COLLEGE PARK, MD. — On March 4, 2026, the University of Maryland united its entire community—faculty, staff, parents, friends, alumni, and students—for its annual campus-wide Giving Day, the largest single day of giving in support of the university’s mission.
For College Park Scholars, the day became one for the record books: nearly $182,000 raised from over 100 donors, the most successful fundraising effort in the program’s history. Powering that milestone was a transformational $50,000 matching gift and endowment from alumni Melissa and Hart Rossman—a contribution that doubled every dollar donated and permanently established a new scholarship fund to support future generations of Scholars.
A Transformational Investment in Experiential Learning
The Rossmans’ $50,000 gift establishes the Rossman Global Adventures Endowed Student Support Fund for College Park Scholars—the most significant single investment in scholarships since the program’s founding more than 30 years ago. The endowment will provide income in perpetuity to fund scholarships that enable Scholars to pursue transformative experiences: undergraduate research, service-learning, internships, and study abroad.
"We are deeply grateful to the Rossmans for this extraordinary gift. As alumni who experienced firsthand what it means to be part of a community of curious, engaged learners, they understand that some of the most impactful moments in a student's education happen outside the classroom — on research trips, in community partnerships, through hands-on projects that connect learning to the real world. This endowed fund will lower barriers to those life-changing experiences for generations of Scholars to come. Their generosity is a true investment in the potential of our students, and we could not be more thankful.”
— Marilee Lindemann, Executive Director, College Park Scholars
For the Rossmans, the gift is deeply personal. Hart was part of the inaugural cohort of the Science, Technology, and Society program in 1994—one of the very first students to experience College Park Scholars—and holds a B.A. (‘98) and MBA (’08) from Maryland. That STS lens, he says, turned out to be exactly what he needed: it gave him the tools to ask provocative questions at crucible moments throughout his career, leading two global technology businesses, where the intersection of science, technology, and society was always at the heart of the work.
“We hope this endowment will build on the core values of Scholars—that it will create lifelong connections and friendships, offer students opportunities to explore their world and evolve their perspective, and give them experiences whose impacts compound over the course of their lives. Your passion will fuel your path, and the experiences you acquire along the way determine who you can be in the fullness of time.”
— Hart M. Rossman, B.A. ‘98, MBA ’08, Science, Technology and Society ‘94
Melissa’s journey reflects that same truth. A member of the inaugural cohort of Advocates for Children in 1995, she didn’t major in education at Maryland. However, that Scholars experience set her on a path she hadn’t anticipated—one that wound through study abroad, the nonprofit sector, and eventually a Master’s degree and an elementary school classroom of her own. Both Rossmans see their Scholars years not as a chapter, but as a compass.
A Record-Breaking Giving Day for College Park Scholars
The response to the Rossmans’ matching gift challenge demonstrated the deep affection alumni, friends, and supporters hold for the program’s model of hands-on, community-centered learning.
Co-curricular scholarships provide funding that allows Scholars to say yes to opportunities they might otherwise have to pass up—whether that means conducting undergraduate research alongside faculty, participating in service-learning projects, or studying abroad. For many students, these scholarships are the difference between aspiration and achievement.
A Lasting Legacy at Maryland
The Rossmans’ commitment to the University of Maryland extends well beyond this gift. In total, they have committed nearly half a million dollars to UMD, including support for Arts for All, the Alumni Association, the Robert H. Smith School of Business, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Their investment in the Rossman Global Adventures Endowed Student Support Fund represents not just financial generosity, but a belief that the College Park Scholars experience—community, curiosity, and the courage to explore—has the power to shape lives for decades to come.
The Rossmans hope the endowment will do for future Scholars what Scholars once did for them: create lifelong connections, expand perspectives, and unlock the compounding impact of early, meaningful experience.