This Giving Day on March 6, Terps showed up big for their school, raising the University of Maryland’s largest amount for this annual event: $4.22M. Nearly 10,000 people shared their support for UMD and its students, faculty, staff and programs by donating to more than 493 funds within the university, including many within the School of Public Health.
The records continued within SPH, with more donors giving specifically to the school than ever before, with 308 donors contributing more than $103,000. Matches of $5,000 each from Dean Boris Lushniak and Founding Dean Robert S. Gold were unlocked, with gifts from over 100 faculty and staff. The Gymkana Program even won a campus-wide prize of $500 for the last gift made on Giving Day, at 11:59:59.
“The impact of Giving Day across our school goes across the whole realm. These funds support our school as a whole, our specific departments and activities, student scholarship support,” said SPH Dean Boris Lushniak. “We rely on people to do good to help us achieve our goals of public health leadership and service, and this Giving Day, our community came together in a big way.”
Within the School, there was a clear theme of support for students doing good in the community. The Kinesiology Graduate Student Travel Fund garnered about $12,500 to offset expenses for students traveling to conferences and pursuing non-local research. The LiFEsports Initiative raised more than $8,000 to facilitate its summer camp to help children learn life skills through sports. Donors also supported students activating SPH's values of diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and belonging in the world, with nearly $3,500 in funding for the 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III "Courage Against Hate" Student Award.
The mood in the hallways of the School of Public Health on Wednesday was buoyant. Students, faculty, and staff all gathered to learn about the funds, share a contribution and some conversation, and enjoy free Maryland Dairy ice cream and fruit.
"This is bringing a community together to accomplish a goal. We saw the whole SPH community come out – from faculty to students helping us staff our Giving Day table,” Lushniak said. “That to me is the essence of the School of Public Health, we were all here for each other, sharing in the culture that Giving Day – that the University of Maryland – inspires.”
UMD President Darryll J. Pines expressed gratitude to all involved, saying, “Thank you for taking part in this cherished annual tradition. Our collective efforts ensure that the University of Maryland will continue to move Fearlessly Forward.”