Nov. 20, 2012

COLLEGE PARK, MD. -

Mike Miller - President, Maryland Senate
"As a major Terp fan and University of Maryland alum, my primary allegiance is to the institution, our teams, and most of all our students. I'm proud of the university's many accomplishments; proud that it stands among the elite public research universities.  As a legislator, I see this is as a wise decision for the university's academic and athletic future. Financial sustainability is the only responsible way forward."

John Lauer - Board of Trustees, College Park Foundation
"The Board of Trustees of the College Park Foundation is dedicated to the academic and research mission of the University of Maryland.  This move to the Big Ten Conference, with its robust academic programs and its storied athletic history, will further boost our academic and research reputation nationwide."

Timmy Ruppersberger - President, Maryland Alumni Association Board of Governors
"The University of Maryland Alumni Association is a robust community of 300,000 proud Terps.  While some alumni will certainly feel some sadness at switching conferences, the benefits a partnership with the Big Ten Conference provides, academically, financially and athletically, are substantial and compelling.  We look forward to establishing new rivalries, extending Maryland traditions and building a bright future for our alumni, our athletic department and our university."

Colin Potts - President, Terrapin Club
"We are excited to be joining the Big Ten. This presents a new opportunity to expand our base in new states and reach alumni that we haven't connected with in the past. No matter who we play, we will always support and embrace student-athletes at the University of Maryland."

University of Maryland Student Government Association Executive Board
"Several academic benefits come with membership in the CIC, ranging from collaboration and cooperation that helps member schools obtain federal grants, to exchanges of member resources and scholars. This would increase the University's stature as a Research I institution, further bolstering our academic reputation nationally and globally. Finally, with recent speculation that calls into question that future viability of the ACC, the Big Ten would provide Maryland with stability in the years to come."

Nick Hadley - UMD Professor, Physics and Faculty Athletic Representative
"Although I will miss the traditions of the ACC and our colleagues from ACC institutions, this move is in the best long term interest of the University of Maryland and University of Maryland Athletics. It will stabilize the finances of the Athletics Department and will provide opportunities for collaborating with an outstanding group of universities."

Martha Nell Smith - Chair, University Senate; UMD Professor of English, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher
"At first I thought, `Oh no - what about tradition? What about ACC basketball?' But when I learned the details of the superior rankings of the Big 10 AAU Public Institutions and thought about how my colleagues at IU, Illinois, Wisconsin are supported academically, I concluded that we could move into an era where athletics and academics mutually enable one another and that there is great opportunity here."

Mike Thomas - Athletic Director, University of Illinois
"Today's announcement of Maryland joining the Big Ten Conference is very exciting on many fronts, including the addition of another highly regarded institution that stretches our conference footprint farther east. Maryland fits the Big Ten profile as an outstanding academic institution and has a long and successful history in athletics. We look forward to competing against the Terrapins beginning in the 2014-15 season. This move is another example of the Big Ten being a leader in the current climate of collegiate athletics."

Harvey Perlman - Chancellor, University of Nebraska
"As the newest member Nebraska welcomes Maryland to the Big Ten.  I know you and your fans will find the conference as welcoming and as exciting as we have. "

Tom Osborne - Athletic Director, University of Nebraska
"Those of us in the University of Nebraska Athletic Department want to welcome Maryland into the Big Ten Conference. We look forward to competing against them in future years."

Jim Phillips - Athletic Director, Northwestern University
"We're excited to add an institution that is a member of the Association of American Universities and upholds a high academic and athletic standard. Across their varsity sports programs Maryland brings a commitment to excellence that fits well with the rest of the Big Ten Conference."

Pat Fitzgerald - Head Football Coach, Northwestern University
The University of Maryland is the school that gave me my start in coaching, and a university that I have great respect for. It's an area that I still visit regularly, and where Northwestern has a thriving alumni community. I look forward to welcoming the Terrapins to Ryan Field and making the trip to Byrd Stadium."

Gene Smith - Athletic Director, Ohio State University
"Maryland is an outstanding addition to the Big Ten conference. I know many of the employees in the athletic department personally and professionally. I look forward to working with them in our family."

Dave Dickerson - Associate Men's Basketball Head Coach, Ohio State University (Maryland graduate; assistant coach [1996-2004]; associate head coach [2004-05])
"Maryland is an excellent athletic and academic institution with a long, storied history of success. As a former player and as an assistant coach on the Terps back-to-back Final Four teams and the 2002 national championship squad, I know the rich tradition Maryland will bring to the Big Ten."

Tim Sands - President, Purdue University
"We welcome the University of Maryland to the Big Ten Conference. As a fellow member of the Association of American Universities, Maryland's academic prestige and research tradition will advance the rigorous education standards sustained by Purdue and our existing Big Ten partners. Historically, Big Ten schools have worked together to be leaders in both higher education and in athletics. We look forward to collaborating with the University of Maryland to advance learning and discovery. "

Morgan Burke - Athletic Director, Purdue University
"Maryland is a great academic fit and brings a storied athletic program that values the student-athlete experience to the Big Ten. We look forward to their joining us. "

Barry Alvarez - Athletic Director, University of Wisconsin
"The addition of the University of Maryland to the Big Ten brings another quality institution to our conference. Maryland is one of the nation's top universities and its athletic programs are rich with tradition and a history of success. It is a school with a profile that fits very well with the rest of the Big Ten. The Maryland campus, with its proximity to the nation's capital, extends the Big Ten Conference brand into a new region and I know our teams and fans will enjoy competing in, and visiting, that part of the country. On behalf of our entire Department of Athletics, I want to welcome the University of Maryland to the Big Ten. We're excited to have the Terrapins join us!"

Mark Silverman - President, BTN
"BTN congratulates the University of Maryland and the Big Ten Conference on Maryland joining the Big Ten. The network looks forward to offering Terrapin fans around the world unprecedented coverage of Maryland athletics."

Steve Schanwald - Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Chicago Bulls
"As a University of Maryland graduate living in the Midwest, and as a Big Ten Conference fan, I couldn't be more excited about my alma mater joining the Big Ten. The Big Ten is the most prestigious athletic conference in the country, and adding the University of Maryland and the Washington D.C. and Baltimore markets which come with it, only adds to that prestige. As for my beloved Maryland Terrapins, I am excited about having increased opportunities to watch them now via the Big Ten Network and in person at arenas and stadiums which are closer to where I live. I know there are some of my fellow alumni who are concerned about the loss of traditional rivalries, but those rivalries have been greatly diminished in recent years anyway given the recent expansion of the ACC to non-traditional markets. Finally I am sure this move by Maryland will have a positive impact on its economics and better enable the University to deal with the economic challenges which all collegiate athletic programs are facing these days, and to compete at a higher level in all sports."