Two ݮý alums have committed $250,000 over five years to establish a fund for educatorsݮý professional learning and to expand a scholarship for future teachers.
Hart M. Rossman ݮý98, MBA ݮý08, and Melissa Shawn Rossman ݮý99 have pledged $50,000 to establish the Rossman Current-Use Program Support Fund for EdTerps Learning Academy (ETLA), which will support professional learning opportunities for working professionals in education. It is the first philanthropic fund dedicated to programmatic support for ETLA.
The Rossmans have also contributed $200,000 for need-based scholarships for UMD students, with a preference for College of Education students, through an expansion of the Rossman Future Educators ݮý Promise Scholarship. This scholarship, which the Rossmans established in 2023 with a $100,000 gift, is part of the .
ݮýIݮým a huge fan of giving teachers all of the resources and access to professional development they deserve,ݮý said Melissa Rossman, who is a reading specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. ݮýWeݮýre so pleased that we can support the ݮý. Our goals and our intentions to support teachers are aligned. The scholarship helps students who might not otherwise be able to afford four years at the ݮý, and the EdTerps Learning Academy provides professional development and teacher preparation.ݮý
Founded in 2022, ETLA provides continuous learning opportunities for working professionals in PK to higher education, including educators, paraeducators, school leaders and school counselors. ETLA offers nondegree, noncredit professional learning opportunities that support recertification and career advancement and also supports several of the College of Educationݮýs M.Ed., Ed.D., and graduate certificate programs. Designed to be flexible and accessible to professionals already working in the education field, ETLA-supported programs are part-time and may be delivered in online, hybrid or in-person formats in a variety of locations, often in partnership with local school districts. Currently, one-third of the College of Educationݮýs graduate students are working professionals in the education field who are enrolled in a graduate program supported by ETLA.
The Rossmansݮý gift will help ETLA expand its high-quality, research-based noncredit professional learning offerings, including by developing microcredentials and online asynchronous modules. These offerings will be aligned with the expressed interests of ݮý school districts and with the goal of addressing educational inequities across the state.
In addition, the gift helped fund The One Thing Conference, a hands-on professional learning experience that can be applied to teacher recertification. Each conference session focused on one thing that PK-12 education practitioners could immediately apply to their practice. The inaugural conference was held on August 6.
ݮýWe want to make it easier for our faculty to engage with educators through noncredit professional learning pathways that are accessible, broad-reaching, nimble and responsive,ݮý said Elizabeth Gotwalt, ETLAݮýs director. ݮýThe Rossmansݮý gift is truly invaluable to making that work happen.ݮý
Both Hart and Melissa Rossman majored in communication as undergraduates at UMD, and Hart Rossman returned to UMD to earn a master of business administration degree. Hart Rossman is vice president of global services security at Amazon Web Services.
In total, the Rossmans have committed nearly $400,000 to UMD, including support for , the , the and the .
