USM Collaborative Services
Figuring out what we can do better together than apart.
— Ellen Herbst, Senior Vice Chancellor Administration and Finance
Summary Statement
The University System of Maryland's (USM) Collaborative Services is dedicated to enhancing collaboration and efficiency across USM's institutions. By streamlining operations and providing centralized support, collaborative services allow our institutions to focus on their core mission-delivering exceptional education, research, and community impact.
Mission
To foster collaboration, efficiency, and enhance the overall quality of services within and across the USM through the expansion and refinement of collaborative services.
Core Values
- Accuracy, consistency, and repeatability
- Collaboration
- Compliance and risk mitigation
- Prioritize change management
- Process innovation
- Rigorous project and portfolio management
- Transparency through shared governance
Latest News
- HR Advisory Group has continued to meet since June 2025 and is driving several initiatives and projects.
Goal to form additional advisory groups in 2026 to cover additional areas such as finance and information technology.
Purpose
USM is currently growing the use of collaborative services in many areas where we are considering broad opportunities, not just administration and technology. Our approach is to produce better service and outcomes, balanced with the unique needs of each institution.
Frequently Asked Questions
The purpose of this initiative is to increase collaboration, increase effectiveness and efficiencies, reduce redundancies, and to assist with staffing challenges.
No. Institutions have the opportunity to join collaborative services or continue with their current model.
Talk to your supervisor and leadership. If you want details on collaborative services, please look at the Contact section of this website.
Annual Assessments
An annual assessment of each collaborative service and the USM collaborative service organization will be developed each year beginning in 2026. Assessments will be published to this area and will include accomplishments, course corrections, lessons learned, metrics/KPIs, milestones, and future year plans.
Collaborative Services Catalog
USM Collaborative Services
Broader Collaborative Services
Active Projects
- Title IX Resources: RFP review underway with goal to complete vendor selection and award contracts effective March 1st
- eLearning shared contracts: RFI responses received and under review
- Compensation Administration tool: discovery group formed and survey of institutions has been distributed
- USM Student Insurance Plan: discovery group formed to begin exploring this idea
Ideas
We continually engage with USM institutions to stay in touch with their needs and understand potential collaborative services opportunities. A collective word cloud of ideas collected to date is below.
Collaborative Services Ideas and Requests
