Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

The USM in 2010: 

Responding to the Challenges that Lie Ahead

Undergraduate Education

Improving undergraduate retention and graduation rates, as well as student achievement, is vital to providing Maryland with the educated citizenry it requires for a healthy society and for continued economic growth and development.

Higher education, like any other effective enterprise, continually seeks to improve its services to its constituents. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to find new ways to enrich the educational experiences of our students and to assist them in staying in school and earning a diploma.

Undergraduate education is the core mission of most of our institutions. With that in mind, we must assess our current efforts and find new ways to enrich the educational experiences of our undergraduate students. We must support them in continuing their education and in earning a diploma.

Undergraduate education is enhanced through providing educational opportunities that are challenging, personally rewarding, provide opportunities for international experiences, promote active student learning and connections among students and between students and faculty and other campus personnel who are a part of campus life. Creative and dynamic programs such as honors colleges, residential and course-based learning communities, internships and other "hands-on" learning opportunities, and mentoring programs exist on every one of our campuses. These programs extend the breadth and meaning of a college education while, at the same time, contributing to the development of the communication, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills needed to carry out the economic and social roles that will be demanded of our graduates.

The success of these programs has contributed to steadily increasing full-time undergraduate student enrollments at USM institutions. While the number of undergraduate students enrolled has remained essentially the same between 1989 and 1999 at around 80,000, the proportion of full-time undergraduates has risen steadily from 66.1% to 72.5% over the same time period. In addition, over 20,000 undergraduates are currently living in residence halls and apartments on USM campuses, and this number will increase in the next several years as new residence halls and apartments are scheduled to be completed at several institutions.

Other efforts shown to improve undergraduate achievement include:

• Targeted student retention and graduation efforts;
• Improvements in classroom and laboratory facilities;
• Recognition programs for faculty and staff who support undergraduates;
• Improvements in the delivery of student services; and
• Strengthening and expanding major academic curricula.

However, challenges remain. Currently, fewer than two-thirds of all undergraduate students -- and less than half of African American students -- earn a bachelor's degrees within six years of entering college. Improving student retention and graduation rates, as well as student achievement, is also vital to the State: Maryland needs more highly qualified college graduates for its continued growth and development. In fact, student retention and graduate rates are areas where the USM could potentially make significant gains.

Our innovative academic programs (honors colleges and other initiatives listed above) are not currently sufficient in scope to accommodate all students. Our smaller campuses could potentially become more comprehensive through collaborative efforts that would allow them to diversify their programs and replicate the offerings of larger institutions. Conversely, for our large campuses the challenge is to imitate the intimate learning and living environment found at smaller institutions by creating communities of students based on educational programs and shared interests, such as volunteerism.

Given the projected increase in the college age population, it is also important that we examine enrollment strategies that will allow for the smooth transition of students from one level of education to another. With more than half of the USM's new transfer students coming from Maryland community colleges, it will be increasingly important that we continue to enhance the quality of articulation services and coordination between education sectors.

Furthermore, with the passage of legislation granting the USM the status of a public corporation (Senate Bill 682) comes the opportunity for our institutions to more quickly create new degree programs and certificates that reflect greater interdisciplinary emphasis in academic studies, as well as contemporary technological changes and workforce needs. Since July 1, 1999, when SB 682 took effect, more than two dozen new USM undergraduate concentrations, majors, and certificates have been proposed and approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). These programs have covered high workforce need areas such as applied information technology and management information systems; new cutting edge fields such as medicinal chemistry, earth space, and Web design and maintenance; and socially relevant fields such as deaf studies and intercultural communication.

Finally, USM institutions must continue to pursue research-proven methods to improve student achievement and graduation rates, both for our students and for Maryland's future.

USM Response

USM institutions will:

• Identify specific plans to improve undergraduate education on USM campuses using methods targeted to their unique missions and student needs.
• Develop, as appropriate, specific methods to reward faculty who enhance undergraduate education.
• Analyze the effectiveness of current initiatives to improve retention, graduation, and student satisfaction rates, and improve or replace ineffective academic support programs.
• Enhance the quality of articulation services and coordination between education segments to better support transfer students, the majority of whom come from Maryland community colleges.
• Pursue efforts to strengthen student ties to the campus community by renovating or constructing student union buildings and expanding campus housing opportunities.
• Assure that undergraduate students are provided opportunities to prepare themselves to compete in the international marketplace.
• Assure that student services are provided in a prompt, respectful, and efficient manner.