Since its humble beginnings in 1898 as Normal School No. 2 to the regional comprehensive higher education institution it is today, Frostburg State University has been providing students, faculty and the community with opportunities for 125 years.

The FSU Foundation receives gifts to the Annual Fund each year that provide unique opportunities for learning and discovery as well as meet needs and challenges that faculty and students may be facing. These unrestricted donations have a vast reach, funding initiatives such as classroom and lab equipment, career development opportunities and hands-on training, music and arts events, student needs, STEM, travel opportunities and community programs.

In 2009, the Foundation began awarding opportunity grants made available through unrestricted funds. Since then, more than $1.3 million has been provided to fund 530 projects.

“The opportunity grants touch everyone’s experience at FSU, supporting all colleges and departments, and making it possible to do all these special things,” said FSU’s Director of Development, Lynn Ketterman. “Unrestricted giving is critical for us to be able to support specific initiatives and make it possible to help when a last-minute opportunity arises.”

One such opportunity grant funded the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student organization’s attendance to an annual conference, where they heard presentations by knowledgeable and skilled HR professionals, participated in case competitions against other schools and gained invaluable networking opportunities. As a result of this opportunity grant, several graduates have secured internships and jobs with the companies represented at the conference.

“The conference provided an abundance of professional connections that I would not have otherwise made and introduced many new issues that companies are dealing with,” said Zachary Burgess, an FSU student who has attended several SHRM conferences. “The information sessions, in addition to the education provided to me at FSU, better prepared me for what I can expect in an ever-changing environment.”

According to Ketterman, student travel and conference experience are “big needs” and one of the most common requests received through the opportunity grant process.

“Our students doing research need to be able to take the next step presenting their research at professional conferences, a stepping stone for many looking to go to graduate school. With limited state resources, faculty are depending on donor support to make this possible,” Ketterman said. “Gifts – large and small – added together can have a big impact and pave the way for these specialized experiences for
our students.”

Opportunity grants also allow for a community connection. The Children’s Literature Centre (CLC) at FSU utilizes this grant funding for their Adopt-a-School project to connect CLC with a local elementary school to bring the most current literature and experiences to children and teachers.

“The author/illustrator presentations are invaluable to the literacy development of children in all grade levels,” said Dr. Sarah O’Neal ’04/M’05, director of the CLC. “There are typically no
funds for schools to provide these types of experiences, and access to the most current, quality literature is also limited.”

Students at Flintstone Elementary School hear a presentation from an author/illustrator as part of CLC's Adopt-A-School program. 

Flintstone Elementary is the current partner school in the Adopt-a-School project. The project has impacted 400 students, thanks to the generous funding from the FSU Foundation Opportunity Grant.

“The CLC also sends about five to six of their graduate assistants along to read to our students,” said Angela Fentress ’89/M’91, Flintstone’s library media specialist. “They usually read a current book that may not be available in our school library, and the books they select are multi-cultural and focus on diversity, which exposes our students to a variety of literature. ... It is a really great thing for our kids, but it’s also a good thing for the CLC because it gives their graduate assistants a classroom connection. It’s just a very mutually beneficial program.”

Members of CLC visit with their partners in literacy at Flintstone. 

The FSU Foundation’s Opportunity Grants don’t stop there. One FSU educator received a grant to conduct a study to elucidate the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, in the black-legged tick and field mouse population in Allegany County.

This project provided unique experiential learning opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students,” said Dr. Rebekah Taylor, an associate professor of biology at FSU. “Students engaged in a real-world experience and learned how the scientific process really works with potentially high-impact results that can affect the community at large.”

According to Taylor, the result of the study adds to the growing knowledge of the threat of Lyme disease in the area. Her group hopes to design and distribute informational materials to help educate the public about this growing health concern.

Students are seen dragging for ticks on the forest floor at Sideling Hill Creek Preserve.

Opportunity grant awards are based upon the amount available in the Annual Fund. Unrestricted gifts are the best way for donors to help Frostburg students to achieve academic success.

“A gift to the Annual Fund is the perfect start for young and first-time donors who want to make a difference,” said Ketterman. 

To join the many FSU alumni and friends who support the FSU Annual Fund, visit www.frostburg.edu/makeagift.