Our University
The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP)
UMCP is a major public research university located on 1,250 acres of land in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. high-tech corridor.
On March 6, 1856, the Maryland General Assembly chartered a new institution of higher education, the Maryland Agricultural College. Three years later, on Oct. 5, 1859, the doors were thrown open to the first students-eager to learn about agriculture and engineering.Over the years the Maryland Agricultural College grew into the Maryland State College, and finally, the University of Maryland.
Today, as the flagship of the state's 13-campus university system, Maryland counts 2,874 faculty members who teach 25,000 undergraduate students and nearly 10,000 graduate students. There are more than 100 majors to choose from. The university is now one of the nation's top 20 public research universities and an economic catalyst for the state.
Tradition and Commitment
[From ”University of Maryand Community Engagement Board of Advisors“ 12/11/06]
As a land grant institution, a public research university, and a flagship campus, the University of Maryland has both a tradition of and commitment to community engagement. It is central to Maryland’s mission to connect theory with practice and to promote economic, civic, and cultural development.
Maryland’s reach is now international. Its ”community engagement“ extends from Hyattsville to Hunan Province, China. But Maryland’s home base, Prince George’s County, and its home region, are of paramount importance. Maryland’s success as a nationally ranked academic institution is heavily influenced by the vitality of the communities surrounding it.
Prince George’s County and the Baltimore-Washington region are distinct advantages for Maryland. The region is home to the nation’s capital, an unparalleled array of federal agencies, business leadership in information technology, bioscience, and communications, and a breathtaking diversity of nationalities and ethnic, racial, and religious groups. It is a mirror of all the opportunities and challenges that are found in communities throughout the world. What region could be better suited for academic-based community engagement by a leading university dedicated to learning and service.
UMCP is a land-grant institution.
The University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) is a public land grant institution with a tradition of outreach and extension activities. The flagship campus at College Park, located between Baltimore and Washington, serves 24,000 undergraduates and 8,000 graduate students. One of the institutional objectives of UMCP in recent years has been to ”engage the University more fully in outreach and collaborativepartnerships with the greater community by extending the scholarly reach of our campus, extending the learning community beyond the campus boundaries, and promoting lifelong learning as an integral component of our academic programs.“
UMCP is a member of Campus Compact.
In 1992, the university’s then-president, Dr. Brit Kirwan, joined Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1000 college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education, to promote community service as a means of cultivating student citizenship and values, encourage partnerships with local communities, and assist faculty in integrating community engagement into their teaching and research. In 1999, Dr. C. Daniel Mote, Jr., the University’s current president, signed Campus Compact’s Declaration of Civic Responsibility in Higher Education, thereby reinforcing the efforts of past presidents to encourage greater civic engagement.
UMCP has many living/learning communities.
Since 1999, the number of living/learning communities on campus has grown dramatically. On a campus where one-third of undergraduates commute, approximately 56% of all undergraduates now participate in one of the eleven living/learning communities designed to ”make the big store small,“ and to involve students more intimatelyin community-based research, internships, and service-learning. Some Living-Learning Communities for students at UM-CP:
- Beyond the Classroom
- Ecohouse
- Jiminez-Porter Writer's House
- College Park Scholars (NOTE: for Engaged University's College Park Scholars Program, click here)
- Honors Humanities
- University Honors Program
Quick Facts:
Our University (UMCP) is:
A Carnegie Doctoral/Research University
A Member Association of American Universities (AAU)
The Flagship of the University System of Maryland
A Division I NCAA in Athletics
Fall 2006 Enrollment
Undergraduate 25,154
Graduate 9,948
Total Enrollment 35,102
Fall 2006 Undergraduate Students
Minority Students* 32%
Black/African American: US Students 12.9%
Asian/American: U.S. Students 14.1%
Hispanic/American: US Students 5.7%
Native American: US Students 0.4%
Percent Out-of-State 24.1%
Fall 2006 Graduate Students,
Minority Students** 18.0%
Black/African American:US Students 7.4%
Fall 2005 UM Employees
Full-time Faculty 2,862
Part-time Faculty 812
Total Faculty 3,674
Tenure/Tenure Track Faculty 1,433
Graduate Assistants 3,932
Staff (Includes Executive, Administrative, Managerial, Exempt, Non-exempt Staff, etc) 4,675
Total University Employees 12,228
Academic Programs
Colleges and Schools 13
Undergraduate Majors 127
Graduate Degrees 122
Financial Summary (FY2007)
Total Budget $1,352.3 million
Contracts and Grants 257.4 million
Tuition and Fees 347.9 million
State Appropriation 370.7 million
Auxiliary Enterprises 192.3 million
Educational Activities 31.2 million
Other 44.0 million
Tuition and Fees (FY2007)
Full-time Annual Undergraduate:
In-State $7,906
Out-of-State $21,345
Room $4,997
Board $3,425
Athletics
Division I NCAA Teams 27
Male Student Athletes 346
Female Student Athletes 302
NOTES:
*Undergraduate Minority=Black/African American:US, Hispanic:US, American Indian:US divided by the total number of undergraduate students.
**Graduate Minority=Black/African American:US, Asian:US, Hispanic:US, American Indian:US divided by the total number of graduate students.