has been the leading source of business and financial information for the senior living industry since 1991. For the last six years, NIC has conducted executive development courses in operations, management, sales, marketing, development, finance, and service quality for emerging industry leaders.

UMBC, an Honors University in Maryland, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education, and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Gerontology.

Note to editors: Photographs of William E. Colson receiving the NIC Lifetime Achievement Award are available upon request.

Posted by crose at December 7, 2005 11:31 AM