Access to Quality: The Key to the Future

IN MY LAST COLUMN, I urged you to become advocates for this great institution with our state legislators, and many of you responded. The legislators listened, and the university was spared major budget cuts this year. I am pleased to report that the Governor and Maryland General Assembly accelerated full construction funds for a new biosciences research building—our top priority. Our drive to build a great university in partnership with the state, our alumni, and friends continues unabated.

This spring has brought us good news, and we have cheered many honors by our faculty. To cite just a few: five faculty in Arts and Humanities won National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, more than from any other institution; our faculty in the Earth Sciences will partner with researchers from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a new world-class weather prediction center to be built in our research park; and faculty in the Department of Aerospace Engineering won a major NASA award for development of futuristic micro hovering air vehicles.

When it comes to the future of our university, each one of us has a critical role to play. State appropriations are a vital component, and faculty productivity keeps our research programs at the forefront. Achieving true leadership will require sustained support by our alumni, friends, the business community, faculty, staff and students—those who care about what the university does and its value to this region and the nation. That is the only way that an institution ever succeeds.

The involvement of all stakeholders is more important than ever as universities face a continuing decline in public funding for higher education generally. We are responding to this national trend by a rigorous examination of the way we do business. Last fall I appointed six task forces to review our effectiveness in building a great university in these times. Their over-arching goal was to maximize use of our resources to enhance quality while assuring access for talented students, regardless of their financial means.

I am pleased with the scope of the inquiries and the speed and thoroughness with which these task forces responded. They made thoughtful and creative recommendations that have been widely supported across the campus about university financing, undergraduate success, graduate studies, administrative functions, fundraising and academic structure. We have found ways to use technology to process 35 percent more applications without additional staff; we are enacting policies that encourage more students to complete their degrees in four years; and we are exploring tuition models that will allow us to lock in tuition rates for four years for incoming students.

Ultimately, whatever changes are implemented, access to a top-flight university will drive our decision-making. We will soon be embarking on a major fundraising campaign to bring our need-based scholarship support to a level appropriate for the University of Maryland in today’s economic climate. The first step in this undertaking will be a Scholarship Benefit this September 18 at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, with a goal of raising more than $1 million. It will be a festive, fun-filled night that showcases our talented students. I urge you to mark your calendar for one “hot, hot, hot” event.

Dan Mote, President

You can find the full reports of the six President’s Task Groups on the Web
Academic Incentives, Efficiencies and Effectiveness Administration: Incentives, Efficiencies and Effectiveness Undergraduate Rates/Success Rates Financial Planning	Fundraising Graduate Student Success www.senate.umd.edu/ CampusCrier/PresidentTask GroupsRepts.htm.
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