Statement from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents
Regarding the University of Baltimore
Monday, November 22, 2004
The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents announced today that it is not considering merging the University of Baltimore (UB) with any other USM institution. Although the board had no specific plans to merge UB with another institution, there had been public speculation about this possibility.
The decision follows the recommendation of the board's USM Organizational Review Workgroup. This group is developing recommendations regarding the most effective and efficient structure for USM and its institutions as part of the system's Effectiveness and Efficiency program ( www.usmd.edu/jcr/index.html). The workgroup members are Board Chair Clifford Kendall, Board Vice Chair David Nevins, and Regents Thomas Finan, Patricia Florestano, and Robert Pevenstein.
One of USM's 13 institutions, UB (www.ubalt.edu) is an upper-division (junior and senior undergraduates) and professional institution that serves students primarily in the evening.
To ensure that UB exploits its capacity more fully as part of the system's commitment to help meet the demand of an estimated 8,000-10,000 additional students by fall 2007, the board has asked UB President Robert Bogomolny to study the feasibility of the following options to increase the campus's utilization during the daytime.
- Allow UB to admit lower-division (freshmen and sophomores) students;
- Form a partnership with University of Maryland University College or another USM institution to create a lower-division curriculum taught both online and on site;
- Keep UB's current structure and more aggressively seek collaborations and/or alliances with other USM institutions.
In deciding not to consider a merger, the Organizational Review Workgroup and the full Board of Regents concluded that the negative impact far outweighed possible positive results. The group also concluded that the process to implement a merger would detract considerably from advancing the system's top priority: optimizing the use of USM resources to provide excellent and affordable academic opportunities for a growing student population.
USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan commented on the board's decision: "I am pleased by the board's decision and eager to work with President Bogomolny to identify new options for the University of Baltimore to expand its role and mission as the university system seeks to accommodate its enrollment surge."