Report to the USM Board of Regents Chancellor William E. Kirwan Friday, September 17, 2010

Thank you Mr. Chairman . . . Let me add my words of welcome to everyone for the first University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents meeting of the new academic year. I especially want to welcome our new regents— Paul Vance and Leslie Hall—to their first “official” board meeting. On behalf of the presidents and the entire USM family, let me express our appreciation to you for your willingness to serve in this leadership capacity on our behalf.

Pleased to note that the Chairman of our Board of Regents—Cliff Kendall—leads a pack of 35 companies and executives named as finalists in the 8th annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards program. Congratulations, Cliff.

This is also the first official meeting for University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Jay Perman who assumed office July 1st — and has had a busy schedule ever since, including a visit to UMB’s BioPark by the Governor and his cabinet. And while Wallace Loh won’t be taking office for a few months, I want to acknowledge the newly-named president of the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). In fact, Dr. and Mrs. Loh are already having a positive impact with a recent pledge of $100,000 to help need-based undergraduate and graduate students stay in school. The Loh’s generosity is certainly appreciated.

And let me once again thank and congratulate the winners of the Regents Staff Awards. These men and women truly represent the excellence, professionalism, and commitment that can be found throughout the USM.

We have a full agenda, so I will keep my report brief. I begin with a few noteworthy highlights, starting with our “host” today, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which continues to make enormous strides under the leadership of Freeman Hrabowski.

Freeman combines visionary leadership, a keen intellect, boundless energy, and a genuine commitment to his students.  Last year Time Magazine recognized Freeman as one of the nation’s top 10 college presidents.  And earlier this summer he was among 10 national and world leaders recognized with honorary degrees at Harvard.

UMBC has received numerous recognitions as well:  U.S. News & World Report has ranked UMBC as the number one up-and-coming national university for two consecutive years.  U.S. News also ranked UMBC as the number one public national university in undergraduate teaching—tied with Stanford at fourth among all national universities.  The Princeton Review recently identified the campus as one of the nation’s “Best Value” colleges and ranked UMBC second on its “Most Diverse Student Population List.” 2

 And it is no surprise that in The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual Great Colleges to Work For survey, you will find UMBC. The fact is, you will find impressive rankings for institutions throughout the USM. I simply don’t have time to list every superlative, but I want to note that between highly-regarded national publications such as Kiplinger’s, The Princeton Review, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, and U.S. News & World Report, you will find literally every USM’s degree-granting institution.

Key partnership efforts are also taking place. A partnership among UMCP, UMB, and UMBC has received a $7.9 million federal grant from the National Center for Research Resources, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The grant—among the largest of its kind ever awarded—will be used to acquire a superconducting 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance magnet that will help researchers unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

Elsewhere across the USM, we are focused on both our bedrock priorities of access, affordability and excellence, as well as our system-wide efforts to meet key STEM workforce needs, close the achievement gap, and advance sustainability.

For example, Bowie State University (BSU) was featured in the 2011 College Access & Opportunity Guide published by the Center for Student Opportunity. This college guidebook is unique in that it specifically targets first generation, low-income, and minority college-bound students. BSU has also launched a new Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics degree this fall.

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) has committed to be a major sponsor of— and participant in—this fall’s first annual USA Science & Engineering Festival. The festival, dubbed the “Woodstock of Science,” includes a two-day Expo on the National Mall. UMCP, which has been called a "dream partner" by festival organizers, will be hosting both the opening and closing events.

UMCP is also strengthening its presence at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), with the Communications program now offering three new digital media courses there. I would also like to note that I attended USG’s 10th anniversary celebration a few months ago and it is remarkable to see how fast that center has grown and how vital a presence it has become in just one decade. I know members of the Board have all received USG’s Report to the Community, which outlines this decade of achievement through partnership.

The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown (USMH) also continues to enhance its programs, with Frostburg State University’s (FSU) bachelor's degree in psychology now offered. And next month USMH will hold its fall open house, allowing USMH faculty and staff to meet directly with members of the community to discuss what the center can provide.

With the groundbreaking of its Sustainable Energy Research Facility right around the corner, the addition of a sustainability studies minor this fall, and recognition in the Princeton Review as one of America’s “Green Colleges," Frostburg State University (FSU) continues to distinguish itself as a leader in sustainability and clean energy efforts. I also understand that FSU President Jonathan Gibralter made his acting debut over the summer in an independent feature film written 3 and directed by a member of the mass communications faculty . . . so keep an eye on next year’s Academy Awards ceremony!

Along with its recognition by U.S. News, Kiplinger, and The Princeton Review, Salisbury University (SU) has been named a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine for the second consecutive year. This honor recognizes SU as among the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide in this regard. In addition, for the second consecutive year, SU was featured on the Chronicle’s list of Great Colleges to Work For. And finally, Dr. Gary Harrington of SU’s English Department has been named a prestigious Fulbright Chair for the second time.

In another campus honor, Coppin State University’s (CSU) “tech guru” and Vice President for the Information Technology Division, Dr. Ahmed El-Haggan, has been named one of Maryland’s “Innovators of the Year” by The Maryland Daily Record. Also on the 2010 Innovator of Year List were Carol Espy-Wilson of UMCP, Chris Geddes from UMBC, and Ellen Sheffield from Towson University (TU).

In a Washington Post article last month, Towson University (TU) was cited as one of only 11 institutions nationwide with little or no disparity in graduation rates between black and Hispanic students and white students. The study, done by the Education Trust, revealed that there is no graduation gap at TU. That same article also noted that here at UMBC, black and Hispanic students are as likely to graduate as whites.

Last month I had the pleasure of joining Governor O’Malley to break ground on the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at the University of Baltimore (UB). Not only does this state-of- the-art facility represent a wonderful public-private partnership—with $10 million is support from Peter Angelos—it also will be one of the greenest buildings in Baltimore. In fact, UB intends to push beyond an LEED Gold certification and aim for a Platinum certification, which would make UB's the only law school in the country to bear this status.

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) can also boast about its environmental accomplishments. UMUC’s Center of Academic Operations in Largo exceeded the original goal of Silver Certification, having achieved LEED Gold Certification. UMUC is also meeting key workforce needs, enrolling hundreds of students in its new bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in cybersecurity, which launched this fall.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) will welcome the Governor to the grand opening ceremony for the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Building on October 5th. This is certainly a long-awaited event. In addition, the School of Pharmacy was recently honored with the Pinnacle Award from the American Pharmacists Association Foundation. The prestigious national award recognizes the achievements of the School's P3 (Patients, Pharmacists, Partnerships) Program that provides well-trained, licensed pharmacist coaches to help patients manage the complexities of chronic disease, while preventing complications. 4

On a related note, last month at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), members of the inaugural class of UMES pharmacy students received white coats in a special ceremony to signal the start of the three-year doctoral program. UMES is now the third university in Maryland and the only one on the Eastern Shore to offer a pharmacy program. In addition, earlier this month UMES was informed that it will receive more than $4 million in Building and Facilities Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of an effort to strengthen the research, teaching and extension capabilities at historically black land-grant colleges and universities in an effort to recruit and train students for careers in agriculture.

In other environmental news, I joined President Don Boesch this summer as the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) dedicated its new Oyster Setting Facility at the Horn Point Laboratory.

And—in another great example of partnership—the National Science Foundation just awarded a grant of almost $1 million to USM in support of MADE-CLEAR: Maryland Delaware Climate Change Education, Assessment, and Research. Under the direction of Don Boesch, Nancy Shapiro, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs in the system office, and their colleagues in Delaware, MADE-CLEAR will introduce proven climate change curriculum throughout the K-12 sector, motivate more students to appreciate the power and relevance of science, spur a higher level of interest and participation in the STEM disciplines, and develop a new generation of citizens with in-depth knowledge of environmental issues.

And while I’m at it, let me also commend Nancy Shapiro on Maryland’s selection as a “Race to the Top” recipient. While this initiative is associated with the K-12 sector, the USM was involved through the process, working closely with Nancy Grasmick and the State Board of Education. More importantly, USM and the higher education community will be closely involved with the execution of the Race To The Top initiative in Maryland.

Finally, there are a few broader issues I’d like to address.

As you know, we are in the process of crafting a new strategic plan for the USM. Later this month, at the regents’ retreat, we will provide an update as to where we are in the process. We will also be engaging participants at the meeting in breakout sessions to generate additional ideas and approaches as we move from crafting the new plan to its implementation.

Obviously, budgetary issues will impact our progress in implementing the plan. At this point we are still at the earliest stages of working with leaders in Annapolis on the USM’s FY 2012 budget. In addition to enhanced funding in support of the new strategic plan, there are a few other issues we intend to make priorities:  The USM understands that we must do our part in this era of shared sacrifice, but I intend to stress that after three consecutive years of furloughs, our employees have been asked to give enough.  And with completion becoming a major national and state goal, we will need some funding enhancements to implement the enrollment strategies necessary to meet Maryland’s 55% college completion goal. o I will keep you well apprised as our budget efforts advances 5

Let me concluded by once again thanking the members of this board—and the entire USM—for the celebratory dinner earlier this year in recognition of the Academic Leadership Award I received from the Carnegie Corporation. Even more importantly, I was moved by the $1.85 million in additional money raised to launch and fund A Matter of Degrees: USM Leading the Way in College Completion, our focused effort to dramatically increase Maryland's college completion rate. This is a vital effort and your support was both important and appreciated.

Mr. Chairman . . . . this ends my report.