A Message from President Robert L. Caret:
Dear Towson Friends, Alumni, Faculty and Staff:
Currently in the General Assembly, Governor O'Malley's FY 2011 Budget is under consideration. There are numerous proposed budget cuts to the University System of Maryland and subsequently Towson University that are being evaluated by the legislature. Some of these proposals include, but are not limited to:
- Department of Legislative Services recommended cuts totaling $7.1M for the University System of Maryland, which includes a $1.3M cut to the USM Shady Grove and Hagerstown programs.
- A recommendation to reduce general fund appropriations for the University System of Maryland by at least $50 million by eliminating 1,000 positions, reducing the budget for travel by 50%, and substituting half-priced tuition in place of free tuition for employees.
The Health, Education and Human Resources Subcommittee of the Senate Budget and Tax Committee made the first round of cuts yesterday. The subcommittee recommended transferring $3.8M from the USM fund balance to cover the shortage from the Higher Education Investment Fund. The other Department of Legislative Services proposed cuts were not approved by the Senate subcommittee. The remaining recommendations will be considered later this week. This is the first step in a process that will continue to unfold over the next three weeks as the House Appropriations Committee makes their decisions and the two bodies meet in conference committee to finalize the budget for the State of Maryland.
We ask that you consider contacting your legislators to let them know how you feel about the proposed budget cuts. Reduced funding for USM will lead to an erosion of quality, affordable and accessible higher education in Maryland.
If you click on the link below it will take you to the USM's Government Relations page which will allow you two options for letters you may customize regarding higher education funding and send directly to your legislator.
USM link: http://www.usmd.edu/usm/legislative_relations/
Thank you for your consideration in this important matter.
Sincerely,
 5 Questions With...
Jack Nye
Director, TU Facilities Planning
Q: What has Towson done to achieve the Presidential Campus Climate Commitment?
A: Since signing the ACUPCC in September 2007 the university has met all of the requirements within the timelines established by the pledge. In year one the first task completed by the university was to create an ACUPCC Committee to facilitate and oversee compliance with the requirements of the pledge. In that same year a campus-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was completed and submitted/reported in September of 2008. Also during that first year the university committed to three immediate actions which included: 1) Design and construct all new buildings to a LEED's certification level of silver, 2) Create/expand its solid waste recycling program, and 3) Provide mass transit options. Year two was focused almost exclusively on completing a climate action plan (CAP) which was completed and submitted/reported in October of 2009. Year three, which we are in, will focus on beginning the implementation and operationalization of the CAP recommendations. In addition, a GHG inventory update and CAP implementation status report are due in September of 2010.
Q: What does the Facilities Planning department currently do to further the 2010 plan?
A: The Office of Facilities Planning takes the lead or provides support for numerous campus initiatives, both big and small, to support and advance the 2010 plan. The biggest of these initiatives led by Facilities Planning was the completion of a campus master plan update that was approved by the USM Board of Regents in October of 2009. Building off the 2003 master plan, a year long process was undertaken to update the plan in support of enrollment growth to a target of 25,000 total students by 2016. The process used was a highly participatory effort that resulted in input/feedback from over 1,000 people from both on campus (students, faculty, and staff) and off campus (community, government, and business) stakeholders.
Another primary effort continuously undertaken by Facilities Planning is "telling and selling" the Towson Story. On average the planning staff presents the master plan over 50 times annually to constituents on and off campus. Through this effort we constantly communicate future development plans with stakeholders and constantly receive feedback to help make the most of the investment in new and renovated facilities on campus.
Q: What new projects are on the horizon?
A: The university is undertaking more campus development projects than at any time during its history. Currently, the 293,000 square foot College of Liberal Arts project is underway. Phase 1 of the project was open and occupied in July 2009 and Phase 2 will be complete and open in July 2011. Other projects underway include our Campus Site and Safety project, which includes major pedestrian and accessibility upgrades to the main academic campus including a new main vehicular/pedestrian gateway at Towsontown Boulevard and University Avenue. In the West Village a new 85,000 square foot commons building is under construction and will include a food court, a 400 person dining hall, a large 1,000 person meeting space, and a variety of smaller student meeting and lounge spaces and will be completed in August of 2011. Adjacent to the commons building will be the construction of a new 1,500 space parking structure and the second phase of new housing that will deliver an additional 670 beds on campus. Both of these projects will begin by summer and are scheduled to be completed in August of 2011.
Major projects in planning or design include: a 5,000 seat arena to be located across Auburn Drive from Unitas Stadium, a new 70,000 square foot addition to the Smith Hall along with a comprehensive renovation of the existing building for the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, and a new 19,000 square foot public safety building on the site of the old tennis courts along Towsontown Boulevard.
Q: How are capital facility projects faring in the budget crisis?
A: Considering the harsh economic times the university has been very fortunate to maintain the state funding schedule for all of its major capital projects except for the Health Professions building project. I would caveat this statement with the fact that the legislative session is not over until April. However, to date this great fortune has been made possible by the continued strong support of the University System of Maryland and the Governor for Towson projects.
Q: How have green initiatives been incorporated into campus planning?
A: "Green" or perhaps more appropriately sustainability is factored into every planning process that we undertake. For example, a major tenet of the master plan is to not only preserve the existing green space and forest on campus, but to increase the net acreage of green space and forest on campus through conversion of disturbed and impervious areas as part of development projects. Other tangible examples include our commitment to design and construct all new buildings to a LEED's certification level of silver and our implementation of a campus-wide single-stream recycling program over a year ago, which has already resulted in an increase to the campus recycling rate by almost 7%.
Culminating the 2010 Plan
As part of our Metropolitan Mission to address the needs of our region and serve as the workforce engine for our state, Towson University is building a pipeline of k-12 students who want to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. In addition to the existing Hackerman Academy, our recent acquisition of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Education and Outreach program also enhances our k-12 partnerships with area schools to promote and nurture excitement in math and science. The TU Center for STEM Excellence pulls together Towson's comprehensive efforts to encourage more students, particularly women and minorities, into STEM majors, and also preparing educators who can teach STEM disciplines. Towson already enrolls as many women as men STEM majors, and also plans to triple the production of STEM teachers and computer information science majors.
2010 Plan | Report Card | Guiding Principles
New in the News
Read up on the latest higher education issues that have appeared in the news recently:
 Legislative Bills
The following bills have been introduced to the legislature recently:
- SB 1084 Maryland Higher Education Commission - Review of Program Proposals. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 853 Personal Financial Literacy State Curriculum. Assigned to House Ways and Means. Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 1102 Bookstores Purchasing Used Textbooks - Required Records. Assigned to House Economic Matters. Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 1301 Access to Public Records - Electronic Documents. Assigned to House Health and Government Operations. Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 604 College and Career Readiness Act of 2010. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 1171 Promotional Items for Giveaways - Purchase Limitations. Assigned to House Health and Government Operations. Hearing 3/15 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 1533 Deficit Reduction Financing Act of 2010. Assigned to House Appropriations.
For more bill information, please click here.
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