To Merge or Not to Merge?

After many city, community and university leaders in Baltimore spoke out against a proposed merger of two University of Maryland campuses at an open forum last Friday, another discussion will take place at College Park this afternoon.

Here’s the proposition on the table:

State Sen. Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D-Calvert) suggested that the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) and Baltimore (UMB) merge into one mega-university, while maintaining two campuses and two presidents.

Supporters for the merger say it will foster collaboration between the College Park undergraduate and graduate school with Baltimore’s professional medical and law school, and produce a top-notch research institute with the potential to garner oodles of research dollars.

Among the supporters is Gov. Martin O’Malley, who said he doesn’t understand why there’s a division between the two campuses.

“When you put the two together, you really see what a powerhouse we have in Maryland,” O’Malley said this past spring.

But most who spoke at the forum Friday, Oct. 21, including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said they did not support a merger, and believe it would have a negative effect on the campus and the city, the Baltimore Business Journal reported.

Rawlings-Blake said the urgency of revitalization efforts in west Baltimore where the campus is located could evaporate if the merger happens, according to the Associated Press.

Most believe College Park would emerge as the senior partner in a merger, the Post reported, and critics suggest that, as a representative of Prince George’s County, Miller’s idea is biased, NBC Washington reported.

State Sen. Verna Jones-Rodwell, (D-Baltimore), said at the forum that the city’s senate delegation unanimously voted against the merger proposal, according to the Associated Press.

Neither College Park campus president Wallace Loh or Baltimore campus president Jay Perman have come out for or against the merger.

But Perman did discuss the major concerns of his faculty with The Washington Post. Baltimore faculty said the desired collaboration between the two institutes is already happening and can continue without a merger.

The College Park campus Student Government Association passed a bill this week supporting further collaboration between the institutions, but did not support or oppose the merger, according to The Diamondback.

The Baltimore campus SGA came out against the merger, The Diamondback reported.

The on Oct. 5, when Loh described the merger as a possible “game changer.”

He said the University System of Maryland Board of Regents is conducting a study in response to the proposal by Miller. The board must submit a decision to the General Assembly by Dec. 15.

At that initial discussion, campus leaders, including the dean and the kinesiology department chair of the School of Public Health supported the idea.

“Collectively under the right circumstances I think we can set a model. … so that the economic impact would be larger than anyone realizes,” Dean Robert S. Gold said.

Today’s forum takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Atrium of the Stamp Student Union. A live stream will be available here, and viewable with a Silverlight plugin.