ACHIEVING THE VISION IN HARD TIMES: III
USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan's Report to the
University System of Maryland Board of Regents
Friday, April 8, 2005
Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Board of Regents. Once again,
I offer my congratulations to the recipients of the 2005 Regents' Faculty
Awards for Excellence. Your commitment to the expansion of knowledge,
discovery, service, and the education of our students is a source of
great pride for the entire USM.
As you know, it has been almost two months since our last
regularly-scheduled full board meeting. We have several issues
to cover, so I will keep my report brief. There are, however, a
few noteworthy items I would like to highlight:
I begin with our host-Bob Bogomolny-and our host institution-the
University of Baltimore, which today boosts its highest enrollment
in a decade -- just over the 5,000 student mark.. Whether it be
accommodating surging enrollment, meeting pressing workforce needs,
or expanding community service efforts . . . President Bogomolny and
UB have shown true leadership. A perfect example of this is the
Maryland Higher Education Commission's recent approval of the
Joint MBA program between UB and Towson University. By joining
forces to meet the growing demand for access to MBA programs,
we have a result that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
I commend both President Bogomolny and President Caret.
I am also very proud to note that several members of the USM
"family" were honored by the Daily Record as
among Maryland's Top 100 Women:
- Dr. Jami Rene' Grant, Director of Forensic Studies,
from here at UB
- Sandra Nix Harriman, Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations, University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Margaret Hayes, Director, Student Educational Services & Outreach, UM School of Pharmacy
- Dr. Shohreh Afagh Kaynama, Dean, College of Business & Economics, Towson University.
- Dr. Eleanor A. Walker, Professor of Nursing & Special Assistant to the President, Bowie State University
- Susan M. Wozenski, Vice Chair, Dept of Family & Community Health, UM School of Nursing
- And last-but certainly not least-Dr. Janet Dudley-Eshbach
, President, Salisbury University
Congratulations to Dr. Dudley-Eshbach and to all those honored by
the Daily Record.
In other items of note . . .
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County chess team won its
third consecutive Final Four of College Chess earlier this month
defeating the University of Texas at Dallas. UMBC's dominance in the
arena of collegiate chess is simply remarkable. I know we all join
together in congratulating UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and his
championship team.
Honors were also bestowed upon the University of Maryland, College
Park, where the entrepreneurship program at the Robert H. Smith School
of Business ranked among the top 13 nationally in the April 2005 issue
of Entrepreneur magazine. In addition, the Industrial
Partnerships program won the national "Best Practice"
award for technology transfer programs from the U.S. Small Business
Administration. UMCP also was widely represented in the latest
U.S. News and World Report ranking of graduate schools, including
two top ranked programs. All in all, UMCP now has 31 total
programs ranked in the top 10 nationally by the magazine
The University of Maryland, Baltimore was also recognized in the
2005 rankings of graduate schools by U.S.News & World Report
. The ranking for the School of Law is its highest ever and is
now top-tier; The School of Pharmacy maintained its ranking as one
of the best in the country; The School of Medicine placed 27th out
of 123 schools for instruction in primary care and maintained its
place as 43rd in research. In earlier rankings, the School of
Nursing and School of Social Work placed 10th and 19th, respectively.
I also note that I have had the opportunity to meet with several
editorial boards recently-the Annapolis Capital, Montgomery
Gazette and Baltimore Sun. I talked about the future
of higher education in Maryland, the significant impact of the
Board of Regents' E&E initiative, our status in the legislature
(more on that in a moment), and our focus on the need for a long-term,
systematic approach to funding higher education. The Senate Joint
Resolution for a higher education commission would be the ideal
vehicle for this examination. I am pleased to note that my meetings
with both the Capital and the Gazette generated positive
articles and editorials about the USM and our efforts.
Our Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications, Anne Moultrie,
could not have picked a better time to set up these meetings with
the media . . . . . they came on the heels of a major new study
from the Institute for Higher Education Policy that clearly
demonstrates that the investment in higher education by states
has dramatic and measurable impacts on both the collective
well-being of each state as well as on individual citizens.
Of course, this was hardly "news" to anyone who works
every day in higher education, but I think the message is finally
gaining widespread currency.
Consider, for example, the Governor's budget proposal (and
commitment to future funding), and the legislative reaction.
Support for higher education is one of the few issues that
enjoys wide-spread agreement in Annapolis. There weren't
even any recommended cuts to the Governor's proposal. That
is almost unheard of. I want to commend Joe Bryce, Roz
Hamlett, their team in Annapolis, and the entire State
Relations Council. Together they did an extraordinary
job. I know that many of the Regents were called upon
to testify on behalf on individual institutions as well
and I appreciate your time and effort.
I really think-thanks to all the work of this Board,
our Presidents, our staffs, and the entire USM-that people
are starting to "get it". They see that with
Maryland's economic advantages and educational advantages,
we are poised to be an economic powerhouse. They also see
the challenges of reduced funding and surging enrollment
that we must overcome to achieve this vision and have
expressed a real commitment to address those challenges.
This really is great news for the USM and a validation of
our efforts: E&E; Financial Aid Task Force; Strategic
Plan; and our day-to-day example of the importance of
excellence in higher education.
Turning briefly to our agenda . . .
One item I would like to highlight is of great interest to
our host today. It is the effort to expand the tremendous
impact of this institution by authorizing UB to proceed with
plans to develop a four-year undergraduate program. In a
classic "win - win" sense, approval would enable
UB to take fuller advantage of its facilities, while helping
the USM meet growing enrollment demand.
Enrollment demand is growing even more rapidly than we
thought. Today you will also consider the USM enrollment
projections for FY 2005-2014. Overall projected headcount
growth for the 10-year period is 32.7 percent, with
undergraduate enrollment growing by almost 30% and
graduate enrollment increasing by an incredible 42.3%.
So we are talking about a 10-year expansion from 128,800
students to 170,800 . . . . a jump of almost one-third.
Accommodating that growth-which will be disproportionately
lower-income and minority students-represents a significant
challenge.
As you know, one of the most important tools we are
employing to address that challenge is our Regional Education
Centers. I end my report today by reminding you that on April
22 there will be a reception at the University System of Maryland
at Hagerstown to formally celebrate the opening of the center AND
to raise scholarship money for students enrolled in classes there.
The fact that this event is made possible by the extraordinary
support of the Hagerstown community, including Mayor William
Breichner and the business community, speaks volumes about the
Center's tremendous potential. Aristides Melissaratos, Maryland
Secretary of Business and Economic Development, will be the
featured speaker and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Board, that completes my report.