Gift Supports Faculty Research in
Education
Faculty research in the College of Education and Human Development
(CEHD) has received recognition and significant support through
a $100,000 gift to the college by two local families.
USM alumna Nancy St. John Pond and her husband Kirk Pond
of Cape Elizabeth and Catherine and Joseph Martin of Yarmouth
and their families have created an endowment to support faculty
research, especially increasing the opportunities for research
by junior faculty.
The Martin/Pond donation is the first gift to CEHD that expressly
benefits faculty professional development. The endowment “is
truly a direct investment in our most important capital resource—the
continued assurance of a high quality faculty,” President
Pattenaude said.
Nancy St. John Pond received a bachelor’s degree in
elementary education from USM in 1982 and a master’s
in educational administration from USM in 1995. She cited
the impact USM professors had made in her professional life
as a school leader as a primary reason for wanting to contribute
to the college.
Cathy Martin, who is owner and director of the Montessori-oriented
Winfield School in Falmouth, received her M.Ed. from the University
of Maine and also took some graduate classes at CEHD. Martin
said she wanted to support local opportunities for teachers
to continue their educations. “USM has become such a
presence in the educational community here, and I speak to
so many teachers who have taken courses at USM,” she
said. Martin noted that the education faculty at USM, “are
well-tuned to what’s happening in the field,” but
the two women wanted to provide the financial support for
faculty research that would ensure that the CEHD faculty would
be able to continue working with area teachers in keeping
them current. “We want to inspire teachers to stay in
education and be sure that the opportunities for further education
are there for them,” Martin said.
The guidelines for the Martin/Pond Education Faculty Research
Award state, in part: “It is the intent of the donors
to give preference to junior faculty members having an identified
agenda for scholarship. Funds from the endowment may be used
to purchase a course release, to fund a pre-tenure sabbatical,
to pay a summer stipend, or to fund travel or other direct
costs associated with a research project. Awards from the
endowment will not be made until annual income [of the endowment]
reaches a minimum of $5000.”
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