Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

Maureen Pater Hanson ’77 makes things happen. Last year she was in Dayton for a College of Arts and Sciences advisory board meeting and made time to meet with two Flyer students. She needed to know how their trip to France had gone.

Hanson also makes people feel comfortable. The laughs came quickly and often. The girls shared without hesitation, and no details were too small. You could tell by watching the conversation that some insights were gained on the trip, and some will be revealed over time to be even richer.  

As a student at UD, Hanson had three majors and a leadership role in a national public relations student organization. She gained knowledge, skills and experience, but something was missing. She yearned to learn beyond campus — far beyond campus.

My interest in studying abroad started here, but there just were no programs in the late ’70s.

“My interest in studying abroad started here, but there just were no programs in the late ’70s,” Hanson said.

Perhaps you’ve heard about the recent anniversary of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in the news? It’s only been 50 years since women in America have secured the right to run up their own credit card debt. Let’s just say that global opportunities for smart, accomplished young women were meager.

As president of the Public Relations Students Society of America, Hanson created the first national student conference in 1976. She invited professionals from local, national and international organizations to speak at the event in Dayton, bringing the experience of learning from beyond the UD campus into the future of the hundreds of students in attendance — and this national student conference is still hosted by PRSSA nearly 50 years and thousands of student participants later!

She turned her hard work at UD and the success of the PRSSA conference into a scholarship to earn a master’s degree at the University of Southern California and the opportunity to teach their summer study abroad program. She took students to England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands to visit with various organizations in the communications, marketing and public relations fields.

Many successes followed, including working for Ronald Reagan’s public relations agency in California during his presidential campaign and managing such accounts as The J. Paul Getty Trust, the inaugural space shuttle program, and other nonprofit and corporate clients. After L.A., she was in Ohio for a while before her family moved to Washington, D.C. where she still resides. There she applies her communication skills as a freelancer and consultant.

One of her most interesting roles has been working at the National Institutes of Health in their clinical center. She helped to curate the fine art program, promoting a healing atmosphere for patients facing some of the most challenging medical cases in the country. Not only a way to raise spirits, the program showcases the works of famous artists such as Louise Nevelson and also introduces local artists to the patients and their families as well as caregivers, researchers and medical staff (totaling a million+) who visit and work at the clinical center. All the art displayed by local arts is for sale helping to fund the Fine Arts Program. It’s a rare opportunity where one solution addresses two unique challenges.

By staying focused and working hard on what is in front of her — while allowing herself to pursue her dreams — Hanson created a life rich in experiences and learning. By choosing to pay the results forward, she is bestowing the gift of experiential learning upon a whole new generation of Flyers.

The Maureen Pater Hanson Communication Study Abroad Student Support Program scholarship fund has bridged the financial gap for awardees, providing the opportunity she didn’t have as a UD undergrad student to learn beyond the boundaries of home. This past summer, she completed her six-year term on the College’s board.

It really is your duty and responsibility to give back — time, knowledge, whatever it might be — with no strings attached,” she said, “You just offer the wealth of what you have.”