More News

UMD students among region-wide college housing

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006

University of Maryland students will join hundreds of college students from across the Washington, D.C. area in newly opened student housing in Hyattsville.

The Towers at University Town Center (UTC), a $1.2 billion project, will include 910 beds for students from Trinity College, the University of Maryland, Catholic, Georgetown, George Washington, American and Howard universities. Tenants’ ages will range from 18 to 40.

‘‘The design of the building was ahead of its time,” said Chris Hanessian, UTC Chief Operating Officer. ‘‘There are no other student housing projects in the country that have this level of co-tenancy and diversity.”

The 20-story building was opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 4 in Hyattsville, with Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson and Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr. in attendance. The student facility will be dedicated to Don Hanson, an architect who helped develop and conceive the project.

‘‘We set out to integrate a variety of uses to create a project with a sense of continuity and synergy which appeals to a blend of audiences,” said UTC president Herschel Blumberg. ‘‘In an effort to achieve that goal, UTC has designed a large public plaza with public art, seating areas, performance stage, and water features at the center of the project.”

Organizers and developers said they were pleased with the structure, which will include 250,000 square feet of retail stores and entertainment such as a 14-screen movie theatre. The building also will include about 3 million square feet of office space.

‘‘Together with UTC’s strong retail component, office buildings, the student housing and other residential facilities a vibrant environment for the entire community will be created,” Blumberg said.

College Park resident among innovative teenagers

Collier Rowe of College Park was among 27 high school students from across the U.S. and a dozen Maryland students who pitched innovative business ideas at the University of Maryland College Park last week.

The teens’ proposals were presented before an audience at the university, where they had finished a college-level class that focused on business fundamentals.

Rowe, 17, a junior at Takoma Academy in Takoma Park and his classmates learned the basics of idea validation, strategic marketing, market research, business ethics and group leadership.

Participants presented ideas such as eBay counterfeit monitoring for purchases of designer clothing, graphic design services that cater to small businesses, a neighborhood-based movie rental chain with monthly fees and no late charges and Web-based movie and game downloads with monthly or one-time fees.

Beltsville, College Parkcollege graduates

Among the more than 1,000 Salisbury University students who received their degrees last spring were a strong contingent of local residents. Beltsville residents who received their degrees included Janet Reed, Colin Riffe, Kristin Fadely and Gary Stewart. College Park natives included Steven Suit and Brendan Riley. Thirty-four Prince George’s County residents earned their bachelor’s or master’s degree at Salisbury during the 2005-2006 school year.

University Park resident receives scholarships

Christa Thorpe of University Park was among the hundreds of students who received a scholarship for the upcoming school year at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Md.

Thorpe, a university senior studying photography and art history, was awarded the Terry Phillips Scholarship. Her parents are University Park residents Lisa Poisson and James Thorpe.

School suppliesbeing collected

State Employees Credit Union (SECU ) has partnered with the Preston Mitchum, Jr. Foundation on a ‘‘Back to School” Campaign to collect new school supplies for needy children. Through Aug. 19, the SECU welcomes members of the community to stop by any of their 14 branches during business hours to drop off their donation for underprivileged children. Students ages 5-17 who live in shelters across the state need your help.

The SECU branches where you can drop off items include Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Washington, and Wicomico Counties. College Park locations include the University of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union, 2104 Campus Drive and the university’s Campus Lot L, located at the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Campus Drive.

Just drop by one of the branches and give your donation to the receptionist or another branch employee. Supplies needed include book bags, pens and pencils, folders, calculators, pencil sharpeners, crayons, notebooks, glue and lunchboxes.

For more information, e-mail SECU’s Community Relations Coordinator Sandra Hoffman at Sandra.Hoffman@SecuMd.com or visit www.pmjfoundation.org or Marketing Specialist Natasha Brown at 410-487-7442.

Red Cross needsblood donors

The American Red Cross issued an urgent plea to local communities for eligible blood donors. The next blood drive will begin at 1 p.m. Aug. 15 at the College Park Moose Lodge 453, 3700 Metzerott Road in College Park. All donors will receive an honorary T-shirt and be entered into a weekly drawing for $100 in gasoline. Contact Bob Hanna at 301-725-2067 to schedule a blood donation.