UMUC President Gerald Heeger (third from left) is joined by (from left) Bobby Stahl, associate vice president for operations; Greg Brunatti, Bovis Lend Lease construction firm; Vince Conti, senior vice president and chief financial officer; Richard Blewitt, chair, UMUC Board of Visitors; and Ted Oldham, architect, Oldham and Partners, in officially breaking ground December 18, 2002, at the site of UMUC's 100,000-square-foot expansion of the University's Inn and Conference Center.

An "Event-Full" Day at UMUC Headquarters

By Andrea Martino

December 18, 2002, was an eventful day at UMUC's Adelphi headquarters. President Gerald Heeger scheduled his last town hall meeting of the year to coincide with a holiday luncheon for employees and the official groundbreaking for the Inn and Conference Center expansion—though he pointed out the ground had really been broken weeks before, and tons of said ground removed.

The president focused his town hall presentation on a number of issues affecting the University, including the impact on UMUC of the state budget crisis.

"This state is in serious trouble, facing deficits that are comparable to 1990–1991," said Heeger. "We are unusual in the University System of Maryland (USM), in that, in the past, we did not receive an appropriation. Though we now do, the overwhelming amount of our revenue is self-financed and our success has been built on managing our growth. While UMUC continues to be the fastest growing institution in Maryland, it becomes more important than ever before that we remain focused on student retention to better manage our enrollment-based revenue stream."

Provost Nick Allen has appointed a retention steering committee to guide various projects aimed at determining and addressing why some students do not finish their degrees. Several new initiatives have already been implemented to address retention, including the establishment of enrollment management teams, the Student Success Center, and a new financial aid call center (watch for more information in next month's FYI Online).

"The more students we keep," Heeger said, "the more financially stable this institution becomes."

Heeger noted that USM Chancellor William ("Brit") Kirwan advised each institution to work out its budget situations independently so as not to jeopardize the universities' distinct educational missions.

During the meeting, the president also explained that UMUC's state appropriation was reduced by 3 percent, or $594,000, in November 2002. In an all-staff e-mail dated January 10, 2003, he informed the UMUC community that, based on continuing fiscal difficulties as indicated by the state's latest revenue estimates, UMUC was told to also anticipate another—probably larger—reduction in the state appropriation.

"Unfortunately, many of our sister institutions rely very heavily on appropriations and many will need to raise tuition for students," Heeger said. "Some might consider laying off staff or furloughing salaries.

"UMUC is not implementing such measures in response to the current anticipated budget reductions. UMUC's leadership team and I remain committed to avoiding these steps and will be working hard to manage our resources in a way that will allow us to continue to meet this current challenge. I am determined we will get through this process without jeopardizing jobs."

A crane towers over the construction site in front of the Inn and Conference Center.

Following the meeting, several members of the Board of Visitors and the Alumni Association joined Heeger on the auditorium stage for the start of the groundbreaking ceremony. Architect Ted Oldham of Oldham and Partners, a Washington, D.C., firm that designed the renovation of the Inn and Conference Center's existing space, offered remarks.

When complete, the expanded UMUC Inn and Conference Center complex will be the 12th-largest meeting facility in the national capital area, generating additional revenue by hosting larger conference groups than were possible previously. This auxiliary revenue will mean a great deal to UMUC's students.

"This addition to the conference center is one step in our master plan for the University," said Heeger. "When completed, our campus facilities will become much more symbolic of adults and adult education."