Lifetime Member Wall

Lifetime Member Wall. 1892 Society, University of Maryland. , Life Member Program History , The university's first alumni organization was created in 1892 at what was then known as the Maryland Agricultural College. A similar group formed at the professional schools in Baltimore. In 1948, the alumni organizations at College Park and Baltimore were joined to form the new University of Maryland Alumni Association. Over the next two decades, that association grew to include graduates of the other University of Maryland institutions: Eastern Shore, Baltimore County and University College. The association became known as Alumni Association-International (AAI) and offered a variety of programs, including travel, awards, lifetime membership and social activities. In September 1969, the Alumni Council of the AAI officially launched a life membership program., In 1981, the Office of Alumni Programs was established at the University of Maryland, College Park to oversee activities tailored to the more than 100,000 graduates from this institution. Under the direction of the alumni office, growth was seen in the areas of homecoming activities, alumni chapters and regional groups., In 1988, the Maryland General Assembly officially designated the University of Maryland, College Park the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland and granted each University of Maryland institution the responsibility for its own alumni affairs. The University of Maryland, College Park Alumni Association was created in 1989 as part of this major reorganization of higher education in the state of Maryland., As an independent non-profit organization, the University of Maryland, College Park Alumni Association launched its own membership dues program, introducing a revitalized life membership option in 2006. All AAI life members who were College Park graduates were included in the new program. Since 1989, membership in the University of Maryland Alumni Association has steadily increased from 4,483 members grandfathered in from AAI to more than 35,000 individuals today., The Lifetime Member Wall at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center was made possible through the generosity of Eric S. '71 and Frann G. Francis and bears their names. The Eric S. and Frann G. Francis Lifetime Member Wall showcases all Alumni Association Life Members whose loyalty and generosity are the foundation of our future. Their names are featured here.