The University System of Maryland (USM) is a public higher education system in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park,

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Princess Anne,

Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, Bowie, Frostburg, Hagerstown, Rockville,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, and Adelphi, along with four regional higher education centers located throughout the state of

History

In 1974,

, along with seven other states, mainly in the South, submitted plans to desegregate its

state universities A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State univers ...

; Maryland's plans were approved by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The University System of Maryland was created in 1988 from the merger of University of Maryland (UM) and Board of Trustees of State Universities and Colleges (BTSUC).

Campuses

With more than 172,000 students at all levels, USM institutions award 78% of bachelor's degrees in Maryland.

Finances

Nearly 50 percent of undergraduates graduate without debt. USM institutions attract more than $1.4 billion in research and development funding to the state annually and have helped foster the creation of more than 700 startup companies since 2011. The system's Aa1 bond rating enables its institutions to borrow at lower costs to students, families and taxpayers. Related effectiveness and efficiency initiatives have saved Marylanders nearly $600 million in administrative costs since 2004.

Governance

The USM is governed by a board of regents and led by a chancellor, who serves as the CEO of the university system and leads the USM Office.

USM Board of Regents

A 17-member volunteer Board of Regents, including one full-time student, governs the University System of Maryland. Appointed by the governor, the regents oversee the system's academic, administrative, and financial operations; formulate policy; and appoint the USM chancellor and the presidents of the system's 12 institutions. With the exception of the student member, each regent is appointed for a term of five years, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The student regent is appointed for a one-year term, and may be reappointed. Regents serve on the board without compensation.

USM chancellors

* John S. Toll (1988–1990) * Donald Langenberg (1990–2002) * William E. Kirwan (2002–2015) * Robert L. Caret (2015–2020) * Jay A. Perman (2020–present)

USM Office

The USM Office, led by the system chancellor, is the staff to the Board of Regents. Staff members advocate on behalf of the 12 USM institutions, facilitate collaboration and efficiencies among the institutions, and provide information about the system to the public. With leadership from the USM Board of Regents and the chancellor, the system office coordinates academic programs, assists with long-range planning and resource management, facilitates private fund raising, and provides financial stewardship. The system office is headquartered in

and has locations in Adelphi, Annapolis, and Columbia.

References

External links

*
Board of Regents records
at the University of Maryland libraries {{authority control M Educational institutions established in 1988 1988 establishments in Maryland fi:Marylandin yliopisto