"In addition to carrying out a productive research agenda, Joan Kahn has been a rock in the Department of Sociology,” said Jeff Lucas, Department of Sociology Professor and Chair. “She has always stepped in where needed, contributed significantly to our training of students, and above all, cared deeply about the department. Her contributions will be missed."

Showcasing just how much she truly does care about the department and its students, Kahn recently gave a $50,000 gift to establish the Dr. Joan R. Kahn Endowed Graduate Research Support Fund in Sociology. The new fund will be used to offset research expenses associated with the completion of graduate students’ degree programs.

“The training of students has been among the most important parts of my career at UMD,” Kahn said. “There were many times where students ran up against budget constraints for their dissertations, and didn't have the funds to purchase the data they needed, so after thinking hard about how I could give to the department, I decided to create a fund that would allow students to apply for small pots of money to complete their work.”

Read more about Dr. Kahn's impact on her students here!