During the first of three open forums designed to address the University’s strategic initiatives, Provost James Brennan led a discussion of Towson’s role as a “Metropolitan University” Monday afternoon.
About two dozen faculty, staff members and administrators attended the meeting in Smith Hall.
“The purpose of these forums is not so much for me to make additional presentations, but to have a discussion, a back-and-forth about our strategic initiatives as they relate to the academic side of the University,” he said at the outset of the meeting.
The meetings follow Brennan’s Faculty Convocation on Oct. 8. At the event he outlined how the Academic Affairs division will respond to President Robert Caret’s Towson 2010 vision.
Brennan said that, to some extent, using the Metropolitan University moniker is merely “packaging what we’ve always done.” He referred several times to the University’s plan to use enrollment growth to improve its financial situation.
“It is our enrollment growth that will give us the resources we need,” he said. “I think what Bob Caret is trying to do is use this [Metropolitan University] concept as a way of creating a distinct presence in the academic configuration of Maryland that underscores Towson’s uniqueness,” Brennan said.
Brennan noted the University is "starting from strength" as it focuses its mission on serving the metropolitan area. He said while Towson is considered a “comprehensive university,” the school differs from the University System of Maryland’s other institutions.
“We’re by ourselves to a very large extent,” he said. “We are just qualitatively different from Frostburg [State] and Salisbury,” two other state institutions typically called “comprehensive.”
“Those of us who saw the first version [were] really shaking in our boots,” he said.
Brennan said the system’s Provosts were asked to provide feedback on some of the ideas developed by the system. He said the “more rational forces” on the board “tempered the report.”
Last week the Board of Regents agreed most undergraduate degrees will be limited to 120 credits, “except in cases where requirements for accreditation, double majors, and other circumstances mandate otherwise.”
Students who continue to enroll in classes will face “financial disincentives.” Some regents have suggested in-state students would be charged the out-of-state price for each credit beyond 120.
Brennan said one initial proposal called for fines to be imposed after four years, and that he objected to the idea.
“Many of our students are making good progress, but it happens to take six or seven years. There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.
Regent Jim Rosapepe, a member of the E&E task force, said he did not recall the idea, but would have objected to it, as well.
“The task force looked at a lot of different ideas,” he said. “We adopted the ones we thought were reasonable in terms of holding off tuition increases while maintaining quality.”
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