Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

and 2004-05 Dormitory Charges at March 18 Meeting

Adelphi, MD - Two committees of the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents are scheduled to meet next week. The Committee on Education Policy will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, at Coppin State College. The meeting will be in Room 218 of Coppin's new dining facility at 2500 W. North Ave. in Baltimore.

The Committee on Finance will meet at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 18, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The meeting will be on the seventh floor of UMBC's Kuhn Library.

The Committee on Education Policy will consider three academic program proposals. One is for a master's program in public health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, created to meet the increasing demand for well-trained health professionals with comprehensive understanding of public health issues.

The committee also will consider proposals for two undergraduate degree programs at University of Maryland University College (UMUC): B.S. in finance and B.S. in global business and public policy. Both programs are designed for adult, part-time students who require scheduling flexibility and/or are unable to commute regularly to classroom sites. UMUC plans to offer the programs in the classroom and online.

Information items on the Education Policy Committee agenda include the biennial report on agriculture programs at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), and USM enrollment projections for 2004-2013.

At the Finance Committee meeting March 18, members will vote on the USM enrollment projections for 2004-2013. Based on submissions from the system's institutions, overall headcount enrollment over the next decade is projected to grow from 125,921 to 165,387, a 31.3 percent jump.

Consideration of the enrollment projections is expected to open discussions on USM's capacity to meet projections and on strategies to distribute enrollment growth across the system.

In addition, the Finance Committee will consider proposed increases in the typical annual dormitory charge at USM institutions for 2004-05. The proposed increases range from 1.1 percent at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), to 5.4 percent at UMCP.

Also on the Finance Committee agenda are:

• a recommendation to approve a bond resolution for the purchase of the Avanti property near the College Park Metro station, on which UMCP plans to develop its research park;
• the 2003-2013 Facilities Master Plan for UMBC.

Full agendas and background information will be available at the March 17 Education Policy Committee meeting and the March 18 Finance Committee meeting. Sign language interpreters and/or other appropriate accommodations for eligible individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request. Please call 301.445.2756 (voice) or 301.314.7683 (TTY/ITT) to make special arrangements.

Contact: Anne Moultrie

Phone: 301/445-2722
E-mail: amoultrie@usmd.edu