I am happy to have this opportunity in Profile magazine to reflect on my first several months as the president of Frostburg State University. I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to the campus and surrounding community for the warm welcome and to share a few thoughts about my journey so far -- and the road ahead.

These first months have been about listening and learning to better understand what makes FSU tick. And from the very beginning, I witnessed firsthand the pride, generosity and spirit of this community, which only further solidified my commitment to help strengthen FSU and ensure stability during this transition in leadership. Mountain Maryland has indeed become my second home!

I have had the privilege of engaging with many of you, and your insights have been invaluable in shaping my understanding of Frostburg’s unique identity and the opportunities before us.

We concluded our Middle States peer evaluation team visit in March, and I am proud to say that The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) has reaffirmed Frostburg State University’s institutional accreditation through 2032! Frostburg, including its instructional sites in Hagerstown and China, continues to meet the requirements put in place by the MSCHE in its seven rigorous and comprehensive Standards of Excellence. I want to extend my gratitude to the FSU community for their collective participation in the site visit and for many years of collaboration to produce Frostburg’s final self-study document. It clearly demonstrated the University’s commitment to continuous improvement.

We realigned our organizational academic structure, which became effective July 1, to help advance our mission while creating more marketable naming conventions and to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the continuous changes to our portfolio of academic programs. This new structure is as follows:

• College of Business, Engineering, Computing & Analytics

• • Department of Accounting, Economics & Finance
  • Department of Management & Marketing
  • Department of Computer Science & Information Technologies
  • Department of Engineering & Sustainable Technologies
  • Department of Mathematics

• College of Humanities, Arts & Sciences

• • Department of Biology
  • Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences
  • Department of Communication & Literature
  • Department of Digital Media & Visual Arts
  • Department of Music, Theatre & Dance
  • Department of Law, Society & Humanities

• College of Education, Behavioral & Health Professions

• • Department of Educational Professions
  • Department of Nursing
  • Department of Physician Assistant Medicine
  • Department of Psychology & Social Work
  • Department of Kinesiology & Recreation and Parks Management

Over the summer we launched an internal search for Frostburg’s next Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. Dr. Michael Mathias was selected to lead this division, and I am confident that his long history of leadership at FSU coupled with his knowledge, skills and relationships will be invaluable assets to the University.

Of course, no transition is without its challenges. We resolved complex budget issues over the past year through strategic steps that eliminated a structural budget deficit and ensured a balanced budget. As we move into the new fiscal year, we remain focused on taking fiscally responsible actions to ensure FSU’s financial health and long-term sustainability.

I believe, though, that with every challenge lies an opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient. We have implemented a pathway to stabilize enrollments, because enrollment growth is the only viable strategy to strengthen the University and reduce our dependency on state appropriations. But we still have more work to do, individually and collectively, to continue to increase enrollments, expand our marketing efforts and promote FSU’s brand.

To ensure that FSU continues to move the needle forward, this year we will focus on five key priorities, and we’ve already begun to make significant progress as we continue to

• Increase enrollment,
• Strengthen our financial sustainability,
• Enhance our user experience through academic and operational process improvements,
• Champion campus culture, collective pride and community engagement, and
• Optimize FSU's academic portfolio and instructional efficiency.

Time and again I am reminded of what a community treasure Frostburg State University is -- a true source of regional identity and distinction that makes our area special. FSU is part of what makes people want to visit and live in our area.

Frostburg State University is home to so many community treasures, whether it be our educational access channel (FSU-TV3), our NPR affiliate radio station (WFWM), the Children’s Literature Centre, the Natural History Museum, the Planetarium or our Cultural Events Series or our academic treasures like our nursing simulation labs and robotics labs. This University is a true source of collective pride essential to the development of the region and a vibrant learning and living community!

I encourage you to share the great stories of FSU’s accomplishments in conversations with friends and throughout the community. This is your university, and your voice matters. I also invite you to come back for a visit to rediscover our campus and all that it has to offer. Reconnect with friends at alumni gatherings, join us for Homecoming & Family Weekend in October, cheer our athletic teams on to victory and experience the transformative power of our performing arts. I promise you will not be disappointed.

With FSU pride,

Darlene Brannigan Smith, PhD

Interim President