For over 50 years, Patricia (“Pat”) Koskinen ’75 has been passionate about promoting minority and urban education. In her youth growing up in Hawaii, Pat interacted with many people who came from underprivileged socio‑economic backgrounds. Her father was a labor leader and represented local field hands who worked on the pineapple and sugar farms.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in psychology, Pat worked as an elementary school teacher in inner-city schools, first with the Cardozo Project in Urban Teaching in Washington, D.C., and later in Los Angeles.

Pat’s husband, John Koskinen, a retired business executive who held positions in both the private and public sectors, also witnessed the plight of students in inner-city schools in his roles working as a senior staff member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the “Kerner” Commission) and as deputy mayor of the District of Columbia.

Both Pat and John wanted to encourage minority college students to major in education, so students could become role models for the next generation of minority youth. To that end, in 2009, the Koskinens established the Patricia S. and John A. Koskinen Endowed Scholarship. Over the years, they have generously given more than $160,000 to this fund, which awards scholarships to graduates of Prince George’s Community College and Baltimore City Community College who matriculate at the College of Education at UMD.

Pat and John’s ties to UMD began when Pat joined the university’s Reading Center (now the Language and Literacy Research Center) under director Dr. Robert Wilson. Dr. Wilson would become a mentor and friend as Pat pursued and received a Ph.D., in education, with a focus on teaching reading in elementary schools. Pat became an adjunct professor at UMD’s College of Education, teaching undergraduate and graduate students for over 25 years.

In 2021 the Koskinens established a $500,000 endowed scholarship, funded through both an outright gift and a bequest provision in their estate plan, which will award a graduate fellowship in minority and urban education to students within the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the College of Education.

Jazmin Salmeron-Lopez, 2020-2021 scholarship recipient, says receiving the scholarship helps her better focus on achieving her goals.

“It’s no secret that college can bring financial stress, but the drive to teach helps motivate me. This award allowed me to be more focused on my goal and not hindered by the constant problem of trying to afford an education.”

Interested in learning how you can make a difference for UMD students like Jazmin? Contact the Office of Gift Planning at 866.646.4UMD or giftplanning@umd.edu to get started.