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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is the University System of Maryland (USM)?

A. Created in 1988, the USM comprises 12 institutions, two regional higher education centers, and a system office. USM provides access to excellent higher education opportunities, performs groundbreaking research, offers vital services to communities and individuals, and fuels economic and workforce development. As a public system of higher education, USM advances the state of Maryland and benefits all of society. The USM offers over 600 academic programs to more than 160,000 students at hundreds of sites worldwide. Its instructional and research programs employ over 8,000 full-time and 6,000 part-time faculty as well as several thousand exempt and non-exempt staff. The USM is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents. The CEO of the USM is Chancellor Robert (Bob) Caret.

Q. What is the USM Student Council (USMSC)?

A. The USMSC is one of four advisory councils to the Chancellor; the others are the USM Council of University System Presidents (CUSP), Council of University System Faculty (CUSF), and Council of University System Staff (CUSS). The Student Council consists of two delegates per institution (excluding research institution UMCES), giving the USMSC a total of 22 school representatives. Other members include an elected USMSC Chair, the USM Student Regent, and the Chancellor's Liaison.

Q. What does the USMSC do?

A. USMSC members are responsible for providing student opinion and representation to the Chancellor and Vice Chancellors (for academic affairs, administration and finance, and advancement), and to the Board of Regents. In this capacity, the Council's general responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: researching and discussing current issues in higher education relevant to the USM, collecting information from and disseminating information to USM institutions, and making recommendations to the Chancellor on topics related to students. The Council also conducts business in areas of public relations, federal relations, and state affairs.

Q. On what issues does the USMSC work?

A. USMSC topics are generally applicable to the majority of institutions. Previous issues have included SAT reporting, academic advising, and campus crime; more recent issues include sexual misconduct prevention on campuses, open source textbooks, and shared governance within the USM.

 

 

University System of Maryland
3300 Metzerott Road
Adelphi, MD 20783-1690, USA
301.445.2740