TERP
CONNECTING
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COMMUNITY
VOL. 7, NO. 3 SPRING 2010
The
Mote-ivated University
President steps down after 12 years, leaving UM transformed and energized
COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
TERP publisher Brodie Remington Vice President, University Relations advisory Board J. Paul Carey ’82 M.B.A. Managing Partner, JPT Partners John Girouard ’81 President and CEO, Capital Asset Management Group Anil Gupta Ralph J. Tyser Professor of Strategy and Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business Beth Morgen Chief Administrative Officer, Maryland Alumni Association Danita D. Nias ’81 Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations and Development Vicki Rymer ’61, ’66 M.B.A., ’83 Ph.D. Teaching Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business Keith Scroggins ’79 Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Lee Thornton Professor and Eaton Chair, Philip Merrill College of Journalism magazine staff Lauren Brown University Editor John T. Consoli ’86 Creative Director Jeanette J. Nelson Art Director Monette A. Bailey ’89 Mandie Boardman ’02 Cassandra Robinson Tom Ventsias Writers Kimberly Marselas ’00 Contributing Writer Kathy B. Lambird Production Manager E-mail terpmag@umd.edu Terp magazine is published by the Division of University Relations. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Send correspondence to Managing Editor, Terp magazine, 2101 Turner Building, College Park, MD 20742-1521. Or, send an e-mail to terpmag@umd.edu The University of Maryland, College Park is an equal opportunity institution with respect to both education and employment. University policies, programs and activities are in conformance with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Dear
Alumni and Friends,
It’s no secret that I have always loved Maryland. I believed that Maryland was great before it became popular sentiment backed up by national and international rankings.You can imagine how excited I was in 1998, when I met Dan Mote, an outsider with an incredible academic pedigree who shared my belief in this great institution and recognized all that it could become. So it is with a grateful heart that I cherish our last few months with Dan as university president. From his first days here, he saw great potential and called us on it, challenging us to grow. In 12 short years, he has changed our culture dramatically. If you love Maryland, you can no longer sit on the sidelines and simply cheer. Today, you are compelled to join in our pursuit of excellence. And much of that is due to Dan, who will retire from the presidency on Aug. 31. What I appreciate most about his leadership is that Maryland is no longer the bestkept secret in higher education. The reality is that the Maryland of today far outpaces the perceptions of yesterday. We don’t only look better to those who know us through our standings in the ACC or Kiplinger’s or U.S. News & World Report. We are truly a better university, better able to meet the needs of our students, better positioned to change professions and society and better prepared to connect with our alumni. As president, Dan gave the alumni association the freedom to embrace our alumni community in new and meaningful ways. When we envisioned a new home for alumni on campus, Dan pressed us to make it happen with the help of devoted alumni and friends. He wanted the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center to be a physical expression of the greatness of our university and the people who make it great. He also stood
behind the creation of an annual gala, where we bestow awards on graduates representing the Maryland spirit and each of the university’s schools and colleges. And he urged us to create programs that would engage alumni socially, philanthropically and professionally. Whenever Dan recounts the accomplishments of alumni, he never forgets to mention how Maryland supported them on their way to success. It was my pleasure to turn the tables on him this spring, when the association inducted Dan and his wife, Patsy, into our alumni Hall of Fame as honorary members. He’ll take a one-year leave of absence and will remain the Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. But even as the Motes prepare to move to Annapolis, we know they will always be able to hear our rallying cry—and stand proud as they shout it with us. Go Terps!
Danita D. Nias ’81 Assistant Vice President Alumni Relations and Development
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a legacy of excellence
dan mote’s presidency 1998 – 2010
r Coπeπs 2 4 6 8 9
Expecting, and Getting, Greatness
growing achievement
researching new solutions
the greeening of maryland
advancing the mission
photos by john t. consoli unless noted otherwise
10 12 13 14 16
enhancing the state
making global connections
sharing maryland’s spirit
building the future
making her own mark
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Over the last 12 years, Dan Mote has combined his passion for education with precise and ambitious plans to elevate Maryland to one of the world’s top universities. His leadership as university president has sparked dramatic academic improvements, expanded international programs and borne partnerships that benefited students, the state and the world. This success has been grounded in what Mote considers his greatest accomplishment: inspiring an “expectation of greatness” that today permeates the campus, through the quality of its faculty and students, the rigor of its academic programs or the remarkable increase in external funding for research. “By any measure, the University of Maryland, College Park has emerged as one of the nation’s, indeed one of the world’s, premier research universities and a school of choice for the best and brightest students and top-level faculty,” says University System of Maryland Chancellor Brit Kirwan, who preceded Mote as university president. “Given these accomplishments, along with the university's multiple impressive public service activities, it is clear that Dan Mote’s leadership has had a profound impact.” Mote, an accomplished mechanical engineer, professor and administrator, came to Maryland in 1998 after 31 years at his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley. Maryland was on the cusp of greatness: Careful planning and a designation as the state’s flagship university had established a framework of excellence and sparked innovative programs poised to deliver major advances.
Mote set the bar even higher, calling for “unrelenting, unashamed passion” for the university in his first State of the Campus speech. During his tenure, the university increased opportunities for students, emphasized high-impact research, underwent an unprecedented building boom and adopted major sustainability guidelines. Mote recognized the importance of global education and private and international partnerships, and he strongly emphasized the “unfair advantage” of the university’s proximity to Washington, D.C. This led to joint projects with the U.S. government and foreign nations on some of the world’s most critical issues: climate change and energy production, homeland security and public health. He also played a critical role in the development of a strategic plan that will shepherd Maryland through 2018 as it transforms undergraduate and graduate education; research, scholarship and the arts; and partnerships and outreach efforts. Molly Broad, president of the American Council on Education and president of the University of North Carolina from 1997 to 2006, credits much of Maryland’s rise to Mote’s background as a faculty member, his “exquisite academic taste” and his association with the National Science Foundation and the national academies. “He was the right person for the right university at the right time,” Broad says.
Mote is featured in the new video "Maryland on the Rise.” Watch it at www.terp.umd.edu/rise credit
“I am leaving this presidency even more confident than when I arrived that the University of Maryland is set in just the right circumstances to become a truly great university,� Mote says.
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The university encourages undergraduate research through opportunities such as the Gemstone program, Honors Humanities, College Park Scholars, internships with government agencies and private industries and more.
M ilestones of the M ote
years
April 24, 1999 The First Maryland Day welcomes 20,000 visitors to campus. The university’s open house expands to 75,000 visitors and more than 400 events by 2009.
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2001 The University of Maryland Incentive Awards Program offers full scholarships to students who demonstrate academic ability, uncommon persistence and maturity despite adverse life situations. The program begins in Baltimore and expands to Prince George’s County in 2008.
September 2001 The 318,000-squarefoot Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center opens, is praised for architecture, programming and acoustics.
photo courtesy of clarice smith center
Mote brought to Maryland one of his signature programs from Berkeley, the Incentive Awards Program.
Growing Achievement Exceptional academic programs are at the core of the university’s meteoric rise, and the scope, quality and rigor of Maryland’s academic offerings have flourished under Mote. He established the President’s Promise, which offers every student the opportunity for at least one unique experience out of the classroom. Two-thirds of the Class of 2009 participated, whether through internships, faculty-mentored research or study abroad. Half of all freshmen select living and learning programs, which allow students with common academic interests to share residence halls, courses and hands-on experiences. Such programs, including EcoHouse and Flexus: Women in Engineering, have been called “Academic Programs to Look For” by U.S. News & World Report. Other new programs under Mote’s watch include Federal Semester, an expanded Alternative Breaks program and an Honors College. In the last 12 years, Maryland has added concentrations—including languages,
stature
By any measure, the university has dramatically grown in stature over the past 12 years. Here are just a few examples:
U.S. News & World Report ranking No. of academic programs in its top 10 No. of academic programs in its top 25 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s ranking, Best Values in Higher Education Academic Ranking of World Universities
Sept. 24, 2001 A tornado strikes campus, killing two students, leveling trailers temporarily housing the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and producing widespread damage.
sustainable engineering and environmental science and technology—to match curriculum to emerging world issues. The university opened its School of Public Health in 2006 and reinvented the College of Information Studies as the iSchool to offer new advanced degrees and programs. Mote pushed to elevate the university’s 83 doctoral programs to make them more selective and offer stronger financial support and mentoring to ensure that Maryland’s Ph.D. graduates are recognized as among the best in the world. He also guided a similar overhaul of the undergraduate curriculum. Excellent faculty have played a critical role in the university’s increased commitment to academic rigor; today Maryland’s faculty includes three Nobel laureates, six
then
now
30 6 45
18 29 78
No ranking 75 (2003)
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2002 The university teams with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to protect diamondback terrapins and their habitat. A portion of proceeds from Fear the Turtle merchandise funds research and field programs.
Pulitzer Prize winners and 49 members of national academies, up from 20 in 1998. As part of a new focus on access, Mote started the Incentive Awards Program at Maryland. It recruits and provides full support to Baltimore and Prince George’s County high school students with outstanding potential who have overcome extraordinary adversity. “He cares about the educational, academic and social growth of each student,” says Director Jacqueline Lee. “When he talks about the program—he brings it up at every opportunity that he has—and when he interacts with, laughs with and advises the students it’s evident that this is a passion for him, not a program. His passion is palpable. That is what I will miss most.” Under Mote, the university made major progress in closing the academic achievement gap. Maryland ranked 14th in the nation for improving graduation rates among underrepresented minorities, and the six-year graduation rate of African Americans jumped from 46 percent in 1998 to 70 percent last year. The university is also ranked 8th among all American universities for doctoral degrees awarded to African Americans. april 1, 2002 The men’s basketball team wins the NCAA national championship, defeating Indiana, 64-52.
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The university works with several federal agencies to assess and minimize significant threats to the nation's food systems.
Researching New Solutions Research at Maryland focuses on today’s most pressing scientific and societal challenges, such as climate change, the economy, energy, homeland security and public health. Mote’s emphasis on the university’s proximity to federal agencies and research labs—and a commitment to new partnerships—led to unprecedented growth and success. Under Mote’s leadership, the amount of external research funding the university receives annually swelled from $205 million in 1998 to $518 million in 2009. Increased funding has allowed researchers to find solutions to real-world problems, synthesize their findings with the critical issues emphasized in Maryland’s curriculum and train a new generation of scientists. Mote also created M Square, the University of Maryland Research Park, a 124-acre site less than a mile from the university’s main campus. Tenants include the Center for Advanced Study of Language, the nation’s largest language research center; the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, joining Maryland faculty with federal climate experts; and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, a partnership between the university and the Food and Drug Administration focused on food safety. The university opened dozens of other cuttingedge institutes and research centers, including the Roshan Center for Persian Studies, the Maryland NanoCenter and the Joint Quantum Institute.
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Recent research grants at Maryland include: 14 million from the $ Department of Energy to establish an Energy Frontier Research Center, where Maryland researchers are designing next-generation electrical energy storage systems.
Up to $93 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to allow Maryland researchers, federal scientists and others to produce long-range forecasts and warnings about the impact of climate change on the Earth’s ecosystem.
Mote’s vision of science and technology partnerships reaches beyond the university. He is a leading voice on the importance of science, technology education and research to the nation’s economic well-being. He co-wrote a National Academy of Sciences report that called for increased U.S. research funding, investment in K-12 science and math education and enhanced opportunities for entrepreneurship. “When the National Academies was assembling a committee to review America’s competitiveness at the request of the Congress, Dan was among the first people asked to serve,” says Norman R. Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. and co-author of the report, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.” “He made major contributions in the areas of increasing basic research, building ties between business and universities, and creating a strong innovation environment.”
$20 million from the Office of Homeland Security and other agencies, to fund the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. It links faculty from across the social and behavioral sciences to study the origins, dynamics and social and psychological impacts of terrorism.
2009
research funding
$518 million
1998
research funding
$205 million
Faculty researchers Gary Rubloff (left) and Sang Bok Lee are designing nanoscale electrical energy storage systems M Squarethat allows University canthe hold more of Maryland to effectively expert energy,connect deliverits higher faculty andoutput graduate andstudents rechargewith companies, government laboratories faster than anythingand other specialized currently in use.centers.
oct. 14, 2004 The university breaks ground on M Square, the University of Maryland Research Park, which houses government and private research partners. President’s Promise photo courtesy of the college of education
fall 2005 The President’s Promise initiative launches, guaranteeing every student the opportunity for a special experience outside the classroom.
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The Greening of Maryland Mote pushed environmental stewardship to the forefront of university priorities, becoming one of the first to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in May 2007. This high-visibility effort aims to address global warming by neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions from campuses and accelerating research and educational efforts. At Maryland, the pact led to the adoption of an ambitious carbon action plan that will help move the university toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Approved by Mote in Fall 2009, the plan calls for improved energy efficiency and conservation, investment in new technologies and the integration of
sustainability into campus research, teaching and service. Mote backed the 2007 creation of the Office of Sustainability, which supports and advances environmental conservation, economic prosperity and social equality. “He has a good vision for a sustainable campus—it’s not just greening the campus, it’s about greening the culture and the curriculum,” says Mark Stewart, campus sustainability coordinator. The university is thinking “green” in its
construction and renovation projects. Knight Hall is the campus’ first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, building. The university will meet LEED Silver rating criteria for all new construction and major renovations. In addition, lighting is being retrofitted to reduce energy consumption and new green roofs are reducing stormwater runoff. In 2008, the American Public Garden Association recognized the campus as an official arboretum and botanical garden, while the Arbor Day Foundation last year named Maryland a Tree Campus USA university for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. Maryland was also named America’s Greenest Campus in 2009 by Climate Culture, reflecting the campuswide commitment to reduce waste and lessen its carbon footprint.
Sept. 19, 2005 The Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building opens. sept. 29, 2005 The Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center opens.
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march 6, 2006 The university marks its 150th anniversary. riggs photo by Robert sullivan
Advancing the Mission Mote has served as head marketer and fundraiser-in-chief, and re-engaged alumni to further the university’s mission. A seasoned fundraiser at Berkeley, Mote put his skills to work for Maryland in dramatic fashion. He completed the Bold Vision*Bright Future campaign with $456 million, more than $100 million over goal, and in 2006, he launched Great Expectations, The Campaign for Maryland, which has raised more than $720 million toward its unprecedented $1 billion goal. The surge in private support has been critical during an era of budget setbacks and tuition freezes. Campaign co-chair Alma Gildenhorn ’53 says Great Expectations’ $350 million scholarship goal is especially important to Mote.
“He wants not only excellence from students, but he wants to make it possible for people to learn in the best environment and not be overwhelmed by debt,” she says. “He has just embraced people—students, faculty and alumni—with his openness and warmth and advocacy for Maryland.” Mote worked with the Maryland Alumni Association Board of Directors to build the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, the home for Terps past and present, and with the alumni association to expand its network of clubs around the world. He understood the power of a great brand, supporting the ZOOM and Fear the
april 4, 2006 The women’s basketball team wins the NCAA national championship with an overtime victory over Duke, 78-75.
Championship Photo courtesy of University athletics; great expectations kick-off event photos by scott suchman
Turtle marketing efforts, which publicized Maryland’s many accomplishments. Maryland and Mote were recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as early adopters of the type of branding most universities rely on today to attract students. To guide him in public relations, fundraising and other strategic projects, campaign total Mote established $720 million the University as of April 30, 2010 of Maryland College Park Foundation and the Board of Trustees.
oct. 19, 2006 Great Expectations, The Campaign for Maryland kicks off with the goal of raising $1 billion in private support.
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Enhancing the State The university is not only the state’s flagship institution of higher education. It is the state’s most important economic engine and a powerful force in the cultural life of Maryland, through its enriching arts programming and exciting tradition
Performances in dance, theater and music as well as workshops, lectures and dialogues engage the community and promote the exploration of new genres and artistic styles.
of athletic success.
The College of Education is helping to train the next generation of teachers in science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM, a high priority for the state and nation.
2007 President Mote signs the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, dedicating Maryland to a goal of climateneutrality.
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sept. 26, 2007 The College of Health and Human Performance becomes the School of Public Health, with a mission of translating public health research into healthy public policy.
sept. 18, 2007 The Bioscience Research Building is dedicated. performance image courtesy of clarice smith center
then & now Annual sponsored research $205 million $518 million Annual private giving $77.2 million
$112.2 million
Annual freshman applications 16,000 28,443 Full-time enrollment 26,683
31,896
Alumni association membership 23,054 35,845 Pulitzer Prize winners 2
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Members of national academies 17 49 Library volumes 2.7 million
3.6 million
Faculty members 3,170
3,997
Number of buildings 236
262
GPA of entering freshmen 3.54
3.93
Six-year graduation rate 65%
82%
Study abroad trips 553
1,873
International students 2,686
3,530
Recycling rate 21.2%
45.8%
Mote commissioned a 2008 report that found the university has a $3.4 billion annual impact on the state, supporting over 23,000 jobs. It attracts more than a million visitors a year, helps to grow small businesses across the state, wins hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants and graduates the state’s largest number of scientific, business, life science, engineering and technology students. Mote helped to solidify the university’s position as an entrepreneurial, jobcreating force. He was a big booster of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, or Mtech, at the university, a key source of entrepreneurial services to Maryland companies. In 2009 alone, Mtech assisted 400 Maryland businesses, and companies served by Mtech sold $22.5 billion in goods and services over the past 27 years, more than 240 times the state’s financial support. Mtech, along with the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the University of Maryland Small Business Development Network, nurture a culture of thriving entrepreneurship and innovation at the university. “He is an entrepreneur himself,” Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller ’64 says of Mote, an international patent holder. “Under his direction, the university started economic community development projects and research and brought literally hundreds of million of dollars to Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland.”
fall 2009 The Honors College forms, uniting University Honors, Gemstone and Honors Humanities programs and creating new living and learning opportunities.
Maryland sign and Byrd stadium photos courtesy of university athletics
Innovation at Maryland isn’t just about business. The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, one of the first buildings to open during Mote’s presidency, is the largest venue of its kind on a university campus and hosts nearly 1,000 events a year. Hundreds of thousands of fans also flock to Maryland to celebrate strong athletic traditions. Our 27 intercollegiate teams have won 14 national championships since 1998—including titles in men’s and women’s basketball. The university also won 51 Atlantic Coast Conference championships in that span. Hinman CEOs, founded by alumnus Brian Hinman ’82, was the nation’s first living and learning entrepreneurship program.
University experts are working with state agencies, watermen and farmers to save the Chesapeake Bay, through research on crab populations, nutrient runoff, sea grasses and shoreline erosion.
fall 2009 Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium expands to include a larger Tyser Tower, luxury suites and mezzanine seats.
january 2010 John S. and James L. Knight Hall opens.
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r “The world awaiting our students requires that they understand international issues,” says Mote. “More than ever before, international leadership is the responsibility of a top-ranked research university.”
Former South African president Nelson Mandela, with Mote in 2001, is among many notable international figures to speak at the university.
Making Global Connections The university is committed to engaging the global community, and a critical component of that has been international partnerships. Maryland established more than 250 educational, research and economic relationships internationally since Mote’s arrival, with people and institutions in countries such as China, India, Brazil, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. “Placing Maryland in the world and the world at Maryland is one of President Mote’s signatures and part of his legacy,” says Saul Sosnowksi, associate provost for international affairs. “Dr. Mote instilled this vision in us, and it remains an integral part of his tightly packed overseas luggage.” Mote significantly strengthened the university’s ties to China, traveling there dozens of times to establish relations with universities, private industry and government agencies. He also helped create the Confucius Institute at Maryland, which promotes the teaching and study of Chinese language and culture. Interest in fostering global connections is evident across Mote increased the university’s international campus as well, with expanded language and culture offerpartnerships, launching ings, a record 1,873 students participating in study abroad or graduate programs in international experiences last academic year, and a commitbusiness, public policy ment to attract more international students to campus in the and criminology and years ahead. criminal justice in China.
Maryland Day, one of Maryland’s strongest traditions, began during Mote’s inauguration week. The new president had envisioned a universitywide open house The new president had envisioned a universitywide open house that would allow people from throughout the region to “explore our world.” Despite some fears on campus that the event would be a bust, Mote was convinced that hands-on activities and demonstrations would help the state and region understand the special value of a research university. He was right. That first Maryland Day in 1999 drew more than 20,000 visitors. “It exposed thousands to a first impression of the university that was welcoming, friendly, educational and entertaining,” says Terry Flannery ’83, ’87 M.Ed.,’95 Ph.D., former assistant vice president for university marketing and communications. “Visitors returned year after year. Alumni came back to re-engage. Children who first came as toddlers grew up wanting to go to Maryland.” Today, Maryland Day features more than 400 events and attracts an average of 75,000 people annually. It has morphed into the state’s biggest one-day festival, featuring interactive events representing nearly every academic department, admissions seminars, petting zoos, sporting and fitness activities, building tours, and live music and dance from around the world.
credit
On Maryland Days past, Mote rode in the “Mote Mobile” (below) performed tricks with his cocker spaniel at the Center for Young Children and served cupcakes on Hornbake Mall.
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china photo by saul sosnowski; mandela photo by mike morgan; mckeldin mall photo by dave ottalini
Sharing Maryland’s Spirit
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Building the Future The university saw its biggest
New facilities expanded building space by more than 25 percent in the last 12 years, addressing every aspect of university life, from the arts and recreation to classrooms and laboratories to residence halls. Highlights of Maryland’s physical transformation include construction of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Biosciences Research Building, Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, Knight Hall and Comcast Center and a significant expansion of Byrd Stadium. Many of the new buildings were the result of philanthropic support and
building boom in history while Mote was president, with nearly $1 billion in projects completed or still under way.
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innovative public-private partnerships that Mote fostered. “It’s been transformational. Some of these buildings really are a statement in themselves,” says Barry Gossett, CEO of Acton Mobile Industries, Maryland supporter and namesake of the Gossett Football Team House.“If you start with the basics like curriculum and facilities, then you attract faculty, students, athletes and coaches who want to be showcased in a place where they can perform well and get good results.” Expansions to Van Munching Hall added 141,300 square feet of the world’s most technologically advanced facilities for business management education, and the Adele H. Stamp Student Union-Center for Campus Life, Byrd Stadium and the School of Public Health also underwent major revitalizations. Mote also led the creation of a new Facilities Master Plan to guide development through 2021. It emphasizes environmental stewardship and the maintenance of the campus’ architectural heritage.
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gossett team house by Hoachlander Davis photography
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7 Creative public-private partnerships helped increase the number of student beds by 3,000 during Mote’s tenure.
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The addition of the Bioscience Research Building in 2007 included new bio-secure labs, bringing the campus total to 13 for researchers studying infectious agents such as avian influenza, mycobacterium tuberculosis and West Nile virus. engineering building by prakesh patel; riggs center by mike morgan
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south campus commons
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comcast center
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van munching
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clarice smith center
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(Left) An artist herself, Mrs. Mote designed a terrapin pin that President Mote gives to university award recipients.
(Above) Mrs. Mote is a member of the Campus Club, the university’s 72-year-old women’s chapter. The club sponsors an annual scholarship. (Left) Mrs. Mote helped bake and serve some of the thousands of cupcakes distributed at Maryland Day 2006.
Making Her Own Mark In her 12 years at Maryland, first lady Patsy Mote brought an artistic approach to a traditional role, worked to preserve the university’s historic character and enhanced scholarship opportunities for students. Mrs. Mote is an ardent supporter of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and serves on it leadership council. In 2005, she headed the jury that selected artists to decorate 50 Testudo sculptures (see several at right) in honor of the university’s 150th anniversary. Many of those turtles are still on display around the university and across the state. She also served on the Maryland Arts Council and chairs the Art in Public Places Panel of Prince George’s County. Along with President Mote, she has personally supported the C. Daniel and Patsy Mote Incentive
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Awards Fund. The recipients of the scholarship are among the many guests she graciously hosts at receptions in the residence. Mrs. Mote consulted with University Archivist Anne Turkos on the preservation of the Rossborough Inn. When it was converted to office space, Mrs. Mote moved antique ceramics to the president’s residence and oversaw selection of colors, fabrics and design to ensure it maintained its authenticity. “She’s a very creative, warm person,” says Turkos. “She’s brought a grace and an elegance to her position.”
campus club photo courtesy of the alumni association
Looking Back, and Forward As my 12-year presidency at the University of Maryland draws to a close, I feel immense appreciation for the many people who have committed so much of themselves to building the great university at Maryland.
“ Patsy and I are grateful for the privilege given us to serve this great institution for 12 years.”
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I have been privileged to lead this expansion and am humbled by the enthusiasm shown by so many people for achieving the goal of greatness for the university. An institution must be ready for change for true transformation to occur. When I arrived in Maryland in 1998, the potential for such development was clear. The university’s flagship status and location next to the nation’s capital allowed the university to collaborate easily with a host of talented partners. The university has grown into greatness in many diverse ways: new, timely academic specialties; new partnerships with industry; new opportunities for students on campus and through internships, international study and scholarships; multiple, significant international collaborations; expanded services to the people of the state; and increasingly competitive students and faculty. The university now attracts a record number of applicants: 28,500 in 2009 compared to 16,000 in 1998 and its graduation rate has risen 20 percent for all students. The number of students participating in study abroad has tripled and will continue to increase. The university’s external research support is two and a half times what it was in 1998. And the university is undertaking its second private fundraising campaign, having raised more than a billion dollars in total private funds during my tenure. The university has also grown in ways that are not easily quantifiable. New buildings provide state-of-the-art classrooms, research facilities and laboratories: the Jeong H. Kim Engineering mote portrait by jeremy green
Building, the Bioscience Research Building, Knight Hall, Tawes Hall,Van Munching Hall and the new Physical Sciences Complex, whose construction is just starting. New facilities have also created vibrant spaces for creativity, community and invention: the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Comcast Center, the Stamp Student Union renovation and the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. The founding of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation has changed the course of the university and its future. The growth of key sites around the campus has enriched the university and the state in ways that we will see blossom in the years to come: the 124-acre M Square Research Park, the largest in the state; the international incubator and the 38-acre East Campus town-center project across from the North Gate have attracted dynamic partners and innovative vision. Combined with the entrepreneurial efforts across campus, these projects are contributing substantially to Maryland’s economic development. Nurturing a culture of greatness has been a goal that our community has embraced and driven forward with remarkable determination and success. At times the university’s progress has outstripped our expectations. Patsy and I are grateful for the privilege given us to serve this great institution for 12 years. We look forward to participating in its continued growth in any way that we can. —Dan Mote, President
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