ASRC Federal donates $10,000 to engineer/aviation science program
Thursday, October 29, 2020
ASRC Federal, a government services contractor, is the latest private-sector partner to provide the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a donation to support the engineering and aviation sciences program.
UMES President Heidi M. Anderson and her leadership team recently accepted a $10,000 gift from an ASRC Federal delegation headed by Jennifer Felix, the company’s president and chief executive officer, during an informal reception at the Engineering and Aviation Science Complex.
ASRC Federal is a prime contractor at Wallops Flight Facility near Chincoteague, Va., a NASA facility where UMES students in the past have gained hands-on experience as interns – and some have landed jobs.
UMES is one of 15 historically black institutions with Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology credentials, and is the state of Maryland’s lone university with an aviation program that includes pilot training.
Earlier this year, ASRC Federal had planned to host a golf tournament to raise money for some of its philanthropic interests on the lower Delmarva Peninsula, but the novel coronavirus pandemic derailed that event.
The company instead opted to make an unrestricted contribution of $10,000 to support instruction in UMES’ aviation and engineering disciplines. The university plans to use the money for scholarships for aviation science students.
“One of our core values is stewardship, so it’s important for us to be a positive influence in the communities where our employees live and work,” said Felix, ASRC Federal president and CEO. “Our hope is that this investment helps enable the next generation of leaders in the greater Wallops community.”
UMES alumni Christa Campbell and Bojiun “Andy” Tsao, who both graduated in December 2019 with honors, work at Wallops and are among the approximately 8,000 employees across the ASRC Federal family of companies. As a drafter, Tsao has created several parts for a payload adaptor set to launch in 2021. Campbell is an aerospace engineer who already has designed parts for NASA’s Balloon Program Office and also is a facility safety officer.
UMES President Heidi M. Anderson said, “the University values its relationship with private sector partners and we are delighted to count ASRC Federal among them. We anticipate that future UMES graduates will further enhance the company’s important work.”
ASRC Federal’s network of companies delivers digital operations and information technology modernization, software, applications and analytics, engineering solutions, professional services and infrastructure operations to U.S. civil, defense and intelligence agencies in 44 states, districts and territories.
