Giving to Smith

Meet the Donors

Milt Matthews '68: Scholarship Creator and Fundraiser

Whether passing the baton to the next runner in an 800-meter relay or nurturing the next generation of business leaders, Milt Matthews '68 is always looking forward. It comes as no surprise that the ACC track and field champion from New Jersey was eager to volunteer his time as co-chair of Great Expectations, The Campaign for the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Matthews and his wife Becky had already given more than half a million dollars to the university before assuming his new role in the Smith School campaign. But Matthews, a former Marine captain turned outstanding businessman, always felt compelled to run the distance in just about every endeavor—from his high school and collegiate track and field championships to the 31 air medals he received for service in Vietnam to the numerous awards he received as vice president of sales for The Hershey Company.

"Developing people was a primary goal I tried to accomplish at Hershey," he says, having mentored several senior managers during his 32-year career there. "There's an old Chinese proverb: 'If you want one year of prosperity, grow wheat; if you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees; if you want 100 years of prosperity, grow people,'" he says.

Matthews (r) with scholarship recipient Miguel Dieguez, MBA candidate 2008.

When it comes to inspiring donors, "It begins with the proposition of what's going to happen to my money? It's either going into facilities to grow the school, faculty or into scholarships. Your gift helps us to grow good people and make them great people," Matthews explains.

He is very passionate about this concept of "growing people." When Matthews retired from Hershey, he asked his colleagues to create a scholarship in lieu of personal gifts. It started as a $10,000 gift from the employees. Today the Milt Matthews Scholarship Fund in the Smith School is a $250,000 endowment thanks to Matthews and his wife's planned gift. They also gave the men's track and field program $250,000.

As the Smith School formally launches the next phase of its Great Expectations Campaign in October, Matthews is energized. "My expectation is to achieve and exceed the $90 million goal that we have set for the school. We're blessed with great people inside and outside the university to help us achieve our goal," says Matthews.

When he thinks back to those years at Maryland on an athletics scholarship, Matthews asks, "How much was that scholarship worth for me to be able to enjoy the life we have, to bring my family up and enjoy everything we have? It goes back to one point—going down the turnpike to Maryland."