I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Chancellor Kirwan, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, the General Assembly, the Governor and the members of this subcommittee for the support provided so that the University System of Maryland retains its preeminence as a national leader. My second year as President of Frostburg State University has been one of positive change as we move ahead to implement plans in the areas of economic and workforce development, enrollment growth, marketing and university advancement. I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in each of these areas, as we continue to position the University strategically for the future.

FSU remains unique among University System of Maryland institutions for its singular role as the main educational, cultural, technological and economic development hub of our region. Just last week, InfoSpherix, an information technology company, occupied the first building (Figure 1) in the Allegany Business Center at Frostburg State University. ABC@FSU is a cooperative venture among the University, Allegany County, private developers and the State of Maryland. Additionally, the developer, working with the County and the University, is securing additional tenants who will support internships, student employment and faculty and student research. Reflecting both our increasing role in regional development and our geographical access to local business, FSU has entered into an agreement to host the Western Region Small Business Development Center. Ultimately this will become one of the University’s centers of activity and will relocate to the ABC@FSU in the coming months. It is a testament to the cooperative efforts of our many partners that this project is open and poised to be a strong contributor to the regional economy.

Figure 1: FSU Research Center, the first building to be completed in Allegany Business Center at Frostburg State University.

The renovation of the historic Lyric Building on Main Street in Frostburg, a structure gutted by fire in 2004, represent a major step toward revitalizing our community. Thanks to the efforts of local Main Street Representatives, the Governor’s Office and in partnership with the FSU Foundation, this building will soon house offices of FSU’s Alumni Association, the Foundation and a branch of our University bookstore as we work to lend more of a university-town flavor to downtown Frostburg. The Lyric Opera House, built as an expansion to the building in 1912, was too damaged by the fire for a full restoration. However, through the efforts of all concerned, the theater space will be able to reclaim its historic role as an entertainment venue (Figure 2) as it is being converted to host a variety of University and community cultural offerings. This venue will play a major role in the City of Frostburg’s drive to seek an Arts and Entertainment District designation for its downtown area.

Figure 2: Architect’s Rendition of Theatre Section of Restored Lyric Building

Recognizing the needs of the international technology-based economy, FSU continues to press forward with its planned Center for Communication and Information Technology (Figure 3). Intended to house our technology-intensive disciplines of computer and mass communication instruction, as well as studios to bring information to the Western Maryland market, this project will support high tech economic development needs of our region well into the future. Construction of this project has unfortunately been delayed to 2013. It is our hope that if additional funding is available that this crucial project might be moved to an earlier position in the state’s capital projects.

Figure 3: Artist’s Rendition of Center for Communications and Information Technology.

One of my very first commitments upon assuming the presidency was to reverse the University’s trend of declining enrollment. To address this decline, we developed a process that identified causes, created a new enrollment management strategy, forged closer ties with community colleges, developed a student-focused marketing strategy and systematically addressed both undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

As a direct result, our enrollment is now growing. We welcomed our largest freshman class in the University’s history this fall and saw a major increase in transfer students (Figure 4).

Figure 4: First-Time Undergraduate and Transfer Enrollment, Fall 2007

Our spring enrollment continued on this positive trend: Our overall full-time equivalent enrollment increased by 2.9 percent over the same time the previous year, with a 6.6 percent increase in our graduate FTE. In addition, our fall-to-spring retention has improved for the second straight year.

Figure 5: Minority Enrollment at Frostburg State University, Fall 2003-2007

Figure 6: Frostburg State University Enrollment by County for Fall 2007

As it has from its beginnings in 1898, Frostburg State University will continue to evolve. Our budget includes an appropriation for $250,000 from the Higher Education Investment Fund created by the Governor and approved by the General Assembly. These funds are targeted to support the development and start-up costs associated with our proposed RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which is being established in collaboration with Allegany College of Maryland.

One of our goals is to expand the numbers of college nursing faculty of the future. Within the next few years, FSU proposes to implement a Master of Science in Nursing program to help prepare the nursing faculty needed for the expansion of all Maryland nursing programs, as faculty shortages are cited as the number one challenge to increasing nursing enrollment. With more than 100 years of preparing the best teachers in the state of Maryland, we intend to call upon that experience to educate future college nursing faculty.

Other steps designed to meet workforce needs and translate into increased opportunities for graduates are proposals for new baccalaureate degree programs in Engineering and Information Technology. These are currently under review. We have also had fruitful conversations with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, about the possibility of creating a partnership to offer their pharmacy program on our Western Maryland campus.

We are also exploring the development of programs that will create possibilities for our graduates in the area of environmental sustainability and stewardship. Governor O’Malley, Chancellor Kirwan, and I have made environmental initiatives a strategic priority. The Chancellor has just launched a System-wide Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative that will focus on developing policies, practices, programs and research that will make the USM a national leader in our collective responses to the challenges of global climate change.

Frostburg State University is taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to the System-wide sustainability initiative. I am a charter signatory and member of the leadership circle of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and I am pleased to say that we are taking practical, measurable efforts to address climate challenges. I also serve on the Governor’s Climate Task Force as a member of the Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Mitigation Working Group. At Frostburg State University we have combined those efforts with research and workforce development through two projects. First is our WISE project, which studies the effectiveness of residential-scale wind turbines and solar arrays and will soon be training individuals to install them. Second is our major in ethnobotany, the only one in the continental United States, which is working to study our region’s cultural legacy and ways to tap the potential of our natural resources.

Finally, the Frostburg State University Foundation is revitalizing its endeavors to build its endowment and provide more merit and need need-based scholarships from private donors. We have hired a new Vice President for University Advancement who also serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation. We have infused significant new resources in the operation to hire our first-ever major gifts officer and advancement information systems director. Additionally, our new annual fund director brings a wealth of experience from much more mature and robust annual fund programs.

The silent phase of our comprehensive $15 million campaign will close in October when we publicly launch this effort. Having come off a very strong fundraising year in FY 2007 with receipts in excess of $2.6 million, we are poised to raise more funds for scholarships than ever before. Our prospect management system will allow us to target those alumni who benefitted from scholarship support when they were students in an effort to encourage them to now become philanthropists to another generation.

From these examples, it is clear that Frostburg State University is strategically moving ahead in a number of important initiatives that will serve our region and state. Frostburg State University has always led the way in providing first-class educational opportunities for our region.

Before I address the questions posed by Department of Legislative Services specifically about FSU, I first would like to comment on some System-wide recommendations which pose significant problems for the system as well as the institution I represent.

Recommendations to cut the System’s unrestricted general funds by $6.8 million as well as to codify the annual 1 percent Effectiveness and Efficiency initiative will serve to counteract the gains represented by the innovative Higher Education Investment Fund. In his testimony, Chancellor Kirwan noted that these two efforts together would reduce the System’s budget by $9 million over and above the previous $8.1 million reduction that was designed to balance the current budget. Reductions of this magnitude will require program-related cuts and quality will be eroded. In the case of Frostburg, the impact of the general fund cuts would total close to $208,000, an amount close to the increment we would receive from the Higher Education Investment Fund for program enhancement of the proposed nursing program. The additional reduction from the E&E initiative would cost us $283,000 more, a cut that would be virtually impossible to absorb while simultaneously launching a program designed to meet a crucial statewide workforce need. The intent of the Higher Education Investment Fund was to supplement general fund dollars, not to supplant them.

Additionally, I cannot stress enough the need to continually assess and address the security concerns of our University community in the wake of Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. It has been our stated intention to use available resources to increase the security of our students, faculty and staff. With the addition of new communications tools, a campus-wide emergency siren system, card swipe locking systems, and video-based surveillance systems, we have begun to address these concerns and greatly enhanced our ability to communicate with the community in the event of an emergency. We are determined to safeguard the lives of our students. This is our first priority, but we must recognize that there are actual costs associated with that safety. Cutting funds based on some formula will have the unfortunate impact of cutting those discretionary funds that we have available to address security concerns, whether it be the addition or upgrading of security systems, public safety training or community education – or whatever adaptations our constantly changing society requires. We as public university presidents have an enormous responsibility to assure the parents of our students that their educational atmosphere will be as safe as we can possibly make it.

Now, let me turn to the DLS questions specific to Frostburg State University.

The President should comment on efforts to increase the retention rate of students and address the factors behind the success of reducing the gap in graduation rates between all students and African American students.

During the past two years, the University has implemented several initiatives designed to improve retention rates for all students. The most significant of these programs is FSU Connections, a learning community program that links students in a course or set of courses that explore a common theme, career path, and/or potential major. We know that, for students, making connections to the University and their peers is a key factor in encouraging retention. Data for the fall 2005 first-time student cohort show that 81 percent of learning community participants returned in fall 2006 compared to a 65 percent return rate for students who did not participate in the program. Given its record of success, the University has expanded the FSU Connections program to be available to all entering students; previously it was elective for about half of entering freshmen.

Data show that the students with the lowest rate of retention are those without declared majors. Consequently, we established a new campus Advising Center, dedicated primarily to helping those students who have not yet declared majors. We have also revamped processes in a way that makes it easier for students who are confident of their intended major to be advised in their department as early as the first semester of the freshman year. (All first-semester freshmen initially are advised by their Orientation course instructor.)

FSU has an extensive system of tutoring available for students. Tutors are readily available for writing, mathematics, and for a wide range of campus courses. The University’s Programs for Academic Support and Studies (PASS) and the Office of Student Support Services offer additional tutoring and assistance to students who are in need of special academic services, are first-generation college students, or come from low-income families.

In addition, we are piloting the “Phoenix Program,” an intervention effort designed to provide intensive support for those students who face dismissal following their first semester at Frostburg. Since many first-semester freshmen have difficulty adjusting to college, rather than dismiss at mid-year, we are piloting a program that puts low-performing students in a special spring section of Orientation where they receive intensive assistance in improving their academic records. This program was implemented during the 2006-07 academic year and will be under review this year.

The University’s online intensive courses (offered in a six-week time frame during the regular academic term) help students stay on track and move more quickly toward graduation by allowing them to add courses midway through the semester. Another factor that helps expedite time to degree at the University is its strong summer and January online programs, which allow students to take needed coursework while away from the campus.

At FSU, African-American students have had, in recent years, a higher retention rate than the overall student body and a graduation rate approaching that of the overall student body. The FSU Connections learning community program mentioned above has been even more successful in affecting retention for minority students than for the total student population. Data from fall 2005 indicate that 88 percent of first-time minority students who participated in a learning community returned in fall 2006 compared to a 64 percent return rate for minority students who did not participate in a learning community.

African-American students have made widespread use of the Advising Center since it opened. There also received focused support from the Diversity Center which provides additional monitoring and support for African-American students. It should be noted that, to the degree that connecting to one’s community encourages retention and persistence to graduation, our African-American students have been especially successful in building a vibrant campus community and in assuming leadership roles throughout the campus.

Additionally, it is important that you understand the culture at Frostburg State University, where we all – not just faculty, but staff as well – consider it an elemental part of our jobs to make personal connections to our students to help guide them through their college experience.

The President should comment on the efforts to recruit and retain in- and out-of-state full time undergraduate students and plans for out-of-state tuition increases.

In an effort to increase student enrollment at the University, I formed a campus-wide Enrollment Management Committee in August of 2006. The committee is charged with coordinating recruitment, as well as the retention efforts discussed above. The committee devised and implemented strategies to attract a larger number of qualified students to FSU. Actions recommended by the committee and adopted by the University include revising FSU admission procedures, expanding scholarship efforts, restructuring two-year enrollment targets, and working with community colleges to increase recruitment of transfer students. To lead the University’s efforts to revitalize student recruitment, a new Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management was named in March of 2007.

Over the past two years, we have highlighted several effective strategies which are improving our in-state recruitment efforts:

• Visits by admissions counselors to public and private high schools throughout the state.
• Participation in college fair programs throughout the state.
• Hosting admitted student receptions in selected areas of the state.
• Coordinating bus trip visits for various high schools in the state.
• Participation in admissions and financial aid information programs throughout the state.
• Visits by deans, faculty, and admissions staff to community colleges to increase awareness of FSU as a transfer opportunity and to increase communication with community college transfer coordinators.
• Participation in Maryland community college transfer day programs.
• Hosting a Scholars Day program for high-achieving Maryland students.

Our Office of Admissions has significantly increased its efforts to recruit out-of-state students. These efforts include:

• Designating an admissions counselor to spend the entire fall recruitment season in the New Jersey and Long Island region, a traditional source of significant out-of-state enrollment for Frostburg. This individual spent the fall visiting high schools and attending college fairs.
• Placing increased significance on recruitment efforts in Western Pennsylvania, including attending college fairs and visiting high schools in the greater Pittsburgh area.
• Continuing our strong recruitment effort in the Northern Virginia region, an area which historically has been a strong supplier of students for Frostburg.
• Working to develop stronger relationships with high schools and community colleges that border our Western Maryland region.

As the analyst notes, rising cost for out-of-state students has contributed to the decline in out-of-state enrollment. While FSU is in a unique geographical position, only minutes away from both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, our out-of-state tuition is not competitive with institutions in those states. We are currently reviewing our policies on out-of-state tuition costs in an effort to address this issue.

Frostburg State University , recognizing that we are living in an increasingly global society, is also taking steps to increase the number of international students. We are strengthening ongoing partnerships with institutions in Ireland, England and Denmark. We are actively recruiting students from China and India, and we have recently established an official relationship with Hunan Normal University in Changsha, China.

The President should comment on the efforts to increase graduate student enrollment.

In 2006, the University completed a year-long study of graduate education. Based on that report’s recommendations, several steps have been taken to strengthen graduate programs and enrollments.

The Office of Graduate Services has put into place a number of new marketing and student-recruitment strategies. These strategies have helped to increase enrollments in several of our graduate programs. The University will soon hire a Dean of Graduate Education to ensure the quality and relevancy of our graduate programs, promote them in the region, and maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of graduate education at Frostburg State University.

The University is taking steps to make its graduate programs more accessible to students. The College of Education expanded its program offerings at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown to include the Master of Arts in Teaching ( MAT) Secondary/ K-12. In addition, the College of Business has revised its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program so that students with non-business backgrounds can quickly acquire needed skills.

To ensure that graduate students have access to the courses they need to complete their studies, the University is transforming its graduate curriculum into blended programs, where instruction is offered both online and in a traditional classroom setting. This transformation will make graduate studies more available to part-time students who often are unable to attend traditional classes because of work or family responsibilities.

In addition, the University is developing graduate curricula in important new areas. The College of Education is working with our College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to develop a joint BS/ MAT program to increase the number of science, math, and foreign language teachers in the state. The College of Business also is collaborating with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to develop an interdisciplinary Professional Science master’s degree to meet workforce needs. Finally, as stated before, the University also is planning to develop a Master of Science in Nursing ( MSN) within the next several years. This program will provide increased numbers of nursing faculty to meet workforce shortages in this critical field.

The President should comment on the expected overall level of funding for institutional aid. The President should also address shifts toward awarding more need-based aid and less merit and mission.

Frostburg State University has been committed to increasing its spending for institutional aid. From Fiscal Year 2007 to Fiscal Year 2009, FSU has increased its budgeted level of institutional aid by $650,000. This represents a real increase in institutional aid, since it was not simply an offset for rising tuition costs; in-state tuition has not increased during this period.

Frostburg State University already allocates a significant proportion of its institutional aid in the category of need-based aid. As noted in the analyst’s report, our proportion of need-based aid is considerably higher than the average of University System of Maryland institutions.

In awarding aid to individual students, we strive to meet need through applying the full range of sources available to us. A significant portion of our institutional merit scholarships go to students with some demonstrated need. For example, in the current academic year, of the 735 institutional merit scholarships we granted, 525 of those, 71 percent, went to students who demonstrated some level of need.

As mentioned before, Frostburg State University is aggressively working to increase its endowment, in particular to be able to offer more scholarships. As these scholarships are predominantly designated as merit scholarships at the stipulation of the donors, this larger pool of merit scholarships would allow us to shift more of our state funds toward need-based scholarships.