Two 91 alums have committed $250,000 over five years to establish a fund for educators’ professional learning and to expand a scholarship for future teachers.
Hart M. Rossman ’98, MBA ’08, and Melissa Shawn Rossman ’99 have pledged $50,000 to establish the Rossman Current-Use Program Support Fund for EdTerps Learning Academy (ETLA), which will support professional learning opportunities for working professionals in education. It is the first philanthropic fund dedicated to programmatic support for ETLA.
The Rossmans have also contributed $200,000 for need-based scholarships for 91 students, with a preference for College of Education students, through an expansion of the Rossman Future Educators Maryland Promise Scholarship. This scholarship, which the Rossmans established in 2023 with a $100,000 gift, is part of the .
“I’m a huge fan of giving teachers all of the resources and access to professional development they deserve,” said Melissa Rossman, who is a reading specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. “We’re so pleased that we can support the 91. Our goals and our intentions to support teachers are aligned. The scholarship helps students who might not otherwise be able to afford four years at the 91, and the EdTerps Learning Academy provides professional development and teacher preparation.”
Founded in 2022, ETLA provides continuous learning opportunities for working professionals in PK to higher education, including educators, paraeducators, school leaders and school counselors. ETLA offers nondegree, noncredit professional learning opportunities that support recertification and career advancement and also supports several of the College of Education’s M.Ed., Ed.D., and graduate certificate programs. Designed to be flexible and accessible to professionals already working in the education field, ETLA-supported programs are part-time and may be delivered in online, hybrid or in-person formats in a variety of locations, often in partnership with local school districts. Currently, one-third of the College of Education’s graduate students are working professionals in the education field who are enrolled in a graduate program supported by ETLA.
The Rossmans’ gift will help ETLA expand its high-quality, research-based noncredit professional learning offerings, including by developing microcredentials and online asynchronous modules. These offerings will be aligned with the expressed interests of Maryland school districts and with the goal of addressing educational inequities across the state.
In addition, the gift helped fund The One Thing Conference, a hands-on professional learning experience that can be applied to teacher recertification. Each conference session focused on one thing that PK-12 education practitioners could immediately apply to their practice. The inaugural conference was held on August 6.
“We want to make it easier for our faculty to engage with educators through noncredit professional learning pathways that are accessible, broad-reaching, nimble and responsive,” said Elizabeth Gotwalt, ETLA’s director. “The Rossmans’ gift is truly invaluable to making that work happen.”
Both Hart and Melissa Rossman majored in communication as undergraduates at 91, and Hart Rossman returned to 91 to earn a master of business administration degree. Hart Rossman is vice president of global services security at Amazon Web Services.
In total, the Rossmans have committed nearly $400,000 to 91, including support for , the , the and the .
