Alumna Mary Anne Hakes earned her Master of General Administration from UMGC in 1990 and credits her degree with helping her to change careers. She transitioned from nursing to health care administration, eventually becoming the head of a physician relations program at a large hospital in suburban Washington, D.C., prior to retiring.
Hakes has been a member of the UMGC Alumni Association since her graduation, serving many years on the association’s board of directors. She has also been a regular contributor to the university. Her name, along with her husband Richard’s, has appeared in the annual Honor Roll of Donors, identifying them as members of the Associates Club, President’s Club, 1947 Club, and Ehrensberger Society.
When asked what factors had the greatest influence on her decision to give to UMGC, Hakes explained that it was “partly because they asked and also because I wanted a chance to help other students get advanced education through scholarships. UMGC is a very worthy recipient. I think the gift of education is the answer to many of the world’s problems.”
That’s probably why it seemed like such a natural fit when she was selected to serve as the Alumni Association's vice president for philanthropy and annual alumni giving in 2003; She knew that being asked was an important part of the giving process.
“The stories from fellow alumni always amaze me: people with ten children who can still manage to get a degree, foreign students who arrive in the U.S. with $50 and go on to get an education and good jobs. Most of those people want to give back and give others the chance to get ahead,” Hakes said.
In her 2004 open letter to the association’s members, she asked her fellow alumni to imagine where they would be without their degrees from UMGC. For most, education led to significant changes in their lives, paved the way for promotions or career changes, opened cultural doors, and offered new ways of thinking. She challenged them to now help someone else.
“It’s time to give back and get involved. Your donation is an investment in UMGC’s ability to continue its distinguished tradition of providing high-quality education to people all over the world,” she wrote. “Your generosity makes a profound difference.”
Under Hakes’ leadership, the association increased alumni participation in the annual fund campaign, a key component of UMGC’s comprehensive fundraising efforts that allows the university to take advantage of new opportunities that are not fully funded by tuition and fees or by state support. A total in excess of $200,000 in donations was received from more than 4,000 individuals and organizations, and the Alumni Association was able to contribute an additional $10,000 to the endowed scholarship fund in support of need-based awards. In recognition of her exceptional efforts, Hakes received the 2004 Edward A. Parnell Outstanding Alumna Award.
Hakes remained active on the Alumni Association board and in 2014 was named the Annual Campaign chair. Again, she remembered to ask her fellow alumni to give, closing her letter with an eloquent request that has been—and will always remain—relevant at UMGC:
“I ask you to think ‘scholarships’ as you open both your hearts and your checkbooks this year. The tax-deductible donations you make will allow this great university to remain affordable for and accessible to the many adult students who now follow the rest of us through its doors.”