AUGUSTA, Maine - University of Maine at Augusta has received a surprise boost to its scholarship fund. A donor has come forward with more than $1 million to put toward the school's 50th anniversary fundraising campaign.
"You know, we're definitely not a place where we have a billion-dollar endowment - this means a huge amount to us," says UMA President Glenn Cummings.
Cummings says the philanthropist has chosen to remain anonymous, but the gift is a testament to a program designed to ensure that every Mainer who wants a college education can have one.
"This particular donor knew the school well, liked what we were trying to do, really appreciated our unique mission across the state to try to get working-class Mainers and working families an opportunity to try to get into school and stay there," Cummings says. "And they knew that scholarships were crucial."
The addition of the $1 million gift puts the school over the halfway mark to reaching its $5 million goal. The gift is part of a special fundraising campaign in honor of the school's 50th anniversary in 2015.
