The "First Annual Scholarship Recognition Luncheon" was held in the University Union Potomac Lounge. Officials said the event is part of a larger effort to strengthen the relationship between students and the donors who have endowed scholarships to Towson.
Vice president for institutional advancement Gary Rubin said about 100 donors attended the luncheon.
"I think the donors are seeing the impact of their dollars, and how they have supported students," Rubin said.
Director for special events Teresa Hardin said the luncheon was part of a larger effort to strengthen the relationship between donors and benefactors.
"It means a lot to these donors to know who receives their gift and how they're using that support to enhance their studies," Hardin said.
The attendees dined on seared rock fish with lemon caper butter sauce, sauteed pear tomatoes, baby zucchini, and dauphinoise potatoes.
President Robert Caret cited the importance of enhancing the University's heritage, and said the benefactors play a part in that task.
"These events, and this event in particular, are part of building that history, that tradition, that pride," Caret said.
Caret asked the donors to be Towson's "ambassadors to the community." Each donor received a TU pin.
Benefactor Molly Shock, a 1976 alum of Towson, changed the mood of the luncheon when she described why she established a memorial scholarship honoring her husband Stephen Shock, who died in 2002. She said the scholarship was a gift to future generations.
"What better way is there, really, to honor or memorialize a loved one than to create a legacy through student scholarships?" Rudin said afterward.
Before the speaking program concluded, Amanda Knott, a senior marketing major, spoke to the benefactors about the importance of their donations.
With tuition on the rise, "it's harder for our parents and students to do it themselves, to get a quality education at an affordable price," Knott said. "With your help, students that deserve to be a part of the Towson community are afforded that opportunity."
Knott pointed out that scholarships play a key role in encouraging students to enroll at Towson.
Rubin hopes the recipients and donors continue to keep in touch: "That this becomes the beginning of a conversation, rather than the end of a conversation," he said.
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