Glenn Birx, FAIA, a 1980 graduate of the University of Maryland’s architecture program, has created a new $30,000 endowment through the TerpStart Scholarship Program. The endowment will fund the Glenn Birx Scholarship, a need-based scholarship for students interested in pursuing a degree in architecture.
Glenn is 36-year veteran of the Baltimore-based firm Ayers Saint Gross, a job he took fresh from UMD and retained because, as he told the Baltimore Sun in 2013, “he was having so much fun.” Now a Vice President and Principal at the firm, Glenn possesses a diverse resume of work and is behind many of the outstanding buildings dotting university and research campuses up and down the eastern seaboard. He is a national authority on Building Information Modeling (BIM), contributing several articles on the subject to publications on professional practice. Highly dedicated and involved with the school since graduation, Glenn served on the Dean’s Advisory Board and is currently acting Vice Chair of the Board of Visitors, a reorganized advisory body formed last fall. Through his firm Ayers Saint Gross, Glenn and his colleagues have sponsored several meaningful studios over the years and recruited many UMD students for internships and employment.
Glenn’s decision to build the endowment is a reflection of the great satisfaction and joy he gets from being an architect and his desire to help students in need to experience the rewards of the profession. “I’ve had a very successful and satisfying career and this is a great opportunity for me to give back,” he says. “UMD has a very good, very competitive architecture program. However, I know the cost of the education is out of sight for so many people today. I really wanted to be able to provide this opportunity to someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.”
Glenn is the second alumnus of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation to give through the TerpStart Matching Scholarship Program, joining fellow alumnus Bill Bonstra (B.ARCH ’83), who created an endowment last December. The TerpStart program is designed to assist those students with the greatest financial need—Pell eligible students—as part of the University’s continued mission to provide access and affordability to a quality college education. With the University’s annual match, TerpStart allows the donor’s gift to go farther, reach more students, provide greater impact and attract a more diverse student body. The TerpStart program requires a minimum of a $30,000 contribution, which is payable over five years.
The Glenn Birx Endowed Scholarship is set to commence this fall. “I would encourage any alums interested in giving back to look into this program,” said Glenn. “It’s a great way to really make an impact on a student. The matching funds make it a no brainer.”