On May 7, 2014 University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery Mills presented University of Maine Director of Student Financial Aid Gianna Marrs and several UMaine students with a symbolic check for $4,101,185. The check represents the largest single-year contribution to UMaine scholarships and aid in Foundation history.
“I cannot begin to describe the importance of these scholarship dollars to our students,” says Marrs, “without the generosity of these donors, many of our students would not get past the financial hurdles of attaining a college degree.
Scholarships are awarded through Marrs’ office based on financial need, scholastic merit, leadership skills, academic discipline, and a variety of other criteria as established by individual scholarship fund descriptions for funds held at the Foundation.
“The Foundation is proud to partner with very generous donors in an ongoing effort to provide UMaine students with the financial support they need to realize their goals. We have learned that the scholarship dollars provided by Foundation funds make a significant impact in the recruitment and retention of good students at UMaine.” says Mills.
The University of Maine Foundation offers three pathways to scholarship support; the Today and Tomorrow Annual Scholarship, Endowed Scholarships and Distinguished Endowed Scholarships. Donors often choose to celebrate a significant milestone or memorialize a loved one with a named scholarship. Scholarships can be funded with gifts of cash, stock, land, personal property, or through a charitable trust, gift annuity, pooled life income fund or bequest.
