Professor Mark H. Sandler Endowed Undergraduate Student Experience Award

The endowed award will provide annual funds for undergraduate students in the Department so that they may supplement and/or cover the financial costs associated with experiential learning opportunities such as internships and research or service learning.

Professor Sandler was widely known for his excellence in teaching.  This gift particularly honors his indelible and formative roles as teacher and mentor to undergraduates.

Professor Sandler was Assistant Professor of Japanese Art History in the Department between 1986 and 1995.  He passed away in 1997.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1977.  His research interests in Japanese art ranged from Edo period, ukiyo-e genre through twentieth-century painting, with a focus on the artist Foujita.

He was a key figure in the organization of a state delegation to Japan in 1990, led by then Governor William Donald Schaefer, in which University President William E. Kirwin (now Chancellor Emeritus of the University System of Maryland) played a major role.  He was highly regarded as a lecturer, was active in Japanese studies’ circles, and was a favorite of colleagues in East Asian Studies throughout the Washington, D.C. region.

The first annual award cycle launched early in fall 2019.  Two calls will be issued each year: one each fall (for funding to be used in the following Winter/Spring term), and one in the spring (for funding in the following Spring/Summer term) (note: the deadline for Winter/Spring consideration is 22 November 2024; the deadline for Spring/Summer consideration is 14 March 2025).  Applicants will need to demonstrate financial need as well as the specific ways in which the award will make the proposed experience possible and meaningful. To apply for the Sandler Endowed Award, please consult the guidelines (PDF).

If you would like to make a contribution to the Professor Mark H. Sandler Endowed Undergraduate Experience Award, you can donate online via UMD's giving website.

If you prefer to mail a check, please make your gift payable to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation (memo: Sandler Endowed Award). Checks can be mailed to:

Office of Gift Acceptance
4603 Calvert Road
College Park, MD 20740-3421