AUGUSTA — A donor who wishes to remain anonymous gave more than $1 million to the University of Maine at Augusta’s capital campaign to fund a new scholarship to make college education more accessible and affordable to people across Maine.
UMA interim President Glenn Cummings said in a news release Thursday announcing the donation that the donor sees the vital role the institution serves in the lives of working Mainers and would like to see other donors and foundations embrace the university.
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“We could not be more excited about this incredibly generous gift,” Cummings said. “It signals a strong confidence in UMA and an explicit recognition of the importance of our unique mission.”
The money raised in the university’s 50th Anniversary Fund campaign, launched in May 2014 to coincide with the school’s 50th anniversary this year, will be used for student scholarships, supporting veterans enrolled at UMA, strengthening the school’s online and distance education offerings, and renovating Jewett Hall Auditorium.
The donor is from Maine and lives in the state but isn’t an alumni of the university, according to Rachel Paling, a university spokeswoman. The gift is an estate donation consisting of a planned gift through a trust of $1 million and a portion of the remaining of the donor’s estate, Paling said.
The campaign, which will run until the end of the year, has raised more than $3 million toward its goal of $5 million, Paling said.
Cummings said in the release that the capital campaign’s real goal is to “support our students, many of whom are older and raising families, and where even small scholarships of just a few hundred dollars can make a huge difference in their success.”
Paul Koenig — 621-5663
Twitter: @paul_koenig
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