USM Advocacy Day: Faculty, Staff and Students Rally in Annapolis for Budget Support
Adelphi,
Md. (Feb. 11, 2015) -- University System of Maryland (USM) leadership
councils representing students, faculty, and staff today met with legislators
in Annapolis to encourage their support of strong funding for the system.
The Council of University System Faculty (CUSF), Council of
University System Staff (CUSS), and USM Student Council (USMSC) began the day
with a welcome and briefing by USM Vice Chancellor for Government Relations
Patrick N. Hogan in the Miller Senate Office Building.
The USM leadership groups focused on lawmakers who sit on
influential committees and represent USM institutions.
At a midday reception, the group heard from Maryland Senate President
Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Senate President Miller told the group that the
state stands firmly behind the mission of the USM. He noted his long-standing
personal ties with several USM campuses-from his undergraduate days at the
University of Maryland, College Park to his law degree at the University of
Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, and relatives who have attended Towson
University, Salisbury University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County (UMBC).
An archive of photos from the day can be found on the USM Facebook
page at this link.
Chancellor Caret (L) and Sen. President Mike Miller (2nd
from R) with UMCP student leaders Deborah Hemingway and Patrick Ronk.
To encourage engagement, the USMSC has used social media to promote
awareness of the day and important themes for the balance of the legislative
session. Updates can be found on Twitter at #students4MD.
CUSF, CUSS, and the USMSC urged legislators to remember that strong
budgetary support of the USM helps to ensure continued economic development and
improvement in the quality of life for Maryland citizens, advance
commercialization and technology transfer, and foster cutting-edge research and
discovery in such areas as health care, energy, and cybersecurity.
The USM groups presented to the legislators a number of summary
points regarding the USM's importance to the state of Maryland. Legislators
learned about USM's $1.3 billion annually in contracts and grants to support
research and development; partnerships with community colleges to ensure students'
smooth transfer from two-year institutions to the USM; and continuously high rankings for USM
institutions.
The USMSC's legislative agenda centers on the advancement of USM
students, on campus and in the work place, to ensure that Maryland's excellent
public higher education institutions remain as accessible and affordable as
possible for students of all backgrounds, while maintaining their high quality.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
