Impact Stories

Your Gifts At Work

We are thankful for those who have made a gift to the University of Southern Maine Foundation. Learn more about how their gifts have made an impact.

Passionate book collector and longtime library employee leaves $500,000 legacy to USM

In 2018, the University of Southern Maine received a $500,000 legacy gift to its prestigious Special Collections at the Glickman Family Library from Albert A. Howard, a collector of rare books. Before his death in 2017, Howard served 35 years in the halls of the USM Libraries.

Extraordinary Commitment Today With a Firm Eye on Tomorrow

Twenty years ago, Bob and Jill Blackwood established the Blackwood Family Scholarship Fund, which provides four-year scholarships to graduates of South Portland High School who are enrolled at USM. The Blackwood connection with South Portland High runs four generations deep: Bob, his father, his two uncles, two aunts, two siblings, and two children all graduated from South Portland High School—and their endowed scholarship program is a powerful way of giving back.