Best Week, Worst Week: Students get boost from UB grant; ex-mayor handed 3 years in prison

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Community college students and veterans looking to finish their studies at the University of Baltimore got some great news this week after a UB alumnus donated $5 million to the school. Meanwhile, a former mayor of Baltimore was handed a three-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion.

A gift to the University of Baltimore from billionaire alumnus Bob Parsons will allow qualified community college students and military veterans to finish their undergraduate degrees for free, the university announced Monday.

Business writer Tim Curtis reported Monday that Parsons’ $5 million gift over five years will bridge the gap between what a Pell Grant covers and the university’s remaining tuition and fees and is the largest-ever gift dedicated solely to scholarships that the university has received.

The university enrolled 1,470 full-time students in fall 2018, with close to 70% of them having transferred from a community college. The presidents of Baltimore-area community colleges identified financial hardship as a significant barrier for students who want to complete their associate’s degree and move on to a four-year institution. Students experience sticker shock from the difference in tuition between a community college and even a modestly priced four-year institution like the University of Baltimore.

Debra L. McCurdy, president of Baltimore City Community College, said that the majority of BCCC students are taking Pell Grants and that the $5 million award will make a tremendous difference for students moving on to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Meanwhile, former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh was sentenced to federal prison Thursday after she pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion, receiving a three-year sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow.

Chasanow also sentenced Pugh to serve three years of supervised release after she leaves prison and ordered her to pay more than $411,000 in restitution and to forfeit $669,000 in cash and property.

Pugh’s attorneys said the former mayor has been suffering for the last year as she has faced intense scrutiny and public shaming. They described her as a “broken woman” and a “tragic figure.”

A tearful Pugh addressed the court before the announcement of her sentence, apologizing to the city and to her supporters, friends and family.

In recent weeks, several notable city leaders, including Morgan State University President David Wilson, former mayor Kurt Schmoke and Patrick Clayborn, the senior pastor at Bethel AME Church, sent letters asking Chasanow for leniency in sentencing. Pugh’s supporters praised her decades of community and public service and repeatedly emphasized that she is more than the actions that brought her before the court.

Chasanow pushed back on those “lauding the reputation” of Pugh in the community, pointing out that it was that very reputation that allowed Pugh to perpetuate her fraud.