Fall 2008 Video Message President C. D. Mote, Jr. University of Maryland College Park, Md. www.president.umd.edu/fromthepresident Hi. I’m Dan Mote, president of the University of Maryland. Fall is a time to open the new year, celebrate our traditions, and renew building the future. Talk about Maryland traditions—my favorite is right behind me, the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band. This year marks the band’s 100th birthday, one we’ll celebrate throughout the year. Our band has brought spirit and distinction to generations of Terps. Of course, fall welcomes a new freshman class. Once again, our newest Terps reflect the University’s increasingly high standards. More than 28,000 students applied for fewer than 4,000 freshman places. These new students enrich our diverse student body with their energy, dreams, and determination. I can’t remember when so many student teams won major competitions: Our Academic Quiz Team, Mock Trial Team, Formula Race Car Team, Helicopter Design Team, and our Underwater Vehicle Team all placed first in national and international competitions this spring and summer. We also begin this year with a bold new strategic plan that maps a course for our University. Our entire University community agreed our goal should be to build a world-class University with affordable access. To accomplish this goal, we will revamp all our programs and provide students with opportunities to work with faculty on research and take on internships.
We will transform the community around the campus. We have already embarked on that path. Our research park, M Square, only a mile from campus, brings new research partners to the greater University community. Now under construction is the NOAA National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction. This center partners with our University and with NASA to make the area a world center for weather and climate prediction. And plans for our East Campus, just across Route 1 from the main gate, bring great excitement. It’s a mix of retail establishments, restaurants, movie theaters, a hotel, and graduate student and other apartments that will revitalize the Route 1 corridor. We will provide surroundings that inspire the excellence of a world-class University. The new Van Munching wing will facilitate teamwork that is vital to the Smith School’s programs. This summer, we broke ground on Knight Hall, the new home of the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism. And renovations are transforming Tawes into a modern space for the English department. Our strategic plan challenges the University to create an environmentally sustainable campus. We are greening many campus spaces. In the newly renovated Washington Quad, we replaced concrete and asphalt with a vibrant green space. The new Reflection and Remembrance Garden, next to the chapel, has many features of the latest sustainable landscapes. Mayer Mall, outside the Van Munching North Wing, has replaced an asphalt parking lot with almost 100 trees and 500 plants. Achieving the goals of the strategic plan will require support from everyone in the University of Maryland family. The progress of our Great Expectations capital campaign trumpets the commitment of our supporters who will leave their mark on Maryland. They have already given more than $540 million, over half of the campaign’s goal already. These gifts will continue to transform our University. Homecoming Weekend is just around the corner. Please join us for all the festivities the weekend of Oct. 25 and stay engaged. Come, catch up, and keep up … the Terps are on the move. Go Terps!