Taking Stock: State of the University 1999-2004, Office of the President, University of Maryland

Building the Maryland family

The third theme in my inaugural address, build the Maryland Family, sought to connect the university to its alumni, the business community, the national laboratories, the schools and communities around us - essentially everyone around the university. In 1999 our isolation was palpable, but the solution was simple. Get connected by using our many advantages of location and position.

The first signpost down this trail was Maryland Day. Our goal was to expand Maryland Day from its kickoff in 1999 when 20,000 people attended to 50,000 by this year. We passed 60,000 attendees three years ago and even exceeded 60,000 last year in the rain. This year we welcomed over 70,000. My sincerest thanks go out to the 7,000 staff, students and faculty who gave it their enthusiastic all. A public relations firm told me that Maryland Day is possibly the best public relations effort we could ever conceive. Now, that is a sign pointing in the right direction.

Our alumni and donors light up a second billboard that shows a 30% increase in members to our alumni association (short of the 50% goal), and 52% increase in donors, short of the goal to double the donors. And though 2003-2004 was a record fundraising year, it fell short of our goal to hit $125 million. A number of surprises that occurred after 1999 worked against these important goals. Though we have work to do, our progress is nonetheless well down the right path.

A third sign is the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, now being constructed in front of Byrd Stadium. This is our first space for alumni, and our alumni are building it themselves. Riggs will bolster connections with our alumni and friends in ways yet to be imagined, and it will be a critically important space for the campus too.

We also passed a few other flashing road signs along the way. For instance, our new Facilities Master Plan, which spans the region from the beltway to the College Park Metro, received the Green Campus Recognition Certificate from the World Wildlife Federation for its environmental sensitivity.

We welcomed many extraordinary speakers, like Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Shirin Ebadi for lectures that drew large numbers of students, faculty, and visitors.

And how about our national champion basketball team and lacrosse teams, and our ACC champion football team. We're in more bowls than Kellogg cereal. And this season, our women's basketball team will fill the Comcast Center. Our athletics programs have brought great pride to the university and our alumni.

>>The Way Forward

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