Second Annual 'Do It Now' Celebration of Life and Legacy of William Donald Schaefer to be Held Nov. 1
October 14, 2016
Contact: Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore's Schaefer Center for Public Policy will further the legacy of legendary Baltimorean and Maryland political leader William Donald Schaefer, LL.B. '42, LL.M. '51, at the second annual William Donald Schaefer Award "Do It Now" ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 1, beginning at 6 p.m. at Martin's West, 6817 Dogwood Road, Baltimore, Md. This year's William Donald Schaefer Award will be presented to Nancy S. Grasmick, former state superintendent of Maryland public schools. Tickets and attendance details are provided below.
The Schaefer Center, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014, is located in UB's College of Public Affairs, where it serves as a nexus for excellence and a statewide resource in strengthening and professionalizing the delivery of services of public agencies, nonprofits and more. The center is named in honor of Schaefer, former governor and state comptroller of Maryland, mayor of Baltimore, member of its City Council, and a lifelong public servant. Schaefer died in 2013. He is widely remembered for his catchphrase, "Do it now!"—a call to action for public servants, and, indeed, citizens everywhere, to undertake the hard work and innovative approaches necessary to improve people's lives and encourage healthy, engaged communities.
Nancy Grasmick served as Maryland's superintendent of K-12 education from 1991 to 2011. She is now the co-director of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Grasmick started her career as a teacher of deaf children at the William S. Baer School in Baltimore. She served as a teacher, principal, supervisor, assistant superintendent, and associate superintendent for Baltimore County Public Schools. In 1989, Gov. Schaefer appointed her Special Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families. In 1991, the State Board of Education selected her as superintendent.
Grasmick has received numerous awards for her visionary leadership, including the national Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. In 2010, the College Board presented her with the national William U. Harris Award of Excellence, and the National Art Education Association honored her with the Distinguished Service, Outside the Profession Award.
She currently serves on the National Math and Science Initiative, the organization that selected Towson University as a site for the successful UTEACH program that was launched at the University of Texas at Austin with the goal of addressing the shortage of teachers in STEM.
Grasmick received her doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University, her master's degree from Gallaudet University, and her bachelor's degree from Towson University.
Last year's William Donald Schaefer Award was presented to Rep. Elijah Cummings, a lifelong civil rights proponent and son of Baltimore.
As part of Schaefer's legacy, the Schaefer Center has undertaken the "Do It Now" campaign to raise funds for an expanded, more dynamic range of contributions to solving problems—the kind of independent, fact-based approaches that Schaefer touted as a public official.
Tickets for the William Donald Schaefer Award ceremony are available here. For more information about this event, contact the Schaefer Center at 410.837.6188.
Learn more about the Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.