Maryland universities offer an ideal path to success

By Joshua L. Michael

September 5, 2008

Growing up in Ellicott City, I found that many of my friends and their families believed nearby schools were just "ordinary." In their view, the affordability of our state universities came at the expense of quality. I call it "the backyard syndrome."

The Baltimore Sun's recent editorial, "Priced out of college?" asserted that more families are "settling" on Maryland's public universities because of cost savings. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For me and many other students I meet as the student regent on the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents, our state universities are a first choice that combines affordability and excellence. More and more students are catching on to this secret. During the next decade, USM projects its undergraduate enrollment to grow 23 percent.

My school, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, just welcomed its largest freshman class ever - a class that, despite its larger numbers, shows no sign of diminished quality, such as lower SAT scores. The message: Good students are choosing USM schools.

Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain will be challenged in the coming weeks to suggest how to make college an option for all Americans. In Maryland, we should take pride in what our public institutions offer and of the efforts of state leaders to make our universities affordable and accessible.

My first choice was UMBC. For me, it struck a perfect balance between the liberal arts model of a small institution and the research and technological resources of a large university. My professors are engaged in cutting-edge research, breaking ground in various fields. They also value being accessible to me and other students, investing their time in academic advising and mentoring.

USM includes 11 universities that provide broad choices in academic and professional programs and a wide range of campus and cultural experiences. Thousands of students are making their own "first choices" and discovering just how far Maryland's public universities can take them.

At the University of Maryland, College Park, student Peter DeMuth and his peers are developing breakthrough technology for imaging and delivery of drugs to cancer cells. At Bowie State University, Demitri Kornegay facilitates a mentoring program changing the lives of young African-American men, and Felicia Charter recently received the Outstanding Student Leader Award from the Maryland State Teachers Association. Salisbury University graduate Justin Ready used his education as a springboard to a political career as executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. At UMBC, my friend and 2007 graduate Phil Graff is studying astrophysics at Cambridge as part of the Gates Cambridge Fellowship.

Thousands of students at all 11 state institutions are engaged in high-quality learning and research.

If there is any positive development from the economic downturn in our state and nation, it is that more Maryland students might opt for the affordability of a state university. Then, they will discover the best educational experience of their lives - one that is right in their backyard.