Taking Stock: State of the University, Overview of Accomplishments: 2003-2004, Office of the President, University of Maryland

II. Enhance The Educational Experience For All Students

"The quality of our students has been rising for the last eight years, and there is no reason that the trend should stop. As quality rises, we will be continually challenged to improve our programs, our course content, and the campus environment."
--1999 Address to the Campus Senate

The trend has not stopped: this year's incoming Freshman class is shaping up to be another academically talented population, rich in diversity. The changing profile tells the story.

	Applicants	Admits	Enrolled	Mean Combined SAT	Mean GPA
1999	18,787	10,220	3966	1232	3.6
2004	22,334	11,432	4185	1265	3.9

For Fall 2004, we had an applicant pool of 22,334 and admitted 11,432 for an admit rate of just above 50%. The quality of the class remained very strong with very little fluctuation in GPA or SAT profile; 82% had a GPA of 3.5+ and 41% had SAT's above 1300. Approximately 20% of the enrolling class was awarded merit-based scholarships.

The ethnic diversity of the class remains a source of pride, with more than one third of our class being students of color. This includes students who indicate that they are bi-racial or multi-racial. Caucasian students comprise 59.9% of Fall 2004 confirmations (as of May 7, 2004). Of our undergraduate student body, 12.4% are African-American, a number that puts us ahead of all our peers (UNC is next with 11.1%). Geographic diversity in the freshman class is impressive. New students hail from every Maryland County. Although the vast majority of our students are Maryland residents, those choosing to enroll represent 34 states (including one from Kailua, HI), the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands as well as locations around the globe including Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.

An increase in talented students calls for an increase in number of enriched programs; an increase in graduation rate; an increase in residential spaces for students; an increase in financial support; and increased stature as a national leader in diversity.

Increase in Number of Enriched Programs

With the number of talented students increasing, I called for an increase of 10 in the number of living/learning and "value-added" enriched curricula programs that bring students into smaller communities with faculty and staff members. We met this goal and are still expanding these opportunities.

Special Programs for Undergraduates
1999 25	2004 38

In Fall 2004, more than 42% (up two percent over last year) of the freshman class are enrolled in First Year Experience Programs. Approximately thirty-six percent of our entering class are admitted to our prestigious programs for academically talented students - - University Honors, Honors Humanities, Gemstone and College Park Scholars.

Our College Park Scholars is still a national model and the Hinman CEO Entrepreneurship Program, sponsored jointly by the Schools of Engineering and Business, is widely hailed as the most successful student entrepreneurship program in the nation. The Hinman program and various student entrepreneurs in the program have been featured in the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and many of the area's smaller business magazines.

One of the newest enriched programs will be implemented this fall. The A. James Clark School of Engineering is implementing an innovative new program for undergraduates. "Inventis: The Academy of Engineering Scholars" will be initiated with the fall 2004 entering class. Its focus is on creating a small community of highly talented and ambitious students, mentored by distinguished faculty. The Academy will provide special academic enrichment programs as well as carefully tailored research and teaching opportunities. The Inventis program is expected to start with 60-80 incoming freshmen and reach a steady-state total population of 300 in four years.

Increased Graduation Rate

Over the past five years, the five-year graduation rate for students enrolled continuously full-time increased from 82% to 87%. The six-year graduation rate for all students who enter the University as freshmen has risen from 64% to 70% in 2003 (the last year with complete data). I anticipate that both of these measures of success will increase over the next five years.

Increase in Student Beds

To accommodate the growing number of students who wished to live on campus, I called for an increase of 2,000 beds over five years. We did better than that. Since 2000, we have increased the number of beds by a total of 2,527.

Leading in Diversity

One of the most impressive success stories at Maryland is the leadership the University has achieved nationally from its long-term commitment to creating a diverse student body. Our diversity was a fundamental strength of the campus in 1999, and it remains so today. We are unwavering in our determination to be a leader in the diversity of our student body.

The most impressive mark of our success is the large jump in the graduation rate of minorities who enrolled as full-time degree seekers.

* For African Americans, our largest minority undergraduate population, the four year graduation rate for students entering in 1999 jumped to 34% compared to 24% four years earlier. The five year graduation rate increased from 44% to 54%.

* For Asian Americans, graduation rates for students entering in 1999 jumped to 44% from a 37% graduation rate four years earlier. The five year graduation rate jumped from 56% to 65%.

* For Hispanics, the four year graduation rate for students entering in 1999 has jumped to 33% from 25% five years ago. The five year graduation rate jumped from 45% to 61%.

Although the number of Hispanics comprise only 3% of the undergraduate student body, it is encouraging to see that Hispanic enrollment increased 38% over the five-year period from 1999 to 2004.

In African American baccalaureates awarded, Maryland ranks 5th nationally among Traditionally White Institutions and 14th among all institutions in the country. These rankings were recorded in the June 3, 2004 edition of Black Issues in Higher Education, which provided its annual survey of numbers of minority baccalaureate degrees awarded in key disciplines at colleges and universities. We ranked first among all schools in baccalaureates awarded in English and in Social Sciences to African Americans; and we ranked 7th in baccalaureates awarded in the Biological and Medical Sciences to African Americans.

We ranked 6th in baccalaureates awarded to Asian Americans in English, 7th in Education, 12th in Biological and Medical Sciences, and 11th in Social Sciences.

Increasing Financial Support for Undergraduates

Since I became President, one of my main concerns has been the cost of higher education and the financial burden so many students incur in obtaining a degree. We are proud that the University has managed to attain its stature and raise the entering qualifications of freshmen without becoming a University only for the affluent. Recent data from all state flagship institutions show that between 1992 and 2001 the University of Maryland increased the number of the students admitted receiving Pell grants, those with the fewest economic resources and most financial need, by 3.9%. The mean number of Pell grant students admitted by the other flagship institutions decreased by 1%.

We have taken several steps since 1999 to address the problems of access and affordability.

Incentive Scholarship Program

In 1999, I proposed an Incentive Scholarship Program directed to students in the State's most troubled high schools and to building pipelines for students in Baltimore high schools who attended the University in dismayingly small numbers. The resulting initiative, the Baltimore Incentive Awards Program, is finishing its third year and is flourishing.

* We have raised $728,000 for the endowment.

* Currently 27 students are enrolled in BIAP, and we will have a total of 36 in the fall 2004. * Among the nine participating schools, there was a 25% increase in applications from 2002 to 2003 (218 to 273 applications).

* Collectively, the scholars are either keeping in step with or outperforming their peers at the University (e.g., credits earned, GPA, disciplinary action, etc.): 40% earned a GPA of 3.0 or better during the fall 2003 semester; 4 earned semester honors; 3 are in the University Honors Program and 3 are in College Park Scholars.

* Of the 27 admitted to the BIAP, 25 are currently enrolled and making satisfactory academic progress, a retention rate of 92.6%.

Increased Financial Aid

In 1999 we committed to raise $25 million for need-based aid. Since that time, we have raised and distributed $29.3 million in need-based aid and raised another $17.3 million in aid from private sources.

I am not satisfied with these numbers. Finding the resources to meet students' needs is more urgent now because of the increased tuitions brought on by major decreases in state support. Maintaining access and affordability is a priority for the University for the next several years. We are embarking this year on a concerted effort to raise funds. On September 18, we are holding a Benefit to kick off this initiative, with the strong support of the University Foundation Board of Trustees.

In addition, we have introduced a program to help students restrict the amount of debt they must incur to obtain an education at the University. This fall we initiated the Maryland Pathways program. This program will allow a student coming from a poverty level circumstance to graduate from Maryland debt free. This is an about face from our earlier requirement that a student must maximize allowable debt before a need-based scholarship could be available. About 300 students are participating this Fall semester.

We are also working on another program, Maryland Pathways II that will cap the federally approved debt at graduation for resident students. As a consequence, an entering full-time student will have a predictable debt ceiling at graduation. Scholarships are used to control the total debt in these programs.

>>III. Build the Maryland Family

Office of the President, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742