Committee on Finance to Consider Energy Contracts; Review Report on Student Financial Aid
ADELPHI, Md. (January 24, 2006) --- The
Committee on Finance of the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of
Regents will review proposals for cost-effective methods of procuring natural
gas and electricity for USM institutions, and hear a report on student
financial aid at its next meeting, Thursday,
January 26, 2006. The public meeting, which starts at approximately 9:30 a.m.,
will be held in Annapolis at the
government relations office of the University
of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). The
office is located at 44 West Street,
second floor. Attendees must ring the buzzer to be admitted.
Several items on the agenda are part of a USM Board of
Regents initiative referred to as “Effectiveness and Efficiency” or E&E. Implemented
in 2004, E&E is an ongoing effort to contain costs and maximize resources
while, at the same time, maintain high academic quality.
The agenda items considered part of the E&E initiative
are:
·
a request from the University
of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) to
solicit contracts for the supply of electricity to all USM institutions. The
strategy of purchasing electricity as a consortium rather than individually by
institution has resulted in major cost savings for USM in the past.
·
authorization request
from UMCP to solicit contracts competitively to purchase natural gas. These
contract(s) would be made available to other System institutions at their
discretion.
·
approval for UMCP to
solicit contracts for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
equipment and service, new technology which allows the transmission of voice through
the Internet. The university anticipates long-term savings through reduced operating
costs.
The committee will also hear a summary on financial aid provided to USM
undergraduates and graduates from FY 2000 – FY 2004. Specifically, the report
provides information on the sources of financial aid (federal, state,
institutional), and the types of aid (need vs. non-need) awarded. Gradually
reducing the amount of debt accrued by low-income students upon graduation is
one of the stated goals of the Tuition Task Force, convened by USM Chancellor
William E. Kirwan in 2004.
Full agendas and background information will be available at the meeting.
Sign language interpreters and/or other appropriate accommodations for eligible
individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request. Please call
301.445.2756 (voice) or 301.314.7683 (TTY/ITT) to make special arrangements.
Contact: Liz O'Neill
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: loneill@usmd.edu
