University Advancement
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Alumni Relations
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Impact
Helping Students See the World
Peter Moulton and Joel Blair note that books and travel, in addition to formal education, have been of most significance to their cultural lives. "The United States has an excellent public library system, but students need personal or institutional resources for travel," says Blair, a former member of the English Department.
He and his friend Peter Moulton have made an outright gift to endow an annual travel fellowship for an outstanding senior graduating from the Honors Program. "The fellowship is designed to enlarge their perspective about the world and what it means to be a global citizen," says Rajini Srikanth, honors program director and associate professor of English. The donors have also made provisions in their estates to establish an endowed directorship for the head of the Honors Program and to provide grants to humanities students wishing to study abroad. The endowed directorship will help attract persons of stature and commitment to that position and will allow money currently designated for salary to be used for undergraduate research and other initiatives.
Blair, one of the early directors of the program, notes: "Professor Monica McAlpine significantly expanded the academic scope of the Honors Program, and it is now ably headed by Professor Srikanth. It is a pleasure to be able to support outstanding students and to help shape the future of the Honors Program."
Right: Honors Program Director Rajini Srikanth (standing) with Honors Program students. Above Left: Peter Moulton and Joel Blair (l-r)
To see the historical impact of your gifts to UMass Boston, view these videos: