BUILD A GREAT UNIVERSITY WITH AFFORDABLE ACCESS
A great university is built through vision, planning and commitment. As we enter our 151st year, I am proud that the flagship University of the State of Maryland has all of these elements in place. Our collaborations are expanding locally, nationally and internationally. Innovation in teaching and learning is ever present. Partnerships are central to propelling the University forward and are having ever greater impact. And the seeds of entrepreneurship are being planted at every opportunity.
The scope of a great university is broad and our attention to quality across the board is paramount. We are committed to enhancing the student experience, to serving the State, and to increasing our overall national impact. Our outstanding faculty attract large grants that enable partnerships with federal agencies such as NSA, NIST, NIH, NOAA, NASA, USDA, FDA, National Archives, and the Smithsonian. These agencies, in turn, employ our graduates. Our students supply Maryland's increasing demand for highly educated, highly skilled workers. Businesses are attracted to the innovation and creativity of a highly educated workforce, and Maryland is among the highest ranked in the nation for the number of citizens with bachelor's degrees or higher.1
Programs like the President's
Promise support international study, internships, undergraduate research, and new academic initiatives, which enrich the quality of education for UM students and prepare them for our professional world. UM strives to serve more students by expanding its program offerings at Shady Grove and increasing graduation rates. At the same time it is expanding programs in critical areas such as language, terrorism, energy, nanotechnology, security, public health and biotechnology. A UM education is increasingly competitive with the best, a State mandate. Our goal is to increase the number of top-25 programs according to U.S. News & World Report to 100 by FY12 and the number of top-10 nationally ranked programs to 40. The flagship University is eager for this challenge. To do this we must have facilities that are appropriate to such rankings by bringing capital funding per student up to the USM average. Capital funding for renovation and for creating space for teaching
and research has been, and remains, woefully
deficient.
UM is generating resources from self-support programs like the expanding winter and summer terms, and new professional master's program. We are also careful with our spending, internally reallocating one percent of the State Allocation to foster strategic efficiency initiatives. Our alumni and friends have been extraordinarily generous in gift support for students and programs. Our Great Expectations, The Campaign
for Maryland goal of $1 billion will raise more than $350 million in financial aid and more than $650 million in other academic and programmatic support. The alumni have joined with the University and the State in a commitment to build a great university at College Park.
Despite this progress, the State Funding Guideline deficit highlights the chronic under-funding of the University. The great university with affordable access can never be built unless this is corrected. We must reduce the level of unmet financial need of resident students by using State-enhanced revenues, scholarships and employment. We also need a plan for General Fund and tuition revenues that is consistent with the number of students and will financially support the achievement of the University mission stipulated by the State.
1 2005 Census's Current Population Survey.
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