Contributions from alumni and friends fund five new scholarships for UMF students this year.

By Marc Glass, February 2019

Valentine’s Day isn’t the only February date of note for UMF students.

Also focusing the mind, if not the heart, is the 15th of the month, the day by which students must file applications for UMF’s myriad need- and merit-based scholarships, created with philanthropic gifts or bequests to the University.

The annual scholarship awards, ranging from $500 to upwards of $10,000 make a big difference in the lives of UMF students, nearly all of whom receive some form of financial assistance to keep a Farmington education within reach.

This year, thanks to significant investments from alumni and friends, UMF students have five new named scholarships in the offing: The T. Margaret Brown ’55 Scholarship, The Robert E. Fast Scholarship, The Glass Family Scholarship, The Lloyd and Patricia Davidson Scholarship, and The James Toner Memorial Scholarship. And several existing scholarships, such as The Jessica Lynn Simcock Memorial Scholarship, have received additional contributions, increasing their endowed, interest-bearing principal.

Jared Cash, vice president for enrollment and external affairs, sees the increase in scholarship giving as a reflection of people’s generosity and their belief in the transformative power of a UMF education.

Jared Cash

“UMF has historically offered people with modest means, many who are the first in their families to seek a college degree, a path to an excellent education and career success,” says Cash. “I think our alumni know this to be true because they have lived it. And because so many of them received financial support in the form of scholarships when they were students, they understand the importance of paying it forward.”

For the donors, creating and contributing to a scholarship is either a meaningful way to honor the passing of a loved one — to ensure that the world is made better by investing in young people whose educational aspirations reflect shared values — or to give back to an institution that gave much to them.

Those beliefs are at the heart of these five new scholarships:

  • The T. Margaret Brown ’55 Scholarship was established with part of a bequest from the late Margaret Brown, a career teacher of home economics in Portland public schools and an active member of the bygone Southwestern Maine Alumni Chapter. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a UMF student with demonstrated financial need and meritorious academic achievement. Preference will be given to students from Wiscasset, Maine, and students who are rising sophomores.
  • The Robert E. Fast Scholarship was established with gifts from Kim Fast ’76 and Robert Fast Jr. ’80, in memory of Professor Emeritus of Psychology Robert Fast, Kim’s husband and Robert Jr.’s father. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a UMF junior majoring in Psychology on the basis of sound academic performance and financial need. Selection of the scholarship recipient shall be made by Psychology faculty in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid.
  • The Glass Family Scholarship was established with gifts from Dr. Raymond M. Glass, Professor Emeritus of Special Education at UMF, and his children in honor of the late Matiana Glass, a longtime teacher of and advocate for children with special needs. The scholarship will be awarded to a rising junior special education major at UMF who has demonstrated financial need as well as high academic achievement and a commitment to the development of students with special needs through work and/or volunteer experiences. Selection of the scholarship recipient shall be made by the UMF Scholarship Committee in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid.
  • The Lloyd and Patricia Davidson Scholarship was established with a gift from the estate of Patricia Davidson, a longtime administrative assistant who supported the University’s tenth president and later a vice president of administration. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student who is enrolled in one of UMF’s teaching degree programs, with preference given to first-year students who are graduates of Maine’s Mount Abram High School. Selection of the scholarship recipient will be made by UMF’s Office of Admissions in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid.
  • The James Toner Memorial Scholarship was established with gifts from Jim’s wife, Barbara; their children, Joseph and Anna; and community members, family, and friends. The scholarship honors Jim Toner, the late Director of the UMF Fitness and Recreation Center and Founder of the University’s Mainely Outdoors program. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a UMF sophomore in good academic standing, who has demonstrated involvement in academic and/or co-curricular programming that emphasizes the importance of outdoor recreational opportunities as well as programs related to physical fitness, municipal recreation, or sports management. Preference will be given to students who have demonstrated participation and leadership in the University’s Mainely Outdoors program and/or UMF Fitness and Recreation Center. Selection of the scholarship recipient will be made by the UMF Scholarship Committee.

If you’re interested in learning how to create an endowed, named scholarship that will provide UMF students with vital financial aid in perpetuity, please contact UMF’s Ferro Alumni Center at umfalumni@maine.edu or 207-778-7090.