Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Building on the success of its first regional education center in Montgomery County, the University System of Maryland (USM) is set to open its second center, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, this week. The City of Hagerstown will welcome USM to Hagerstown in a key- turning ceremony to begin at 10:30 am Friday, January 7, 2005, at the new center located at 32 West Washington Street.

University of Maryland University College and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, will begin offering classes at the Hagerstown center January 24, with classes from Frostburg State University (FSU) beginning the following day.

FSU has been operating a Hagerstown Center since 1988. With the opening of the new USM center, Hagerstown-area residents will have access to programs in areas such as business, education, and nursing from other USM institutions.

Approximately 500 students are expected to enroll for the fall 2005 semester. C. David Warner, III, formerly director of instruction at Hagerstown Community College, is the executive director of the Hagerstown center. For a schedule of classes and more information about the center, call 301.791.4020. An events schedule for the spring semester at the USM at Hagerstown is available online.

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), the USM's first regional education center, continues to expand. It offers an increasing number of students the opportunity to pursue higher education from several USM institutions at one location in Montgomery County. Led by Executive Director Stewart L. Edelstein, USG offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, meeting demands of county residents and the regional marketplace for greater access to higher education.

USG students may enroll full- or part-time in day, evening, and weekend programs; complete information about the Universities at Shady Grove is available online at www.shadygrove.umd.edu. The two new undergraduate programs offered this year at Shady Grove are a B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and a B.S. degree in construction management technology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). While qualified upper-level students from any accredited college or university may transfer into these programs, both have formal ties with Montgomery College that provide students with a smooth transition to the Universities at Shady Grove.

"One of the strengths of having a university system comprising multiple campuses is the ability to work together to offer important programs from different institutions," says Irwin Goldstein, vice chancellor for academic affairs at USM. "The system-wide education centers represent USM's significant impact on meeting the educational needs of Maryland residents."

Contact: Mary Carroll-Mason

301.445.2756
E-mail: mcmason@usmd.edu