Most people would agree that a good education is invaluable. To Hank Libby, however, earning a good education is a passion—for himself and for others.
A Louisiana native, Libby is a life-long learner. He graduated from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and went on to receive his JD degree from Penn Law, as well as a master’s of tax law from George Washington University. Libby went into private practice for 25 years and when he retired from law, he went back to school and received a degree in marine biology.
“I guess learning is something that I’ve always enjoyed, and it’s something that I think everybody ought to enjoy,” Libby says. “Although I know that’s not true, so we [Anne Arundel Community College Foundation] do what we can to get people interested and help them through school.”
Libby is an avid philanthropist and advocates for many organizations through his own foundation, the Carol M. Jacobsohn Foundation, which is a strong supporter of the Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) Foundation. According to Libby, the Carol M. Jacobsohn Foundation focuses on offering grants to tax-exempt institutions that specialize in children’s education, women’s rights, and women’s education. He began volunteering with AACC Foundation 13 years ago. Libby served as board president from 2016 until 2018 and has contributed significantly to the Foundation’s many programs.
“What got me involved was a concept of scholarships for women who were single heads of households or who had been out of college, working for a long time,” Libby explains. “So, through the Foundation, we created this scholarship program which focuses on women. That got me hooked because I liked the way it was working. And since then, we’ve done other scholarships, raised money for some equipment purchases for the nursing students.”
AACC Foundation’s mission is to make higher education more accessible for members of the community by procuring funds that support scholarships and opportunities for students. These funds are made possible through private philanthropic efforts. Through the Carol M. Jacobsohn Foundation, Libby has been able to support and contribute to AACC Foundation’s scholarship and program offerings.
“One of the things that [Hank has] worked really hard on, as our other board members, [is] reaching out into the community,” AACC Foundation Director of Development Wendy Thomas says. “Hank has been masterful at helping other people understand the role that philanthropy plays here at the college, because most people think community college is solely funded by state and local government. There’s really been an education curve, and Hank has been at the forefront of making sure that people understand that in order to have these kinds of programs, [we go] above and beyond what we can typically offer.”
Libby has been an instrumental leader for the AACC Foundation’s Launching the Future campaign. The campaign’s goal is to raise funds for the community college’s new building, the Clauson Center for Innovation and Skilled Trades, which is scheduled to open for classes by the fall of 2021. There will be six trade programs offered at the Clauson Center, including electrical, forklift operator, HVAC, plumbing, welding, and general contracting.
“Hank sits on both sides,” Thomas explains. “He gives money, but he is also helping us raise money. He’s out actively meeting with other members of the community, and right now, the focus is on the Clauson Center for Innovation and Skilled Trades.”
Libby says his favorite part about volunteering with the AACC Foundation is working on the Clauson Center project and hopes that whether students come in on scholarships or come in on their own, the school will be able to help them.
“We feel so fortunate having Hank’s leadership,” Thomas says. “He is someone who understands that, through education, opportunities are endless. That’s central to our mission at the community college. So, we feel really fortunate that we found someone like Hank, who understood that vision and has taken it and just really transformed the work that we’re doing here at the Foundation, and how we’re supporting not only the college, but the community [as well].”
For more information on the Anne Arundel Community College Foundation, visit aacc.edu/about/aacc-foundation.
