Endowments are essential to the livelihood of a University. With the establishment of an endowment, the donor has the opportunity to leave a legacy and to build a strong foundation for UMBC.
Endowments provide funds in perpetuity and can be tailored to meet the specific interest or passion of the donor and the needs of the University. Endowment opportunities include:
• Scholarships and fellowships
• Chairs and professorships; and
• Academic and research awards and programs.
Endowments can be established through the UMBC Foundation with a minimum commitment of $25,000 over four to five years. To learn more, please contact Greg Simmons at 410-455-1452 or gsimmons@umbc.edu.
Endowed Scholarships
To endow a scholarship requires a minimum $25,000 pledge (over four to five years) or an outright contribution of $25,000. The larger the commitment, the greater the impact it has on the student. The awards are made from the interest earned and benefit students indefinitely. Read more about how an endowed scholarship can make a difference in a student’s life.
Endowed Chairs
One of the most powerful tools for building excellence in educational leadership is the endowed faculty chair or professorship. This exceptional honor bestows upon a faculty member respect, recognition and additional research and teaching resources. As such, endowments are an important tool for recruiting and retaining the best faculty, as well as the most promising students.
Distinguished chair and professorship holders also generate external support from public and private sources, bringing added prestige to the University.
Establishing an Endowed Chair or Professorship
An endowment allows your gift to make a difference every year and to grow over time. As a donor you will receive annual reports on the chair's research and teaching, copies of the chair's publications, and an opportunity to meet with the chair.
Named Professorships require a minimum contribution of $500,000. Named Chairs require a gift of $1 million or greater. To learn more, please contact Greg Simmons at 410-455-1452 or gsimmons@umbc.edu.
The Bearman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship
Established by the Herbert Bearman Foundation in 2004
This chair acknowledges and honors the contributions of Dr. Arlene Bearman to the UMBC community through its recognition and support of outstanding teaching skills, an interest in entrepreneurship and a strong record of scholarship in entrepreneurial studies or a related field.
Amy Froide*
Associate Professor
Department of History
Dr. Amy Froide’s current research centers on women and entrepreneurship. She is co-editor, with Judith M. Bennett, of Singlewomen in the European Past, 1250-1800 and author of Never Married: Singlewomen in Early Modern England. Dr. Froide holds an affiliate appointment in Gender and Women's Studies and she is the recipient of a Huntington Museum and Archives Research Fellowship.
*Inaugural Chair Holder
Willard and Lillian Hackerman Endowed Chair in Engineering
Established by Willard Hackerman, CEO of Whiting-Turner Contracting, in 1997
This chair was established to honor and support the work of faculty pursuing scholarly activity in the College of Engineering and Information Technology.
Brian Reed*
Professor and Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Reed's current work focuses on the removal of biological, chemical or radiological (BCR) agents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). BCRs can easily contaminate a WWTP and can have a serious effect on human health and the environment. With this in mind, Dr. Reed is exploring removal techniques that are economical, effective and take full advantage of existing WWTP processes, such as the addition of materials that can absorb the BCRs and gravity settling.
*Inaugural Chair Holder
Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Chair in Biochemistry
Established by the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Foundation in 1997 In tribute to Robert and Jane Meyerhoff, this chair was established to support an endowed chair in the Department of Biochemistry.
Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg
Professor
Dr. Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg's research focuses on manipulating an individual’s immune response in order to reject cancer cells. Her work has already led to the development of several experimental vaccines. Dr. Ostrand-Rosenberg is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award and membership in the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars.
Inaugural Chair Holder: Catherine Fenselau, Department of Biochemistry
Lipitz Professor of the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Established by Roger C. Lipitz and the Lipitz Family Foundation in 1998
This annual professorship recognizes and supports innovative and distinguished teaching and research.
Leslie Morgan
Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Dr. Morgan is one of the nation's foremost scholars of aging. She is author, co-author, or editor of six books, 33 peer-reviewed articles and 16 book chapters, and she has won substantial research support from the National Institute on Aging. She has served on editorial boards of the top journals in her field and has provided important leadership to the Gerontological Society of America. A member of UMBC's faculty since 1979, Dr. Morgan served as co-director of the UMB/UMBC Ph.D. program in gerontology (which she helped create), chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, associate dean of Arts and Sciences, and associate dean of the Erickson School.
Immediate Past Professor: James S. Grubb, Department of History
Past Professors: Thomas Field, Department of Modern Language and Linguistics
John Sturgeon, Department of Visual Arts
Inaugural Professor: Dr. Carlo C. DiClemente, Department of Psychology
UMBC Endowment for Computer Science
Established by an anonymous donor in 2000
This fund supports professorships, chairs and fellowships in information technology, with a special emphasis on mobile computing and wireless technologies.
This professorship is currently vacant.
Inaugural Professor: Dr. Zary Segall, Department of Computer Science and Engineering