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New UMUC Scholarship Fund will Aid Servicemembers, Spouses
$200,000 fund will buy textbooks for servicemembers, help pay tuition for family members.

For Immediate Release:
3 November 2008

Europe Media Contact
Iris Close
DSN 314-370-6762, ext. 348
CIV +49-(0)6221-378348
iclose@ed.umuc.edu

U.S. Media Contact
Ashley Pirro
410-902-5054
apirro@mghus.com

Adelphi, Md. (Nov. 3, 2008) - University of Maryland University College (UMUC) today announced a new scholarship fund earmarked to assist active-duty, enlisted servicemembers and their families. The $200,000 fund will provide financial assistance to UMUC’s military students ands their spouses in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, as well as stateside. It will cover the cost of textbooks for enlisted, active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces, as well as tuition assistance in the form of scholarships to spouses of enlisted, active-duty servicemembers. All awards will be need-based, renewable, and contingent upon the student maintaining satisfactory academic standing. The initial endowment will be disbursed over four years, but the fund will remain open to additional contributions.

“Given UMUC’s long history of service to members of the military and their families, we are especially proud to announce this new military scholarship fund,” said Dr. Susan C. Aldridge, president of UMUC. “It promises to lessen the financial burden on our brave women and men in uniform—and their families—and bring them one step closer to earning a valuable UMUC degree that will open doors and broaden horizons for years to come.”

Currently, UMUC enrolls an estimated 60,000 military servicemembers, dependents and veterans each year. Under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, the university is currently positioned to be among the first institutions to offer classes face-to-face to servicemembers stationed on the ground in Iraq.

For more information, servicemembers and their spouses stationed in Europe may contact Edna Roy at eroy@ed.umuc.edu; those in Asia may contact Michael Kulyk at mkulyk@asia.umuc.edu.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The university’s official name is “University of Maryland University College” or the acronym “UMUC” only.

About University of Maryland University College

University of Maryland University College, headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, is the second-largest university in Maryland, serving 90,000 students and offering 132 undergraduate and graduate programs online and on-site. In addition, UMUC is the second-largest public university in the United States and one of the largest public providers of online higher education in the nation. UMUC boasts a 60-year history of service to the military and currently enrolls an estimated 60,000 military servicemembers, dependents and veterans each year. The university offers face-to-face instruction at 21 locations throughout Maryland and educational services at more than 120 locations overseas, including the Middle East. UMUC is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland, an agency of the State of Maryland.

Last updated: 4 November 2008