Alums Commit $1M to Support Renovation, Expansion of College of Education’s Home

From left: Ellen F. Gaske ’75, College of Education Dean Kimberly A. Griffin and T. Paul Gaske ’76.

"We are truly grateful to the Gaskes for their generous commitment to support the renovation and expansion of the Benjamin Building, which will make a meaningful difference to generations of students, faculty, staff and community members,” said Dean Kimberly Griffin. “With a transformed building that promotes collaboration, innovation, creativity and inclusion, we will be better positioned to address the grand challenges in education and well-being facing our state, nation and world.”

The renovation will aid the college in its transition from traditional classrooms designed in the 1960s to contemporary learning spaces that foster collaboration, innovation and student engagement. By integrating modern facilities and technology, the redesigned environment will better prepare future educators, leaders, counselors and researchers to adapt to evolving educational settings and drive meaningful change in the field.

For example, laboratory classrooms will give aspiring educators in fields such as special education and science the opportunity to practice teaching in spaces that look, feel and operate like preK-12 classrooms. In addition, the building will include new gathering spaces designed to nurture strong relationships among students, faculty, staff, educators, school leaders and community members. The state-of-the-art facilities are expected to attract top faculty, staff and students to the college.

“The renovation can help elevate the college, support innovative programming and foster a spirit of collaboration,” said Ellen Gaske. “Spaces can be created so that form fits the function."

Some School of Public Health faculty, staff and students will be based in the renovated Benjamin Building, creating more opportunities for collaboration between the two colleges as they both aim to meet pressing community needs.

The Gaskes have for decades supported the university through service and philanthropy. Ellen Gaske, who earned a bachelor’s degree in special education and general education at UMD as well as a master's degree in communicative disorders and a doctorate in special education and learning disabilities from Johns Hopkins University, is a member of the College of Education Board of Visitors and the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees. She is the senior vice president of academics at Specialized Education Services, a national company that serves students with a wide range of academic, behavioral and social-emotional learning needs. Over her 40-year career, Ellen Gaske has served as a special education teacher, resource teacher and supervisor for the Howard County Public School System, and has taught courses on reading and written language disorders at Johns Hopkins University.

Paul Gaske, who earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UMD and a master’s degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins, is the immediate past chair of the A. James Clark School of Engineering Board of Visitors. He is chief operating officer of EchoStar Corporation. He began working at Hughes Network Systems, now a subsidiary of EchoStar, in 1977.

The Gaskes have supported numerous initiatives at the College of Education through the Paul and Ellen Gaske Foundation, including creating a fund to support TerpsEXCEED, an inclusive post-secondary education program that provides Maryland students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in a college experience. They have also established the Ellen Gaske Scholarship in Special Education.

Within the Clark School, the Gaskes have generously supported the Paul and Ellen Gaske Quantum Technology Teaching Lab in Stanley R. Zupnik Hall, the Gaske Quantum Science and Engineering Teaching Lab in the A.V. Williams Building, the A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean’s Fund and the T. Paul and Ellen Gaske Maryland Promise Scholarship.