Chancellor's Report to the Board of Regents on Sept. 19

 
Chancellor Jay A. Perman
Salisbury University | September 19, 2025


Thank you, Madame Chair. To Regent Stebbins, Regent Blount, Regent Speaks, Regent Rivera-Forbes, I look forward to our work together.

I welcome the partnership of our new shared governance chairs—Mr. Vasquez-Reyes, Dr. King-White, Mr. Prouty.

And I welcome Dr. Dale Nesbary, interim executive director of the USM at Southern Maryland. Dr. Nesbary has long and deep experience in higher ed—in technology, planning, and institutional effectiveness. And the national acclaim he’s earned leading community colleges will surely strengthen our own partnerships in Southern Maryland.

Dr. Nesbary’s arrival at USMSM coincides with the center’s new strategic plan, focused on building academic and career pathways, catalyzing community collaborations, and promoting student success and social mobility. Dale, we look forward to your leadership as we make good on these promises.


ELKINS PROFESSORSHIPS

I congratulate our Elkins professors, whose critically important work we advance through System-funded grants.

At Bowie State, Dr. Darsana Josyula will establish a Collaborative Hub for Adaptive Human-AI Teaming, ensuring equitable access to AI research and education, and advancing regional workforce development.
 
At the University of Maryland, College Park, Dr. Elisabeth Smela will team with colleagues to develop an accessible certificate program in sustainability and foster cross-campus collaboration in sustainability projects.
 
Prof. Rabiat Akande from UMB will continue her project exploring the history of European colonialism and its impact on contemporary international law. 

We’re also celebrating three Elkins Academic Transformation winners. This year, we asked faculty to focus their applications on generative AI, because it’s rapidly transforming the work we do. And so at Towson University, Dr. Amanda Jozkowski will integrate generative AI into course design. At UMBC, Dr. Eric Stokan will develop open-source training materials in computational social science and generative AI. And at UMGC, Dr. David Leasure will use generative AI to adapt and scale faculty coaching tools. I congratulate all of our winners.


THE EXCELLENCE WE ACHIEVE

If you’re paying attention, you know that this is the month I typically offer a rankings roundup, bragging about where we stand on various “best-of” lists. I’m holding off this year, while we await a few more rankings. But don’t worry: The ones we do have are among the most impressive I’ve seen.

I do want to mention some accolades that say as much about us—and our values—as the more standard measures of excellence. For instance, Towson University and UMB have won the Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight Into Academia magazine. The award looks at the integration of accessible mental health services, and programs that advance inclusive excellence, belonging, and emotional resilience.

College Park, UMB, and Towson are all ranked in the top 20 on Forbes’ list of Best Employers in Maryland. And UMB made the magazine’s list of America’s Best Employers for Women, ranking 36th among universities nationwide.

College Park ranks 13th among U.S. public universities for graduating Pell students—a six-year graduation rate above 82%.

Towson is among the first seven North American colleges earning Autism-Inclusive Campus Designation from the College Autism Network, recognizing campuses that create environments where autistic and other neurodivergent people can thrive. It builds on TU’s leadership in autism education and community support. Congratulations, President Ginsberg.

In a similar vein, I’ll mention UMGC’s inclusion in the Generation Hope FamilyU Cohort, helping UMGC support parent-learners, so they can access the economic mobility that lifts up their families.

Let me end on The Princeton Review, which has again named the beautiful building that’s hosting us today, Guerrieri Academic Commons, a top 25 college library.

That allows me to segue to our host this morning, Salisbury University. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Salisbury is celebrating its centennial this year. Salisbury’s big birthday bash was accompanied by the SU Centennial Speaker Series, where President Lepre was joined by former leaders for a behind-the-scenes look at Salisbury’s meteoric rise over the last quarter-century.

That rise is real, and Salisbury’s students are at the heart of it. One of Salisbury’s enduring achievements is its success in producing Fulbright Students. SU has two Fulbright recipients this year: Chemistry major Andersen Herman, whose experience with malaria in his native Haiti has shaped his plans to pursue malaria research in the Slovak Republic. And you might remember his classmate, ESOL and Spanish major Vicky Vazquez, who was one of our Student Award winners last spring. She’s now a Fulbright Student pursuing a teaching assistantship in Thailand. A former English language learner herself, Vicky will bring her international experience back to her native Worcester County, where she’ll serve vulnerable communities.

Salisbury’s Lian Peach was named National Leader of the Year by the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society. Before graduating, the SGA chief of staff was vice president of Salisbury’s food pantry, co-editor-in-chief of its undergraduate research journal, and a community activist, addressing “period poverty” in local schools.

Salisbury’s Kay Funderburg has been named a Gilman Scholar by the U.S. State Department. The program helps students with high financial need gain international experience and build global networks. Kay will study at Sweden’s Linköping University. President Lepre, your students are an extraordinary credit to this extraordinary university. Thank you for hosting us.

Let me branch out to students at other schools. UMB’s School of Nursing is celebrating its first-ever Fulbright Student. Abaneh Ebangwese will travel to Cameroon, where she’ll assess population vulnerability to cardiovascular disease.

I mentioned the Gilman Scholarship earlier. College Park was just ranked fourth in the nation for Gilman recipients—60 Terps earned the distinction. It’s part of College Park’s plan for inclusive global experience. Very impressive, President Pines.

Let me stick with international education, and note that study-abroad engagement has grown enormously at UMES, where more students participated in study abroad over the last two years than did in the previous eight years combined. A testament to intentional global programming.

UMB and Frostburg State are celebrating affirmation of their accreditation by the Middle States Commission. This is a painstaking, years-long process requiring extensive self-study and expansive engagement, with every function and every ambition put under a microscope. President Jarrell, President Smith, congratulations on the work—and the outcome.

At Frostburg, every single student in its graduating Physician Assistant class passed the national certifying exam. First-time pass rate is an important metric proving program effectiveness, and it doesn’t get any better than perfect. Congratulations, President Smith.

UMES is celebrating full accreditation of its Physician Assistant program, together with outstanding student pass rates on the certifying exam. This was years of hard and methodical work, President Anderson. Congratulations.


THE SCHOLARSHIP WE PRODUCE

College Park and UMB have launched a BS–MD program to recruit more engineers and data scientists into clinical professions, where technology has transformed diagnosis and treatment.

At UMBC, faculty have won a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to adapt a therapy that helps patients with PTSD process their trauma by writing about it. The faculty are testing a version of the therapy with patients in treatment for substance use disorder.

And College Park’s Sean B. Carroll just won his third Emmy for science filmmaking. His latest documentary follows an evolutionary biologist’s quest to find DNA in a soil sample that’s 2 million years old. “If we don’t tell our stories,” he said, “how will anyone know what we do? How will anyone be inspired?” How, indeed.


THE STUDENTS WE ENROLL

How’s this for inspiration? Coppin State is welcoming its largest first-year class in more than 25 years, with 1,000+ new undergraduates flocking to Eagle Nation. And Coppin is bucking national trends, with climbing enrollment among men. Male enrollment at Coppin has jumped 54% since 2021, reflecting strength not only in recruitment but in retention, where Coppin well outperforms national averages.

This work dovetails with Coppin’s new five-year strategic plan, whose goals include becoming a university of choice, nurturing students’ holistic development, and improving their completion rates. Well done, President Jenkins.

UMBC is celebrating a record-breaking incoming class of more than 3,100 first-year and transfer students—and its biggest-ever wait list. There’s a lot of work behind the numbers. For instance, UMBC is building relationships in Baltimore City, offering guaranteed access for qualified city students and full funding for those whose families make under $80,000 a year. The payoff? Enrollment of Baltimore City students is up 30% this year. Congratulations, President Sheares Ashby.

Towson is welcoming more than 5,700 new and transfer students this year. Graduate enrollment, a big priority, climbed nearly 6%. And retention is a marquee story at Towson: Ninety-one percent of eligible undergrads return to TU for another year.

Without getting ahead of the final totals, we’re confident that Systemwide enrollment this fall will exceed last year’s. In these numbers, we have persuasive evidence that Marylanders want what we provide. Still.


THE TALENT WE DEVELOP

Of course, at the other end of the college pipeline are the careers that make the degree worth it. And so our universities keep innovating how they ensure that our students—and our state—get the very best return on their investment.

Through a partnership with BioHub Maryland, Bowie State students are being trained in biopharma manufacturing and earning key certificates for life sciences careers.

The Universities at Shady Grove teamed up with all nine of its partner universities to showcase their academic programs to industry leaders across sectors. Employers shared their talent needs, and USG shared how their students and alumni can—and will—fill them. Thank you, Dr. Khademian.

UMGC is partnering with the Montgomery County Police Department to accelerate degree completion for department employees and their families, offering discounted tuition and college credit for police training and prior learning.

You’ll recall that UMGC piloted a similar program for military learners. To date, 14,300 U.S. service members have earned 70,000 transfer credits for their prior military experience, saving these students $17.5 million in tuition. Well done, President Fowler. 

Towson is using a $1 million MHEC grant to support displaced federal workers who want to transition into teaching. With 600+ applicants, it’s the kind of program that can make a real dent in classroom shortages.


THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE

Let me turn to the service that animates much of our work.

UBalt is partnering with the Walters Art Museum to transform museum visits into interactive, gamified adventures. Middle and high school students work through challenges that deepen their understanding of the artwork and its context. It’s a model that could preserve meaningful field trips, as funding for them is jeopardized.

President Miralles-Wilhelm continually tells me that we must show the economic impact of our work. Here’s one impact: As you know, UMCES has seeded billions of juvenile oysters in the Bay—partnering in one of world’s largest oyster restoration projects. Since the restoration, Maryland watermen are bringing in about 475,000 bushels of oysters every year—for a dockside value exceeding $18 million. In the five years prior to restoration, oyster hauls and values averaged less than a quarter of those numbers. And now the state has said it will formally meet its commitment to restore five oyster tributaries in the Bay. Well done, Fernando.

With Williamsport High School in Washington County undergoing asbestos abatement, the USM at Hagerstown is hosting the school’s most vulnerable students—English language learners, students needing special education services, students experiencing housing insecurity, students with special medical needs. Because that’s what good neighbors do. Thank you, Dr. Ashby.

UMGC is awarding full scholarships to caregivers of sick or wounded service members, helping them restart the lives they’ve put on hold. UMGC has now awarded 90 scholarships, covering full tuition for as long as it’s needed.

UMB’s Carey School of Law has launched Maryland’s second Innocence Project. The first is famously hosted by UBalt. The aim isn’t just to free innocent people, but to prevent wrongful convictions in the first place.

And Bowie State is eyeing MDOT’s plans for transit-oriented development at BSU’s MARC station as a chance to grow affordable housing and economic development in greater Bowie. President Breaux envisions the five-acre, mixed-used community as a conduit to the opportunities that come with connection. Congratulations, Dr. Breaux.

I want to end all of these achievements by saying that every single one of them is made possible by our USM staff. Chair Gooden mentioned at the meeting’s outset that we’ve just honored 10 staff members across the System for their enormous contributions to our work.

And so it’s on this note that I’ll mention UBalt, which just won gold for its new website in the national UCDA Design Awards. From 800 entries, fewer than 20 earned the highest honor. UBalt was recognized, too, for its body of creative work celebrating the university, its people, and its centennial anniversary. And so to our staff across the System, I thank you not only for doing the work but for telling our story. And please, President Schmoke, thank your team as well.


MAKING MARYLAND

I’ll be telling our story, too. On Monday, with President Breaux and our student council leader, Mr. Vasquez-Reyes, I’ll brief the Maryland House Appropriations Committee on the impact of federal actions on our operations and our budget. But more than that, I’ll make the case that, when it comes to Maryland’s fiscal challenges, the USM is not part of the problem. We’re part of the solution. A big part.

Because college degrees correlate with economic strength, and we awarded a record number last year, more than 45,000. Because we’re a primary supplier of talent to Maryland’s highest need industries. Because our $1.6 billion R&D enterprise doesn’t only safeguard our health, security, and sustainability; it grows our GDP. Because with the right tools and the right support, we can be Maryland’s bait, luring companies that want proximity to our people, our ideas, our innovations, and our partnership.

Our System makes Maryland. And I thank all of you for proving it, every single day.

Madame Chair, this concludes my report.                                              

 

Contact: Michael Sandler
Email: msandler@usmd.edu