"They have all shared their wisdom and their wit with this board and each has been extremely generous to this University and our Foundation," said Henry Hanna in one of his last acts as Foundation chair. Though he is stepping down from the lead position, he will remain a Foundation member.

Leister, a board member since 1979, became the Foundation's sixth emeritus board member upon his retirement, joining such luminaries the late Richard Henson, the late Edward H. Nabb, Charles Fulton, Frank Perdue and Dick Young. The retired owner of a bookkeeping and real estate firm, Leister and his wife, MaryLee, have been generous benefactors to SU. The Grand Staircase of the Alumni House and Dean's Office in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business are named in their honor.

A former radio station owner, Leister has been a strong supporter of WSCL, the Foundation's National Public Radio affiliate at SU, serving as chair of the Foundation's Public Radio Committee. The Pocomoke City resident earned the SU President's Club Stewardship Award for his contributions to the campus in 2000. He is past president of the Foundation Board. He and his wife have been active in area philanthropy, and he is president of the board of Hartley Hall Nursing Home.

Shenasky, a board member since 1982, said he enjoyed seeing the Foundation grow during his tenure and admired the quality of the educational opportunities and campus amenities SU offers its students and the public. The chair of Peninsula Regional Medical Center's Division of Urology, he is past president of the Maryland Urological Society and PRMC Medical Staff.

Citing WSCL and the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, Shanasky said, "I think the University is one of those things that really makes Salisbury a special place."

In addition to his work with the Foundation, the Salisbury resident volunteers as treasurer of the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore and Christ United Methodist Church.

Beatty, who joined the board in 1988, received the Foundation's 2004 Stewardship Award, honoring his commitment to SU. A past chair of the board, Investment and Audit Committee chair and vice chair of gifts and grants, he was instrumental in helping the Foundation's investment performance top all other University System of Maryland institutions and affiliated foundations each year during his leadership.

A Talbot County resident, Beatty is the father of an SU alumnus, Scott Beatty (1975) and is also an annual SU benefactor. The president and former owner of the Eastern Shore's largest accounting firm, Beatty Satchel & Co., he also has volunteered as chair of the Memorial Hospital Board in Easton, MD, and as an officer of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. He was named one of Maryland's Most Beautiful People for service and volunteerism in 1997.

Perdue-Kresge Campaign A Success

SALISBURY, MD—Salisbury University celebrated St. Patrick's Day by honoring some 200 special friends whose gifts are making possible a new $1.6 million endowment through the University's Perdue-Kresge Challenge Campaign.

At a colorful reception bringing together donors, students and the campus organizations that are the beneficiaries of the endowment, SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach expressed the University’s appreciation to the community: “We could not have raised this money without the generous match offered by the Perdue-Kresge Challenge. I am most grateful to the Perdue family, to the Kresge Foundation and to the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore for creating this opportunity.

“Matching funds—the opportunity to double your investment—are a powerful motivator for donors.” Contributors donated $800,000 that then was doubled by Frank and Mitzi Perdue and the Kresge Foundation in endowment accounts at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. The first endowment dispersal was recently made. Five campus groups have benefited and the President praised donors to each:

One of the largest gifts was by Peter and Judy Jackson of Tyaskin, MD, who made a challenge grant of $100,000 to benefit the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra. With the response of other symphony supporters and the Perdue-Kresge match their gift quadrupled to $400,000.

Other major contributors included:

Dr. Phillip and Carol Bosserman, formerly of Salisbury and now of Tampa, FL, for the Center for Conflict Resolution.
Paul and Wanda Ferrier of Salisbury who made a significant gift in memory of the late Sam Seidel and the Seidel Scholarship Program.
The Rollins-Luetkemeyer Foundation of Baltimore whose gift will enhance the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art and its operations.
Kathy Washburn Niskanen of Washington, D.C., and Princess Anne, MD, longtime friend and generous patron of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture.

At the reception, donors were treated to jazz, classical and show music by a wind quintet from the SSO while University students benefiting from scholarships explained colorful displays of activities, ranging from school programs for children to international projects such as the CCR’s redesign of the Croatian court system, historic material culture from the Nabb Center including an antique quilt from White Haven, MD, and championship carvings from the Ward Museum.

“It’s especially exciting to see the community support these programs that are at the heart of the University's outreach mission,” said Henry Hanna, chairman of the University's Predue-Kresge Challenge Campaign and chair of the SU Foundation Board.

“All of the programs with displays around this room benefit students. What makes them perfect for this partnership are the benefits they bring to the community.”

SU Partnership Links Outreach, Scholarship: The Salisbury University Foundation has been awarded the chance to raise $800,000 that will be matched dollar-for-dollar to create $1.6 million for university outreach programs. The SU Foundation was named a partner in the Perdue Kresge Challenge for the Community, an endowment campaign sponsored by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

Salisbury University assembled the SU Foundation Endowment Partnership as the ideal response to the Perdue-Kresge Challenge for the Community: the Partner organizations are all firmly tied to Salisbury University's educational mission but each is primarily oriented to SU's goal of civic engagement. In other words, the Partners were selected because each serves the Lower Shore community, and the region, in a unique way.

Real estate developer Henry Hanna is a member of the SU Foundation board of directors and is chairing the Partnership Campaign. "The Perdue Kresge Challenge presents an excellent opportunity for Eastern Shore residents to double their charitable gifts. Each dollar contributed to the SU Foundation Endowment Partnership Campaign will be matched one-for-one by the Foundation," said Hanna. "It's exciting to participate in such a powerful fundraising program that benefits not only the University's outreach efforts, but also the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore."

The SU Foundation Partners are:

The Center for Conflict Resolution, which was founded in 1992, and offers a low-cost, confidential approach to mediating conflicts. Center mediators have served public and private groups and individuals on the Delmarva Peninsula and beyond. Center staff and students have provided conflict resolution workshops at area schools. Salisbury architect Jim McDonald, board chair, is directing the drive.
The Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University presents concerts of classical and popular music throughout the region. The SSO recently received a $100,000 challenge gift from Dr. Peter Jackson and his wife Judy to expand symphony offerings. Les Simpson, a Salisbury accountant, and Dr. Jackson are co-directing the SSO campaign.
The Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture may be best known for its popular genealogical programs and offers the largest collection of such records on the Eastern Shore. The Nabb Center preserves collections of local interest and provides access to valuable records to SU students and amateur and professional historians. Overseeing their effort is Board Chair Gordon Wood, a retired attorney from Oceanview, DE.
The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art was acquired by the University last year. The Ward Museum hopes to expand its ties to the community with additional educational programs and exhibits. Leading the Ward Museum's efforts is insurance executive Henry Stansbury of Catonsville, MD.
The Seidel Scholarship Challenge for future teachers, launched in response to a generous gift from the late Sam Siedel and his wife, Marilyn, is the fifth component to the partnership. This effort is particularly important as SU responds to the regional and nationwide teacher shortage by increasing scholarships for students majoring in education. Joining Hanna in heading the Seidel Challenge is retired executive Wayne Towers, also an SU Foundation board member.