Dear Campus Community,
We are getting ever closer to our $1.5 billion goal in our fundraising campaign, Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland. Since this campaign began, more than 100,000 donors have contributed over $1.4 billion to support our learning, innovation and work here at the university. We are deeply grateful to all who give.
When I began my presidency in July, I promised you that I would prioritize philanthropic support for student success. And so it is with pride that today I announce a landmark $9 million investment to the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) in the College of Arts and Humanities. This extraordinary gift from Professor Emeritus Michael Brin and Eugenia Brin and the Brin Family Foundation will allow our students and faculty to expand their work at the intersections of the performing arts and technology, making Maryland a national leader in the field.
Creating connections through technology
While we continue to battle COVID-19 and many of us find ourselves waving to our colleagues, friends and family through screens, technology is not only important to how we work, it is integral to helping us connect, relate and inspire. Digital innovations keep us together and introduce us to new worlds. There has never been a more timely moment to apply technology to the arts, to extend their reach and inspiration.
The ability to prepare our students to continue this innovative spirit through their studies and beyond is why we are grateful to the Brin family. This gift establishes the Maya Brin Institute for New Performance, and it will transform the future of performing arts education at UMD.
The convergence of technology and performing arts
Scholarships will help prepare our students for careers in these emerging industries. New and advanced technology and devices in the classroom and on stage will give students and faculty new ways to experiment. And new courses will broaden the school’s educational and research scope.
As a former engineering dean, I have long been a champion of the arts. Engineers and artists have something special in common. We are both seeking to reveal to others what is possible.
I’d like to thank Professor Emeritus Michael and Eugenia Brin for their generosity and investment in our students’ futures. Together, the possibilities are endless.
Sincerely,
Darryll J. Pines
President, University of Maryland
He/Him/His
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