Philanthropic support provides essential assistance to our students, faculty and the degree programs here the iSchool.

Each year the generosity of our alumni and friends support our student’s efforts to obtain their degree, enrich the educational experience, recruit and retain the best faculty and create an atmosphere of innovation. Now more than ever, private gifts are vital to our ability to remain a leader in the education of information professionals and information research.

 

Why Give?

All giving is important and all gifts make an impact. Your contribution recognizes you as a member of a caring community and a partner in our success.  

Meet the students you have touched

2012 Scholarship Winners

• Helen A. Tegnell Scholarship
  Jeff DiScala (PhD)
  Allyson Evans (MLS)
  Theresa Polk (MLS-Archives)
  Rachel Shapiro (MLS)

  Library Systems & Services (LSSI) Scholarship
  Katherine Cole (MLS – E-gov)
  Pamela McClanahan (MLS-Archives)
  Kathleen Rapp (MLS)
  Samantha Thomason (MLS)

  Mary Lee Bundy Scholarship
  Allyson Evans (MLS)

  Noyes Library Association
  Erika Gleason (MLS – School Library)

  Frank G. Burke Scholarship
  Amanda Hawk (MLS – HiLS)

Beyond These Walls: Student Travel and Research Fund
This fund helps MLS, MIM and HCIM students register and travel to national conferences.

Stacey Flynn, MLS 2012

What could better than attending ALA’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA? With its informative workshops, high-profile author events and networking opportunities, ALA Annual Conference is often the highlight of the year for those in the field.  I was very fortunate to be selected as the one member from our chapter to receive a small stipend to cover registration, hotels and some travel expenses.  Getting involved with ALA is a huge career boost for all of us, but there are many conferences that have added tremendous value to my degree.

One of the best was in Baltimore last year -- the Maryland Society of Educational Technology or Common Ground as it's being called now. It's a two-day conference sponsored by a consortium of Maryland-based education associations that includes MASL."  At this conference there were not just great workshops created by nationally-known leaders in the field,  but it really gave me the sense that we have an advocacy organization that is at work on our behalf. This, I think, is pretty crucial in a job market like this one. Participation for students is about $200 with food, gas, tolls and all that stuff. If I had to stay in a hotel it would have been more expensive.  

Supporting this travel fund will help send more Maryland students to conferences that expose them to the wonderful people in our field of study and begin building a professional network that will benefit them for years to come.

Jeffrey DiScala, MLS 2007, PhD Candidate

In January of 2013 I will have the opportunity to attend the ALISE conference in Seattle, WA.  I am really looking forward to this opportunity, as I know it will be an immense benefit to my progress as a PhD student and will provide me the chance to both present my research and hear about the research being conducted by others. I’ll also be privy to numerous networking opportunities, meet professors and Deans at other schools and hear discussions about the future direction of LIS education.

Most students attend relatively local conferences such as the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) conference or the Maryland Library Association (MLA) conference.  There is a real excitement to attend one of the numerous conferences like ALA, CHI, SLA, SAA and ALISE that meet all over the country.  Each of these conferences allows us as students to take our experience beyond the classroom. We get to meet new people, see how others are trying out new ideas, brainstorm and innovate with people from completely different backgrounds, and bring that experience back to the classroom to share with our peers.

All of these conferences come at a cost.  Once you add up the meals, hotel, registration fees, and transportation, conferences can easily exceed $1,000.  Unfortunately,  I have often heard many of my fellow classmates say “It’d be a great opportunity, but unfortunately, I can’t afford to go.”

With some funding for conference travel, many more students would have the opportunity to attend these important, educational events.  A dedicated fund for student conference travel and registration would be a major benefit both to the individual student and the iSchool as a whole. 

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Your gift matters, today more than ever.

Giving back to the iSchool speaks volumes to your satisfaction with the education you received here.

But more than that, your gift:

Assists People and Advances Programs

We rely significantly more on financial support from alumni and friends than you may realize. Nationally, there has been a steady erosion of state and federal funding for higher education over the last three decades. In Maryland, state support of the university has dropped to just 26% of the institution’s budget and the iSchool has lost almost 10% of its budget over the last three years.

Influences opinion-makers

The percentage of alumni who give to the school is a factor when prospective students evaluate colleges, when corporations and foundations award grants, and when other donors are making their philanthropic decisions.

Increases the value of your degree

Alumni giving is one of the criteria used in many national rankings of colleges and universities. A gift of any size to the iSchool carries more weight than just the dollars pledged-- it also sends a message.