Trustees, Foundation Directors, Employees Raise More Than $697,000
Being able to give back to their community is a common theme among employees and associates of the College of Southern Maryland who have supported the CSM Foundations Campaign for the Next 50 Years. The colleges family collectively have raised more than $697,000 towards the $5-million campaign. Having completed their annual internal appeal, employees at CSM surpassed prior years of giving by raising $97,372 during 2008. Additionally trustees and directors of the colleges Board and CSM Foundation have provided more than $600,000.
CSMs family giving speaks volumes about how people support and partner with this college. I now challenge the local businesses, alumni and community to help us reach and surpass our $5-million goal, said Michael Besche, chair of the campaign.
Among those supporting the campaign is Beverly Russell (CSM 97 alum), an enrollment advisor who contributes to scholarships at the college. Having come through college at a time when I needed a lot of supportboth financially and in pointing me in the right direction and how to navigate higher educationand now being able to turn that around to give back to our students is such a blessing to me, she said.
Im a former CSM student, graduating in the class of 1997, and I was able to take advantage of the transfer alliance with University of Maryland University College where I earned my bachelors in social sciences. At the time I was a young, single mother and didnt have a clue, Russell said, adding, CSM was there for me then, and now it provides Kids College for my youngest and Driver Education for my eldest. CSM is such a community asset because it provides education across the ages.
I give to CSM for numerous reasons, said Debra Wyvill, a professor of social sciences at the Prince Frederick Campus. As a CSM professor I know the quality education our students receive and that the need to continue improving the facilities, programs and scholarships require additional funding in order to keep tuition down for students and provide a learning environment of pride.
One area I am extremely passionate about is the need for student scholarships because many years ago I started my college journey at a community college with scholarship support, Wyvill added. Now I am in a position where I can give back and show students their dreams can become realities. I am very proud of the work we do at CSM to inspire and prepare community leaders as they go on to make a difference in the world. I really see the funds invested as proving multiple returns for our own future.
A good education can be an integral part of the journey to successful careers, said Pat Barbino, administrative assistant in the biological and physical sciences division at the La Plata Campus. Employed at the college for nearly 12 years, Barbino has been among the most active supporters of the annual employee giving campaigns, working on them since they began in 2002. The Foundation helps keep costs down and provides more students with the opportunity for a college education, she added.
Funds raised for the Campaign for the Next 50 Years will support an Institute for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (ISTEM), and a Regional Center for Trades and Transportation; address local nursing and healthcare workforce shortages; focus on educational excellence, and endow a student scholarship fund for access and success.
CSM, founded in 1958, is the fifth largest community college in Maryland. In its 50-year history, the college has grown to be the centerpiece of Southern Maryland, becoming an integral part of the community it serves with campuses in Calvert, Charles and St. Marys counties and more than 21,000 annual enrollments. From a first graduation class of four in 1960, the college has celebrated more than 16,000 graduates.
The college has been recognized with the Silver Level Quality Excellence Award through the Maryland Performance Excellence Award program, as a four-time recipient of the Workplace Excellence Award by the Alliance for Workplace Excellence, the 2007 Employer of the Year by the Maryland Department of Aging and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Partner in Business.
The College of Southern Maryland Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization governed by a corporate board of directors. Established in 1970, the mission of the Foundation is to promote academic excellence, growth, progress, and the general welfare of the college. The Foundation raises and manages funds, and provides support to strengthen and develop the college, and its objectives.
The CSM Foundations Campaign for the Next 50 Years has raised $3.7 million in cash and pledges. In addition, the college has been successful in securing $3 million in grants that relate to the campaign initiatives. For information about the campaign, call 301-934-7649 or visit www.csmd.edu/foundation