FORGING FUTURES
Forging Strong Foundations:
Dr. Benjamin Norris ’04
Many Ways to Support Students
For Interim Associate Provost Dr. Benjamin Norris ’04, supporting the programs at Frostburg is a natural thing to do. Norris and his wife, Teresa Vogtman Norris ’03/M’09, give to an array of departments and funds with the common goal of supporting students.
"Contributions to the FSU Foundation directly support students. Scholarships can be used to help Frostburg recruit new students or retain students whose financial struggles may prevent them from being able to continue,” Ben said. “Other funds like the Student Affairs Crisis Emergency Fund can help students meet other critical needs so they can focus on their academics.”
Ben, who started dating Teresa when they were both FSU students, served as a chemistry professor for 11 years at Frostburg before taking the role in the Provost Office. Working closely with faculty, he witnesses firsthand how supporting faculty development and research directly impacts students.
“Donations to the Annual Fund support Opportunity Grants that help faculty members build high-impact, enriching learning experiences for their students,” he noted. “Donations to individual departments support the educational activities of those departments by funding student research, travel to conferences for presentations, purchasing state-of-the-art equipment for use in the classroom and much more.”
Ben directly benefited from research and travel opportunities while he was an undergraduate at Frostburg. He fondly recalled traveling to local elementary schools with the Student Members of the American Chemical Society to spark interest in science and giving an award-winning presentation at the American Chemical Society National Meeting and Symposium in New Orleans. He also performed a year-long research project alongside his advisor, Dr. Don Weser, for a presentation at the Intercollegiate Student Chemist Convention in 2004.
Above all, Ben, a former chair of the FSU Faculty Senate and a former ex-officio member of the FSU Foundation Board of Directors, believes supporting the Forging Futures campaign gives FSU students a strong foundation for their years at Frostburg and beyond.
“Every donation benefits students. Contributions to the campaign will be used to help convince students to attend FSU, to help them remain enrolled and help them make the most of the learning that happens here so that they can be successful as FSU alumni,” he said.
How to Give
CONTACT:
Lynn Ketterman
Director of Development
301-687-4068
lketterman@frostburg.edu
SEND PAYMENTS TO:
FSU Foundation Inc.
101 Braddock Road
Frostburg, MD 21532-2303