University of Maryland Global Campus Overview: Fall 2022

Gregory W. Fowler, PhD President

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS OVERVIEW Fall 2022

University of Maryland Global Campus

Experience and Education

• President, Southern New Hampshire University Global Campus

• Associate Provost and Dean of Liberal Arts, Western Governors University

• Chief Academic Officer and VP for Academic Affairs, Hesser College

• Commissioner and Board Member, New England Commission of Higher Education

• Two time Fulbright Senior Scholar (Germany and Belgium)

• Charles A. Dana Scholar, Duke University

• Morehouse College BA, English/Political Science

• George Mason University MA, English

• Western Governors University MBA

• SUNY Buffalo PhD, English/American Studies

• Board Member: Presidents Forum, National Cryptologic Foundation, and Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area

President Gregory W. Fowler, PhD

"I am proud to lead an institution focused squarely on the needs of adult and military students—individuals who form the backbone of our economy and our country yet are too often excluded from conversations in higher education."

Our Mission

Inspire hope, empowerdreams, and transform lives... one student at a time.

We will accomplish this by:

Operating as Maryland's open university, serving adult students in the workforceand the U.S. military, as well as veterans, in Maryland, across the United States, and around the world;

Providing our students with affordable, open access to valued, quality higher education; and

Serving as a recognized leader in career relevant education, embracing innovation and change aligned with our purpose, and sharing our perspectives and expertise.

Currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) was established in 1947 to serve adults in the workforce and the military. Today, UMGC enrolls some 90,000 students annually, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as certificates in more than 125 fully online, hybrid, or face to face programs.

UMGC has a long history of innovation in reaching students where they are, including as a pioneer of internet instruction, piloting its first online classes in 1994. The university has received numerous awards for its groundbreaking work in developing fully online degree programs, including in high demand fields such as cybersecurity, business, data analytics, biotechnology, health care, and education.

UMGC now offers classes to military service personnel and their families at 175+ locations in more than 20 countries and territories. More than half of the university’s students are active duty military personnel, their families, members of the National Guard, and veterans.

The mission of University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is improving the lives of adult learners.

Founded in 1947, UMGC focuses on the needs of adult and military students, offering nontraditional learning experiences for those who seek something more than traditional education has to offer.

Maryland

Ranks #1 in University System of Maryland degree conferrals*; 33% of all degrees granted

Ranks #1 in Maryland in enrolling community college transfer students

Ranks # 1 in Maryland in conferring cybersecurity and information technology degrees

Ranks #1 in Maryland in conferring cybersecurity and information technology degrees to students of color Ranks #1 in Maryland in conferring cybersecurity and information technology degrees to women

Ranks #2 in Maryland in conferring graduate biotechnology degrees

Ranks #3 in Maryland in conferring nursing degrees

an

agreement with UMGC, some 15,000 eligible

employees in Maryland now have

in

to

UMGC

workforce relevant

cybersecurity, and data science. Amazon covers the

cost of tuition and UMGC waives the application fee.

• Fayetteville, North Carolina

• Joint Training Center, Jordan

• Morón Air Force Base, Spain

• National Landing, Virginia

• San Antonio, Texas

• Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado

• Patrick Space Force Base, Florida

• Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia

Adult Learners

UMGC programs and courses are designed with input from industry leaders and focus on the knowledge, skills, abilities, and dispositions (KSADs) students need to succeed in their chosen fields.

All UMGC students are assigned success coaches who work with them over the course of their academic journeys, providing dedicated support as they progress toward their goals. Coaches help identify the root causes of obstacles to a student’s progress whether life factors or academic challenges and work to identify solutions before those challenges become overwhelming.

Undergraduates complete a PACE (Program and Career Explorations) course, in which they are matched with a faculty mentor who helps them develop academic and career plans and become familiar with university support services and resources, thus improving first term retention.

UMGC regularly launches new career-aligned programs and credentials. Recent additions have been in disciplines that include:

• Data Science

• Digital Design

• CyberAccounting

• HRIS People Analytics

• Global and Multicultural Marketing

• Long Term Care Administration

• Health and Aging

• Applied Social Science

of

Serving the U.S. Military

• UMGC has held continuous contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide face to face instruction to U.S. troops in Europe (since1949), Asia (since 1956), and the Middle East and North Africa (since 2005).

• UMGC was named the top public university in the Military Times 2022 "Best for Vets" ranking of online and nontraditional universities. This marks the seventh consecutive year UMGC has been ranked among the top 10 universities in this category. UMGC also ranks No. 1 among universities in the publication's 2021 survey of Best for Vets Employers.

• UMGC's General John W. Vessey Jr. Online Veterans ResourceCenter aids student veterans making the transition to civilian life.

• UMGC was one of five institutions chosen to participate in a pilot program to gather data and inform development of the U.S. Naval Community College and one of only two selected to provide cybersecurity training.

• UMGC is the largest provider of higher education services to U.S. military veterans in the world and the second-largest provider to active-duty personnel.

Some 53,000 active-duty military servicemembers,reservists, ​veterans, and dependents are enrolled at UMGC.

Affordable and TransferFriendly

61% of UMGC undergraduates transfer 30 credits or more

According to U.S. News and World Report, UMGC enrolled the largest number of new transfer students in the nation in fall 2020.

Federal Pell Grant eligible students enrolled in courses in 2021

UMGC offers the second-lowest

and

among four-year Maryland public institutions.

UMGC undergraduates owe $22,504 on average after completing a degree, well below the national average of $37,000.

Broadening Our Reach: Enhanced Partnerships

Through a new alliance with social impact company Guild Education, UMGC’s wide range of career focused online degree and certificate programs will now be available to learners at Guild’s employer partners, including Target, JPMorgan Chase, Lowes, Kohl's, Discover, Hilton Hotels, Chipotle, Bon Secours, Sentara, and more. Tuition costs are paid by the respective employers.

UMGC is partnering with VictoryXR, a global leader in creating learning environments through immersive technology, in a pilot program that will use virtual and augmented reality in 15 select classes in disciplines including biology, human resources, and criminal justice. UMGC will implement a “digital twin campus” for students, whether they are enrolled in a face to face class or studying online.

UMGC has teamed up with Parchment, the industry leader in academic credentials management, on a pilot program to develop and issue Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs). The CLR gives UMGC students a better understanding of their learning outcomes and skills gained throughout their educational experiences by delivering a verified record of their knowledge and accomplishments that goes beyond the traditional transcript.

Springboard, an online learning platform that helps prepare students for in demand careers through mentor guided courses and programs, has joined UMGC in an alliance through which UMGC students can take Springboard courses in software engineering, cybersecurity, and data analytics, with an additional three career tracks forthcoming. Students who complete Springboard’s six month, non credit courses can also receive credit toward a bachelor’s degree at UMGC.

Wiley’s Extended Learning Network will make UMGC’s academic programs available to some 200 companies and 700,000 employees. Wiley also engages with U.S. states in workforce development initiatives to align educational offerings with workforce needs, consistent with UMGC's mission.

Academic and Corporate Alliances

Community College

Community College of

Innovative Scholarships

UMGC awarded more than $15 million in scholarships during the 2021-2022 aid year.

• The UMGC Student Aid Fund for Emergency Relief (SAFER) was established in response to the global pandemic to assist UMGC students worldwide who are experiencing financial hardship related to an unforeseen emergency.

• Through the Maryland Completion Scholarship program, eligible Maryland community college graduates can complete a bachelor's degree at UMGC for $12,000 or less, well below the typical cost for in state students. Since spring 2014, more than 13,400 of these scholarships have been awarded and 6,230 recipients have completed a UMGC credential.

• The Prince George’s 3D Scholarship Program allows eligible high school students in Prince George’s County to earn dual credits and complete a bachelor’s degree for $10,000 or less.

• The Pillars of Strength Scholarship covers all costs for the volunteer caregivers of wounded or injured servicemembers seeking a bachelor’s or master’s degree from UMGC.

Faculty

UMGC has 5,000+ adjunct faculty members with experience teaching adult learners in face-to-face, online, and hybrid settings.

• Full time collegiate faculty provide leadership to the academic programs and are responsible for curricular rigor, coherence, content, and quality of the programs

• Adjuncts are scholar practitioners with solid academic credentials who work in the fields in which they teach, bringing to bear their rich, real world experience for the benefit of UMGC students

• UMGC trains and evaluates faculty based on their ability to support nontraditional learners

• Analytics allow faculty and staff to identify when learners are struggling and to reach out with timely offers of support

• Collegiate faculty around the globe teach face to face courses and are key contributors to our global academic community

Accolades and Awards

Association Award for Excellence in Advancing Student Success UPCEA | 2022

Top ranked public university (online and nontraditional universities) Military Times "Best for Vets" | 2022

No. 1 among Universities, Best for Vets Employers—Military Times | 2021

Top 10 Most Innovative Schools among Regional Universities, North U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges | 2021

Named one of America’s Best Online Learning Schools, Colleges Survey Newsweek | 2021 No. 1 in conferring master’s degrees to minority students in the area of Information Technology Diverse: Issues in Higher Education | 2020

Ninth Annual Mid Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) Competition First and Third Place for UMGC’s cyber competition teams | 2020

UMGC's Cybersecurity Technology graduate program won the Professional Award for Best Cybersecurity Program in Higher Education SC Magazine | 2019 & 2020

IBM Watson Analytics Global Competition First Place | UMGC Data Analytics Team | 2018

UMGC cyber competitionteamwon GOLD at 2014 GlobalCyberLympics inBarcelona, Spain

Accreditations

UMGC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the accrediting body that serves Maryland and surrounding states and accredits all University System of Maryland institutions.

UMGC holds Specialized Program Accreditations for five professional degrees including the Health Informatics Administration Master's Degree, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education in Instructional Technology, and Nursing for Registered Nurses Bachelor's Degree.

UMGC has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security and as a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence by the Defense Cyber Crime Center Academic Cyber Curriculum Alliance.

82-year-old honors student inspires peers during graduation

Mae Anna Beale said she felt accomplished and that she had followed her dreams.

May 2022

Co Authored by Gregory Fowler President University of Maryland Global Campus Kate Smith President Rio Salado College

We must listen to − and respect − the needs and aspirations of learners as they are, not as we wish them to be, say Gregory Fowler and Kate Smith

As we begin to emerge out the other side of the pandemic, it has become increasingly clear that a large and growing demographic of adult learners − historically underserved by traditional higher education − was disproportionately affected.

While they strive to complete degrees and credentials while re entering or navigating the workforce, many find that colleges and universities are ill equipped to respond to their needs. This ongoing demographic shift comes as no surprise, so why has the sector been so painfully slow to react?

Most institutional bureaucracies intentionally admit, sort and guide learners in large cohorts − but the personalisation that learners often need to thrive is frequently lost in the process. As a result, challenges related to scheduling, finances, access to support and the competing demands of work and family go largely unaddressed, despite learners repeatedly voicing these concerns.

Listening efforts often focus on areas such as recruitment, admissions and alumni giving, which servethe institution as much as, or more than, they serve learners.It’s no trivial task to truly understand the psychosocial, emotional and personal challenges thatlearners face, not to mention how those challenges shape their learning experiences and intellectual development. But when listening becomes difficult, we must not turn away.

If we want non-traditional results, we need non-traditional approaches

10 Colleges That Enroll the Most Transfer Students

Each of these schools enrolledmore than 4,600 newtransfer students in fall 2020, U.S.News data shows.

By IlanaKowarski | Jan. 25, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.

The U.S. News ShortList, separatefrom ouroverall rankings, is a regularseries thatmagnifies individualdata points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduateor graduateprograms excelorhaveroom to grow in specific areas.

Students who are unhappy with theircollege experience may wantto considertransferringto a school thatis a betterfit. While some colleges rarely admittransferstudents, many routinely allow transfers and enroll asignificantnumber.

Amongthe 1,131 ranked colleges and universities thatprovided fall 2020 transferstatistics in an annual U.S. News survey, the average numberof new transferstudents was 476. The average transfer acceptance rate at these schools was 65%.

Meanwhile, the 10colleges with the biggesttransferstudent populations each had more than 4,600 new transferstudents. The average size of the transferstudentbody atthese schools was large: 5,965 students. Transferacceptance rates varied widely, rangingfrom a low of 30% at Liberty University in Virginiato ahigh of 100% at the University of Maryland Global Campus, which tops this list as it enrolled more than 9,500 new transfers in fall 2020.

University of Maryland Global Campus takes lead at Crystal City space UMd. leased in 2019

February 8, 2022

UMGC to host classes in Crystal City in space leased by University of Maryland, College Park for a so called "discovery center" and is gearing up for a May launch of in person classes. Maryland leased 8,000 square feet at the base of one of Amazon’s office buildings in 2019, while the university was still led by former president Wallace Loh, with the goal of hosting lectures and other events on topics including cybersecurity and connecting the university community to Amazon.com Inc.'s second headquarters.

Oneof theclassrooms thattheUniversity of Maryland GlobalCampus plans to useforin person learning this May at its CrystalCity site.

UniversityofMaryland GC PlanningAR/VRfor OnlineCourses

August 13, 2022

The university is one of 10 that have partnered with VictoryXR to use virtual and augmented reality to create a “digital twin campus” and make online classes moreimmersive.The pilot program starts this fall.

Introducing The Daily Record’s 2022 Power 30 Higher Education

By: Daily RecordStaff April 29, 2022

Maryland has justly earned areputation as home to some of the finestinstitutions of highereducation in the nation. The men and women who make up oursecond annual Power30 HigherEducation Listare amongthe reasons why. They are presidents and othersenioradministrators leadingtheircolleges and universities, policymakers chartingacourse forthe future, advocates strivingto improve access and equity and faculty members on the cuttingedge of research and the liberal arts.

POWER 30 HIGHER EDUCATION

One of eightchildren, Gregory Fowlergrew up in Albany, Georgia, the son of a secondary school teacher. So itis perhaps notsurprisingthathe has pursued acareer in education. A graduate of Morehouse College, in Atlanta, who earned his doctorate in English and American studies from the State University of New York atBuffalo, Fowler has spentaquarter century in highereducation.

Before takingoveras presidentof the University of Maryland Global Campus in January 2021, Fowlerspentnine years atSouthern New Hampshire University as chief academic officer, vice presidentforacademicaffairs and then presidentof the school’s Global Campus.

What is the most important thingyou do in your job?

Create an environmentwhereourteam members can remove barriers and create pathways forstudents to succeed who have not always had access to opportunity which in turn can transform lives, communities, and ourworld.

Whowas your most significantmentor and what did you learnfrom that person?

I wouldn’tsay asingle person. My family as a whole has taughtme to endure, acceptingsuccess and failure with grace and humility.

If you weren’tin this industry, what would you be doing?

I am motivated by education’s powerto transform lives, so I probably would have tended toward afield with similar potential perhaps counselingordiplomaticwork.

GREGORY W. FOWLER, PH.D. PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS

“We can no longer treat higher education as one-size-fits all and expect students to align our learning experience with their needs. We must listen, seek to understand, and bring the right experience to the right student at the right time and in the right way.”

—Gregory W. Fowler, PhD President, University of Maryland Global Campus