UMD.edu is the official website of University of Maryland.

The University of Maryland

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The University of Maryland (UMD) is a public research university located in College Park, Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. It occupies 1.250 acres and is the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland (USM). Other USM universities are often mistaken for satellite campuses of UMD, but are actually separate institutions. Its official colors are red, white, black, and gold.

Reputation

The U.S. News and World Reports ranks UMD 18th among the top national universities. It has also produced three Nobel laureates and six Pulitzer Prize winners. UMD handles 27 sports teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

UMD is currently involved in a fundraising campaign called “Great Expectations: A Campaign for Maryland,” which aims to raise $1 billion to help its students and faculty while contributing to local community and environmental causes.

History

UMD was chartered in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College, with Benjamin Hallowell asits first president. It had an initial enrollment of 34 students, which included the four sons of Charles Benedict Calvert. Calvert owned the land where the college stood.

After the Jubal Early's Confederate raid by Gen. Bradley T. Johnson in 1864, the college went bankrupt and was transformed into a preparatory school. But two years later, in 1866, a legislation was passed to provide monetary support to the institution. Under the legislation, half of the college would be owned by the state. The school resumed operations in 1867 with only 11 students.

Throughout the 1870's, military officers ran the college and emphasized military education. This trend ended with the 1882 appointment of a former sugar factory worker, Augustine J. Smith, who rallied for the support and unity among farmers, students, and members of the state legislature. After a series of state laws which granted the college civil service functions, the institution was renamed Maryland State College when the state assumed full control over it.

In 1917, its president Albert F. Woods created seven separate schools: agriculture, arts and sciences, chemistry, education, engineering, graduate school, and home economics. The departments were scattered around the state and consolidated only three years later, forming the present-day University of Maryland.

Student Profile

As of fall 2006, UMD had 25,154 undergraduate and 9,948 graduate students. UMD has a diverse student body, with 32% of its undergraduates and 18% of its graduate students coming from minority groups. It also has 2,862 full-time professors, 812 part-time lecturers, and 4,675 staff members. Overall, the institution hires 12,228 employees.

Academics

UMD currently has 13 colleges and schools:

  • A. James Clark School of Engineering
  • College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
  • College of Arts and Humanities
  • College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • College of Chemical and Life Sciences
  • College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences
  • College of Education
  • College of Health and Human Performance
  • College of Information Studies
  • Philip Merrill College of Journalism
  • Robert H. Smith School of Business
  • School of Public Policy


Together, these departments offer 127 undergraduate and 112 graduate programs, 31 of which made the top 10 list in the US News & World Reports rankings in their respective fields. Leading UMD programs and institutes include the following:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Management Information Services
  • E-Commerce, Human Resources
  • Aerospace Engineering and Supply Chain
  • Management/Logistic
  • Smith School of Business
  • College of Education
  • Clark School of Engineering
  • College of Information Studies
  • College of Computer, Mathematical & Physical Sciences.


UMD is also highly ranked by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The following programs were given academic distinction:

Graduate

  • African American Engineering
  • Total Minority Area & Ethnic Studies
  • Asian American Education
  • Total Minority Engineering
  • Hispanic Engineering
  • Total Minority Mathematics
  • Total Asian American Mathematics

Undergraduate

  • African American Degrees
  • African American Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Asian American Computer and Information Sciences and Support Service
  • Asian American Education
  • African American Engineering
  • Minority Social Sciences & History
  • African American Social Sciences & History
  • Asian American Social Sciences

Athletics

UMD is known for its unique athletic traditions. For instance, its basketball team traditionally holds the Midnight Madness, where they run around in laps at midnight of the first official day of practice. The practice was introduced by a former coach, Charles "Lefty" Driesell. This display of school spirit seems to have carried over to the present coach, Gary Williams, who begins each game by pumping his fist for the Maryland fans. The fans also have their own tradition, Newspaper Shaking, where they pretend to read the newspaper when the guest team enters the court.

In the football team, the coach also leads the show by singing the Maryland Victory Song every week of the playing season. The fans would divert from the usual loud cheer when the Terrapin football team would execute offensive plays by jiggling their keys and firing a small cannon every time the team scores.

Website

The UMD homepage features the latest campus news and ‘Hot Topics’ in the UMD online news desk. It also contains direct links to resources for UMD students (current and prospective), alumni, staff, faculty, parents and families of UMD students, businesses, visitors, and the media. The homepage likewise features a link to a donation page.

Sources


Languages

English

Address

Office of Information Technology NOC, Bldg 224, Rm 1301
College Park MD 20742 US

Contact

University of Maryland
+1 301 405 3003

Additional Information

Related Domains

External Links



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