JYM receives Dr. Hans-Peter Söder and Dr. Mark Ferguson Next Generation JYM Endowed Fund

The Junior Year in Munich Program acquires its very first, income-producing endowed fund.

"The Dr. Hans-Peter Söder and Dr. Mark Ferguson Next Generation JYM Endowed Fund" was made possible by a gift in 2018 from Steven Stambaugh, a JYM alumnus from 1971-72.

Whereas JYM is blessed with incredible support from our alumni for annual and endowed scholarships, as well as bequests for endowed scholarships and program support, the program have never had an endowed fund to help cover the many expenses that go along with running the JYM program. As a self-financing program, its only source of income has been the program fees we charge our students. Until now!

After graduating from Eckerd College, Steve returned to Munich to serve as the late (resident director) Frau Doktor Marianne Riegler's assistant for the academic year 1974-75. Recalling that experience, he said "I had the opportunity to witness and to participate in the work required to make the JYM happen every year. It demands immense dedication, work and passion by those who lead the program."

Steve wrote: "While visiting Munich, in July 2017, I met and spent considerable time with JYM Program Director Dr. Mark Ferguson and JYM Resident Director Dr. Hans-Peter Söder. We spoke at length about the program's past, present and future. I immediately recognized that these men have the same dedication and commitment to and love for the Junior Year in Munich program as Frau Doktor Riegler had for over 30 years."

By creating the Dr. Hans-Peter Söder and Dr. Mark Ferguson Next Generation Junior Year in Munich Endowed Fund, Steve wished to recognize permanently the efforts and leadership the two have given in continuing the JYM's 65-year history as the premier American foreign study program in Germany.

For Steve, JYM was "the most formative year of my adult life, and I have no idea who I would be today, had I not spent that year in the Grossstadt mit einem Herz."