University of Maryland, College Park 
August 1, 2018 

Section 1: Mission Statement 
Achieving excellence in teaching, research, and public service within a supportive, respectful and inclusive environment is central to the mission and identity of the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). As the flagship campus and a national leader in higher education, UMD strives to provide exceptional and affordable instruction for Maryland’s most promising students, regardless of income. A pre-eminent locus of scholarship, the university builds and maintains a world class capacity in the sciences, arts, and humanities to support ground-breaking discoveries that address the most pressing global challenges and inspire the human imagination. As one of the country’s first land-grant institutions, UMD uses its research, educational, cultural, and technological strengths in partnership with state, federal, private, and non-profit sectors to promote economic development and improve quality of life in the State of Maryland. Diversity amongst our students, faculty and staff is essential to this mission. Accordingly, ensuring equal educational opportunity; hiring and retaining a diverse and exceptional faculty and staff; recruiting and graduating talented students from traditionally underrepresented groups; and providing a supportive climate for their well-being are top institutional priorities. 

Section 2: Institutional Identity 
The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland (USM) and the 1862 land-grant institution in the state. It is one of 62 members of the Association of American Universities, comprising the leading research universities in the United States and Canada. In 2014, it became a member of the Big Ten Conference and Academic Alliance. As a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University (classified as highest research activity), UMD ranks among the best research universities in the United States.  

To continue to realize its aspirations and fulfill its mandates, UMD nourishes a climate of intellectual growth and mutual respect, advances knowledge, and provides outstanding and innovative instruction in a broad range of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. It strives for excellence in all of its activities, including academics, the performing arts, and intercollegiate athletics. UMD strives to support a healthy, diverse, and united student community that is committed to common values of scholarship, service, and philanthropy and that actively combats toxic cultures marked by unfair exclusion and abuse. 

Every college at UMD embraces its flagship status and land-grant mission to share its research, educational, cultural, and technological strengths to bolster economic development, sustainability, and quality of life in Maryland and beyond. This mission is particularly central to the College of Education, the School of Public Health, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which works in close collaboration with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. UMD also provides administrative support to other USM institutions in the areas of accounting, communications, engineering and architectural services, environmental safety, personnel management, and purchasing. 

UMD offers a wide range of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, providing challenging and rewarding education and training to all students. Masters and doctoral programs—as well as postdoctoral mentoring—deliver training at the highest levels, engaging outstanding students and new investigators in scholarship and research with faculty mentors who are internationally recognized leaders in their fields. In addition, UMD provides professional training for both degree and non-degree seeking students. A highly-qualified staff design and implement processes to support and advance teaching, research, and service at UMD. Shared governance is realized through an active University Senate, graduate and undergraduate student government associations, and a broad collection of councils and committees which facilitate the expression of multiple perspectives on the major issues affecting the university. These entities reflect the diversity of the UMD community and serve it by advocating inclusion and respectful dialogue. 

Section 3: Institutional Capabilities 
As a nationally-distinguished public research university, UMD is committed to integrating its research and scholarship into teaching and service at all levels. Its service and research activities address challenges and policy issues critical to the state, nation, and world. With many nationally-ranked doctoral programs and a distinguished faculty, UMD provides graduate education at the forefront of research and scholarship. Its growing professional master’s degree and certificate programs provide well-trained leaders to meet the state’s workforce needs. Since joining the Big Ten Conference and Academic Alliance, UMD looks to its Big Ten peers for benchmarks on academic performance and funding, as well as to other distinguished public flagship universities. To achieve its vision, UMD must perform and be funded at a level equal to the best public research institutions. 

UMD provides enriching and challenging undergraduate educational experiences. Its general education program encourages students to study large societal problems from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives and to develop their skills in communicating across diverse cultures. Opportunities for student-centered learning include nationally recognized livinglearning communities, intensive experiential programs, internships, research experiences, and action learning and civic engagement opportunities. University programs contribute to the state’s critical workforce needs in education, STEM disciplines, and health-related fields. Enrollments and number of degrees granted in UMD’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs (STEM) continue to grow, supported by increased student interest, active recruiting, and outstanding teaching. 

UMD’s outsized impact on the state’s economy provides a substantial return on the state’s investment, most notably by providing technology-based solutions, by creating new companies rooted in UMD research, and by growing the Maryland small business sector. The 128-acre University of Maryland Discovery District attracts new research activities and businesses to the state. 

The university’s strong liberal arts and humanities programs are closely linked with the area’s cultural resources, including the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Smithsonian Institution. UMD has also forged strong relationships with major federal and state agencies, UMD Mission Statement  3.22.2019 | Page 3 national laboratories, corporations, non-profit organizations, other educational institutions, and local school districts. Partnership agreements with many federal agencies and local industries support research and training for graduate and undergraduate students. The Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) provides a unique opportunity for enhanced collaboration between UMD, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), supporting development of biotechnology across the state. Through the MPowering the State initiative, UMD and UMB have created a strategic partnership to develop new resources in technology transfer, public health, and agricultural services throughout the state.  

UMD is a strong proponent of interdisciplinary education and collaboration. It is at the forefront of advanced knowledge in areas that increasingly depend on multi-disciplinary approaches, including energy, the environment, health, climate change, food safety, security, and information sciences. Faculty members are leaders in the preservation and interpretation of history and culture, and they are innovators in the creative and performing arts. UMD continues to expand its engagement in the global community, building partnerships with leading international institutions and expanding study abroad opportunities to prepare its students for an everchanging global economy. UMD’s research on teaching and learning contributes to educational reform across the state and the nation; it provides future teachers and administrators with upto-date knowledge of the best pedagogical practices in a diverse educational system and offers innovative pathways to teacher certification. 

Section 4: Institutional Objectives and Outcomes In accordance with the 2017-2021 Maryland State Plan for Postsecondary Education; the University System of Maryland 2018 Strategic Plan Update; and the University of Maryland, College Park 2016 Strategic Plan Update, UMD will pursue the following objectives as outlined below.  


I. Undergraduate Education 

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will continue to elevate the quality and accessibility of undergraduate education, with programs that are comprehensive and challenging, and that serve students well as a foundation for the workplace, advanced study, civic engagement, and a productive, fulfilling life. UMD will also continue efforts to attract large numbers of academically talented students; to enroll, retain, and graduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups; and to be the school of choice for more of the highest achieving students graduating from Maryland high schools and transferring from community colleges. 


	Objectives: 
	1. Maintain strong retention and graduation rates of all undergraduate students. Continue to address the achievement gap for African American/Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, as well as those first in family to attend college.
	2. Increase the amount and flexibility of financial aid available to students, with the goals of increasing accessibility, reducing the debt burden of our graduates, and reducing the number of students who leave the university prior to graduation due to financial reasons. 
	3. Increase the number of graduates in fields that support the workforce needs of the state and the nation by creating new programs and pathways, increasing instructional capacity in existing STEM programs, improving success rates in early courses, and providing early exposure to research and scholarship. 
	4. Maintain a vibrant and forward-looking General Education program through a robust assessment process and continuous review. A strong General Education curriculum should enhance the fundamental skills of written and oral communication and analytical thinking and foster engaged, culturally competent, and civic-minded thinking for a workforce in an increasingly complex and global environment.  
	5. Improve student learning and success through innovative teaching methods, including the expanded use of technology, alternate delivery formats, and options for collaboration and engagement. This also includes enhanced opportunities for learning outside the classroom through research projects, internships, action learning projects, and living-learning environments.  
	6. Expand opportunities for students to develop skills and habits of mind to tackle the world’s toughest challenges by infusing the undergraduate curriculum with elements that focus upon research, scholarship and entrepreneurship. 
	7. Enhance opportunities for global engagement by increasing student participation in outstanding and enriching international programs, and creating deep and sustained partnerships with key international peer institutions.
	8. Increase the number of students choosing to become STEM teachers by expanding recruitment efforts and scholarships; fostering collaboration between the College of Education and STEM colleges in curriculum development; and providing flexible opportunities to acquire teacher certification. 
	9. Continue to improve pathways for transfer students in our undergraduate programs on the College Park campus and at regional centers such as the Universities at Shady Grove. 


II. Graduate Education 

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will continue to provide the highest quality graduate education at all levels. We will enroll and educate a diverse group of students who excel academically, exhibit the promise of outstanding scholarship, creativity, and innovation, and whose work promises to contribute to the advancement of the state and of society at large. 

	Objectives: 
	1. Continue to develop and support Ph.D. programs that are recognized nationally and internationally for their excellence in research and mentorship of the next generation of scholars.  
	2. Continue to improve our underlying infrastructure for the recruitment, admission, support and placement of outstanding graduate students.  
	3. Expand the ethnic and economic diversity of our graduate students through collaborations with University System of Maryland (USM) and national and international partners. 
	4. Expand opportunities for graduate students to study and conduct research at national and international partner institutions and increase collaborations between UMD graduate programs and top research universities around the nation and the world. 5. Expand professional graduate programs that are nationally recognized for excellence in their curricula, their contributions to the practice of the professions, and for their innovation and creativity. 
	6. Provide excellent mentoring and training programs for post-doctoral researchers to ensure they are prepared for academic and non-academic careers.
	7. Expand interdisciplinary research and scholarly programs that address major intellectual and policy challenges of critical importance to the state, the nation, and the world, and to meet future workforce needs. 
	8. Continue to facilitate partnerships between UMD and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to bolster rich, joint opportunities in graduate education. 


III. Diversity and Inclusion 

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) aims to prepare students who will excel in multicultural environments and thrive in the global community. Accordingly, the university is committed to creating a supportive community that is mutually respectful, physically safe, broadly inclusive, socially connected, morally accountable, and able to honestly acknowledge its imperfections while always striving to be the best. All are valued for their unique contribution to the university’s vitality and success. While we celebrate our diversity we take comfort in all that we have in common. We live together, draw on shared resources, and spend the most transformative times of our lives in a common space. To that extent, we depend on one another and are our best selves when we support and look out for one another. 

	Objectives:
	1. Develop and implement initiatives to build a greater sense of community. Foster a community that is free of harassment, intimidation, and aggression and that permits members to interact, engage, and develop relationships that cross the boundaries of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and differential abilities. 
	2. Provide training and experiences which increase members’ competence in navigating and living with persons from diverse cultures in ways that are respectful. 
	3. Continue to create an ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse community by achieving an enrollment that includes at least 35% of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups through increased recruitment and retention.  
	4. Develop and implement recruitment and retention strategies to increase the diversity of our graduate students, faculty and staff.  
	5. Protect and defend members of the UMD community from anyone who would harm them physically or psychologically and at the same time promote individual agency and responsibility in contributing to personal safety, avoidance of harm, and staving off the effects of insults, slander, intimidation, or symbolic intimation of violence. 
	6. Continue to improve facilities and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities by enhancing both academic support and access to campus buildings, classrooms, and equipment. 


IV. Research, Innovation, and Economic Development

As the preeminent research institution in the state and a preferred partner for transformative research collaboration built on a reputation of excellence, integrity, and trust, the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) aspires to transform lives by discovering new knowledge and developing innovative, research-driven solutions to critically important local, regional, national, and international challenges. 

	Objectives:  
	1. Broaden and deepen the quality of UMD research, scholarship, and creative activity by focusing on critical research areas and capturing large, multidisciplinary, and transformative research and education initiatives that address issues of critical importance to the state of Maryland, nation, and world.
	2. Fulfill our mandate as the state’s flagship, land-grant institution by prioritizing transferable research that will boldly and positively impact the citizens of Maryland in myriad ways. 
	3. Adapt to a changing funding landscape by strengthening and expanding collaborative relationship with federal and state government partners, and accelerating and diversifying partnerships with foundations, industry, and international organizations.  
	4. Encourage the further development of Maryland’s economy by developing a seamless environment for creative output through innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic collaboration.  
	5. Leverage the complementary strengths of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), MPowering our campuses to reach the highest levels of prominence in education, research, and state economic impact.  
	6. Expand transfer by actively applying UMD-generated knowledge, expertise, and technology to the state’s, nation’s and world’s most pressing issues. 
	7. Seek to uphold the highest ethical and safety standards by framing and maintaining a robust infrastructure to support this goal. 


V. University Outreach, Partnerships, and Engagement 

As Maryland’s flagship institution for higher education, UMD embraces its land-grant mission to serve the people of the state of Maryland, not only by preparing its citizens for productive work and civic engagement, but also by deploying its scholarly resources and service activities to solve pressing problems in the local community, in the state, and around the world. UMD will continue to extend its scholarly reach beyond the campus, applying new knowledge and expertise to pressing issues and promoting social well-being and economic development. UMD will expand the international reach of its programs through world-wide collaborations that enhance learning opportunities for students and expand the visibility of the university as a globally engaged institution.

	Objectives:  
	1. Develop, expand and support project-based learning opportunities for sustained programmatic involvement by students and faculty to address demonstrated state needs.  2. Draw on the assistance of alumni and friends to support students through internships and other opportunities for interaction on and off the campus.  
	3. Extend the scholarly reach of our campus by forming strong collaborations and partnerships with University System of Maryland (USM) institutions, other research universities, corporations, nonprofit and community-based organizations, and state, federal, and international agencies.
	4. Increase partnerships with the private sector to promote economic development, including Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute initiatives that foster entrepreneurship and support new companies.
	5. Expand technology transfer and research commercialization activities.
	6. Continue efforts to create a vibrant corridor along Baltimore Avenue, in partnership with the city of College Park and Prince George’s county. 
	7. Continue to expand the Discovery District through collaborative research partnerships and professional employment opportunities. 
	8. Expand the scope, impact, and success of the UMD’s international programs, partnerships, and collaborations. 


VI. Improving University Infrastructure and Resources

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will ensure an administrative, operational, and physical infrastructure that fully supports a flagship university with a national reputation for excellence, committing to the highest standards for efficient and effective use of resources. This includes: supporting an information technology infrastructure that provides the tools for faculty and staff to excel in their research and scholarship; developing teaching and learning facilities that support delivery innovation and student engagement; developing the university’s physical facilities to meet the needs of a leading research university; and ensuring that campus administrative operations efficiently and effectively provide the support of the academic mission. 

	Objectives:  
	1. Continue to develop and maintain an infrastructure that supports the performance of our faculty, students, and staff so they may excel in all facets of their work and maintain their well-being. 
	2. Continue to upgrade and modernize instructional spaces to support innovative and cutting-edge approaches to teaching and learning.
	3. Further develop UMD’s physical facilities so that they fully meet the needs of a leading research university, including a process of continuous review of the allocation of space resources that reflects the best use of our facilities in support of the university’s research and scholarship mission. 
	4. Increase campus efficiency in the use of natural resources and promote research activities, innovative ideas, and investments that contribute to long-term economic and environmental sustainability for the campus.
	5. Ensure that the administrative operations of all campus units, including academic units, provide responsive, customer-oriented service to all of the university’s constituencies. 6. Continue to build a human resources infrastructure that supports effective recruiting and retention of an outstanding staff that advances UMD’s academic mission.
	7. Continue to assess resource utilization each year and reallocate to support strategic initiatives that advance progress toward the university’s overall goals for excellence.