2012-13 Edition Profile: Towson University Educated Quest.com Background Introduction to Towson 1 University Background About Towson University Towson University’s roots date back to 1865, the last year of the Civil War, when the Maryland legislature approved funds to estab- lish the state’s first teacher training school. It opened one year later as the State Normal School, based in Baltimore. In 1912, the Mary- land General Assembly passed a $600,000 bond issue to relocate the school on 80 acres of land in nearby Towson. The new campus, Fast Facts including Stephens Hall, the main administration building, opened three years later. Today, Stephens Hall houses the university’s Col- 1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur. lege of Business and the Honors College. In 1963, the Normal School was renamed Towson State College. 2. Nulla et urna convallis nec quis blandit odio mollis. As enrollments surged from 3,500 to more than 13,000, the college was granted university status. In 1996, Towson State University was 3. Sed metus libero cing elit, lorem ipsum. Adip later renamed Towson University as it moved from a state- inscing nulla mollis urna libero blandit dolor. supported institution to a state-assisted one where the majority of operating aid was not provided by state government. 4. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur. Today Towson University has more than 19,000 undergraduate stu- 5. Sed metus libero cing elit, lorem ipsum. Quis que dents. It is the second-largest university, public or private, in Mary- euismod bibendum sag ittis. land after the University of Maryland-College Park. Towson also en- rolls more undergraduates than the University of Delaware, one of 6. Sed metus libero cing elit, lorem ipsum. the its main competitors for students. It is a more diverse university than most. Twenty-six percent of the student body comes from 7. Quis que euismod bibendum sag ittis. under-represented minority groups. 2 Designated as the University of Maryland System’s “growth institu- portant institution in the economic development of the Baltimore met- tion” in 2009, Towson has undergone a very ambitious building pro- ropolitan area. Towson is considered a regional university, as op- gram. This has included a new College of Liberal Arts building, a posed to a national research university because it does not grant renovated Fine Arts and Communications building, a soon-to-open many doctoral degrees. Towson grants doctorates in only four sub- sports arena. a modern football stadium, planned renovations for jects: Audiology, Information Technology, Instructional Technology the College of Science building including more than 30,000 square and Occupational Science. The University of Delaware, by compari- feet of classroom and lab space. New residence halls and a reno- son, grants doctoral degrees in more than 40 fields. The lack of doc- vated and expanded student union, among other projects, are in the toral students, especially in the liberal arts and sciences, means university’s future plans. that professors place less reliance on graduate students to teach un- dergraduates. At the same time, undergraduates get to know their No state can afford not to have enough good schools. For Maryland professors better and have opportunities to work with them on their Towson has become one of them. Nearly two-thirds of the students research. who enter Towson graduate within six years. Only the flagship cam- pus in College Park and St. Mary’s College of Maryland do better Towson may also be unique among regional universities in that its among the state’s public institutions. Eighty-six percent of freshmen president Maravene Loeschke, is also an alumnus. A recipient of a who entered in 2011 continued on their sophomore year. Bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre as well as a Masters in Education from Towson, Loeschke returned home after serving as Through partnerships with area community colleges, Towson at- President of Mansfield University (PA) in the Pennsylvania State tracts a transfer class of more than 2,100 students each year, only System of Higher Education. Although Dr. Loeschke was inaugu- 300 less than the number of freshmen who are entering the univer- rated in September of 2012, she had previously served as a faculty sity for the first time. While 26 percent of the freshmen come from member as well as Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communi- outside Maryland, the influx of transfer students tilts the balance of cation at Towson. An actor and playwright, Dr. Loeschke performed the population towards residents, many of whom live in or near the in the Maryland Arts Festival for 20 seasons, including four one- Baltimore area. The large influx of transfer students also means woman shows and directed more than 20 plays. Her play "5" was larger junior and senior classes, approximately 4,000 students in a professionally produced at the Theatre Project in Baltimore. given year. While nearly 30 percent of an entering class comes from out-of- state, the volume of transfer students has made Towson a more im- 3 Competition What does it take to get in? Who decides to go? What other schools do 2 applicants consider? Competition What It Takes to Get In For the class that entered in 2012 there were more than 18,000 ap- plications for approximately 2,500 seats in the freshman class. Just over half of these applications were accepted. Towson put over 4,000 students on its waiting list, though only 263 were eventually offered admission. The middle 50 percent of the admitted students Fast Facts scored between 990 and 1180 (out of 1600) on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the SAT; the average was 1080. Eighteen per- cent scored above 600 on the Critical Reading section of the test, 1. For the class that entered in 2011 there were twenty-six percent scored over 600 on the Math. Half of the admit- more than 18,000 applications for approximately ted students ranked in the top quarter of their high school class, 2,500 seats in the freshman class. with grade-point-averages of 3.5 or higher; the range is between 3.25 and 3.87. 2. This year, more than 21,000 students are expected to apply for around the same number of This year, more than 21,000 students are expected to apply for around the same number of seats in the freshman class that will en- seats. ter in 2013 says Mike Berends, Marketing Director for University Un- 3. Towson also welcomes between 2,100 and 2,200 dergraduate Programs. He adds that 800 students applied for the transfer students every year, many from Maryland Honors College in 2012 for around 200 seats; that number will likely increase for 2013. community colleges. After Maryland, New Jersey and New York (the largest segment 4. After Maryland, New Jersey and New York (the from Long Island) contribute the most students to the freshman largest segment from Long Island) contribute the class. “Applicants are attracted to our diverse set of majors,” says most students to the freshman class. Mike Berends, “including business, education, health professions, the arts and psychology.” Students are not required to declare a ma- 5 jor when they apply unless they are interested in nursing and the interested in the performing arts would be drawn to the facilities, the health professions or one of the talent-based majors in the perform- academics and access to the arts community in the Baltimore- ing arts. “We have few competitors for arts students until you reach Washington area. A student who is interested in business might be New York City,” Berends says. “100 percent of our dance graduates drawn to the connections that s/he can made in the Baltimore area, are placed into dance companies.” too as would a student who is interested in teaching in the elemen- tary or secondary schools. In 2012, after surveying 1,185 students, Berends learned that nearly 36 percent has Towson as a first choice before they had visited. Towson students are presented with many of the same opportuni- Forty-nine percent made the university a first choice after taking a ties to succeed as the students who go to College Park, UMBC or campus tour while 56 percent were certain of their choice following Delaware. It is up to them to take advantage. an Open House for admitted students. The University of Maryland-College Park, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Salisbury University are Towson’s major public competitors within Maryland. Competing pri- vate schools within the state include Loyola in Baltimore, Hood Col- lege and McDaniel College. The University of Delaware, Temple Uni- versity (PA), James Madison University (VA) and the George Mason University (VA) are major public competitors within the Washington D.C. and Philadelphia metro areas. An applicant who might fall in the middle of the pool at UMBC, Col- lege Park or Delaware based on grades and test scores would likely land in the upper quarter at Towson. Such students might also qual- ify for admission to the university’s Honors College as well as merit- based aid that they are less likely to receive from the other institu- tions. For these students the decision comes down to academics as well as fit. A student, for instance, who is interested in nursing would be drawn to the location as well as the academics. A student who is 6 Completion Freshman Retention Rate 3 Graduation Rates Completion The Path to Graduation Since 2007, Towson University’s freshman retention rate has improved from just below 82 percent to around 86 percent.