This periodic newsletter shares how the University System of Maryland is advancing quality and access to
higher education for students and the State of Maryland.
Let us hear from you: usmbriefs-owner@usmd.edu.
June 2007
USM Welcomes Six New Regents
The University System of Maryland (USM) welcomes six new members to
the Board of Regents this spring. Barry Gossett, the Hon. C. Thomas
McMillen, James L. Shea, Richard E. Scott, Jr., and Thomas G. Slater
were nominated by Governor Martin O'Malley and confirmed in March by
the Maryland Senate. The Gossett, McMillen, and Shea appointments are
effective immediately. Scott, a rising senior at Frostburg State
University (FSU), will begin a one-year term as student regent on July
1, 2007. Slater's five-year term on the board will also begin on July
1.
The Hon. Roger L. Richardson, newly appointed secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, serves on the board ex officio.
"I am honored to welcome such accomplished individuals to the board,"
said Clifford Kendall, board chair. "Their wealth of experience and
commitment to public higher education will be invaluable to the
University System of Maryland."
MORE
General Assembly 2007: Budget Highlights
"It is clear that, at the conclusion of this legislative season,
higher education is a priority in the minds of our state leaders," said
USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan. "Governor O'Malley and the General
Assembly have demonstrated a deep commitment to the mission and value
of the state's system of higher education."
USM received a
total of $1.02 billion in general funds from the state for FY 2008,
accounting for 26 percent of the system's $3.9 billion operating
budget. At the conclusion of the General Assembly, Governor O'Malley's
requested $85 million increase over the system's FY 2007 general fund
allocation was left largely intact and cut by just $2 million, avoiding
a $14 million reduction recommended by the legislature's budget staff.
The state's allocation allows USM to meet operating costs, pursue
several new initiatives, and replace lost revenue from an FY 08 freeze
on in-state undergraduate tuition rates.
USM also received a
capital budget allocation of $172 million, one of the largest in its
history. While this was accomplished with some reductions in the FY
2008 funding for the Coppin State University (CSU) Physical Education
Building, the reduction will not cause any major construction delays.
Funding for the CSU project will be added to the FY 2009 allocation to
keep the project on track.
But the chancellor cautions that
the state's looming structural deficit presents budgetary challenges
for the system. As of mid-May, the Department of Budget Management
(DBM) notified USM and other state agencies of decreases to their
approved levels of FY 2008 general fund support due to the state's
structural deficit. More information about USM's final budget will
become available later.
Text-Messaging for Campus Safety
Campus security and safety are at the forefront of public
consciousness after the tragic events at Virginia Tech last month. All
of the universities, research institutions, and regional education
centers in the system have detailed security and communication plans in
place in the event of public health emergencies, natural disasters, or
other threats to the safety of students, staff, and faculty.
With cell phones and PDAs becoming increasingly common, several of our
universities have added text-messaging alert systems to their campus
security plans. Text-messaging is now in place at Bowie State
University (BSU); Coppin State University (CSU); Towson University
(TU); University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP); University of
Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES); and the Universities at Shady Grove
(USG). Our other institutions expect to have text-messaging alerts
systems online by fall 2007.
While emergency notification
through e-mails, sirens, and public address systems will remain in
place, text-messaging provides another tool for the fast and accurate
dissemination of information and instructions in case of a campus
emergency.
$1 Billion in Support of Research, Scholarship
A recent study by the American Electronics Association ranked
Maryland fifth in the nation for the concentration of hi-tech jobs,
sixth for growth in hi-tech jobs, and fourth for venture capital
investments in technology. USM is working to sharpen our state's
competitive edge in the world of research grants and contracts to keep
us on the forefront of the "knowledge economy" and prepare a skilled
workforce to fuel our state's economic engine.
In FY 2006,
USM's 13 institutions received almost $1 billion in external funding
for research. Private, federal, and state grants and contracts totaled
$975.9 million, supporting scientific and medical research, academic
scholarship, and public service projects conducted by the system's
faculty and students.
Although the FY 2006 funding level
dipped just one percent below an all-time high of $983.8 million in FY
2005, there were significant increases for several of the system's
comprehensive institutions. Bowie State University's total external
research funding grew almost 40 percent to $10 million; Frostburg State
University's doubled to $3.4 million; and Towson University's grew from
$12.7 million in FY 05 to $16.4 million in FY 06.
The
system's research-focused universities and centers--the University of
Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC); University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI);
University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP); and University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)--accounted for more than $870
million of the total FY 06 research funding.
MORE
USM Graduate Programs Climb in 2008 U.S. News Rankings
With the release of the 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report's
America's Best Graduate Schools, the University System of Maryland's
graduate and professional schools continue to advance in the national
rankings.
The University of Maryland (UM) School of Nursing
climbed from 10th to seventh place among all nursing schools in the
nation. Among the nation's public medical schools, the UM School of
Medicine rose to 16th in research and 20th in primary care instruction.
The UM School of Law--ranked by U.S. News as
one of the most diverse law schools in the United States--advanced from
42nd to 36th among the nation's law schools and placed 15th among all
public law schools nationally.
The University of Maryland,
College Park's (UMCP) Robert H. Smith School of Business climbed to
25th among business schools nationwide and the College of Education to
21st among graduate education programs. UMCP's Clark School of
Engineering was also highly ranked: 16th in the nation overall and 11th
in aerospace engineering.
Find more information at our USM Institutions in National Rankings web page.
Solutions for Maryland's Future Releases Listening Tour Report
To help raise public awareness about the social and economic impact
of higher education, Maryland's higher education community is
participating in the national Solutions for Our Future campaign, an initiative of the American Council on Education.
During fall 2006, our statewide campaign--called Solutions for Maryland's Future--conducted
a "listening tour" to provide a forum for the business community to
address higher education, workforce, and economic development issues
with leaders and representatives from the state's public and
independent four-year colleges and universities, community colleges,
and the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The forums were organized
in collaboration with the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
(DLLR) and the Governor's Workforce Investment Board (GWIB).
The report linked below presents the findings of the statewide
listening tour as well as recommendations and action items developed as
a result of the discussions. The Solutions for Maryland's Future steering committee members, including USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan, are responsible for implementing the recommendations.
Click on the link below for a PDF copy of the full report:
Solutions for Maryland's Future Listening Tour Report, March 2007
Jonathan Gibraltar Inaugurated 14th President of Frostburg State
Jonathan Gibralter was formally inaugurated as the 14th president
of Frostburg State University (FSU) on Wednesday, April 18, 2007.
Gibralter, former president of Farmingdale State University of New
York, came aboard as FSU president last August. His inaugural remarks
outlined a vision for the FSU that focused on both its unique natural
and historical setting in Western Maryland and the necessity to
introduce new and diverse perspectives that give students an advantage
in today's global economy.
"We need to provide our students
with opportunities to fully experience other cultures so they have a
framework with which to deal with a multi-national economy," Gibralter
said as he announced a new FSU initiative to establish exchange
programs with China's Hunan University. "Increased multi-cultural
opportunities will encourage students to look beyond their own safe
boundaries and be prepared to work in this multinational, global
business environment."
Read President Gilbralter's complete inaugural address.
Would you like to receive a copy of Chancellor Kirwan's FY 2007 annual report?
Please send us an e-mail with your name, title,
organization, and address, and we will mail you a copy of the FY 2007
annual report. Click here.
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