Letters to the editor
From the president
Sometimes all it takes is just a word to open a lifetime of new possibilities.
That is what happened four years ago, when I saw a young girl named Zaila Avant-garde correctly spell “murraya” (a type of flowering plant) and become the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I reached out to her online right then and offered a scholarship if she came to the University of Maryland, with no clue what would come next.
Fast forward to this fall, and Zaila—who is also a bestselling author and record-setting juggler—is now officially a Terp, studying cell biology and molecular genetics with hopes of one day working for NASA.
She is the type of bright, ambitious and adventurous student who wants to be in College Park and study under our internationally renowned faculty, collaborate with groundbreaking researchers, and take advantage of opportunities and experiences only found at UMD. That’s why, to use another word, we must keep moving “forward.”
This issue of Terp will take you inside our new $2.5 billion fundraising campaign, Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless. You will learn how we are leaping forward for tomorrow’s trailblazers, for bold and brave solutions and for stronger communities, through our commitments to scholarships, the arts, entrepreneurship, beyond-the-classroom experiences and more.
We have launched this campaign because now is the time to capitalize on our momentum. From leading the way in quantum computing and artificial intelligence to increasing literacy for our state’s children, Terps have been achieving new heights in research, discovery, creativity and advancing the public good—all culminating in the historic milestone of reaching our highest-ever U.S. News and World Report rankings, coming in at No. 16 among public institutions. But for students like Zaila, and all the Terps who will come after her, we cannot be satisfied with the status quo and let this moment pass us by. Let’s show the world the power of another word—“pride”—and make this the start of something truly special.
Sincerely,
Darryll J. Pines
President, University of Maryland
Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering
The school, the state of Maryland and all the alums and friends of the University of Maryland are 100% behind you, Coach. All the best this year and the years to follow.
John Langton ’65, Sarasota, Fla.
In the Fall 2025 issue on page 41, John Hancock is credited with signing a document in 1975 commissioning Samuel Nicholas as captain of the new Continental Marines. If true, that surely is an achievement. Other than that, I am very impressed with the articles about UMD.
Editor’s Note: We took some well-deserved ribbing from readers for this typo. We meant to write “1775.”
Barbara Sadowski Ph.D. ’78, Naples, Fla.
I am a rare, if not the only, elected official in the nation to live in a manufactured home on leased land. I agree with Casey Dawkins that manufactured homes are a terrific option for a starter home or for fixed-income families or seniors—but not on leased land. Manufactured home communities built with Fannie Mae money or another other source to be affordable lose that virtue the first time the community is sold. Each time it’s sold, the tenant homeowners pay a jump rent to repay the loan for the new landlord, plus payouts to the investors. States need to make major changes to allow manufactured homes in fee communities to help the national crisis in affordable housing.
Fred Neil ’59, Dover (Del.) City Council president
Although buying prefab houses is less expensive, they can't be assembled in most communities. I know an excellent way that grads or any young industrious person can get into housing and get a kick start into eventual financial independence or at least get ahead of the game as it relates to their financial budget. It's a concept called house hacking, and there are books written about it. It is ideal for the recent college grad who is motivated to get ahead. The graduate buys the house, lives in one part and rents out the other. The proceeds from the first house help the grad pay for a second one, and the first two pay for the third one. With Debt Service Coverage Ratio loans, so long as comparable rentals in the community equal the monthly mortgage payment, the loans are approved. I employed this strategy from 1983-91 in Fairfax, and it got me off to a great start from a real estate and financial standpoint.
Rodger Greif ’81, Lombard, Ill.
Thank you for highlighting modular homes. Ours was built by North American Modular Homes in 1982. Quite a bit more can be said about their quality for the homeowner, but also for the working conditions of the builders who can work in a temperature-controlled warehouse with all the amenities, as well as a stable location for where to report to work.
Wendy Feaga ‘76, Ellicott City, Md.
Reading about the parkrun brought back a lot of fond memories of College Park. I met my husband Jacob ’13 at the running club, and the rest is history. I had never run much before, but I recently completed my first 100K ultramarathon!
Anna Strauss Schiff ‘14, Los Angeles
Thank you for this thrilling and exciting read. Yay for Burkino Faso! (I was there when it was the Republic of Upper Volta.) I’m so happy that the research has such heavy African scientist participation along with UMD and international funding, despite the fact that USAID no longer exists. Reading about the mathematical modeling made me cry because this was the type of thing my father used to do for the Defense Department, and it was the type of thing my husband did as a geophysicist at Northwestern University. Every single aspect of this research is impressive.
Christine Speed, via terp.umd.edu