The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) has announced a $21 million donation from the Sherman Family Foundation to expand and integrate UMBC’s work in teacher preparation, school partnerships, and applied research focused on early childhood education. 

The largest gift in the university’s history will be used to launch the Betsy & George Sherman Center, which will work to expand and integrate UMBC’s work in teacher preparation, school partnerships, and applied research focused on early childhood education and improving learning outcomes for Baltimore’s students. It also will enable the expansion of UMBC’s early childhood programs, currently housed at the Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities, which will continue its work with literacy programs as well as community-engaged early childhood research. 

“If universities are to be major contributors to the development of society, they have to be involved with the schools and with neighborhoods and with communities,” said UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski. “Betsy and the Sherman Family Foundation have provided us with invaluable resources to make this collaborative work possible.” 

“This gift represents a clear and bold commitment to developing teachers that can better support future generations of students in Baltimore City, especially in early learning and STEM,” said Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises. “It also expands the research partnership between city schools and the university in ways that will further enhance teaching and learning in our community. We are excited about this next great step.” 

(Photo Credit: Getty Images/Drazen Zigic)