Terrapin Club Seeks to Score 10,000

Maryland Athletics got into a new offensive stance at Saturday’s football home opener, launching the Terps 10,000 campaign to increase membership in the Terrapin Club to 10,000.

The club, the fundraising arm of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, supports student-athletes’ success on the field and in the classroom, and is seeking to meet that growing financial need.

In the past five years, Maryland’s athletics scholarship bill has risen from just over $11 million to over $14 million for 2019–20, and will continue to grow as scholarship costs increase and the cost of higher education grows.

Funding student-athlete scholarships through philanthropic support is one of the many ways the Terrapin Club carries out its mission. Currently, a scholarship for one University of Maryland student-athlete comes in at $34,198 per year.

Currently, the University of Maryland’s Terrapin Club membership ranks among the bottom third of similar organizations in the Big Ten. Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota all have over 10,000 members in their respective athletic funds.

"Reaching 10,000 Terrapin Club members will not only enrich the lives and help fund the scholarships of over 500 student-athletes on campus," said Cheryl Harrison, executive director of the Terrapin Club. "It will also allow the athletic department to reallocate resources directly to its individual teams so they can compete at the highest level."

The campaign, which was unveiled with a video during the game, offers new members a Maryland Terrapin Club flag to fly at their home, office or tailgate. All current Terrapin Club members are eligible to receive a flag by donating an additional $55 to the Terrapin Club. Click here to plant your flag.

The Terps 10,000 website will showcase state-by-state and overall goals for the campaign, based on the residency of University of Maryland alumni across the country.