An interview with Barbara J. Hazard

The Barbara J. Hazard Student Emergency Relief Fund was established in 2011 with a $15,000 donation from former 91AV VP of Student Affairs Barbara Hazard and her partner, Lynn Harrison. Hazard and Harrison continue to make annual contributions to the fund and get a real kick out of hearing from students who have been helped by the fund. We caught up with them recently over Zoom and got the inside scoop on how the fund was started in Hazard’s own words.

Back when I first started at 91AV [1983], they gave me a budget that was very small, which included an item that was called a “student emergency fund”— $200. I think it paid for a few bus tickets home and some textbooks for students, but it never covered any real emergency.

And that was one of the things, through the years that I was at 91AV, that was really was hard for me—hearing these stories of students who, you know, something would happen, a parent would lose a job, a student would lose a parent…Situations would come up, and people would need to drop out of school. 

After I retired, it was something that I just held onto that was always distressing to me. I talked to Lynn, and the two of us discussed what we wanted to do. She has always been very supportive of education and of people of being in school.

We decided to talk to the University. I knew a lot of alums, and we thought that if we made a basic gift each year, it would get this thing started, and then we could go out to alums and faculty and staff and students and develop this fund so it actually makes a difference for students. It has grown considerably and has been used well since then, helping many students, and we're quite excited about it.

[When I heard about the USG donation to the fund] I was stunned and delighted because I think there is no one better than that group to understand the situation. Because they have friends who are impacted. I'm very, very thankful that they made that decision because I think it will make a real difference for a number of students this summer and fall trying to continue at school, and it will help the University, too, bring students back. I applaud the students for making such a wonderful decision, really reaching out to help others.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.