Impact of Giving

The McDaniel College Board of Trustees has announced the establishment of the Dr. Roger Casey and Robyn Allers Impact Fund to provide financial support to first-generation college students. This new fund, supported by friends of McDaniel College, creates grants for first-generation students at McDaniel to fund expenses related to study abroad, internships, and/or research opportunities.

Three top student awards, the Argonaut Award for achieving the highest cumulative grade-point average, the Edith Farr Ridington Writing Award, and the B. Jill Brooks Hodge Professional Development Award, were presented May 22 at McDaniel College’s 151st Commencement.

McDaniel College seniors in the Class of 2021 were honored during two virtual award ceremonies on May 21. Provost Julia Jasken presented academic awards and Dean of Students Liz Towle presented activity and leadership awards.

UPDATE: Life Tacos presented by juniors Julianna Dotterweich, an Accounting, Economics, and Business Administration major from Timonium, Md., and Jessie Titus, an Environmental Studies major from Frederick, Md., earned the $5,000 top prize as the first place winner of the fifth annual McDaniel College Entrepreneurship Competition, formerly the Innovation Challenge Finals. Life Tacos aims at giving people healthier food options that are more affordable and accessible.

The McDaniel College community celebrated the power of philanthropy through Thank a Giver (TAG) Day. This annual event, held by the McDaniel College Student Alumni Council on April 28, 2021, allowed the McDaniel community to recognize all of the college’s donors.

McDaniel College student organizations are aiming to help the homeless through the Griswold-Zepp Awards. The student-run organizations submitted proposals centered on giving back to the community through food drives, creating bundles of necessities for those in need, and bringing awareness to nonprofit organizations.

McDaniel College’s Admissions Office along with the Green Terror surprised three incoming Class of 2025 students by announcing them as the college’s newest Dorsey Scholars. The Dorsey Scholars Program is the highest academic honor at McDaniel and includes full tuition, room, and board for all four years.

Five professors have been named Charles A. Boehlke, Jr., Engaged Faculty Fellows in recognition of their exceptional commitment to their students, not only in classrooms and research labs but also with career and internship experiences. The Charles A. Boehlke, Jr., Engaged Faculty Fellows Award was established with a gift from Charles A. Boehlke, Jr., a 1978 alumnus of the college and current member of the McDaniel Board of Trustees.

Four students represented McDaniel College at the Maryland Collegiate Honors Conference, “In Honors, Black Lives Matter,” held virtually on Feb. 26-27. McDaniel College Honors students Dalanda Diallo, Signe’ Kula, Maxwell Pardoe, and Raquel Sobczak were excited to have the opportunity to present at the conference and enjoyed hearing and learning of the stories and research from other presenters.

I Love the Hill Day was a resounding success thanks to the alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends who came together in support of McDaniel. Together, we exceeded our goal of 725 donors, ensuring we can support every student on the Hill today and for years to come. In fact, we raised more than $150,000, which is more funds than ever before on I Love the Hill Day.

The McDaniel College Parent and Family Council serves as an advisory group for the college and is comprised of a diverse cross-section of families, which includes McDaniel’s most committed parents and family members. These parent and family leaders bring expertise, resources, and a passion for McDaniel College to both support and be actively engaged with the college. 

Jennifer Yang has been named the entrepreneur-in-residence for McDaniel College’s newly named Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, formerly known as The Encompass Distinction. As the entrepreneur-in-residence, Yang provides instruction and business strategy advice to students in the program. Yang is an entrepreneur with more than 23 years of strategy, management, and technology consulting experience working with CXO-level stakeholders at Fortune 50 companies, start-up ventures, and federal agencies.

McDaniel College has named two new members to its Board of Trustees. Jin Kang of Great Falls, Va., is president and chief executive officer of WidePoint Corporation. Susan C. Stevenson of Ashland, Mass., a 1985 alumna of the college, is an executive director at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.

McDaniel College has awarded nearly 100 first-year and transfer students with legacy scholarships valued at up to $100,000 over four years. Any student who qualifies for McDaniel's Alumni Legacy Scholarship, Educator’s Legacy Scholarship, or Military Legacy Scholarship is automatically awarded the scholarship. The legacy scholarships provide alternative ways to make McDaniel accessible for a wide variety of families.

Renamed the Roj Student Center for 1970 alumni Mary Lynn Durham and Bill Roj, who supported the project with a $5 million gift. The $11 million renovation modernizes McDaniel’s student center located in the middle of campus and is the first overall renovation of the structure since it was built in 1978.

More than 40 students participated in McDaniel College’s Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Program. The Student-Faculty Collaborative Research experience is a 10-week program for undergraduate students at McDaniel to pursue research, which is supported by donors. Thirteen faculty members have been leading projects virtually, while two Chemistry professors received special permission to perform COVID-19 research in labs on campus.

In the face of the deadly global coronavirus pandemic, pharmaceutical data vaults have been unlocked and shared – an unprecedented move in research that McDaniel Chemistry professor Dana Ferraris seized to give his students the opportunity this summer to discover drugs to fight COVID-19.

Nearly 30 juniors, sophomores and first-year students have earned awards for academic achievement and leadership from McDaniel College. Students were also named to two prestigious leadership honor societies, Omicron Delta Kappa and Trumpeters.

McDaniel College seniors were honored with academic, activity and leadership awards during their 2020 Celebration on May 23. The awards ceremonies were held virtually with Provost Julia Jasken presenting academic awards and Dean of Students Liz Towle presenting activity and leadership awards.

McDaniel College has announced the recipients of two top graduate awards. Sarah Grace Watcher of Westminster, Md., received The Joan Develin Coley Award for Excellence in Education and Claire Frances Roberts of Swartz Creek, Mich., was awarded The B. Jill Brooks Hodge Professional Development Award.

McDaniel faculty were recognized throughout the last week of classes for the 2019–2020 academic year by Provost Julia Jasken during a Faculty Appreciation Week, coinciding with National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8).