CREATING SPACES FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Inspiring Discovery, Innovation, and Opportunity on the Hill
Maintaining our high standards of academic excellence and innovation requires ongoing investments in faculty, facilities, and student-faculty research. These are the building blocks of McDaniel’s future — and where donor support can make the greatest impact right now.
Investing in Academic Excellence: Faculty, Facilities, and Experiences
Investing in What Defines the McDaniel Commitment
Academic excellence is the heart of the McDaniel Commitment — our promise to provide every student with a rigorous, supportive, and deeply personalized educational experience. Through Reaching New Heights, we are strengthening the people, spaces, and opportunities that make this promise possible. By investing in modern facilities, student-faculty research, and exceptional faculty, we ensure that McDaniel continues to be a place where curiosity thrives, discovery unfolds, and students are empowered to reach their full potential.
Current Fundraising Priorities:
Classroom and Lab Renovations
Modern classrooms and labs foster collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Renovations and equipment upgrades ensure students and faculty have access to the tools and spaces they need to turn learning into discovery.
Student-Faculty Research
Mentorship and hands-on learning define the McDaniel experience. Donor-funded research opportunities allow students to collaborate directly with faculty, publish their work, and present at national conferences — experiences that open doors to graduate study and careers.
Faculty Endowments and Academic Chairs
Outstanding faculty are at the heart of academic excellence. Endowed positions and professorships help McDaniel attract and retain exceptional educators who inspire curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning.
Building on a Strong Foundation
How Donor Support is Already Transforming the Hill
Generosity from McDaniel alumni, parents, and friends has already made a remarkable impact — transforming spaces and launching programs that strengthen our academic core. These initiatives are proof that your investment makes lasting change possible.
Completed and Ongoing Initiatives
Transforming Health Care Education in Our Region
The launch of graduate programs in Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology has positioned McDaniel as a regional leader in health care education.
Centralizing Academic Support — The Learning Commons @ Hoover Library
A newly renovated, collaborative hub where students access tutoring, academic advising, accessibility services, and research support — all under one roof.
Helping Our Students Reach New Heights
On And Off The Hill
With the support of our donors through Reaching New Heights: The Campaign for McDaniel College, the college will take the next steps to ensure McDaniel’s academic experience continues to evolve to meet the demands of today’s best and brightest students.
Modern, purpose-built facilities play a significant role in providing a high-value learning experience that is rich in quality, collaboration, and discovery. The renovations highlighted here represent just the beginning of the new look on the Hill, but the college needs your help to make the rest reality.
Invest in the Future of Learning on the Hill
Your gift empowers students and faculty with the spaces, tools, and opportunities they need to reach new heights of discovery and innovation.
Campaign Impact
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McDaniel College Moves to Develop New Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology
McDaniel College is continuing to grow its graduate programs, while expanding the college’s academic offerings in health care, with the development of a new Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology.
The Learning Commons @ Hoover Library
Renovations @ Hoover Library have resulted in a vibrant student success space now known as The Learning Commons. The Learning Commons at Hoover Library centralizes key services and enhances individual talents to support academic excellence and improve student learning.
STEM Center Gift Bridges Disciplines
Trustee Bob Pick '92, P'25 says that he and his wife, Heather, were eager to donate to this project because it establishes a visible STEM pillar in the center of campus. “The liberal arts, in many respects, are all about ‘and.’ It’s not one discipline or the other; one culture or another. It’s about navigating all,” he says.
A New Chapter for the Writing Center
Fostering further collaboration among academic support services, the Writing Center has a new home in the Learning Commons @ Hoover Library, with a modernized facility in a central location.
Building for the Future: Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology
Inherent in our pursuit of academic excellence and innovation is transforming health care education in our region through the development of new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.), and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (M.S. in S-LP) programs.
Investing in McDaniel’s Business Legacy
Renovations to upgrade the Economics and Business Administration Department in Lewis Recitation Hall took place over the summer. Built in 1914, Lewis Recitation Hall was the first building constructed on campus following a plan developed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm and is named for President Thomas Hamilton Lewis, who served as the college’s president from 1886 to 1920.
Accessible Spaces and Friendly Faces: SASS Moves to the Learning Commons
Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) has long been housed in Merritt Hall, but with approximately 30% of McDaniel undergraduate students utilizing SASS accommodations, the office has outgrown its physical space. Now, students registered with SASS will have easier access to other support services like the Writing Center, STEM Center, librarians, IT, student success coaches, and academic deans, all of whom are frequent collaborators with SASS staff.
McDaniel Receives $2 Million for Mathematics and Computer Science Department
McDaniel College has been awarded $2 million through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF), a state program created to spur basic and applied research in scientific and technical fields at colleges and universities. The funding will be...
McDaniel College and LifeBridge Health Announce Landmark Partnership
Leaders from LifeBridge Health and McDaniel College joined together at Carroll Hospital on Oct. 30 to announce a landmark partnership that not only helps to address the nursing shortage in Carroll County and the surrounding region through McDaniel’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program, but also benefits McDaniel students and LifeBridge Health team members.