"Keep Me Maryland" Heard Across the Country

MARYLAND STUDENTS WHO have yet to enter the job market are already feeling the strain of the national recession. Some of their parents are out of work and others are fighting to keep their homes. For some students, putting their education aside seems like their only option.

The goal of our new Keep Me Maryland campaign is to ensure that a Maryland education remains accessible and affordable. This effort is the latest example of our long-standing commitment to financial aid, a commitment that promises qualified students are not turned away because of financial limitations.

We cannot allow the economy to derail our students. As the state's flagship institution, we provide a top-quality education to all qualified Maryland residents, and keeping that education affordable is a primary objective of our 10-year strategic plan.

About two-thirds of our students qualify for and receive aid each year, and their average need for Fall 2008 was $15,500. During the last fiscal year, the university's Office of Financial Aid awarded $32.5 million in aid, including $10.7 million in need-based grants. Many more students qualify for additional dollars from state, federal and private programs. Students also work at more than 12,000 jobs on campus.

We make every effort to support students coming from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds by combining need-based aid with innovative scholarship programs. Maryland Pathways, one of the first initiatives of its kind in the nation, makes good on the university's promise to assist deserving students with the highest need, combining grants and work-study to reduce, or in some cases eliminate, their debt at graduation. The Pathways program awarded $3.2 million to about 1,000 students last year.

Meanwhile, our Terp Payment Plan allows families to spread out their tuition payments-an option that is becoming increasingly popular. We have also created flexible payment plans and provided loans and grants to keep students at Maryland. Still, many families with payments due are struggling to meet their obligations.

In a typical year the university spends about $500,000 to meet student appeals for additional financial aid. This year, we more than doubled that to $1.2 million. And now we need to do more. Payouts from our endowed scholarship funds are down following the financial markets, and our financial aid office reports the number of returning and new students appealing for additional aid is still on the rise. By February 15, appeals requesting more aid for the 2009-2010 academic year were up more than 35 percent over the same time last year.

In some cases, modest support from the new Keep Me Maryland Fund will help students see their way through.

For example:

It is important to recognize that financial aid does more than simply keep students in school during times of crisis. With less debt, graduates can consider furthering their education or taking jobs-such as teaching-that may not be high-paying, but benefit us all.

Families across all economic strata have been affected by the recession and will continue to face tightened credit markets and diminished market-based college savings funds. New appeals for help continue to come into our financial aid office every day. Our students are appealing for assistance to stay at Maryland, with the refrain, "Keep Me Maryland." I thank you in advance for your support.

For more information or to make a gift to the Keep Me Maryland campaign, please visit www.keepmemaryland.umd.edu.

-Dan Mote, President

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