Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

The USM in 2010: 

Responding to the Challenges that Lie Ahead

Letter from the Chancellor and the Chairman

To the People of Maryland,

In its 1999 session, the General Assembly of Maryland directed the Regents of the University System of Maryland (USM) to develop a new strategic plan for the University System, one that is consistent with the State plan for higher education and that incorporates the principles and priorities for higher education articulated in State law. This is that plan.

It is founded on a careful analysis of current trends in the demographics of Maryland's population, the continuing evolution of Maryland's economy, and the increasingly competitive global marketplace. These trends portend continuing substantial and fast-paced changes in the character of our State and its people. The plan is ambitious but not novel. Ambitious because it must be: the State's economic, social, and cultural future depends in large measure on the USM -- the largest element of Maryland's higher education enterprise -- effectively responding to these trends and significantly increasing the State's intellectual capital. It is not novel because these trends have been evident for some time, and thus this plan is an evolutionary development, containing some of the strategies the USM has been pursuing for all or part of the past decade.

The timeframe for this plan is the next decade, because over a ten-year period we can predict reasonably well the circumstances in which we must work. It also provides adequate time to create the necessary major changes in our academic enterprise, but only if we begin to act now, aggressively and strategically. The plan is intended to be a dynamic document, reviewed annually and amended as necessary to reflect new information and needs, as well as feedback from key stakeholders. We will measure its progress. We expect to be held accountable for its implementation.

The plan's central premise is that Maryland is undergoing an historic transformation leading to a high-tech, knowledge-based society and an economy powered by a highly skilled, racially and ethnically diverse workforce. If that is correct, then the continued success of Maryland in the global economy depends crucially on the education and skills of its workforce. To put it bluntly, whether Maryland's future will be bright or dismal depends almost entirely on the quality, capacity, and performance of Maryland's entire education system, from kindergarten to graduate school. The USM's role and responsibility in this endeavor cannot be overstated.

An example will illustrate the magnitude of the task before us. Our plan suggests that the proportion of baccalaureate degree holders among Maryland's adult population should increase from the present 32% (already second highest in the nation) to around 40%. This increase is a major goal because the economic health of a state can be directly tied to the educational level of its citizenry. The suggested increase equals about 400,000 new baccalaureates over the next decade. At most, the number of traditional-age college students in Maryland who will obtain a degree over the next decade will be 100,000 - leaving a gap of 300,000 graduates. Attracting out-of-state baccalaureates to Maryland, a process in which we will have to compete against other states and regions, can close part of the gap. Lifting several hundred thousand of Maryland's present adult citizens to the baccalaureate level must close the remainder. This will require both a massive investment in the education and training of Maryland's citizens and new methods of delivering educational services to working adults.

The enormity of the challenge has not dissuaded us. Each of the USM's eleven degree-granting institutions and two research institutions has been involved in the development of this plan and is committed to its implementation. But they cannot do it alone. They will need the full support of each of you, Maryland's citizens and leaders. Every Maryland citizen must understand that the most important investment each of us can make in our futures is our own education, and that self-education is a life-long responsibility. Maryland's political and business leaders must understand that the most important investment they can make in our State's future is the perpetual education of all its citizens.

Maryland's past investments in education have helped position it among the nation's leading states by most measures. The advantages we enjoy because of this support must be a foundation upon which we build, not rest. The goals, objectives, and strategies identified in this plan provide the blueprint for advancing our State's position. If we act deliberately -- but quickly -- the plan will become a reality, and the next decade in Maryland will be "The Decade of Education for All."

Donald N. Langenberg
Chancellor
Nathan A. Chapman, Jr.
Dir, Board of Regents

     
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