Loh pledges support for merger

In his second State of the Campus address yesterday, university President Wallace Loh publicly pledged his support for a merger between this institution and the University of Maryland, Baltimore for the first time and announced a $10 million investment plan to reinvigorate the university.

At last year's State of the Campus address, Loh offered few specifics on plans, instead taking the opportunity to introduce the campus community to his philosophies for the first time. Yesterday's speech was markedly different, however, laying out concrete steps he hopes to take the university in the next year.

Although Loh — who spoke for nearly an hour without a written speech — had never stated his opinion on the contested merger, he said for the first time yesterday that he supported merging the two institutions under one name, with each campus retaining its own president. Additionally, Loh said he was able to generate $10 million — from budget reallocations, increased tuition revenue and a small president's reserve — to help fund the university's new general education program and create new opportunities for students.

Loh said the merger — which is currently being reviewed by the Board of Regents for submission to the state General Assembly — is the greatest opportunity the university currently faces.

"We will be able to paint ourselves as a global educational and research powerhouse situated to win the future because the competition is not with other universities in the system; the competition is with rising universities in Asia, in Brazil and in Europe," Loh said. "That is the future. If we want to out-educate, out-innovate, out-compete, we have to have the resources to do that, and we have to be this global powerhouse."

Because merging the universities under one name will drastically improve both institutions in national rankings, Loh said it will also help attract the state and nation's top students.

"Rankings are important, but this is not just about prestige," Loh said. "We will be able to attract a larger portion of the top students to the University of Maryland."

Loh also said it was important to invest in the university's current students and provide them with the best facilities possible. Part of the $10 million reinvestment fund will be largely spent on funding the university's new general education program, which will debut next fall. Additionally, the money will create more internship opportunities for students and offer more financial aid. An "innovation fund" will also be established to invest in interdiciplinary research.

Loh also announced that an additional $10 million will be designated each year to help maintain building repairs, as well as create new buildings on the campus. The campus currently grapples with a deferred maintenance backlog totaling $625 million.

The investments, Loh said, will help the university continue to improve in the face of dwindling resources.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass," Loh said of the economic climate. "It's about dancing in the rain, and we will dance by investing so that we will at least be in a position to rise, and when this shall pass — and it will pass — we can emerge stronger."

Many senators said Loh's second address provided more concrete details than his speech last year, during which he outlined broader goals and visions for the university.

"I think it's clear from what he says and his actions that he is committed to the university moving forward and is putting his money where his mouth is," faculty senator and journalism professor Carol Rogers said. "I think we've got some very positive things going forward in a very difficult environment."

Faculty senator and English professor Martha Smith said she was glad Loh's second address included specific plans for the upcoming year.

"I thought his State of the Campus this year was much meatier; I have a much more clear sense of what directions he wants to take us in," she said. "There's a lot of possibility, and I like that he's looking forward rather than backward."

abutaleb@umdbk.com