The University of Baltimore has announced a $5 million endowment gift from alumnus Samuel G. Rose (LL.B. '62) to establish a scholarship fund for undergraduates.

The largest single cash donation in support of the university's endowment to date will establish the Samuel G. Rose Undergraduate Scholarship Fund for students who need financial assistance to complete their degrees, with priority given to transfer students who already have completed twenty-four credit hours. In 2020, Rose contributed $1.2 million to fund additional scholarships and help support students impacted by the pandemic through the university's Student Emergency Assistance Fund. A third seven-figure gift that will have a criminal justice focus is in the works, Rose and University of Baltimore president Kurt L. Schmoke told the Baltimore Sun.

A retired commercial real estate developer who obtained his law degree by attending night classes at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Rose funded his gift with proceeds from the sale of two works by Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden from his personal collection to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art currently under construction in Los Angeles, which includes works by well-known Black artists. While he does not typically sell works from his collection, when the opportunity arose, the son of a longshoreman-turned-insurance-salesman saw the chance to change the lives of students who might otherwise be unable to finish their degrees.

"If you can get an education and find something you love to do," he told the Baltimore Sun, "you have a shot at a decent life."