Report to the Board of Regents

Friday, December 12, 2014

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I begin my report by thanking our “host” institution, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown(USMH), and Executive Director Mark Halsey. These are very exciting times for USMH:

With the recent addition of Coppin State University, USMH now has six university partners and isin significant discussions with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which would be a 7th USM partner;
The City of Hagerstown and USMH are working in close cooperation on a public-private partnershipwith a local developer to build student housing in Hagerstown, making an education more accessible for students with lengthy commutes to the center;
USMH just completed a STEM Needs Analysis, fully funded by a localfoundation;
And just last week more than $36,000 was raised for student scholarships as a result of theFeaste and Frolic annual scholarship fundraiser.
I have had the pleasure of attending Feaste and Frolic a number of times over the past few years. It is a wonderfully enjoyable evening for a very worthwhile cause.

As you know, our meeting schedule has been a bit compacted, with this being our third board meeting in the span of about 12 weeks. But even with the short time between meetings, there is great news to report from across the system.

Let me start with an important piece of entrepreneurialnews at UM Ventures, the tech transfer office that is part of the MPowering partnership of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park(UMCP). Last month UM Ventures announced its first equityinvestment: Harpoon Medical, a Stevensville company that is developing a surgical tool for minimally invasive heart valve surgery, using technology licensed from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Through the UM Ventures partnership, UMB and UMCP plan to invest up to $500,000 each in Maryland-based startups that use technology licensed from the universities.

Also at UMB, the School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development has started a clinical trial to evaluate different dosage levels of a promising experimental Ebola vaccine. The Baltimore study is the second Ebola vaccine trial being led by the Center, the first currently taking place in Mali, West Africa.

And at UMCP last month I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for A. James Clark Hall, a new School of Engineering facility that will cultivate transformative new engineering and biomedical technologies to accelerate advancements in human health.

In addition, UMCP unveiled a new vision for Cole Field House, led by a $25 million gift from Under Armour founder and alum Kevin Plank to launch the nation’s preeminent academic, research and athletic facility.

In late October, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) would receive more than $18 million to create a national model of support to increase the success of students seeking degrees in the sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This funding is part of a $240-million, five-year NIH investment to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shoreisalso focused on STEM education and working with a federal partner. In late October UMES hosted a science education forum—the keystone in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) efforts to engage minority students. The four-day conference drew students, community leaders, and nationally recognized researchers to the Princess Anne campus.

Frostburg State University (FSU) has been listed as number 25 in Affordable Colleges Foundation’s ranking of the nation’s Best Online MBA Programs. More than 500 colleges were analyzedon cost, quality, and student support measures.

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) ranked #1 in The Military Times “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” list of top online and nontraditional schools. The publication looked at U.S. Department of Education statistics on student success and academic quality, as well as areas such as university culture, student support, and academic policies in evaluating hundreds of schools.

UMUC also repeated as Maryland Cyber Challenge champions, sweeping both the college and professional divisions for the second consecutive year.

In partnership with Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), and the Hess Corporation, the Universities at Shady Grove(USG) launched the Integrated Experiential Learning Cooperative (IELC) last month. Made possible by a grant from the Hess Family Foundation of more than a half-million dollars, IELC will provide students along the MCPS-to-MC-to-USG academic pathway with access to experiential learning opportunities in their intended major of study in a coordinated and progressive fashion.

There was a terrific story out of Towson University(TU) that got a great deal of national attention. TU was having issues with English Ivy, an invasive species that can climb tree trunks and kill the trees. Just ripping the ivy out was too difficult, mechanical extermination would have been expensive, and pesticides could kill other plants and cause run-off problems. So TU solicited the powers that be—in this case The International Animal Care and Use Committee—and used funding from donors to hire goats to remove the ivy in an ecologically friendly way.

In another key development, Towson has sold its radio captioning process—the Towson University Captioning System—to custom software solutions company BTS. This sale is a groundbreaking business exchange for TU and will potentially net millions of dollars for the university.

And, in the midst of the holiday season, I am pleased to note that students, faculty, and staff from Salisbury University (SU) are taking leadership roles in more than a dozen projects benefitting the surrounding community and beyond. Providing food and other items to families in need; bringing holiday cheer and showing our gratitude to service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; and collecting toys for children who might otherwise go without.

I am also pleased to note that students, faculty, and leadership from the USM “family” have been recognized for their state, national, and international leadership:

Two Towson students—senior Chemistry major LeiliZamini and junior criminal justice major Shereen Ahmed—have won Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad.

UMCP senior Fang Cao—a biological science major—has been named a Rhodes Scholar. He becomes the second UMCP student—joining Tom McMillen—to win the world’s oldest and most prestigious award for international study.

At the University of Baltimore (UB) Assistant Professor Tara Richards was named the 2014 recipient of the New Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology's Division on Women and Crime. This award recognizes the achievements of scholars who show outstanding merit at the beginning of their criminology careers.

UMES President Juliette Bell is among 20 people who have accepted Maryland governor-elect Larry Hogan’s invitation to serve as advisers assisting with his transition into office in January.

In The Baltimore Sun's 100 Top Workplaces Rankings for 2014 you will find:
Kelly & Associates Insurance Group, founded by Regent Frank Kelly;
FutureCare Health and Management Corporation, co-founded by Regent Gary Attman;
And UMBC.

Coppin State University (CSU) President Mortimer Neufville has been honored with the Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award from the Caribbean American Heritage organization in recognition of his significant and outstanding contributions to American society.

Earlier this month University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) President Don Boesch took part in a roundtable discussion at the White House to discuss ways to enhance climate education in the United States. This event launched the Climate Education & Literacy Initiative.

Also earlier this month, UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski participated in a panel on innovation at the second White House Summit on College Opportunity. I had the honor of attending this summit and am pleased to note that the White Hose featured the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success—or ACES—partnership between USG, MCPS, and Montgomery College in its College Opportunity Commitments to Action: Progress Report.

Last month Bowie State University (BSU) President Mickey Burnim was part of a select panel called together at Virginia Union University to discuss the wide range of issues affecting historically black colleges and universities.

UMCP President Wallace Loh secured a spot last week on Washington Business Journal’s “Power 100” list, which named him among the most influential leaders in Washington business for the second consecutive year.

Next spring, UMUC President Javier Miyares will be accepting the “Educator of the Year" award from the World Affairs Council on behalf of UMUC. In announcing the award, the World Affairs Council said UMUC is being recognized as a leader in innovative education models, a pioneer in distance education, and its commitment providing accessible, affordable, high quality education adult learners and members of the military.

The Corporation for National and Community Service includes five USM institutions on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2014: Towson, Frostburg, UB, UMBC, and UMCP, with Towson receiving Honor Roll with Distinction.

The Tech Council of Maryland announced that it will honor former Lockheed Martin CEO and current USM regent Norm Augustinewith a 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award early next year.

And, it has become clear to me that a great way to receive recognition is to announce your retirement, because:
I will be joining Norm as recipient of the Tech Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award next year;
Last month the Tech Council and the MdBio Foundation jointly awarded me the Maryland STEM Champion Award;
And I am one of five finalists for The(Baltimore)Sun’s Marylander of the Year, which will be announced in the next few weeks.

Let me close with a brief update on the status of our budget negotiations and the upcoming legislative session.

As we all know, there are significant changes underway in Annapolis.

Chairman Shea and I have had the opportunity with leaders of Governor-elect Hogan’s Transition Team. We have been providing them with information about the USM’s impact: not only through our education and research components, but also on broad-based economic development, public service, and quality-of-life terms. I think Jim will agree that we have been pleased to see how much the Governor-elects team appears to value USM and its critical role in advancing our state.

These conversations have only served to increase my confidence that USM, the board, our institutions, and the next Chancellor will enjoy a good working relationship with Governor Hogan. He has said publicly on several occasions already how much he values USM and how important it is to the state.

That being said, Maryland clearly faces significant challenges in both the current fiscal year—projected $300 million budget deficit—and as we look toward the FY 2016 budget—projected $600 million shortfall.

While we do not have any specific numbers yet, we anticipate a systemwide cut. I have asked the presidents to slow the rate of spending and most have implemented various spending restrictions, including hiring freezes or slow downs, salary freezes, and the like. These are certainly prudent steps and as decisions are made in Annapolis, we will sharpen our focus as well.

We remain fairly early in the process of developing the USM’s FY2016 budget. I will keep you informed as we progress, but it is clear that the upcoming legislative session will present some difficult challenges for us. As we have done so well in the past, it is imperative we work together and speak with one voice to keep USM and higher education a priority.

Over the past several years our efforts have brought about a real change: Today the USM is broadly seen as a ladder of opportunity for our citizens, a powerful economic engine for our state, and the key to a prosperous quality of life. We have become a genuine funding priority and must work to remain just that.

This concludes my report. I would be happy to respond to any questions.

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