Stevenson Announces New Gifts to Support Scholarships and the Berman Family Performing Arts Center

Stevenson University is pleased to announce $175,000 in new gifts to support the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Scholars Program for Middle-Income Students and the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Family Performing Arts Center, which will open later this year. Stevenson would like to acknowledge the generosity of the following donors. Their gifts are transforming the lives of students through scholarships, facilities, and experiences that help them reach their academic and career aspirations.

Charles T. Bauer Charitable Foundation

The Charles T. Bauer Charitable Foundation has donated $50,000 to the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Scholars Program for Middle-Income Students. The Foundation focuses its philanthropy on supporting educational endeavors and institutions, the arts, healthcare, community and volunteer organizations, and environmental education.

Rick Bastinelli

Rick Bastinelli has made a $50,000 gift to name the Bastinelli Family Gallery Hall in the Berman Family Performing Arts Center. Bastinelli founded Owings Mills-based document management and business technology company Centric Business Systems and served as the company's president for 33 years until retiring in 2024. Bastinelli has served as a member of Stevenson University's President's Advisory Council since 2024. He is a Trustee Emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and serves on the Board of Trustees for The Living Classrooms Foundation.

Marc Buro and Nicole O'Brien

Stevenson parents Marc Buro and Nicole O'Brien have made a $50,000 gift to name the Buro - O'Brien Family Music Library in the Berman Family Performing Arts Center. Buro is the Chief Executive Officer of InsuraMatch, a national insurance brokerage firm acquired by Travelers in 2021. Nicole serves as an Executive Vice President at Amwins Group, the largest wholesale specialty insurance distributor in the United States. Their son, Jack M. O'Brien, is a senior Business Administration major and the Student Assistant Coach for the Stevenson Mustangs Football team.

Justin and Sarah Towles

Justin '05 and Sarah Towles have made a $25,000 gift to name the Towles Family Costume Shop in the Berman Family Performing Arts Center. Justin Towles is an alumnus of Stevenson University, Class of 2005, and a current member of the Board of Trustees. A lobbyist for the aeronautical industry, Towles has also worked with Stevenson student groups on outreach to state legislators and leaders in Annapolis. Sarah Towles is the Senior Director for Government Affairs at PepsiCo where she leads the company's advocacy and policy engagement strategies with the federal government.

"On behalf of the entire Stevenson community, I would like to thank the Charles T. Bauer Charitable Foundation, Rick Bastinelli, Marc Buro and Nicole O'Brien, and Justin and Sarah Towles for their extraordinary generosity," said Elliot Hirshman, President of Stevenson. "Their gifts reflect a strong belief in the life-changing power of a Stevenson education and in the value of the performing arts. We are grateful for their commitment to our students and our university."

Founded in 1947, Stevenson University today serves more than 3,700 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The University offers a traditional undergraduate experience on its 200-acre campus in Owings Mills, Maryland; graduate and professional degrees through Stevenson University Online; and a doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. For nearly 80 years, Stevenson has been committed to a mission and vision to meet the evolving needs of today's college students and prepare them for success in tomorrow's workforce. Learn more at https://www.stevenson.edu.