University of Maryland, College Park

Name	University of Maryland,College Park
Motto	Fatti maschii, parole femine (Italian)
Mottoeng	Strong deeds, Gentle words
Type	Public university, Land-Grant, Space-Grant, Sea-Grant
Calendar	Semester
Established	1856
President	Wallace Loh
Provost	Ann G. Wylie
City	College Park
State	Maryland
Country	United States
Coor
Students	37,641
Postgrad	10,719 It is a member of the Association of American Universities and a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference athletic league.
Gur	28
Arwu w	36
Arwu n	28
Arwu sci	26
Arwu eng	13
Arwu soc	16
Thes w	56
Usnwr nu	56
Usnwr bus	40
Usnwr law	43
Usnwr medr	43
Usnwr medc	42
Usnwr eng	17
Usnwr ed	24
Usnwr ps	28
Wamo nu	52
Fspi	46

The University is ranked 56th in the latest 2011 U.S. News and World Report rankings of "National Universities" across the United States, and it is ranked 12th nationally among public universities. 29 undergraduate and graduate programs are ranked in the top 10 and 90 programs are in the top 25.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities compiled by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked Maryland as 36th in the world as well as 8th among public flagship universities in the United States. Newsweek ranked the University of Maryland as 45th in their ranking "global universities." The THE-QS World University Rankings ranked the University of Maryland 104 on its top 400 universities in the world in 2010. In 2010 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 104th overall in the world.

Campus

.]] and Jiménez Hall.]]

Description

The campus of University of Maryland is noted for its red-brick Georgian buildings and its large central lawn, named McKeldin Mall. White columns decorate many buildings, with around 770 columns existing on campus. Spanning the university's are over 7,500 documented trees and special garden plantings, leading the American Public Gardens Association to designate the campus the University of Maryland Arboretum & Botanical Garden in 2008. This designation has allowed the university to showcase interesting species and specific gardens, including extensive native plantings. There are multiple arboretum tours, such as the centralized Tree Walking Tour which is based around McKeldin Mall and features 56 specimen trees.

Additionally, there are nearly of urban forest located on campus The recreational Paint Branch Trail, part of the Anacostia Tributary Trails system, cuts through campus, as does the Paint Branch stream, a tributary of the Northeast Branch Anacostia River.

McKeldin Mall serves as the center of campus. On the east and west ends of McKeldin Mall lie the Main Administration Building and McKeldin Library. Academic buildings surround McKeldin Mall on the north and south ends, and are the homes to many departments in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, College of Arts and Humanities, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. West of McKeldin Mall is the North Hill Community, and south of McKeldin Mall lies Morrill Hall and the Morrill Quad, which was the original center of campus. South of the Morrill Quad are the South Hill and South Campus Commons Communities, and to the southwest is the Southwest Mall and the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Running parallel to McKeldin Mall to the north is Campus Drive, the main thoroughfare through campus. The Adele H. Stamp Student Union sits along Campus Drive near the center of campus, and serves as a transit center for campus, where Shuttle-UM (the university's bus service) and municipal buses pick up and drop off passengers; however, the university is considering closing Campus Drive to nearly all vehicular traffic, hoping to make the area around Stamp more pedestrian friendly. Hornbake Plaza home to Hornbake Library and several buildings housing academic departments also lies on Campus Drive, east of Stamp. Outside of the Stamp Student Union on Campus Drive is the Jim Henson Statue and Memorial Garden, in honor of the late Jim Henson, a Maryland alum. To the north and northwest of Stamp and Hornbake Plaza are the North Campus communities, Byrd Stadium, the Eppley Recreation Center (the main gym on campus), the Comcast Center, and the Wooded Hillock, a forest located next to the Comcast Center; Stadium Drive runs between the more southern Byrd Stadium and the rest of the these. The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center sits to the west of Byrd Stadium. Another thoroughfare, Regents Drive, runs perpendicular to McKeldin Mall and is home to the iconic Memorial Chapel and the Campus Farms. Regents Drive crosses Campus Drive at the campus hallmark "M" Circle, which is a traffic circle with a large "M" formed by flowers in its center. The northeast quadrant of campus, formed by Campus and Regent Drives, is home to many of natural sciences and applied sciences departments. The university is also divided by U.S. Route 1, known locally as "Baltimore Avenue." While most of campus lies to the west of Baltimore Avenue, fixtures such as fraternity row and the Leonardtown Communities lie to the east. Sitting on the western edge of Baltimore Avenue are the Visitors' Center, also known as The Dairy, The Reckord Armory, and The Rossborough Inn, which, built during the years of 1798 to 1812, is the oldest building on campus (and is older than the university itself). There are five regularly-used entrances to campus; the main entrance, off of Baltimore Avenue and onto Campus Drive, is referred to as North Gate and features The Gatehouse, an ornate gateway honoring the university's founders. The , 18-hole University of Maryland Golf Course sits at the northern edge of campus, as does the Observatory. The campus is also home to one of the Root Servers, responsible with operating DNS.

Sustainability

, with McKeldin Library in the background.]] The four-person Office of Sustainability was created in summer 2007 after University President Dan Mote became charter signatory of the American College and Universities Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) with the goal of campus climate neutrality. The Climate Action Plan Work Group completed an inventory of campus emissions from 2002 to 2007, and will finalize a Climate Action Plan by September 2009. All new constructions and major renovations must satisfy LEED-Silver certification requirements. The office has promoted several initiatives, including an increase in the recycling rate from 37% to a 54% recycling rate in 2008, due in part to the "Feed the Turtle" program for home football games. A spring 2007 student referendum passed to raise student fees by $12 per year, which is still pending approval from the Board of Regents. Power Shift, a national youth climate activism summit, was held at the University of Maryland in November 2007 with 6,000 individuals in attendance.

The university's first Leed Gold building, Knight Hall, opened in April 2010 as the new home for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Also in April 2010, the Princeton Review named the university one its "Green Colleges." The university added solar panels in the spring of 2010 to the roof of "The Diner" dining hall in North Campus, and plans to add solar panels to the roof of Cole Field House, as well as additional campus buildings in the near future. The university's announced state-of-the-art Physical Sciences Complex (set to be completed in July 2013) will meet LEED-Silver certification requirements.

Student life

Residential life

There are two main residential areas on campus, North Campus and South Campus, which are further divided into a total of seven residential communities. North Campus is made up of Cambridge Community (which consists of five residence halls), Denton Community (which currently consists of three halls, with a fourth, Oakland Hall, under construction and set to open in 2011), and Ellicott Community (consisting of three halls). South Campus includes the North Hill Community, made up of nine Georgian-style halls located immediately west of McKeldin Mall, South Hill Community, made up of fourteen small residence halls for upperclassmen, Leonardtown Community, which offers apartment-style living and is further divided into Old Leonardtown (consisting of six buildings) and New Leonardtown (also consisting of six buildings), and the South Campus Commons Community, which consists of seven apartment-style buildings (the seventh and most recent building being opened in January 2010). The South Campus Commons Community, while built on campus, is managed by a private company, Capstone On-Campus Management, as part of a public-private partnership between the company and the University of Maryland.

Dining

There are two main dining halls on campus: The Diner is located in the Ellicott Community, and the South Campus Dining Room is located near the South Hill and South Campus Commons communities. A third dining hall, located in the Denton Community, is currently under construction and is scheduled to be opened along with Oakland Hall in the Fall of 2011. A food court in the Stamp Student Union provides a plethora of dining options for the university community. Additionally, twelve cafés are located throughout campus as are five convenience stores (known as "shops"). Two restaurants exists on campus: Adele's Restaurant in the Stamp Student Union and Mulligan's Grill and Pub, located on the University of Maryland Golf Course.

Transportation

metro station provides easy and quick access to Downtown Washington DC.]] The university is served by the three airports which exist in the greater Washington metropolitan area. A small public airport in College Park, College Park Airport, lies nearly adjacent to campus, but operations are limited.

A free shuttle service, known as Shuttle-UM, is available for all UMD students, faculty, and staff. The university is served by an off-campus stop on the Washington DC Metro Green Line called College Park – University of Maryland. The station is also served by the Camden Line of the MARC train, which runs between Baltimore and Washington. A Shuttle-UM bus (Route 104) arrives at the metro station every five minutes during fall and spring semesters (every ten minutes during the summer) to bring all visitors to campus (currently stopping in front of the Stamp Student Union). The DC Metrobus and the Prince George's County TheBus bus services also stop on campus.

Over 21,000 parking spaces are on campus, in numerous parking lots and garages. Zipcar service is also available on campus for all UMD students, faculty, and staff.

The university has been attempting to make the campus more bike-friendly by installing covered bike parking and bike lockers on campus, introducing a bike-sharing program, and plans to add more bike lanes on campus. The installation of one or more light-rail stops on campus as a part of metropolitan Washington's proposed Purple Line is an ongoing debate.

The Diamondback

, near the food court and co-op]] The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin, which became the official school mascot in 1933. The newspaper is published daily Monday through Friday during the Spring and Fall semesters, with a print circulation of 17,000 and annual advertising revenues of over $1 million. It has four sections: News, Opinion, Sports, and Diversions.

For the 2008-2009 school year, "The Diamondback" earned a Mark of Excellence award from the Society of Professional Journalists, placing second nationally for Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper and first in its region in the same category. Three years earlier the newspaper had finished third place nationally for Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper and first in its region. Notable journalists who have been with The Diamondback include David Simon of HBO's The Wire and NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street, disgraced Jayson Blair, who was editor-in-chief in 1996 (Blair did not graduate, instead taking a job with The New York Times); Norman Chad, who was editor-in-chief in 1978; cartoonists Aaron McGruder, who first published his cartoon The Boondocks in The Diamondback; and Frank Cho, who began his career with the popular "University Squared" for The Diamondback.

WMUC-FM

WMUC-FM (88.1 FM) is the university's non-commercial radio station, staffed entirely by UMD students and volunteers. WMUC is a freeform radio station that broadcasts at 10 watts. Its broadcasts can be heard throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Notable WMUC alumni include Connie Chung, Bonnie Bernstein, and Aaron McGruder.

Greek life

About 10% of men and 14% of women in Maryland's undergraduate student body are involved in Greek life. Many of the fraternities and sororities at the school are located on Fraternity Row and the Graham Cracker, which are partially controlled by the University. Fraternity Row is the background of several recently produced films.

All social Greek organizations are governed by one of three groups: the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association, or the Pan-Hellenic Council. All cultural Greek organizations are governed by the United Greek Council. These councils assist in the creation and governance of chapter by-laws, risk management plans, and philanthropic activities, with support from the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Each year, every Greek organization must fulfill certain requirements, including doing a service and conducting a program/event related to community service, diversity, or alumni and faculty outreach.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |- !colspan=2|List of sororities !colspan=2|List of fraternities |- | style="vertical-align:top; font-size:smaller;"|

Alpha Chi Omega 1937 (recolonized 1948)

Alpha Delta Pi 1940 (closed 1985, recolonized 1986; local Alpha Delta)

Alpha Epsilon Phi 1943 (local Alpha Sigma)

Alpha Gamma Delta 1947 (closed 1993)

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Alpha Kappa Delta Phi 2002

Alpha Nu Omega 2000

Alpha Omega Epsilon 2005 (engineering)

Alpha Omicron Pi 1924 (local Lambda Tau)

Alpha Phi 1961

Alpha Theta Gamma 2003

Alpha Xi Delta 1934 (closed 1993; local Delta Xi)

Chi Iota Pi 2004

Chi Omega 1923 (closed 1926; unnamed local)

Delta Delta Delta 1934 (local Alpha Upsilon Chi)

Delta Gamma 1945

Delta Phi Epsilon 1960

Delta Phi Omega 2002

Delta Sigma Theta

Gamma Phi Beta 1940 (closed 2000; local Beta Beta)

Gamma Sigma 1949 (closed 1956; local)

Gamma Sigma Sigma 1956 (closed)

| style="vertical-align:top; font-size:smaller;"|

Iota Alpha Pi 1969 (closed 1971)

Kappa Alpha Theta 1947

Kappa Delta 1929 (local Kappa Xi)

Kappa Kappa Gamma 1929 (closed 1993; local Sigma Delta)

Kappa Phi Gamma 2003

Kappa Phi Lambda 2004

Lambda Theta Alpha 1995

Phi Sigma Sigma 1936 (local Beta Pi Sigma, Beacon Club)

Pi Beta Phi 1944 (closed 1991; local Pi Phi Beta)

Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Delta Tau 1952 (local Delta Phi)

Sigma Iota Alpha (closed)

Sigma Kappa 1940 (local Kappa Alpha Sigma)

Sigma Psi Zeta 2003

Tau Alpha Zeta 2002 (closed)

Tau Beta Sigma 1957

Zeta Phi Beta 1973

Zeta Tau Alpha 1990

| style="vertical-align:top; font-size:smaller;"|

Alpha Chi Sigma

Alpha Epsilon Pi 1941 (recolonized 1999)

Alpha Gamma Rho 1928 (local Alpha Theta)

Alpha Kappa Psi 2007

Alpha Nu Omega

Alpha Phi Alpha 1974

Alpha Phi Omega 1947 (co-ed service)

Alpha Sigma Phi 1998

Alpha Tau Omega 1930 (rechartered 2000)

Beta Theta Pi 1982 (closed 2006, recolonized 2009)

Gamma Phi Sigma 2004

Gamma Pi 1913 (closed 1917; local, became Sigma Nu)

Chi Phi 2005

Delta Chi 1990

Delta Kappa Epsilon 1952 (closed 1960)

Delta Sigma Phi 1924

Delta Tau Delta (closed 2008)

Iota Nu Delta

Iota Phi Theta

Kappa Alpha Order (1915)

Kappa Alpha Psi

Kappa Kappa Psi 1955

Kappa Sigma 1874 (re-chartered 2009)

Lambda Chi Alpha 1932

Lambda Upsilon Lambda 1995

Omega Nu Eta 2008

Omega Psi Phi

| style="vertical-align:top; font-size:smaller;"|

Phi Beta Sigma 1972

Phi Chi Theta

Phi Gamma Delta 1979

Phi Gamma Nu 2009

Phi Delta Sigma fraternity 2007

Phi Delta Theta 1930

Phi Iota Alpha 2000

Phi Kappa Tau 1950

Phi Kappa Psi 2007

Phi Kappa Sigma 1899 (closed 1995)

Phi Sigma Kappa 1897 (closed 2002, rechartered 2011)

Pi Delta Psi 2004

Pi Kappa Alpha

Pi Kappa Phi 1992 (closed 2003)

Sigma Alpha Epsilon 1943 (recolonized 2009)

Sigma Alpha Mu 1933 (closed 2006)

Sigma Beta Rho 2003

Sigma Chi 1945 (rechartered 2009)

Sigma Nu 1917

Sigma Pi (recolonized 2007)

Sigma Phi Epsilon 1949

Sigma Phi Sigma 1916 local (closed)

Tau Epsilon Phi 1925 (closed 2010)

Tau Kappa Epsilon 1947 (recolonized 2005)

Theta Chi 1929

Zeta Beta Tau 1948 (closed 2009)

Zeta Psi 1976

|}

Athletics

, home of Maryland basketball]]The university sponsors varsity athletic teams in 27 men's and women's sports. The teams, nicknamed the "Terrapins", represent Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. Maryland became a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1952. As of December 2010, Maryland's athletic teams have been awarded 38 national championships by the NCAA, USILA, AIAW, and NCA. In 2008 and 2010, The Princeton Review named the University of Maryland's athletic facilities the best in the nation. The Terrapins nickname (often shortened to "Terps") was coined by former university president, football coach, and athletic director H. C. "Curly" Byrd in 1932. The mascot is a diamondback terrapin named Testudo, which is Latin for "tortoise." Since the early 20th century, the school athletic colors have been some combination of those on the Maryland state flag: red, white, black, and gold.

near capacity on game day]]Men's basketball is one of the most popular sports at the university. Beginning in 1989, alumnus Gary Williams revived the program, which was struggling in the wake of Len Bias's death and NCAA rules infractions. Williams led Maryland basketball to national prominence with two Final Four appearances, and in 2002, a national championship. On February 7, 2006, Gary Williams won his 349th game to surpass Driesell and became Maryland's all-time leader among basketball coaches. Maryland football is also popular at the university. The Terrapins were awarded the national championship by the wire services in 1953, and in 1951, by several retroactive selectors. Maryland has secured eleven conference championships, including nine in the ACC, which ranks third most in the league. The Terrapins most recently won the ACC in 2001 under alumnus and head coach Ralph Friedgen.

fields one of the nation's premier lacrosse programs.]]Beyond the two "revenue sports," the university fields 25 other varsity teams. Maryland men's lacrosse remains one of the sport's top programs, although it last won the national championship in 1975. The team has secured ten USILA and NCAA national championships since its promotion to varsity status in 1924, and is a regular fixture in the NCAA tournament. The women's lacrosse team has the most national championships of any program in the nation, including most recently in 2010. The women's basketball team rose to prominence in the 2000s, and head coach Brenda Frese guided the Lady Terps to their first NCAA title in 2006. The men' soccer team has reached five Final Fours since 1997 under the guidance of head coach Sasho Cirovski, and captured the College Cup in 2005 and 2008. The women's field hockey team has secured seven NCAA championships. The Maryland wrestling team was dominant in the ACC throughout the 1950s and 1960s and returned to claim two more conference titles in the late 2000s.

The Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band attends all home football games and provides pre-game performances. During the basketball season, the marching band becomes the University of Maryland Pep Band, which provides music in the stands at men's and women's home games and during tournament play.

Testudo

In 1932, Curley Byrd—who served as the university's football and baseball coach, athletic director, and president—proposed adopting the diamondback terrapin as a mascot. The first statue of Testudo cast in bronze was donated by the Class of 1933 and displayed on Baltimore Avenue in front of Ritchie Coliseum. However, the 300-pound sculpture was subjected to vandalism by visiting college athletic teams. One such incident occurred in 1947 when students from Johns Hopkins University stole the bronze statue and moved it to their campus. Maryland students traveled to Baltimore to retrieve it, and laid siege to the house where it was hidden. Over 200 city police responded to quell the riot. In 1949, University President Byrd was awakened by a phone call from a University of Virginia fraternity requesting that Testudo be removed from their lawn. Testudo was later filled with 700 pounds of cement and fastened to his pedestal to prevent future removals, but students at rival schools continued to vandalize it. It was moved to Byrd Stadium in 1951. In the 1960s, Testudo was moved back to a spot in front of McKeldin Library. Some passersby consider it good luck to rub the statue, which has given its nose a shiny appearance. During finals week, students traditionally leave "offerings" to the statue for good luck.

In 1992 a duplicate statue was placed at Byrd Stadium, where the football team touch it for good luck as they pass by before games. Additional Testudo statues now sit outside of the Gossett Team House near the stadium; Comcast Center, the school's basketball arena; the Riggs Alumni Center; and in the lobby of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. Beginning in the 2000s, the university promoted the slogan, "Fear the Turtle" as a rallying cry for school pride.

Notable people

University attendees have achieved fame or notability across a variety of disciplines. Famous alumni include former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; Google co-founder Sergey Brin; The Muppets creator Jim Henson; Seinfeld producer Larry David, and Android Honeycomb UI designer Matias Duarte.

Prominent alumni in business include Jim Walton, President and CEO of CNN; Kevin Plank, founder of the athletic apparel company Under Armour; Chris Kubasik, President of Lockheed Martin; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard; Telecommunications entrepreneur Brian Hinman, and Hamad Al Sayari, Former governor of the Saudi Arabian Central Bank(Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency).

Television personality Connie Chung; E! News reporter Giuliana Rancic graduated with a bachelors degree from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. ESPN reporters Bonnie Bernstein, Tim Kurkjian, and Scott Van Pelt all graduated from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Journalist Carl Bernstein, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for his coverage of the Watergate scandal, attended the University but did not graduate. Kiran Chetry, co-host of CNN's American Morning, graduated with a bachelors of arts in broadcast journalism. Heidi Collins of CNN Newsroom graduated with a bachelors of science. Former Maryland governor Harry R. Hughes also attended. Gayle King, editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, graduated from Maryland with a degree in psychology.

Attendees within the fields of science and mathematics are: Nobel Laureates Raymond Davis Jr., 2002 winner in Physics; Herbert Hauptman, 1985 winner in Chemistry, and Fields Medal winner Charles Fefferman. Other alumni include George Dantzig, considered the father of linear programming; late NASA astronaut Judith Resnik, who died in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger during the launch of mission STS-51-L; and NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin.

Several donors have distinguished themselves for their sizable gifts to the University. Businessman Robert H. Smith, who graduated from the university in 1950 with a degree in accounting, has given over $45 million to the business school that now bears his name, and to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, which bears his wife's name. Construction entrepreneur A. James Clark, who graduated with an engineering degree in 1950, has also donated over $45 million to the college of engineering, which also bears his name. Philip Merrill, a media figure, donated $10 million to the College of Journalism.

Filmography

The University of Maryland, College Park Campus has been featured in several films.

(2007)

Life 101 (1995)

St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

References

External links

Official website

Official Athletics website

Category:Association of American Universities Category:Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Category:College Park, Maryland Category:Land-grant universities and colleges University of Maryland, College Park Category:Educational institutions established in 1856 Category:Oak Ridge Associated Universities Category:Forestry education