Colleges Adjuncts Fundraise for Student Scholarships
When the College of Southern Maryland Adjunct Faculty Scholarship Fund awards its scholarships what is unusual and surprising is that among similarly named scholarships at other institutions, this one benefits students.
Adjunct faculty are so connected and committed to students at CSM that they have created a scholarship and are in the process of ensuring scholarships in the future through an endowment scholarship fund, said CSM Development Director Martina Arnold.
It turns out that adjunct faculty at CSM are well on their way to meeting the funding goal for an endowment by collecting more than $12,000 in the last two years through donations and fundraisers.
Adjunct Faculty Scholarship Committee Chair Jim Cleary, an adjunct professor in the Mathematics Division and a part-time permanent faculty in the Business and Technology division, has led the group since it was established. Cleary wants to create an endowment scholarship and expects to reach the $15,000 needed to receive matching endowment funds that were committed by Foundation Board Chair Jay Lilly. We want to see this as an everlasting thinga statement that adjuncts at CSM care about our students, said Cleary, who added that the committee hopes to increase the numbers and amount of scholarships over time.
Cleary said that the group has reached out through payroll deductions, fundraisers at local restaurants and participated in the colleges online fundraiser, The BIG GIVE, where they collected $3,800 for their cause. We even pass the donation envelope at professional development events and luncheons, Cleary added.
[Adjuncts] get a lot of support from [CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried], from full-time faculty and from the college administration, said Cleary.
This effort would not have been successful without Jims energyhes the driving force behind the adjunct faculty scholarships, said CSM Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Sue Subocz.
The first scholarship recipients were Jennifer Butcher, of Lusby, and Cynthia Murphy, of Mechanicsville, for the 2011-12 academic year. This years recipients are Chanel Allen, of Indian Head, and Jennifer Young, of La Plata. The 2013-14 academic year recipients will be selected from those who apply by May 31 through CSMs Scholarship Finder.
To use CSMs Scholarship Finder visit www.csmd.edu/financial/scholarships/. For information on scholarships and financial aid assistance at CSM, call 301-934-7531 or 301-870-2309, 240-725-5499 or 443-550-6199, Ext. 7531.
For information on contributing to the CSM Foundation scholarship fund, visit http://www.csmd.edu/foundation/.
Not all Foundation scholarships can be applied for through Scholarship Finder. To see a listing of all scholarships, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Financial/awards.html.
To see a listing of scholarships awarded for the 2012-13 academic year, visit http://www.csmd.edu/news/archive/2012/6fbff4712f4f1dd60046dd48d71964fccc115a6c.html.