Planning Our Future

IT HAS BEEN SAID that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Predicting the University of Maryland’s future—as a world-class university—requires a focused, 10-year plan of action.

Last fall, I asked Nariman Farvardin, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, to chair a campus-wide, comprehensive strategic planning process (see page 5). The strategic planning steering committee includes the university’s vice presidents, several deans, members of the University Senate and chair of the Board of Regents, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni. This dedicated team has worked tirelessly from the outset incorporating input from our entire Maryland family into its thinking. The committee will complete its work this spring so the plan can be implemented in the fall.

The university has advanced substantially over the past decade, gaining recognition for research achievements and program innovations. Despite the accolades reflected in high worldwide university rankings, challenges persist, especially around the financial resources needed to support students and programs. Because we are determined to build a great, world-class university, we must take on much of the resource responsibilities ourselves.

Our new strategic plan will be bold, courageous and ambitious. We understand that this plan is for us to implement, not someone else. We must do it without reliance on resources that we cannot provide or raise. We have already taken steps in that direction. Our Great Expectations campaign is on track to reach the $500 million mark this spring, halfway toward our 2011 goal of $1 billion. Our externally sponsored research funding surged to an all-time high, exceeding $400 million last year, and it continues to grow.

I have asked that the new strategic plan challenge us to take on initiatives with high impact on society. The national economy, public health, environmental sustainability and national security are examples of such national topics. A world-class university pioneers the basic research that underpins innovation in all fields, so we will continue to build key areas such as public health; security; food safety; Earth sciences; climate change; and language, culture and cognition.

The strategic plan will revisit our CORE Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies Program, the part of the undergraduate curriculum mandatory for every student. We will ensure that our students are well-prepared to be contributing citizens when they leave the university. The plan will also include commitments to teaching, faculty, environmental stewardship, student access and affordability and community diversity. It will create initiatives serving long-term university goals such as expanding international opportunities, creating a top-class graduate program and improving the greater College Park environment.

For any bold plan to succeed, action and leadership are essential. We will identify leadership at every level of the university, and alumni leadership will be critical to our success. I encourage you to follow the planning process on the Web and make your voice heard: www.sp07.umd.edu.

The creativity, commitment and determination of all our Maryland family will ensure that the university achieves world-class status over the next decade. The strategic plan will light our way, but most importantly this plan will proclaim who we are.

–Dan Mote, President

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