The Special Education Endowed Fund in Honor of Dr. Jean R. Hebeler has
been established to support selected graduate and undergraduate students
in pursuit of their programs in special education and to provide selected
professional development activities to enrich the intellectual life of
students and faculty in the Department of Special Education at the University
of Maryland.
The fund will make annual awards to provide crucial support for promising
students of the department. Funds may be provided at the discretion of
the Special Education Endowment Committee for dissertation research or
student and faculty professional development activities. The committee
set an ambitious goal to raise $50,000 the first year and an expanded
goal aimed at raising $500,000 within five years. To date contributions
exceed $80,000.
To date 15 students have received financial assistance through the fund.
The Special Education Endowed Fund honors and celebrates the career and
leadership of Hebeler, whose professional career over 40 years has emphasized
teaching, service, and inquiry. A department of special education did
not exist when she came to the University of Maryland in the early 1960s.
Hebeler helped establish the department and worked with her colleagues
to pioneer new concepts and approaches to teaching special needs students.
She initiated collaborations with school systems, state departments of
education, and national organizations, working to minimize or eliminate
categories of special education services and to guarantee the educational
rights of students with special needs.
Her innovations in special education spread beyond the University of
Maryland to neighboring school districts, across the state, and nationwide
through her leadership of the Council for Exceptional Children. Within
the university community, her contributions extended to other departments
and colleges through her service as a member of the University Senate
and acting dean of the College
of Education from 1992-1994.
Members of the Special Education Endowment Committee worked as volunteers
to establish the endowment and continue to raise funds for its support
in order to provide more financial assistance for greater numbers of deserving
students. For more information on how to support the Special Education
Endowed Fund in Honor of Dr. Jean R. Hebeler, contact the Department of
Special Education at 301.405.6514 or you may mail contributions to:
University of Maryland
Special Education Endowed Fund in Honor of Dr. Jean R. Hebeler
1308 Benjamin Building
College Park, MD 20742
