 5 Questions With...
Dr. Marcia Welsh
Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs
Q: Now that you have been in Maryland for six months, can you tell us about your transition from New York?
A: I have to say it has been fun exploring a new city, and both Towson and Baltimore have been keeping me very busy. The most difficult part of my transition has been what is now my dependence on a car instead of heavy use of public transportation. Faculty, staff and students have been tremendously helpful in sharing their favorite local activities, so I'm never at a loss for "new Baltimore experiences"! I also thought I was moving "south" and since I arrived have experienced more snow than in the past 5 years total in New York!
Q: What are the challenges you face in your new role as the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Towson?
A: It would be so easy to just say "the budget". But since I started at Towson last August I have experienced an H1N1 epidemic, a budget crisis, furloughs, and over three feet of snow, all of which have been significant challenges. I have also worked with the Student Government Association and have learned that we need to improve student advising, clarify how decisions on priority registration are made, and work to ensure that those student groups that receive academic credit for their activities need to be more fully funded from state funds rather than student fees. The students have been great! I have worked with faculty on a number of positive initiatives including a new core curriculum that the University Senate approved in December that should change how we define a Towson graduate. We also have a good start on rewriting the Faculty Handbook, and significantly more plans to improve our work on the much needed assessment of student learning. Towson is a wonderful university and I know everything we do will only continue to make it a better place for both faculty and students. I am proud to be a part of this incredible institution.
Q: Your background is in science, what are your plans for STEM at TU?
A: So much was in place before I arrived that it is difficult for me to isolate any plans as "mine". That said, I have always been passionate regarding what appears to be education's failure to excite students in the STEM areas. If a student gets to 7th grade and doesn't see the excitement to be found in science, math and technology, we have failed. That student won't take any further science courses that aren't required, and even then, they have typically lost interest and will be hard to "win back" to the excitement of these fields. Towson needs to be a part of training teachers at all levels to show students the excitement of STEM, and what they can do if they chose one of these tremendously exciting fields. We need to do a better job of teaching teacher candidates about the importance of science and math and their role in ensuring that their students are appropriately nurtured in and taught the value of STEM.
Q: What is the academic profile of a Towson student?
A: Approximately half of Towson's 17,148 undergraduate students entered as new freshmen and the other half transferred in.
Towson has high performing students. The average high school GPA of those who entered as freshmen in the last five years is 3.47. The middle 50 percent of these students scored between 1000 and 1160 on the SAT (Critical Reading + Math). The average six-year graduation rate for freshman cohorts entering fall 1999 through fall 2003 is 65.5%. The six year graduation rate of freshmen is on the rise as evidenced by the 2003 cohort graduation rate of 72.8%. The average final cumulative Towson GPA for students who entered as native freshmen and graduated in the last four years is 3.50.
The average transfer GPA of those who entered as transfer students in the last five years is 2.98. The average four-year graduation rate for transfer cohorts entering fall 2001 through fall 2005 is 68.0%. The 2005 transfer cohort four-year rate is 66.4%. The average final cumulative Towson GPA for students who entered as transfers and graduated in the last four years is 3.20.
Q: In the past the graduation and retention rates at Towson have been strong. What are your plans to maintain these successful rates?
A: I plan to continue with many of the already excellent academic services programs here at Towson, as well as work to strengthen the partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs in support of student success. One thing we clearly need is an "Early Warning System" to be sure we catch those students in academic difficulty before they are at a point when there is no intervention. I also think we need to invest more in the academic support areas. We are working hard to provide access to students from very low income families whose parents did not go to college. But we should not expect underserved students to come to Towson and to be successful if we don't invest in that success. We are making that investment and we appreciate alumni participation through their gifts to the university. The faculty and staff at Towson are about as supportive as any student will experience in higher education. If there is a place to be successful, they will find it at Towson.
Culminating the 2010 Plan
Social Media...
Towson University is using Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, and a host of other social media to connect and communicate with students, alumni, and friends. Since August of 2008, thousands of followers and fans are getting instant news and event updates from Towson University via Twitter (@TowsonUNews or @TowsonU) and Facebook (TowsonU). TU's Division of Economic and Community Outreach also tweets @TUOutreach with the latest solutions in GIS, IT, and applied research. Alumni are also following us @TowsonUAlumni on Twitter and on Facebook (TowsonAlumni). In February 2009, Towson University unveiled Towson Innovation Lab (@TUinSecondLife), our virtual campus in Second Life. The social medium serves as a location and platform for educational seminars, an annual virtual Study Break with President Caret, as well as a site where entire arts and graphics courses are offered entirely in Second Life.
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:
- HB 764 / SB 264 Financial Literacy Curriculum - Graduation Requirement. Assigned to House Ways and Means (hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm) and Senate EHEA (hearing on 3/10 at 1:00 pm.)
- HB 151 / SB 141 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2010. Assigned to House Appropriations (hearing 3/5 at 1:00 pm) and Senate Budget and Taxation (hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm.)
- HB 1312 Maryland Center for School Safety. Assigned to House Ways and Means. Hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm.
- HB 1370 Public-Private Partnerships - Oversight. Assigned to House Appropriations and Ways & Means. Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 191 Weapon-Free Higher Education Zones. Assigned to Senate Judicial Proceedings. Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 311 / HB 943 Chesapeake Conservation Corps. Assigned to Senate EHEA and House Environmental Matters (hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm.)
- SB 467 Task Force to Incorporate the Principles of Universal Design for Learning into the Policies, Practices, and Curriculum of the Education Systems in Maryland
Committee. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 503 Higher Education - Sergey Brin Scholarship Program. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/10 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 639 Higher Education - Death of Police Officer or Firefighter - Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/10 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 705 Maryland Football Act. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/10 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 708 Maryland Higher Education Business Coalition and Fund. Assigned to Senate EHEA. Hearing 3/10 at 1:00 pm.
- SB 829 Teachers' Retirement and Pension Systems - Reemployment of Retirees - Retired Higher Education Faculty. Assigned to Budget and Taxation. Hearing 3/4 at 8:00 am.
- SB 840 / HB 1159 Budget Reduction Act. Assigned to Senate Budget and Taxation (hearing 3/3 at 1:00 pm.) and House Appropriations (hearing 3/5 at 1:00 pm.)
For more bill information, please click here.
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