University of Southern Maine

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Tony Shalhoub Donates to USM Campaign

February 20, 2007

Actor Tony Shalhoub, a 1977 University of Southern Maine graduate, and his wife Brooke Adams have given $100,000 to "Transforming USM: The Capital Campaign." The $25 million fund-raising effort will benefit USM's endowment, scholarships and a major campus development project.

"I'm honored to be able to help this university," said Shalhoub, "because it was where I found what I love to do, thanks to the support and talents of a dedicated faculty." A native of Green Bay, Wisc., Shalhoub first studied acting as a USM theatre major. After graduation, he was accepted into the Yale School of Drama, where he earned an M.F.A. 

He played Antonio Scarpacci, the Italian cab driver in the television series "Wings," and also starred in the sitcom, "Stark Raving Mad." Shalhoub, a founding member of the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Mass., has won three Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the detective Adrian Monk in the USA Network TV series, "Monk." His many film credits include "Big Night," "Men in Black," "Spy Kids," "The Siege," and "Galaxy Quest." He currently is starring in the Off-Broadway production of Theresa Rebeck's "The Scene."

Shalhoub visited USM in 2003 to give the Commencement address and to receive a USM Distinguished Achievement Award for his contributions to the arts. He also serves as a member of the USM Foundation Board of Directors. The USM Foundation is a private, non-profit group established to receive and manage donations made to USM.

The centerpiece of the $25-million campaign is University Commons, a complete redevelopment of University-owned land in Portland that runs between the Abromson Community Education Center and the Glickman Family Library. The Commons will be the building site for an expanded Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, and the Wishcamper Center, which will house the national headquarters of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the USM Muskie School of Public Service. The Commons also will feature landscaped, public promenade. The complex will ensure that USM has the physical capacity to better serve students and the public.

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